Hawaii

HANA, Hawaii - About 3:30 every afternoon, the Hertzes, Avises, and Budgets - a veritable red and white wave of compacts, convertibles, SUVs, and generic four-doors - surge out of town carrying thousands of day-trippers back to their glittering resorts in central and western Maui. They have experienced one of the highlights of any Hawaiian vacation - the drive along the Hana Highway, a 55-mile serpent of a road that runs past mountains half-hidden by mist, lava rocks pummeled by surf, slopes of giant green ferns, gardens of tropical plants in vibrant colors, and waterfalls tumbling out of rain forests.

The Hawaiian honeymoon will be wonderful - especially after the torture of your dithery mother's wedding plans and the reception with loudmouth Cousin Bruno. Although you'd like to, you can't just skip the ceremony. It wouldn't be proper. But you can let professionals plan your wedding in Hawaii and leave Bruno back home. More than 150 couples get hitched every year in the private tropical gardens of the Damien Waring Estate, not far from Waikiki. The oceanfront landscaping, with its amazing flowers, tropical birds and waterfalls, was designed as a background for photographer Waring's wedding portraits.

Hurricane Fernanda veered away from Hawaii and headed harmlessly out to sea, leaving residents breathing easier after causing only minor damage along the islands' scenic beaches. Weather forecasters lifted a hurricane watch for the entire island chain and declared the threat all but over. "It was definitely a close call and now we're elated to see Fernanda leaving the neighborhood," said Tim Craig, lead hurricane forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.

King Rice hit a driving scoop shot at the buzzer last night to cap a 10-0 run in the final minute and lift North Carolina (No. 7 AP and UPI) over James Madison, 80-79, in the opening round of the Maui Classic in Lahaina, Hawaii. The Tar Heels will meet Villanova in a semifinal tonight. James Madison led, 79-70, with 1 minute, 15 seconds left after a free throw by Fess Irvin. That was the Dukes' last point as North Carolina nailed a long jumper, two three-pointers and Rice's dramatic shot for the win. Steve Hood, a transfer from Maryland, led James Madison with 32 points, William Davis had 20 and Irvin, a transfer from Louisiana State, had 13. Kevin Madden led five Tar Heels in double figures with 19 points.

IT TOOK Mississippi most of the game to put things together, but when the Rebels did, they quickly took over. Murphy Holloway scored 18 points and Mississippi pulled away in the final minutes to defeat Hawaii, 81-66, Tuesday in the fifth-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Nick Williams and Marshall Henderson scored 16 points each for the Rebels (10-2), who broke away from a game tied at 63 to finish on an 18-3 run. "I was proud of the fact that our guys at the end of the game made some adjustments, came up with some loose balls, defensively got a couple of stops, a couple key rebounds allowed us to get out in the open floor and stretch the game," Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy said.

Staying at Hawaii would have been the easy choice for June Jones. It was the challenge of rebuilding a tattered football program that led him to take the coaching job at Southern Methodist, which stumbled to a 1-11 record this season. "Where you are now excites me because the only way is up, and I am good at going up," Jones said yesterday in Dallas. The introduction of Jones at a booster-packed press conference ended the nation's longest college coaching search this year.

The television is always on in Herman Frazier's office here so that he can keep up with what's happening on the mainland, but he doesn't stay glued to it for long. There are constituents to meet, commercials to make, deals to be done for the University of Hawaii's athletic department. "You have to understand that the people here have true feelings," Frazier said. "They love this state. They love this university. And you just can't come with outside ideas and think you know it all. You've got to be able to work with the people and work it all out. " For the last three years, Frazier, 50, has done just that as Hawaii's athletic director, putting down roots thousands of miles from his native Philadelphia while trying to build up the only game in town in his new state.

Multiple Temple sources have confirmed a Honolulu Star-Advertiser report that the Owls are trying to schedule a football game with Hawaii at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium in December. After rejoining the Big East in March, Temple (3-3) was left with only 11 games on this season's schedule. Since then, the Owls have been attempting to schedule a 12th opponent, to make it easier to get the six wins needed to become bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive season. One source said discussions with Hawaii have been on and off since August.

Cheryl Ford scored 21 points as No. 6 Louisiana Tech cruised past Hawaii, 85-58, yesterday in Tulsa, Okla., to advance to the Western Athletic Conference championship game. The Techsters (28-2) dominated even though Hawaii's defense smothered Ford until the second half, when she scored 17 of her points. Trina Frierson had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Amisha Carter and Amber Obaze each added 14 points. April Atuaia and Kim Willoughby each scored 12 for Hawaii (14-13)

Camden High dropped a 74-62 decision to St. Bernard (Calif.) in the semifinal round of the fourth annual Iolani Prep Classic last night. The loss ended Camden's 31-game winning streak and prevented coach Clarence Turner from posting his 400th career victory. Turner, now in his 17th year at Camden, has compiled a 399-51 record, a winning percentage of .887. Denny Brown, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored a game-high 28 points to pace Camden (1-1), which never recovered from a 31-23 halftime deficit.

