Here are the top stories at 7:30 a.m.:
Republicans say they expect to have a candidate to challenge Congressman Peter Welch, although they concede he has a formidable head start on fund-raising and name recognition; Barack Obama is winning the presidential race in Vermont in terms of fundraising; the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is Bennington will be cutting staff to avoid going over budget; and the Maine Public Utilities Commission has issued its final order giving its approval to the sale of Verizon’s landline business in Maine to FairPoint Communications.