These numbers are in the news

10

Customers are paying as little as 10 bucks for copies of designer handbags that have found their way into the Olean and Bradford areas.

State police nailed a McKean County woman who was selling the counterfeit merchandise at area "purse parties" and are now trying to trace the supply route and bust the wholesalers. She is being charged with felony seconddegree trademark counterfeiting.

The woman was arrested just before Thanksgiving. Police confiscated 315 fake designer handbags and 92 pieces of fake Tiffany jewelry from her. They said she had been selling fake Coach, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Kate Spade handbags and fake sterling silver Tiffany jewelry.

One unsuspecting customer bought a watch from the defendant and took it to Tiffany & Co. in New York City, where it was exposed as a counterfeit.

A special agent at the Buffalo FBI office said some fake purses are made in Pakistan for sale in Europe and America. The purses aren't illegal to own.

The woman charged last month bought the bogus purses in New York City for as little as $5.00 each and sold them for at least 10 times that much.

1,042

Students at Cameron County's Woodland Elementary School brought in a variety of food items for the needy as part of their Make A Difference Day observance. The final tally was 1,042 food items, which filled 39 boxes.

The winning class was Mrs. Shaffer's homeroom with 188 items, beating last year's high of 136 items. Each student in that homeroom will receive a submarine sandwich certificate.

45

A trade association representing the soft drink industry made a fuss over the fact that deliveries to schools in the U.S. were reduced by 45 percent since 2005.

What the group failed to point out was that two-thirds of drinks offered for sale in schools still contain high amounts of sugar and calories, as "sports drinks" and "juice drinks" take the place of carbonated beverages.

To get around pressures to eliminate sugared soft drinks, many school districts have simply replaced one style of unhealthy beverages with another.

18

Police in Elk County report a reduction in DUI arrests and alcohol-related vehicle crashes. Through October there were 18 wrecks attributable to alcohol, compared to 26 during the same period in 2006. DUI arrests during the same period dropped from 53 in 2006 to 36 this year.

State Police Sgt. Ryan Mahr said people have increasingly taken steps to cut down on drunken driving by designating a sober driver or staying off the roads completely.

"I think people's eyes are being opened when it comes to cutting down on drinking and driving," Mahr said. At the same time, the sergeant pointed out that drug violations have been on the increase this year.

40

Cameron County Conservation District is gearing up to observe the 40th anniversary of its founding early next year. Plans for an anniversary dinner will be announced.

The agency is involved in preventing soil erosion, protecting watersheds, conservation education, advocating sensible land-use policies, and working with state and federal agencies and legislators to help protect a variety of ecosystems.

Potter County Conservation District is the state's oldest. It was organized in 1945.

4,600

Although the coal industry has launched a successful public relations campaign, the legacy of that business was summarized last month by state environmental officials: 4,600 miles of biologically dead streams; more than 2,000 abandoned and flooding mine pools, discharging water from 5,000 known points.

717

There are 717 employees on staff at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital, making it Potter County's biggest employer.

The staff was at 125 when the hospital opened in 1967.

15

The average five-dollar bill only stays in circulation for 15 months. A single has a lifespan of about 18 months, as does a 10. Most twenties will stick around for two years. Larger denomination bills can last for as long as eight years.