D-g by the numbers: Pounds, ounces, confusing fraction action

In a Feb. 12 article, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that police seized 31/2 ounces of methamphetamine in a drug raid of Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant at 505 Thomas Blvd. in Springdale, and from the business owner’s home.

We were confused by the fraction and figured it must have been a typographical error. Surely it was supposed to be three and one-half ounces, not 15 and one-half ounces as the newspapers’ fraction would have amounted to if readers had gone through the trouble to divide 31 by 2 .

Then, in a photo cutline that accompanied the article, the D-G told us police seized three and one-half “pounds” of methamphetamine during the raid.

In the first reference to the amounts confiscated, the D-G said the amount of methamphetamine seized from the restaurant and two Springdale homes was seven and one-half ounces. And, if you read the whole story, you could subtract the four ounces of methamphetamine found at the second home from the grand total to come up with the magic number — three and one-half ounces.

The state newspaper made this story much too difficult for readers to understand — at least without having a calculator nearby.