HANA, Hawaii - About 3:30 every afternoon, the Hertzes, Avises, and Budgets - a veritable red and white wave of compacts, convertibles, SUVs, and generic four-doors - surge out of town carrying thousands of day-trippers back to their glittering resorts in central and western Maui. They have experienced one of the highlights of any Hawaiian vacation - the drive along the Hana Highway, a 55-mile serpent of a road that runs past mountains half-hidden by mist, lava rocks pummeled by surf, slopes of giant green ferns, gardens of tropical plants in vibrant colors, and waterfalls tumbling out of rain forests.

HONOLULU - The president of a helicopter company whose small copter crash-landed on a downtown Honolulu street praised the pilot Thursday, while the National Transportation Safety Board leads an investigation. No one was badly hurt when the two-seater helicopter lost power, forcing the crash landing Wednesday afternoon. The NTSB is not sending anyone to the crash site but will investigate remotely, with help from local authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration, board spokesman Keith Holloway said.

Another attempt to start the PGA Tour season was blown away Sunday in Kapalua, Hawaii. Just more than an hour into the opening round of the Tournament of Champions, play was suspended when more 40-m.p.h. gusts came roaring down the Plantation Course at Kapalua and left officials no choice but to wipe out yet another round. Rickie Fowler will hit the opening tee shot of the 2013 season on Monday - for the third time this week. Andy Pazder , the tour's chief of operations, said earlier Sunday that the decisions not to play "were not hard" because the wind was severe.

HONOLULU - Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz of Hawaii was appointed Wednesday to succeed the late Sen. Daniel Inouye. Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced the appointment after receiving a list of three candidates from the state Democratic Party earlier in the day. The other candidates were U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Esther Kiaaina, a deputy director in the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Inouye died Dec. 17 of respiratory complications at the age of 88. He had sent Abercrombie a letter that day, saying he would like Hanabusa, 61, to succeed him. "Sen.

IT TOOK Mississippi most of the game to put things together, but when the Rebels did, they quickly took over. Murphy Holloway scored 18 points and Mississippi pulled away in the final minutes to defeat Hawaii, 81-66, Tuesday in the fifth-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Nick Williams and Marshall Henderson scored 16 points each for the Rebels (10-2), who broke away from a game tied at 63 to finish on an 18-3 run. "I was proud of the fact that our guys at the end of the game made some adjustments, came up with some loose balls, defensively got a couple of stops, a couple key rebounds allowed us to get out in the open floor and stretch the game," Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy said.

WASHINGTON - With reverential words and warm memories, President Obama on Friday led the admirers paying tribute to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a war hero and senator for 50 years who was hailed for his leadership and modesty. Obama said Inouye was the one who "hinted to me what might be possible in my own life. " "For him freedom and dignity were not abstractions," Obama said at the National Cathedral service. "They were values that he had bled for, ideas he sacrificed for. " Inouye, 88, died Monday of respiratory complications.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Daniel Inouye, the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history, was remembered Thursday as a man who gallantly defended his country on the battlefield and gracefully sought to better it during the 50-plus years he represented the state of Hawaii. Colleagues and aides lined the Capitol rotunda five deep to say farewell. The rare ceremony demonstrated the respect he generated over the years. Only 31 people have lain in the Capitol rotunda; the last was former President Gerald R. Ford nearly six years ago. The last senator who died in office and was accorded the honor was Democrat Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, in 1978.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, 88, the influential Democrat who broke racial barriers on Capitol Hill and played key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals, died Monday. Sen. Inouye, in office since January 1963, was currently the longest-serving senator and was president pro tempore of the Senate, third in the line presidential succession. His office said Monday that he died of respiratory complications at a Washington-area hospital.

CONGRATULATIONS TO Ryan Howard and Krystle Campbell , who were married Saturday in Maui. Not surprisingly, the Flyin' Hawaiian Shane Victorino attended the wedding, as did Ben Francisco and many of Howard's Phillies teammates. Howard and Campbell, a schoolteacher and former Eagles cheerleader, announced their engagement in April 2011. She was seen in August on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," which showed Campbell dress shopping at Kleinfeld's Bridal in New York. The couple had registered online at Macy's, where the most expensive items are Swarovski crystal toasting flutes.

HALEIWA, Oahu - If you've vacationed in Hawaii, you know the come-hither scent of flowers, the trade winds cooling the peaks, and the warmth of the Southern Ocean. Now imagine growing up here, where Barack Obama was born, exposed from the first to a culture where the impossible has evolved: a multiracial society, tolerant of differences and busily pursuing the delights and challenges of daily life. For people still wondering why Obama stays cool, thinks things through, and keeps an eye focused on peaceful solutions, look toward the 50th state.