You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
9th accuser
A woman has come forward with new accusations that former U.S. senator Al Franken groped her butt during an event in 2006 after working the photo line. Eight other women have accused Franken of inappropriate behavior, including three others who also say he grabbed their butts. Franken resigned in 2017, but will soon host a new weekly show on SiriusXM. [The Cut]
92 cents
The average sales price for a dozen eggs from the country’s largest egg producer, Cal-Maine Foods, fell to about 92 cents in the last quarter, 30 percent lower than a year earlier. The company said the drop was due to too many overly productive hens, resulting in an oversupply in the market and reducing its ability to raise prices. [Wall Street Journal]
4 feet of snow
It wasn’t even October before winter fully arrived in Browning, Montana, with 48 inches of snow falling this past weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Strong winds and heavy snowfall created snowdrifts “as high as houses,” as well as downing trees and power lines. The governor’s office said “unseasonably cold temperatures” could delay the thawing of the fluffy white crystals, resulting in the end of growing season for some of the state’s agricultural producers. [National Public Radio]
15 to 20 minutes
Drivers in Auburn Hills, Michigan may have had extra difficulty keeping their eyes on the road this weekend. An electronic billboard at a road junction in town displayed pornographic video late on Saturday night. Shortly after 11 p.m., the Auburn Hills Police Department received calls about the graphic images, and the operating company was contacted to shut the billboard down. Lt. Ryan Gagnon said the videos played for 15 to 20 minutes but no known accidents occurred. [Detroit Free Press]
One-hour volunteer shifts
Concerns over high temperatures during next year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo have led to government officials restricting volunteer shifts to one-hour intervals. Temperatures in the Japanese capital city regularly exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer months of July and August. Other cooling measures for spectators and volunteers include rest spaces, neck coolers, paper fans, the distribution of crushed ice, and “umbrella hats.” [Japan Times]
315 billion-tonne iceberg
The third-largest ice shelf in Antarctica just produced its largest iceberg, covering 1,636 square kilometers, in more than 50 years. The iceberg is 210 meters thick, contains 315 billion tonnes of ice and is “a little smaller than Scotland’s Isle of Skye.” A researcher from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said there was no link between the new iceberg and climate change. [BBC News]