Nice puzzle! I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, but IDAHO3DBirth-state of Leighton Vander Esch, Aaron Paul, and Ezra Pound[-----] is the 4th most common state name to appear in the New York Times crossword with 222 appearances. It follows UTAH (556), OHIO (446), and IOWA (267). MAINE is only 2 behind IDAHO3DBirth-state of Leighton Vander Esch, Aaron Paul, and Ezra Pound[-----] with 220 appearances, so IDAHO3DBirth-state of Leighton Vander Esch, Aaron Paul, and Ezra Pound[-----]'s gotta step up its game! Fun Crossword Fact of the Day (FCFOTD): NORTH DAKOTA and SOUTH CAROLINA have still yet to appear in the NYT. Credit xwordinfo.com for the stats.