News in Numbers
The annual health care cost of obesity to businesses in Texas by 2030 if current trends hold, according to a study from the state comptroller. The Legislature has passed laws to curb childhood obesity, but some say the latest one doesn't go far enough.
The number of mosquitoes that a single trap, which normally catches 50, caught in one night a week after Hurricane Irene hit Beaufort County, N.C. The state team that controlled mosquitoes fell victim to budget cuts this year, and now the insects are raising fears of disease outbreaks and hindering repair efforts.
The average time it takes a mortgage lender in Florida to repossess a persons home. So many cases are backlogged that the state may cut the courts out of the foreclosure process to speed it up.
The number of children -- of which nearly half live in low-income households -- that do not have broadband at home, according to a recent survey conducted by the national nonprofit Connected Nation.
The maximum jail sentence in Wisconsin for serving margarine instead of butter in restaurants, prisons or schools. Legislators are trying to repeal the law because serving margarine, which is cheaper, could save the state money.
The number of police officers recently laid off in Trenton, N.J., making it the fourth major city in the state to lay off at least 10 percent of its police force in the past year.
The number of families that a city-funded shelter in Philadelphia had to turn away last year -- double the refusal rate two years prior. The city has experienced an increase in the homeless population but a decrease in funding for shelters.
The rise in the portion of students who scored 700 or higher on the math section of the SAT since 2007.
The amount of time it takes to download a song in Idaho, the state with the slowest Internet speeds. In Rhode Island, which has the fastest speeds, it takes only 3.36 seconds.
The number of female inmates in California -- out of 9,500 -- that could be released to help the state meet a court-imposed deadline to relieve its overcrowded prisons. Female inmates who have children and were convicted of non-serious, non-sexual crimes could start going home as early as next week.
The portion of current governors who have written a book. Four did so while in office, including Ind. Governor Mitch Daniels -- the most recent gubernatorial author.
The amount of pension overpayments that a few dozen retired Portland firefighters and police received because of the city's miscalculations. The city demanded the retirees to pay back the money -- a move that more than 500 workers are contesting in court.
The number of hours that some firefighters worked straight with no air support trying to contain the Texas wildfires that have destroyed almost 2,000 homes.
The one-time fee adults must pay to visit people in Arizona prisons. The new charge has prompted two lawsuits that allege the fee is an unconstitutional tax because the money is going to general prison repairs.
The value of stolen merchandise that sent Scott Andrew Hove to prison for life under California's three-strikes law, which imposes 25-yearlong minimum sentences for nonviolent felonies if an offender has committed two violent or serious crimes. Hove had previously been convicted of residential burglary and drug possession.
The number of Wisconsin teachers who retired in the first half of 2011 -- twice the number of retirees in 2009 and 2010 combined. Some blame the mass exodus on the new union law that forces teachers to pay more for benefits while losing most of their collective bargaining rights.
The drop in Florida doctors’ purchases of Oxycodone in the first six months of 2011 from the same period last year. The state has cracked down on the illegal sale of prescription drugs with tougher laws.
The legal fees that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been court ordered to pay to The L.A. Times. The newspaper filed a lawsuit after the department denied a request for the names of deputies involved in three fatal shootings.
The prison sentence that former Nogales, Ariz., Mayor Octavio Garcia Von Borstel received for fraud and illegally conducting an enterprise. He pleaded guilty to defrauding Western Union of nearly $618,000, but no contest to helping companies get city contracts in exchange for kickbacks.
The amount of a federal early childhood education grant that Detroit Mayor Bing wants to use to relocate and renovate the city's Human Services Department building. Councilmembers are calling for an investigation, noting that the city has previously lost federal funds because of improper use.
The number of homes and businesses that lost power when Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast over the weekend.
The percentage-point lead that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race, according to a new Gallup poll.
The amount that Camden, N.J., is paying 66 of its high school students to not skip school. The grant money funding the program needs to be used by Sept. 30, so the students will get paid at the beginning of the year and sign a pledge to show up the rest of the year.
The portion of Washington state's public workforce that has disappeared since 2009. With layoffs accounting for about 21 percent of the loss, most of it is from workers who left on their own.
The rate of Arizona households that stopped getting cash assistance during the recession, while the state's unemployment rate shot up 134 percent. Welfare caseloads rose in most states during the recession but dropped in 13.
The number of votes that ratified an agreement to make cost-savings changes in health care and pension benefits for Connecticut's 45,000 unionized workers.
The number of students -- out of more than 10,000 -- barred from enrolling in one of Georgia's public colleges because they're an illegal immigrant. This is the first year students must prove they're legal citizens to attend the most competitive state schools.
The percent of children in Nevada who have lost their homes because of unpaid mortgages. The state has the highest nationwide rate of unemployed and underemployed parents and of teens not enrolled in school.
The percent of superintendents in New Jersey who said the state Education Department clearly pointed out school districts' deficiencies, while 49 percent said they received no helpful guidance on how to improve, according to a recent survey.
The reduction in utility costs over four years that a school district in New York has seen since appointing an official energy manager. At one school, the assistant principal roams the hallways and classrooms to root out energy waste, such as computers and lights left on overnight.
