Here are the top stories at 7:30 a.m.:
Vermont will expand eligibility for Food Stamp assistance as state officials plan for what they say could be a difficult winter; Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gaye Symington has unveiled a plan to get more Vermont students to attend college; Renovations to transform Vermont’s Northwest State Correctional Facility into a prison for women are under way; A Montpelier landmark famous for decades as a watering hole for lawmakers away from home is closing its doors.