News in Numbers
The increased likelihood that police in Illinois will find illegal items, such as drugs or stolen property, when searching the car of a white person compared to that of a Latino. But data shows that when no legal ground exists, state troopers ask to search the cars of black and Latino drivers more often.
The percent of California restaurants that accept food stamps and are fast-food places. The state started the program to help feed welfare recipients who are unable to make their own meals, but officials now worry that it promotes unhealthy eating habits.
The amount that New York has spent, which is more than any other state, this year on the developmentally disabled. More than half goes to private providers, with little oversight of their spending. One executive paid for luxury cars and his daughter's living expenses with public funds.
The number of libraries that the Maryland-based Library Systems and Services International runs in five states. LSSI is now the fifth largest library system in the country, taking over many public libraries in cash-strapped communities.
The number of tweets the Seattle Police Department sent out in a 12-hour period, causing hundreds of their followers to stop following the account. The SPD was tweeting almost all of its emergency calls so citizens could see what a day in the department is really like.
The amount of red-light camera fines and fees that some Los Angeles residents paid and later demanded refunds for after the city council voted to shutdown the program because local officials view paying the ticket as "voluntary."
The percent of premiums that North Dakota wanted to require its insurers to spend on claims, compared to the 80 percent mandate in the new federal health care law. North Dakota's request was denied by the feds, making it the first state to be refused an adjustment to that portion of the law.
The amount of new tax revenue that longer bar hours in Seattle could generate, according to the mayor. The city council plans to ask the state for permission to serve alcohol beyond the current legal 2 a.m. cutoff.
The average number of new state laws each year that began as model bills from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is made up of corporations who pay membership fees to work with lawmakers in drafting legislation.
The proposed pay cap for NFL players under a deal agreed upon by the league's owners. The players have until Tuesday to approve the collective bargaining agreement, which would end the four-month-long lockout.
The campaign donation that Ohio Gov. John Kasich received last year from CEO Rupert Murdoch of News Corp., which hacked the cell phones of the families of 9/11 victims in search of news stories. Ohio Democrats are asking the governor to donate the money to charity.
The number of marriage licenses that New York City will issue through a lottery for this Sunday, the first day the state will allow same-sex marriage. This will be the most weddings that the city has ever performed in one day.
The approximate percentage of junior high and high school students in Texas who get suspended or expelled, according to a report that tracked about 1 million schoolchildren for six years.
The percent of exonerations that involve wrongfully convicted people who pleaded guilty. States are taking steps to prevent the imprisonment of innocent people, but some oppose helping those that pleaded guilty.
The number of transportation secretaries that Massachusetts has had since Governor Patrick took office in 2007. With the recent resignation of Jeffrey Mullan, the administration is on the hunt for its fourth transit chief in four years.
The portion of people who signed a petition to repeal Maryland's new immigrant tuition law using a website. This is the first time in two decades that enough signatures have been collected to suspend a Md. law and many say it's because of the online petition.
The length of time a person will lose their federal welfare benefits if they refuse to take a drug test or test positive for them. Under the new Missouri law, people can be tested if there's reasonable suspicion they're using illegal drugs.
The number of residential property owners in New York City who got approval to install solar panels in fiscal year 2010. A lengthy and confusing approval process, among other things, has kept people from going solar.
The portion of Mississippi residents who have tested positive for HIV and are not receiving treatment for it -- a rate comparable to Botswana, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
The distance away from an oil spill site that shows shoreline contamination in Montana. A 12-inch Exxon pipeline burst a week and a half ago, pouring 1,000 barrels of oil into one of America's most pristine rivers not too far from Yellowstone National Park.
The hourly cost to employers for a state or local government worker, compared to $28.10 for a private sector employee in the first quarter of 2011.
The payout a California state prison psychiatrist received for more than 2 1/2 years of unused sick time. New data shows that more than 1,400 Golden State workers, including psychiatrists, were paid in excess of $200,000 last year.
The average number of suicides each year, which is the nation's second highest rate, at Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania from 2000-07.
The amount of spending cuts that the South Carolina legislature kept after overriding the rest of Gov. Nikki Haley's $213 million cuts. Entrepreneurship, SAT and college prep programs got the ax.
The annual tuition at Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas -- the cheapest rate in the country. In compliance with the law, all colleges recently published their rates and the most expensive ones must explain their high costs to the Education Department.
The percent of state revenue growth in the first three months of 2011, compared to a .64% drop in local government revenue. Part of the difference is because states depend on sales and income taxes, which bounce back faster than the property taxes that local governments rely on.
The number of New Yorkers who admitted to getting lost in the city in the last week. The city recently unveiled plans to install street signs throughout to help tourists (and residents) get around and also to encourage walking.
The number of physics teachers that Georgia colleges produced in 2008, prompting an incentive plan, which was just recently funded, to pay new math and science teachers $1,461 to $6,577 more.
The number of states -- most recently Colorado -- that no longer cover circumcision for newborn boys under Medicaid. San Francisco will be the first city to hold a public vote on whether to ban the practice.
The percent of eligible schools that opted into Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell's merit-pay program for teachers, citing concerns about the criteria used to judge teachers, the sustainability of the initiative and the accelerated implementation timeline.
