Hawaii

HONOLULU — The wife of a man convicted of being an Internet sexual predator stood by him on Wednesday in state court.

Accountant Daryl Godfrey Lee, 55, was convicted of trying to arrange sex with an underage girl who was actually an undercover police officer.

Despite evidence he was explicitly training a girl for sex, Lee’s wife supported him.

“I love him with all my heart. I love him with all my soul, and I will stand by him no matter what. I will be with him always,” Darlene Lee said.

“I just want to spend the rest of my life, making it up to my, excuse me, making it up to my wife, family and friends,” Daryl Lee said.

Judge Richard Perkins gave Lee the minimum sentence allowed under the law: one year in jail with five years probation. (Read the full post about ‘Wife Defends Husband Convicted In Internet Sex Sting’…)

HONOLULU — A Coast Guard rescue team airlifted an injured man from a cargo vessel about 12 miles south of Oahu on Wednesday morning.

The crew from Barbers Point took a 28-year-old man from the Norwegian-flagged motor vessel Taronga.

The injured man suffered a broken knee. The team flew him to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. An ambulance crew treated the man and took him to Queen’s Medical Center.

HONOLULU — The summit road to Haleakala will remain closed until at least Thursday morning, according to National Parks officials.

The roadway was closed before dawn Tuesday after snow and ice made driving hazardous. Rangers at Haleakala National Park made the decision to keep the summit closed because of continued severe weather conditions on the mountain.

A winter weather advisory also was extended for the summit of Haleakala, as well as the summit areas of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island, until 6 a.m. Thursday. (Read the full post about ‘Officials Warn People To Stay Away From Closed Haleakala’…)

HONOLULU — Your favorite plate lunch could soon come in a different container.

Lawmakers are considering a ban on Styrofoam takeout containers.

Hawaii ranks as the highest state with residents who order takeout food. That means more non-biodegradable containers crowding state landfills.

“Styrofoam is bad for two major reasons: it takes hundreds, thousands of years to decompose in our landfills or it is burned at h-power and dangerous chemicals leach from the Styrofoam into our ecosystems,” said George White of Stop Styrofoam Hawaii.

Lawmakers on Tuesday listened to the pros and cons of a Styrofoam container ban.

“We are opposed to it because it is a way of providing safe sanitary food bacteria free to the consumers, and the solution? (Read the full post about ‘Lawmakers Consider Ban On Styrofoam Containers’…)

HONOLULU — There is a controversial proposal to create a University of Hawaii stadium corporation that would run Aloha Stadium, channeling any profits to UH athletics programs.

Critics said it could siphon money away from stadium maintenance and repairs.

It is not a new idea. Former UH head football coach June Jones suggested such a move nine years ago. Now some lawmakers and UH football boosters are trying to make it happen.

The state’s stadium authority would dissolve and a new UH stadium corporation would be created to operate, maintain and manage the stadium and its grounds as part of the proposal.

Tony Guerrero, who is a First Hawaiian Bank executive and the head of the UH athletic booster club Koa Anuenue, is proposing the idea.

“Is the government model the right model to run a business? (Read the full post about ‘Proposal Would Move Stadium To UH Control’…)

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County authorities said that an autopsy on Christian Brando did not immediately determine what killed the eldest son of the late actor Marlon Brando.

Coroner’s official Ed Winter said the cause of death was listed Tuesday as deferred pending results of toxicology tests that may determine whether Brando had prescription or other drugs in his system and whether a medical condition was involved.

Results should be available in six to eight weeks.

Christian Brando died Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital.

An attorney representing Marlon Brando’s estate said the 49-year-old died from pneumonia.

Previous Stories:

• January 29, 2008: Family Requests Autopsy On Christian Brando
• January 26, 2008: Christian Brando Dead At 49

WASHINGTON — Sometimes the Super Bowl and the ads are all about noise. But one humorous Pepsi ad will be silent.

Video: Watch Pepsi Ad

The 60-second spot is in American Sign Language with captions. The actors are really Pepsi employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and who are members of EnAble, an employee network whose mission is to promote a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities.

It shows a couple of guys in a car driving down a residential street in the evening looking for their friend’s house. Both of them forgot to bring the address. (Read the full post about ‘Silent Super Bowl Ad Gets People Talking’…)

Guillermo de Toro, the creative force behind the fantasy films “Hellboy” and “Pan’s Labyrinth,” is negotiations to direct the “Lord of the Rings” prequel films based on J.R.R. (Read the full post about ‘‘Hellboy’ Director May Take Helm Of ‘Hobbit’’…)

LOS ANGELES — Police said that they were called to Britney Spears’ neighborhood after someone reported a swarm of paparazzi trespassing in her gated community.

Los Angeles police Officer Mike Lopez said officers received a call around 7 p.m. Monday about a group of photographers “stepping onto the grounds” of the private neighborhood while following Spears.

When officers arrived, they didn’t see anyone trespassing. (Read the full post about ‘Paparazzi In Spears’ Neighborhood Spur Complaints’…)

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Margaret Truman Daniel, the only child of former President Harry S. Truman, has died.

She was 83.

Daniel died Tuesday in Chicago following a brief illness, according to a statement from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence.

“Margaret was an extraordinary individual. Her legacy is as much a part of this presidential library as her parents’, and we are extremely grateful for her many contributions,” said Michael Devine, director of the Truman Library. (Read the full post about ‘Truman’s Daughter, Noted Author, Dies’…)