For years, the garden's information service has taken telephone inquiries concerning the growing, structure and history of plants.

A state health department official received a telephone inquiry from an individual identifying himself as a local area reporter.

He acknowledged that the county received a telephone inquiry from the drug agency early last year but says it has not heard anything since then.

Two-thirds are being placed by women, though most of the telephone inquiries come from men.

The agency, whose budget was cut this year, does not plan to hire more people to handle telephone inquiries.

A woman who answered a telephone inquiry at their company quickly hung up without responding.

The number of telephone inquiries jumped at an even greater rate, he added.

Many of the people who answer telephone inquiries for the tax agency are seasonal employees.

Lincoln Hospital officials did not return a reporter's telephone inquiry.

Some officials said they were getting relatively few telephone inquiries, one possible measure of future support.