It Figures

14.6%

Auto thefts in Michigan in 2008 declined by 14.6 percent compared to 2007. Michigan’s H.E.A.T. (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts) said 2008 statistics — the latest year for which data is available — released by the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA) in its annual report show that in 2008, 35,467 vehicles were reported stolen in Michigan, compared to 41,510 in 2007. From 1986 to 2008, Michigan auto thefts dropped by approximately 51 percent, compared to a decrease in auto thefts nationally of only 22 percent. In 2008, Michigan maintained its ranking as the state with the sixth highest total motor vehicle thefts in the nation.

$80,453

The Illinois Central Railroad Co. and the Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad, both headquartered in Homewood, Ill., have been ordered to pay a former employee, who was allegedly terminated for reporting a work-related injury, more than $80,453 in back wages, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. OSHA said evidence showed that the employee was in compliance with the railroads’ rules governing the reporting of work-related injuries and was not at fault for his injury. OSHA has ordered the railroads to pay the employee a total of $80,453, including $57,587 in back wages and interest, $10,000 in compensatory damages and $12,866 in attorney’s fees. The railroad carriers further were ordered to provide whistleblower rights information to their employees.

1-in-4

North Dakota has an “incredible risk” of record spring flooding in Fargo, while major floods near Minot and Bismarck are possible from the winter’s heavy snowfall, National Weather Service analysts said. According to the weather service, the odds for major flooding in the southern Red River Valley have increased, with a 1-in-4 chance that the river will reach last year’s record levels in Fargo. The weather service’s flood estimates are based on current moisture levels, frost, stream flows and weather forecasts compared to years with similar conditions.

Topics Auto Flood Michigan