Protests marked the fifth anniversary of the United States war in Iraq. The economy took more buffeting. In Vermont, Senator Sanders brought home good news for seniors, and the Census Bureau issued a new demographic snapshot of the Green Mountain State. Meanwhile, signs of spring are apparent in Washington, D.C. while Vermonters wager on when the ice on Joe's Pond in Danville will finally thaw.

The War in Iraq "This war has been a disaster," Sanders said Thursday night on Vermont Public Television's Report from Washington. Because of the war, the senator added, "we have lost focus on the people who attacked us on 9/11." On the anniversary of the war that has now lasted longer than the United States was in World War II, protesters marched in Burlington, Washington and other cities across the country. Said Sanders, "More than five years ago, as a member of the House, I voted against giving President Bush the authority to go to war in Iraq. The president did not make the case for going to war then. He has not made the case for remaining in Iraq since then, and he has failed to provide a plan to end the war." Today, there are about 158,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. That number is expected to drop to 140,000 by summer, but the total will still be greater than when a "temporary" surge was launched by Bush one year ago. "Enough is enough," Sanders said. "We must bring our troops home as soon as possible." For an Iraq war timeline, click here.

The Economy Record high prices for gasoline, home heating fuel, and food staples have a far greater impact on the lives of middle-income families than stock market gyrations that grabbed headlines this past week. "You look at $4 plus for home heating oil, the high price of gasoline at the pump, the cost of health care soaring…and what some people suggest might be an international financial meltdown. These are scary times," Sanders said on CNBC's Kudlow & Company. Meanwhile, a government report said the goods and services Americans consumed in February were 4 percent more expensive than they were a year earlier. An analysis of government data by The Washington Post found that prices rose 9.2 percent since 2006 for the groceries, gasoline, health care and other basics that a middle-income American family has little choice but to consume. The Post calculated that the higher prices would cost a family that made $45,000 in 2006 an extra $972 per year. The problem is worse for the poor. Food banks and churches that feed people in need are scrambling to make up for a loss of government-provided surplus items as commodity prices go up. Food banks and soup kitchens say people struggling with mortgage woes, rising gas prices and layoffs are increasingly turning to them for help. To read the Post article, click here. To read a related Wall Street Journal article, click here.

Supporting Seniors Sanders brought home good news about $196,000 he helped secure for Vermont senior citizen centers in Addison, Chittenden, Grand Isle and Franklin counties. The senator secured the funding for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging to provide needed maintenance and renovations to senior centers. "Senior centers in Vermont play a great role in making sure that older Vermonters receive the nutrition, socialization and health care they need," he said. To read more, click here.

Vermont Census The U.S. Census Bureau released population estimates on Thursday. There were 476 more Vermonters as of last July 1 than there were one year before. Chittenden County grew the most, gaining 727 new people. The population declined in half of Vermont's counties. There were fewer people in Bennington, Caledonia, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties, according to the Census Bureau.

Spring In the Vermont woods, maple trees were being tapped for the start of sugaring season. Up in the North East Kingdom, tickets went on sale at Joe's Pond Country Store for the annual contest to guess when the ice will thaw enough for a cinder block to plunge into the water. "Since the contest began in 1988, the earliest the ice ‘went out' was April 16 at 12:31 p.m.," according to The Caledonian Record. "The latest the ice went out was May 6, 1992." Down in D.C., cherry trees blossomed just in time for the annual festival.