News in Numbers
The age at which a child could get married in North Carolina if proposed legislation is passed. The bill aims to raise the state’s marriage age by two years and would limit the age difference between a 16-year-old and their spouse to four years. There are currently 13 states, including North Carolina, that allow children under 16 to wed.
The increase in food stamp assistance for needy families, the largest in the program’s history. The bump will start in October and will be available indefinitely for all 42 million SNAP beneficiaries.
The number of federal firefighters that are on the ground working to combat wildfires, more than double the number of firefighters deployed this time last year.
The approximate number of sex abuse cases that were filed in New York over the past two years within the state’s temporary lift of civil lawsuit time limits to allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to come forward and sue institutions and people they hold responsible. The window has been extended twice but, barring any further extensions, will end at midnight on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021.
The number of anti-Asian incidents that have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic and up to June. There have been nearly as many incidents in the first half of this year as there were during the last nine months of last year. Many believe the pandemic has contributed to a rise in anti-Asian incidents because the coronavirus was first reported in China.
The proportioned increase of miles traveled in June by American motorists, up 35.7 billion miles from a year prior, bringing the numbers nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.
The number of people who have registered for health insurance during the coronavirus pandemic after the enrollment window was extended by the Biden administration.
The number of degrees in Celsius that the Earth is expected to warm decades earlier than predicted, according to a report released Monday by the United Nations called a “code red for humanity.”
The number of jobs U.S employers added in July and drove the unemployment rate down to 5.4% in another sign the economy is bouncing back with surprising vigor from COVID-19.
The number of people expected to attend the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Black Hills, S.D., this weekend. Last year the rally attracted just 460,000 attendees due to the coronavirus pandemic, but many expect the crowds to be even bigger this year, raising concern that it will become a superspreader event. The Rally brings in over $800 million in revenue for the state.
The proportion of New Yorkers who think that Governor Cuomo should resign after a report found that he sexually harassed 11 women.
The amount that Zoom will pay to settle a lawsuit that alleges the video-conferencing company lied about end-to-end encryption and shared user data to Facebook and Google without user consent. Zoom users nationwide will be eligible to receive payments of either $15 or $25.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Florida on July 30, the state’s highest one-day total since the beginning of the pandemic. Florida now accounts for approximately one-fifth of all new COVID cases in the nation.
The proportion of Democrats who are optimistic about their party’s future, while just 14 percent are pessimistic. Ninety-eight percent of Democrats approve of the way President Biden is doing his job, though Biden has favorable reviews on both sides of the aisle.
The number of lives that could be saved if greenhouse gas emissions are cut to zero by 2050, according to a new study. Without drastically reducing emissions, experts expect the planet to warm by 7 more degrees on average by the end of the century.
The estimated settlement that Remington has offered to the nine families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims who are suing the rifle-manufacturing company, amounting to nearly $3.7 million apiece. Remington’s Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle was used to kill 20 first graders and six educators at the elementary school on Dec. 14, 2012.
The amount of COVID-19 relief funds that the Shiawassee County, Mich., Board of Commissioners used to give seven county commissioners bonuses during the pandemic. The commissioners have apologized for the decision and have promised to return the funds to the county.
The estimated number of homes that would have been powered by Nevada’s Battle Born Solar Project, which was scrapped this week by its developers after backlash from residents. The project would have been the nation’s largest array of solar panels and would have provided approximately 10 percent of Nevada’s total energy capacity.
The proportion of unvaccinated Americans who have little to no confidence that the COVID-19 vaccines are effective against variants despite evidence that they do offer strong protection. Nationally, 56.4 percent of all Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The amount that Ohio energy giant FirstEnergy Corp. will pay in settlement for its participation in a bribery conspiracy scandal involving former state House Speaker Larry Householder.
The decrease in U.S. life expectancy during 2020. Most experts hold the coronavirus pandemic mostly responsible for the decrease, but many are still concerned about the drop.
The increase in daily COVID-19 cases nationwide; the states with the highest daily averages are Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Louisiana and Nevada.
The amount of dead marine life that has been removed from the waters near St. Petersburg, Fla., in the last 25 days due to the red tide crisis. The situation has put many commercial fishermen out of business and the cleanup effort has put a severe financial strain on nearby counties and cities.
The amount in new federal spending Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has set for a vote this week.
The amount that Amazon is donating to Arlington County, Va., for 550 affordable housing units to be built near the site of a planned Amazon headquarters.
The number of overdose deaths that occurred in 2020, a record high and an increase of 29 percent compared to the year prior.
The amount that natural gas traders and pipeline companies made in just nine days when Texas’ power grid collapsed earlier this year.
The degrees in Fahrenheit that Death Valley, Calif., reached on Sunday amid an intense heat wave pushing across the Western U.S., marking a new record for highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. Later in the weekend, a park ranger measured the sidewalk temperature at 178 degrees Fahrenheit.
The amount that proposed legislation would spend on repairs to the country’s 90,000 dams to increase safety and power generation capacity.
The amount that the Democratic party will invest in voter registration and education to combat the Republican-led efforts to restrict voter access.
