RedEye’s quick look at some of the biggest talkers of the day, numerically speaking
4.7
Shaken and stirred
Magnitude of the moderate earthquake that jolted a large portion of southern California was felt by millions and sent at least one person to a hospital, but the region was spared significant damage. At least 10 aftershocks were recorded Monday.
91
Byrd flying high
At 91, he’s the longest-serving senator in history, but Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) is expected to recover after being hospitalized Friday with a minor infection, his office announced Monday.
$3,000
We’ll buy your car
Britain on Monday began offering cash incentives to new car buyers who scrap their old model, a program that has already proven very popular in other parts of Europe. The government and car manufacturers are sharing the cost of a $3,000 discount for roadworthy trade-ins.
5
Later, Hubble
Spacewalking astronauts ventured out Monday to finish repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope, which will never be touched by human hands again. It was the fifth and final spacewalk for the crew of shuttle Atlantis.
76
Swine flu worsens
As of Monday, 76 people have died worldwide as a result of swine flu, according to the World Health Organization.
$500,000
Super sale
As an 8-year-old kid, Ralph Chicorel was careful with the comic books he faithfully bought for 10 cents at a Detroit drugstore. Now his diligence will likely pay off when the 110 or so comics he collected go up for auction, an offering that’s expected to bring in about $500,000.
54
Freeing mom
Susan LeFevre, a 54-year-old mother of three captured in California last year after more than three decades running from the law, will be released Tuesday from a prison in Pittsfield Township, Mich. She escaped from a Detroit-area prison in 1976 while serving time for a drug crime.
