Under All the Red Tape: 32 Cents

--At least one official of Yakima County, Wash., is wondering whether the state government’s penny-wise rules might be just plain foolish. Mike Shanahan, assistant director of the county’s Division of Employment and Training, was reporting to the state on how the county would use a federal grant of $2,588,015.68. He rounded off the figure to the nearest dollar, $2,588,016, but a state official told him the round figure should have been $2,588,015. County officials were ordered to rewrite the report, adjust the county budget to reflect the corrected round number and bring the item before the three county commissioners for approval. “The simple change meant changing dozens of figures,” Shanahan said. “It involved two managers, two secretaries, a prosecuting attorney, three commissioners and the budget director. All of these people, who are busy, have had to put time and energy into understanding why we need the change--all for one dollar. We are dealing with millions of dollars, and here we were fooling around with pennies.”

--An 11-year-old boy will be storing up the sights when he visits the White House today on a private tour. Jayson Nunes, of Springfield, Mass., suffers from cataracts and glaucoma and is expected to go blind eventually. “The doctor wants him to see as much as possible before he loses his sight, so he will have memories to carry with him,” said his mother, Linda Nunes. Jayson, who professes an interest in politics, history and geography, made a special request to visit the White House. “I’ve always wanted to see where the chief executive lives,” he said. Jayson also planned to visit the Smithsonian Institution, Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Treasury and the Senate.

--Rear Adm. Grace M. Hopper, the oldest U.S. military officer on active duty, will retire this summer. Hopper, 79, was a pioneer in developing the computer programming language COBOL, a distinction that earned her the nickname Grand Old Lady of Software. She has been the oldest active-duty officer since Adm. Hyman G. Rickover retired in 1982. She attained the naval rank of captain in 1973 and won her star 10 years later. She has been allowed to remain on active duty long past retirement age through annual extensions of her tour of duty.

--King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia arrived in Dublin for the first state visit to Ireland of a Spanish monarch. The king and his wife were greeted at Dublin Airport by President Patrick Hillery, Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald and a 21-gun salute. Later, the king is to receive an honorary degree from Dublin’s Trinity College.