Hawaii

HONOLULU — New state figures show visitor arrivals dropped more than 14 percent in June compared to this time last year, and those in the industry said the backbone of Hawaii’s economy could reach a crisis if more is not done.

Industry leaders heard the bad news at a board meeting by the Hawaii Tourism Authority on Tuesday.

The outlook for Hawaii tourism is gloomy and even frightening for many in the visitor industry.

“I’ve never seen people as scared or as concerned about what is happening in our economy as they are today, and we’ve had airline strikes, we’ve been through the Gulf War, Sept. (Read the full post about ‘Hawaii Tourism Officials Look To Avoid Crisis’…)

HONOLULU — People at China Walls at Portlock found a man floating in the water on Tuesday and pulled him out.

The bystanders performed CPR on the man described as in his 50s until emergency crews arrived.

“A large wave action knocked one of the fishermen down and onto the rocks where another wave took him into the water. A third wave tossed him hard against the rocky face of the coastline,” Honolulu Police Department Lt. Garrit Kurihara said.

Paramedics treated the man and took him to Straub Clinic and Hospital for further treatment, where he later died, officials said.

“The break was kind of rough. (Read the full post about ‘Man Drowns In Waters At China Walls’…)

HONOLULU — Hawaii’s senior senator said Tuesday he believes in longtime friend and colleague Sen. Ted Stevens after the Alaska Republican was indicted Tuesday.

“In our legal system, a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. That is fundamental in our democracy,” Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, said in a statement. “As far as I am concerned, Ted Stevens remains my friend. (Read the full post about ‘Inouye Backs Sen. Stevens Through Indictment’…)

HONOLULU — A former investigator in the city prosecutor’s office faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday.

Craig Whang pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and two counts of unauthorized use of a computer.

The attorney general said Whang illegally used city resources to obtain gun-related accessories like holsters, lights and an aiming laser. (Read the full post about ‘Prosecutor’s Investigator Pleads Guilty To Theft’…)

HONOLULU — Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign has confirmed that the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate will attend a fundraiser on Oahu next month.

The Punahou School graduate and senator from Illinois will attend the $2,300 a ticket fundraiser at the Kahala Resort on Aug. 12.

There is some talk that the senator will also attend a public event, possibly at Magic Island, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Vanity Fair looked all over the world to find the best-dressed men and one of them turned out to be Bond — James Bond.

Daniel Craig, the actor who played James Bond in “Casino Royale” and the upcoming “Quantum of Solace” is on the magazine’s International Best-Dressed List.

Also making the list are “60 Minutes” correspondent Morley Safer, rapper Kanye West, “Today” show co-host Matt Lauer and soccer star David Beckham.

The women’s list includes “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker and “Michael Clayton” Oscar winner Tilda Swinton.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are on the list for best-dressed couples.

Sure, Kevin Costner, the weight of the presidential election weighs heavy on the shoulders of his character in “Swing Vote,” but the veteran film star doesn’t want audiences to think that they’re going to get bogged down in a boring movie that preaches about the political system.

Video: Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll Interview

Instead, the Oscar-winner delights in the film’s comic elements, and says there’s no sense arguing that the movie sides with one party or the other — because it doesn’t.

“Anyone who wants to argue about this, you have to go, ‘Wow, life’s too short to argue about an American comedy that has a Capra-esque tone to it,’” Costner said in a recent @ The Movies interview. (Read the full post about ‘Costner: Platform Of ‘Swing Vote’ Is Comedy’…)

Like the flower, “Marigold” the movie blooms with bright colors, bold music and breathtaking vistas. An independent film made it India with one of the country’s biggest stars, Salman Kahn, it’s a big-time Bollywood production that left its American lead, “Heroes” star Ali Larter, in utter amazement.”I didn’t know anything about Bollywood before I did the movie, but (writer-director) Willard Carroll sat down and gave me an education on it,” Larter recalled in a recent @ The Movies interview for the film, new on DVD (Echo Bridge Home Entertainment) this week.”We watched a bunch of Salman Kahn’s movies and what was incredible to me was they’re just about joy. They’re about sheer entertainment,” Larter said. (Read the full post about ‘‘Heroes’ Star Finds Passage To Indie With ‘Marigold’’…)

SEBOKENG, South Africa — A former dormitory matron at Oprah Winfrey’s school for poor South African girls has pleaded not guilty to charges that she indecently assaulted and otherwise abused six teenagers at the academy.

Tiny Virginia Makopo, 28, looked nervous and sullen at the start of her trial Tuesday. It is expected to last all week.

The opening session was public, but the judge has granted the prosecution’s request for the rest of the trial to be held in private while the teenagers testify through closed-circuit television to save them the trauma of confronting their alleged attacker in court.

Prosecutor Etienne Venter described the girls as “very scared and very, very emotional.”

Winfrey was a victim of child abuse and has promised an overhaul at the school. (Read the full post about ‘Alleged Oprah School Abuser’s Trial Begins’…)

“X-Men” star Rebecca Romijn and her actor husband, Jerry O’Connell, are going to be parents for the first time.

Romijn’s publicist, Lewis Kay, told People magazine that the Romijn and O’Connell are expecting the twins this winter.

Romijn, 35, and O’Connell, 34, married in 2007. Romijn was previously married to actor John Stamos.

The actress played the blue-skinned mutant Mystique in the “X-Men” movie trilogy, and currently stars in the sitcom “Ugly Betty.”

O’Connell has starred in the films “Stand By Me,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Kangaroo Jack,” and on the television drama “Crossing Jordan.”