It Figures

$9.1 million
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger announced that nearly $9.1 million is being distributed to Firefighter Relief Associations from the Firefighters Relief Fund this year. This important fund, administered by the Kansas Insurance Department, distributes moneys to local associations for accident and health, disability and life insurance premiums used to assist firefighters and their families. The Kansas Firefighters Relief Fund is generated by a 2 percent tax on the fire and lightning insurance premiums paid to the state for the previous calendar year. This year’s distribution is $9.1 million.

786,000 names
The names and Social Security numbers of a half million more taxpayers were on a computer storage device stolen from a state intern in June, more than tripling the number previously reported, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said in July.

Information on 561,126 additional taxpayers with uncashed state income refund checks has been located in the state’s continuing review of the device. That brings the total number of those taxpayers with information on the device to more than 786,000, Strickland said. However, Strickland continued to emphasize that there is no evidence the information has been accessed, following its theft June 10 from a state intern’s unlocked car. No ID theft cases have been reported and extracting the data on the device would require a high degree of knowledge and specialized equipment, he said.

63-year-old
Tiger Woods had a rough time at the British Open, and so too did Jennifer Wilson, the 63-year-old fan who required two stitches to her bloodied head after she was beaned by one of his wayward shots. Her injury highlighted the perennial challenge faced by those who oversee golf and other big-time spectator sports — finding the proper balance between fans’ proximity to the action and their safety. Major league baseball teams warn fans before every game to be alert for foul balls and the occasional flying bat. NASCAR has heightened fences to keep flying debris out of the grandstands.

1 in 12
One in 12 full-time workers in the U. S. admit to using illegal drugs, mostly marijuana, a U.S. government survey reported. The highest rates of drug usage are among restaurant workers, 17.4 percent, and construction workers, 15.1 percent. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (www.samhsa.gov) conducted the study.