News in Numbers
Age of Bronx resident Luz Pabellon, according to city Board of Elections records. Pabellon, who is actually only 73 years old, wrote “18 +” as her date of birth on her manual voter registration card, and when files were converted to an electronic database, “01/01/1850” was plugged in for those with unknown birth dates.
Amount that Texas collects in taxes and fees from undocumented workers each year.
Value of 77,000 automated citations issued in Chicago after the city started ticketing people for running red lights where yellow lights were under the 3-second minimum. After facing questions from the press, the city ended the new policy.
Hours that Lenoir City, Tenn., made a resident spend in jail this week for failure to properly maintain her yard. The woman ignored multiple orders to clean her property over the last decade.
Number of new HIV cases this year in North Dakota. The state has one of the nation's lowest HIV rates, but its number of cases has grown rapidly since the oil boom prompted people from around the country to flock there for jobs.
The cost of Harvoni, the recently FDA-approved drug for hepatitis C, which is about $20,000 cheaper than Sovaldi. Both drugs have cure rates higher than 90 percent.
Factor by which someone in Nevada is more likely than someone in Massachusetts to be the target of a federal wiretap.
Percent of U.S. public school students who are white. This fall is the first time minorities outnumber whites since the U.S. Department of Education has been tracking the trend.
Number of bills each New Jersey state senator would be allowed to sponsor under legislation proposed by State Assemblyman Anthony Bucco who wants to crack down on "silly" bills that have little chance of passage.
Amount for which a New Yorker is suing Bike and Roll DC over an injury that resulted when her Segway reversed and spun violently. The woman argues the company's safety video failed to adequately prepare her because it didn't mention that "these machines, can randomly just go rogue.”
Percent of bike-share users in Washington, D.C., which has the nation's largest such program, who are black.
Proportion of 1989 state and parish officials in Louisiana who had a relative in another office in the state.
Percentage of U.S. counties in which the proportion of racial minorities has increased since 2010.
Number of days the city of Lancaster, Pa., spent as capital of the United States. On September 27, 1777 delegates of the Continental Congress were forced to flee Philadelphia. Delegates met in the county courthouse for several hours, and then moved their capital again, to York, Pa.
Number of pounds of potatoes used at PotatoStock, a festival created by an Ohio man who raised $55,000 on Kickstarter by jokingly asking for $10 to buy the ingredients for potato salad. PotatoStock proceeds went to charities that fight hunger and homelessness.
Approximate number of Virginia voters who may lack the proper identification needed, under new state law, to cast a ballot in the November elections.
Portion of Newark, N.J., police stops that are "legally unjustified," according to a Department of Justice study.
Percent decline in state spending on transportation (compared to a 4 percent decline in federal spending) between 2002 and 2011.
Approximate number of families in East Porterville, Calif. -- a poor, largely Hispanic town of about 7,000 residents -- whose wells have run dry due to the drought.
The fine for taking selfies with tigers under a recently passed New York state law.
Percent of congressional staffers who believe that U.S. election votes are often counted fairly. Only a third of the general public agrees.
Percent of voters in Washington, D.C., who support Initiative 71, a measure on the November ballot that would legalize recreational marijuana in the District.
Pieces of underwear collected by the New York City transit system's lost-and-found so far in 2014.
Number of the 10 states that have reduced their carbon emissions by at least 30 percent since 2005 that also saw a decline in economic activity.
Tax revenues lost by the states in 2011 from corporations and rich people keeping money in foreign countries. The treasury secretary recently proposed reforms to stop the practice.
Percent of Americans under age 30 who think there's “a lot of useful, important information that is not available on the Internet.” Over 30 years old, 53 percent agree.
