• 196
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Nation   |   March 27, 2012
• The number of school districts in the U.S. that had enough suspicious test scores that the odds of the results occurring by chance alone were worse than one in 1,000, according to an investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• 38%
• Source: The Hill   |   Nation   |   March 26, 2012
• The portion of Americans who think there is “too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders,” while 30 percent think there is too little, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. The previous year's poll found the opposite -- more people thought there wasn't enough religious expression from politicians.

• 17
• Source: The Associated Press   |   Nation   |   March 23, 2012
• The number of states with laws surrounding the increasingly popular hobby of making beer and wine at home. In Wisconsin, lawmakers recently approved legislation to let people transport homemade beer and wine and share it with others, but they still can't sell it.

• 140,000
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Illinois   |   March 22, 2012
• The number of college students in Illinois who are eligible for financial aid but likely won't get it because the state ran out of money. This year marks the earliest the state has ever run out of its need-based Monetary Award Program funds.

• More than 30%
• Source: Washington Post   |   District of Columbia   |   March 21, 2012
• The steep rise in robberies in the District of Columbia this year, compared to only a 5 percent rise last year. D.C.'s crime climb is also higher than that of New York and Philadelphia where robberies this year have only increased 8 and 10 percent, respectively.

• 15th
• Source: Miami Herald   |   Florida   |   March 20, 2012
• Florida's nationwide transparency ranking, according to the State Integrity Investigation report. The state is typically known for being one of the most transparent, but critics contend that its loose policies regarding lobbyists dragged its ranking down.

• 16%
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   March 19, 2012
• The portion of U.S. teachers -- down from 28 percent in 2010 -- who believe tying their pay to student performance is "absolutely essential" or "very important" to keep good teachers, according to a recent survey.

• More than 40 cents
• Source: Washington Post   |   Maryland   |   March 16, 2012
• The rise, per gallon, in the price of gas in Maryland since January when Gov. Martin O' Malley first proposed increasing the state's gas tax. As the cost of gas has gone up, the support for his proposal has gone down.

• 10
• Source: The Associated Press   |   Nation   |   March 15, 2012
• The number of states that let some lawmakers change their votes after a bill has passed or failed. A switched decision, however, doesn't alter a bill's original outcome.

• $36 million
• Source: Fresno Bee   |   San Joaquin Valley, Calif.   |   March 14, 2012
• The annual amount it would cost small towns in California's San Joaquin Valley to clean up its drinking water, which a new study shows is contaminated due to farm fertilizers and dairy waste. The four counties studied are among the nation's top five farming counties.

• 2.3%
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   March 13, 2012
• The increase in the number of trips taken on public transportation last year compared to 2010. This is the highest level of public-transit use since 2008.

• 7%
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   March 12, 2012
• The rise in the rate of speed-related traffic deaths since 2000, contrasting the 3 percent drop in drunk-driving deaths and 23 percent drop in deaths that resulted from someone not wearing a seat belt.

• 1985
• Source: The Associated Press   |   Kansas   |   March 9, 2012
• The year that Kansas outlawed happy hour. The state House recently passed a bill to allow bars, restaurants and clubs to sell alcohol at different prices at different times of the day again.

• 13.5%
• Source: The Associated Press   |   New York City   |   March 8, 2012
• The drop in salmonella infections in New York City from 2010 to 2011 -- the first full year the city gave letter grades to restaurants based on their sanitary conditions.

• 9
• Source: The Daily Beast   |   Nation   |   March 7, 2012
• The number of female mayors in the nation's 100 largest cities. In state legislatures, women make up 23 percent of elected representatives.