91.  In September, it will become the first state to abolish cash assistance altogether and replace it with a more costly system of subsidized jobs for the needy.

92.  In New York, the first state where Bell Atlantic is working to provide competitive access, Armstrong said it is doing poorly.

93.  In November, Arizona will become the first state to ask its voters whether they want to kill off their lottery.

94.  Indeed, New Jersey recently became the first state to specify that gay partners can adopt children jointly.

95.  It also was the first state to require sex offenders to register with law enforcement agencies after their releases, as Missouri and Kansas now do.

96.  Iowa is likely to be the first state to hold a presidential nominating caucuses next year.

97.  Indiana is the first state to approve new maps for its congressional districts.

98.  Instead he is relying on the fact that voters in New Hampshire, the first primary state, sometimes take a cranky pride in being contrary.

99.  It is the first Baltic state to file a formal application.

100.  It was among the first states to form black units for Civil War service, historians said.