Here are the top stories at 7:40 a.m.:
Vermont has avoided the most serious problems in the housing and credit markets, but a new report shows that real estate sales and prices have both declined over the winter; Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing for the extension of tax credits for renewable energy projects; and residents from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are urging Vermont’s Public Service Board to use caution as it considers Entergy Nuclear’s proposal to spin off its five nuclear plants in the Northeast into a separate company.