Folks with Hawaii ties made headlines in 2012

By Ben Wood

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 04, 2013

~~THE BIG STARS of "Wood Craft 2012" include five local boys and a sensational wahine volleyball player from California with Hawaiian roots. The five are: President Barack Obama, U.S. Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, Manti Te'o and Bruno Mars. Misty May-Treanor, 35, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball. Obama was re-elected to America's top office, keeping his seat in the Oval Office as well as filling that empty chair Clint Eastwood was talking to at the GOP National Convention. Inouye, 88, died Dec. 17. <img src="http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/20130104_fea_woodM.jpg" alt="" style="float:right;padding-left:1em;padding-bottom:1em;" /> He was a great man, a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, the Senate's most senior member and third in the line for the U.S. presidency. His death was a huge loss for Hawaii … Akaka, 88, is one of Hawaii's most-loved politicians. You never hear anyone "talk stink" about Akaka. That's rare for a politician. He retired from the Senate Thursday … Singer Mars, 27, is enjoying a fabulous career. He recently hosted "Saturday Night Live" and sang on the televised Victoria's Secret fashion show … Notre Dame senior All-American linebacker Te'o is the heart and soul of the Fighting Irish football team. He was one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy and is adored on campus and by ND fans. Another Hawaii gridder who received national praise in 2012 was Oregon freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota, 19 …
MOVING ON: Don and Marion Murphy celebrated the 25th anniversary of their Murphy's Bar & Grill Nov. 16 … Kristian Lei was in New York to work on her upcoming album when superstorm Sandy hit Oct. 29. The little singer was almost blown away when she stepped outside a relative's home in Queens to feel the storm's power … Koa‘e Kea (High Flying Bird), the original Hawaiian Airlines DC-3 hostesses organization, their family and friends, flew to the moon with pop-jazz artist Jimmy Borges at the Garden Lanai of the Ala Moana Hotel Nov. 10 … Deborah and James Gandolfini had their first child, a girl named Liliana Ruth Gandolfini, Oct. 10, in Los Angeles. Deborah is from Hawaii … The EuroCinema team and Moana Surfrider Hotel management and staff put on a swell awards gala under the stars on the hotel's Diamond Head lawn on Oct. 19 …
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THE BIG STARS of "Wood Craft 2012" include five local boys and a sensational wahine volleyball player from California with Hawaiian roots. The five are: President Barack Obama, U.S. Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, Manti Te'o and Bruno Mars. Misty May-Treanor, 35, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball. Obama was re-elected to America's top office, keeping his seat in the Oval Office as well as filling that empty chair Clint Eastwood was talking to at the GOP National Convention. Inouye, 88, died Dec. 17. He was a great man, a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, the Senate's most senior member and third in the line for the U.S. presidency. His death was a huge loss for Hawaii … Akaka, 88, is one of Hawaii's most-loved politicians. You never hear anyone "talk stink" about Akaka. That's rare for a politician. He retired from the Senate Thursday … Singer Mars, 27, is enjoying a fabulous career. He recently hosted "Saturday Night Live" and sang on the televised Victoria's Secret fashion show … Notre Dame senior All-American linebacker Te'o is the heart and soul of the Fighting Irish football team. He was one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy and is adored on campus and by ND fans. Another Hawaii gridder who received national praise in 2012 was Oregon freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota, 19 …

MOVING ON: Don and Marion Murphy celebrated the 25th anniversary of their Murphy's Bar & Grill Nov. 16 … Kristian Lei was in New York to work on her upcoming album when superstorm Sandy hit Oct. 29. The little singer was almost blown away when she stepped outside a relative's home in Queens to feel the storm's power … Koa‘e Kea (High Flying Bird), the original Hawaiian Airlines DC-3 hostesses organization, their family and friends, flew to the moon with pop-jazz artist Jimmy Borges at the Garden Lanai of the Ala Moana Hotel Nov. 10 … Deborah and James Gandolfini had their first child, a girl named Liliana Ruth Gandolfini, Oct. 10, in Los Angeles. Deborah is from Hawaii … The EuroCinema team and Moana Surfrider Hotel management and staff put on a swell awards gala under the stars on the hotel's Diamond Head lawn on Oct. 19 … Login for more...