Briefly

Washington, D.C.: Postal Service issues Purple Heart stamp

A new postage stamp commemorating the Purple Heart, the nation’s oldest military award, was released Friday by the U.S. Postal Service.

First day of issue ceremonies were at Mount Vernon, the suburban Virginia estate of George Washington, who ordered the Purple Heart in 1782.

The 37-cent stamp features a photograph of a Purple Heart awarded in 1968 to James Loftus Fowler, a Marine lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam.

Originally a “badge of distinction for meritorious action,” the Purple Heart now is awarded to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in action.

At right, Lt. Col. Christopher Stoddards stands beside the new stamp during a ceremony Friday in San Francisco.

Colorado: Forecaster says U.S. hurricane likely

The 2003 hurricane season may have more storms than an earlier prediction, with an above-average chance a hurricane will reach the United States, forecaster William Gray said Friday.

The weakening of El Nino, an unusual warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, and the likely formation of its opposite, an unusual cooling called La Nina, prompted Gray’s team at Colorado State University to warn that storm activity this year may be well above average.

In a forecast released before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season Sunday, Gray’s team predicted 14 named storms, two more than predicted in April.

The team said there was a 69 percent chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coastline, above the long-term average of 52 percent.

The storm names for the year are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fabian, Grace, Henri, Isabel, Juan, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda.

California: Bill would outlaw drivers’ cell phone use

California lawmakers advanced a bill to limit use of cell phones by drivers, requiring headsets or other hands-free devices.

The bill was approved 41-26 Thursday by the state Assembly and now goes to the Senate.

If it becomes law, California will follow New York, which in 2001 became the first state to bar drivers from using hand-held cell phones.

A study by the California Highway Patrol found that cell phones were responsible for more distracted-driving accidents than eating, smoking, kids, pets and personal hygiene combined.