It's fun to find surprising trends in big data sets. But sometimes even obvious results can make for interesting reads.
- When a state's high schoolers frequently use tobacco products, you might expect prevention efforts in that state to be fairly weak. Indeed, that's the case in Alabama. Our high schoolers reported the second-highest rate of tobacco product usage on a recent CDC survey, and we're third-worst at meeting the CDC's recommendation for spending on the prevention of tobacco use.
- Speaking of obvious: If you had to guess, would you say Nick Saban spends a little bit of time visiting recruits across the country, or a lot of time? Alabama reporter Michael Casagrande got flight records from the school to confirm the latter, and took a closer look at where the plane went each day, with interesting results.
Elsewhere in AL.com's Data Mine:
- For a college to be considered a "state school," does it matter how many students who enroll there grew up nearby? Tuscaloosa reporter Melissa Brown found that a shrinking share of University of Alabama enrollees are coming from within Alabama's borders.
- Speaking of shrinking, a major Alabama city is losing population, according to recent estimates. AL.com commenters say the losses might be due to Alabama's decision to shrink state government, and the fading away of the middle class within the city limits.
- Reporter Stan Diel looked at the solvency of the Alabama Historical Commission, and explored whether the state might have to sell off some of its prized assets if they money doesn't change in the near term.
- Lastly, reporter Brendan Kirby took a detailed look at the latest public opinion trends with regard to Obamacare.