Senator Patrick Leahy says he supports President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense and he will help advance the White House’s cause. A financial firm’s research report says Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is a drag on owner Entergy’s finances. The Burlington City Council supports a proposed ban on assault rifles and multiple ammunition clips in the city. Vermont State Police have come to the aid of at least seven skiers who skied out of bounds off trails at the Killington Ski Resort and got lost in the woods.