Gigafact Plugin Testing

Author: Sean Vanderaa

  • Has violent crime trended downward in North Dakota over the last decade?

    Yes.

    Violent crime in North Dakota has increased slightly over
    the past decade, according to FBI Crime Data Explorer statistics.

    In 2015, the state’s violent crime rate was 1,934 incidents
    per 100,000 people. By 2024, it had risen to 2,046 per 100,000, an increase of about 6 percent. The rate peaked in 2020 at 2,057 per 100,000, before falling slightly in recent years.

    The FBI defines violent crime as murder and nonnegligent
    manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

    While the national violent crime rate has fallen dramatically since the 1990s, North Dakota’s rate has risen during the same period, driven mostly by increases in aggravated assaults.

    Experts attribute long-term national declines to improved policing, community programs, and demographic shifts, though recent trends vary by state.

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Gigafact Plugin Testing partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

    Sources

  • Testing new Author fix

    Yes.

    Testing content!

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Gigafact Plugin Testing partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

    Sources

  • Testing new stuff

    Do Connecticut police sergeants make over $200K per year on average?

    YES

    According to 2024 data from the Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller, full-time police sergeants in the state earned an average of $209,106.75, including overtime. The figure is based on compensation for 156 full-time sergeants and reflects a growing trend in public safety pay being driven by overtime and special duty assignments.

    While base salaries may fall well below the $200K mark, the combination of extended shifts, staffing shortages, and contractual overtime guarantees has pushed total compensation into the six-figure range for many officers. Several sergeants made over $300K. In total, Connecticut spent $32.62 million on State Police sergeant personnel in 2024 alone.

    For a state of Connecticut’s size, that puts police sergeants among the highest-paid public employees. By comparison, Massachusetts spent $59.73 million on its 375 state police sergeants — highlighting how smaller staffing numbers in Connecticut can still lead to high average earnings.

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Sources

    This fact brief was originally published by CT Mirror on July 17, 2025, and was authored by Reginald David. CT Mirror is a member of the Gigafact network.

  • Does Nevada marijuana tax revenue go to schools?

    YES

    A 2025 report by the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities found that since 2018, Nevada’s two marijuana taxes have raised nearly $716 million for K-12 education funding. That equals out to roughly $1,500 per student over the past seven years. 

    Projected cannabis tax revenue makes up only about 2% of the $12.9 billion budgeted for K-12 education for the next two years.

    Researchers say that while cannabis taxes are an important piece of how Nevada funds K-12 education, the revenue they bring in isn’t enough to close the $4,000 gap between the state’s per-pupil funding level and the national average.

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Sources

    This fact brief was originally published by The Nevada Independent on July 18, 2025, and was authored by Rocio Hernandez. The Nevada Independent is a member of the Gigafact network.

  • Testing popup3

    Yes.

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    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Gigafact Plugin Testing partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

    Sources

  • Testing popup

    Yes.

    Adding sum content

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Gigafact Plugin Testing partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

    Sources

  • Final testing of popup?

  • Testing for the error bar once more

    Yes.

    Adding in some content here

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Gigafact Plugin Testing partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

    Sources

  • Popup error bar

    Yes.

    Adding some content

    This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

    Gigafact Plugin Testing partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

    Sources