Figures

British weather forecasters, making their first public attempt to predict the Atlantic hurricane season, say it may be quieter than their American counterparts expect. It is most likely that 10 tropical storms will form from July to November, the British government forecasters said. An expected cooling trend in Atlantic Ocean surface waters favors fewer tropical storms than in recent years, the British meteorologists said in their first-ever hurricane season forecast. There is a 70 percent chance that the number of tropical storms will be in the range of seven to 13, according to the British. In May, U.S. government forecasters predicted 13 to 17 tropical storms in the season that runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

$100,000

The Spencer Educational Foundation received a $100,000 commitment from the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter to be contributed over a four-year period beginning in 2007. The RIMS Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship, will be granted annually in $5,000 lots to students whose permanent residence is in Texas, are pursuing a degree in risk management or insurance and meet all academic requirements of the Foundation. The foundation was established in 1979 to honor the late Robert S. Spencer.

The number of years an Arkansas woman will not spend in jail after the Arkansas Court of Appeals dismissed her arson conviction on grounds that prosecutors did not offer proof other than a disputed confession that she set fire to her home. According to the Associated Press, Barbara Fowler was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a Hot Spring County Circuit Court found her guilty of felony arson. During trial, prosecutors presented a confession she gave to police, but Fowler recanted the statement, and several witnesses testified that she had stated her intentions to burn down her property. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Fowler was in bankruptcy and her pending divorce would substantially reduce her income. According to the ruling, prosecutors presented evidence that Fowler had discussed burning down the house for insurance money and that she moved many of her personal possessions to a storage facility before the fire. The court ruled that while prosecutors offered evidence showing suspicious activity they failed to prove Fowler set the fire.