In the green shoots category, from the Las Vegas Sun. Perhaps no other place in the country got hit harder by the housing boom/bust than Vegas:

Employment in the Las Vegas area increased by more than 10,000 jobs in March -- the first increase in 38 months.

The additional jobs helped to bring down the unemployment rate down to 13.3 percent, the lowest mark since August 2010.

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today the Nevada jobless rate fell to 13.2 percent, down from 13.6 percent in February. There were 1,114,400 Nevadans with jobs, an increase of more than 10,000 from a month earlier.

”Nevada's labor markets showed signs of life in March, hinting what may be the beginnings of an economic recovery,” says Bill Anderson, chief economist of the department. Employment increased on a over-the year basis for the first time since January 2008.