You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
1 guilty verdict
The alleged ringleader behind an $18.7 million maple syrup heist in Quebec was found guilty of “theft, fraud and trafficking stolen goods” on Saturday. Twenty-six people were originally arrested in connection with the robbery. [CBC]
41 shipwrecks
Forty-one shipwrecks, all amazingly well-preserved, were found in the Black Sea. The vessels, dating from the 9th century through the 19th century, are an incredible find (for everyone except all the people who definitely died to make them possible, that is). [National Geographic]
56 years
Jackie Chan is a legend, but the films he usually makes — comedies and martial arts movies — don’t tend to win Best Picture awards at the Oscars. Still, Chan, after 56 years working in the film industry, was recognized on Saturday at the annual Governors Awards with an honorary Academy Award. [Reuters]
69 legislative chambers
With the 2016 elections in the books, the Republican Party is set to control 69 of 99 state legislative chambers in 2017. And — with at least 33 governors — the party will have complete control of state government in at least 25 states. [The Washington Post]
Assembly bill 1687
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is suing California over Assembly bill 1687, a law that forces the site to remove the ages of actors should they request it. While the law was intended to reduce age discrimination, IMDb argues it’s unconstitutional, and that it’s an ineffective approach to fight ageism. [The Guardian]
2,281,155 votes
Despite gains by Republicans across the map, one incumbent GOP governor — Pat McCrory in North Carolina, who signed a law limiting the bathroom access of transgender people — may have lost his race, though it is very close. Democrat Roy Cooper has claimed victory, with 2,281,155 votes to McCrory’s 2,276,383. [The New York Times]
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