It Figures

1777
The year George Washington and his troops trained at Valley Forge, Pa. Officials at this national historic park are exploring ways to clean up asbestos from beneath the ground where Washington and his troops camped. The chemicals, discovered by workers laying fiber-optic cables in 1997, likely came from a factory that manufactured asbestos products for years before shutting down in the late 1970s. The site covers more than 100 acres of what was known as the grand parade ground, where daily training and drilling took place and where the French Alliance was signed in 1778.

84
The Interstate between Cheshire and Waterbury, Conn., where federal investigators are looking into faulty storm drains installed in a $52 million improvement project. Fixing the problems could cost the state millions of dollars. Conn. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is also conducting an investigation. He said his probe would “support claims for monetary recovery and other remedies as appropriate.”

$38 million
The amount in damages the town of Newark, Del., was ordered to pay in a federal court in a lawsuit involving construction of a new reservoir. “Oh, my God,” Mayor Vance Funk III said after learning of the jury award. Funk did not know whether the city’s insurance would cover the full award. The city is appealing the award. The jury sided with Donald M. Durkin Contracting Inc., which accused the city of breach of contract.

7
The number of new carriers that have entered the New Jersey auto insurance market since reforms were enacted in 2003. Direct-seller 21st Century Insurance Group became the seventh in what New Jersey Banking and Insurance Commissioner Steven Goldman called a “significant milestone” for consumers.

2
The number of police officers charged with setting an SUV on fire to obtain insurance money to buy a Cadillac Escalade. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office said Elizabeth Lauren Anderson and Randy Dorsey have been charged in the crime. The two police officers are dating, authorities said.

1,779
The number of civil aviation accidents reported in 2005, which is up from 1,717 in 2004. Total fatalities fell, from 636 to 600. Small scheduled airlines had six accidents in 2005, compared with four in 2004, according to the Insurance Information Institute.