NEAT NUMERALS

5.3

The state is giving counties about $5.3 million to monitor and control mosquito populations in an effort to fight West Nile virus.

Potter County has been awarded $49,400 and Cameron County is getting $20,900.

As recently as 2003, there were 237 reported human cases of West Nile virus, with nine fatalities. The figure dropped to nine cases by 2006, with two deaths. Last year, there were nine reported cases with no fatalities.

Most people bitten by an infected mosquito will never develop any symptoms, and about one in 150 with symptoms such as West Nile fever will develop the more serious West Nile encephalitis.

22

Twenty-two states now ban indoor smoking in public places. The figure has risen by nine since January 2007, when Gov. Ed Rendell proposed a similar ban in Pennsylvania.

So far, the state legislature has balked and the lobbyists on both sides of the issue are pushing hard.

Casino and tavern owners are the strongest opponents, arguing that they would lose money and Big Brother should not deny their customers a habit that they enjoy.

4

The average American now has four credits cards and carries an outstanding balance on those cards of a record $16,587.

Consumer advocates have been pressuring Congress to impose more controls on the credit card industry. Meanwhile, debt collection is one of the country's fastest-growing industries.

25

Americans are saving at the lowest rate since the Great Depression. The Commerce Department reports that personal savings in the U.S. stands at negative $6.2 million. About 25 percent of Americans have no savings.

This does not bode well for the baby boomers who are reaching retirement age. Percentage of Americans still working at 55 or older was 54.2 percent in 1993 and is about 65 percent now. For those in the 65 to 74 age group, the figure is 25 percent still working, compared to 20 percent in 2000.

60

It doesn't get any easier for those who are entering the professional work force. College tuition costs have risen by 60 percent since 2000.

The average college graduate this year will have $20,000 in debt, double the figure from 1998. About one-fourth of the graduates will owe more than $25,000.

5

Tired of rising gasoline prices? Food prices are heading in the same direction. Experts expect a five-percent increase in the average food bill this year.

That comes on the heels of a four-percent increase in 2007 and a 2.4-percent hike in 2006.

Rising costs for chicken and pork are fueling much of the increase; beef prices went way up in 2006-07. Chicken and pig producers who have been losing money are expected to slaughter more animals to decrease supply and, thus, raise prices.

Federal ethanol mandates are being blamed for increasing prices of corn - for consumption by humans and livestock - as a larger proportion of corn is converted to fuel.

3.59

Now that gasoline has hit an all-time high average of $3.59 per gallon, the spike has caused the inevitable comparisons to certain other liquids that consumers buy.

A bottle of water, costing about $1.28 for 20 fluid ounces, would cost $8.19 per gallon.

Tylenol cough syrup retails for $5.98 for eight fluid ounces. That works out to $95.68 per gallon.

Heinz ketchup retails for $2.12 for 36 ounces, or $7.55 per gallon.

Drakkar Noir men's cologne retails for $24.86 for one fluid ounce and would cost $3,182 per gallon.

3

The three cars that get the best fuel economy were the nation's top sellers in April: Honda Pit, sales up 54 percent; Toyota Prius, up 54 percent; and Ford Focus, up 32 percent.

Meanwhile, vehicles with poor fuel economy are taking a hit. The Chevy Silverado saw a plunge of 30.5 percent in April, while the Ford F-Series pickup truck was down 27 percent.

160M

Area planners acknowledge that two U.S. Rt. 219 projects have consumed the bulk of the region's transportation funding from the state. A bypass in Bradford has cost more than $100 million and a Johnsonburg bypass is going to cost at least $60 million.