News in Numbers
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.
The percent of money raised for Texas Governor Rick Perry's last three campaigns that came from donations of at least $100,000. Now a GOP presidential candidate, Perry will have to abide by federal campaign finance laws that cap individual donations at $2,500.
The number of states, including California, where it's illegal to reduce a judge's salary. The California court system has to absorb $350 million in cuts this year and may resort to reducing services and laying people off to do it.
The number of districts, from an original 12, that Detroit lost when Gov. Snyder signed the new state legislative and congressional maps into law. Detroit lost political clout because the Census shows that 25 percent of its residents left from 2000 to 2010.
The highest pension of any public official in California, which goes to Vernon's former city administrator who was convicted of public corruption. The state retirement system is undergoing its largest review of public pensions and has so far found 329 that need to be reduced.
The percent of people who have an unfavorable view of the Tea Party, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News Poll. Last year, 18 percent expressed negative opinions.
The amount of his own money that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is giving to fund a new plan to improve the lives of young black and Latino men who are disproportionately undereducated, incarcerated and unemployed.
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.
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