Here are the top stories at the noon hour.
The bill to expand the amount of wilderness area in the Green Mountain National Forest has passed in the House, in Washington; State Senator Ed Flannigan, seriously injured in a car crash last winter, thanks the hospital staff who cared for him; the race for Vermont Auditor of Accounts turned out to be by far the closest in the state last week, and now stands at a margin of 137 votes for Republican incumbent Randy Brock over Democrat Tom Salmon; The federal government has settled a lawsuit with Vermont and 13 other states that could lead to efficiency standards for appliances.