Hawaii

The NCAA, which sanctioned USC last week for violations in its athletic program, granted the Trojans and Hawaii a reprieve on Thursday by delaying a penalty that might have forced the schools to cancel their Sept. 2 football opener at Honolulu. As part of its probation, USC is prohibited from taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows teams to play 13 games if one is in Hawaii. The NCAA's Committee on Infractions apparently included the language about the exemption to prevent use similar to that employed by Alabama, which scheduled 13th games at Hawaii in 2002 and 2003 after it was put on probation.

Julia Allen and her husband Mike Palcic -- or "Big Cheese," as he's called on his business card -- have run for office on Oahu on the Republican ticket more than 10 times. Forget the fact that neither has ever won. They're determined to keep running for office in one of the most left-leaning states in the union. "I only lose if I quit," said Allen, who received one-fifth of the vote in her 2008 race for state representative of the 20th District of Oahu. She spent months banging on doors, asking neighbors for votes, but people weren't much interested -- her opponent was the speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives.

USC, which is bowl eligible for the first time in three years, begins the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press media poll and No. 3 in the coaches' poll. Staff writer Gary Klein looks at the matchups and story lines for the Trojans' game against Hawaii: Sunny disposition Silas Redd has been at USC for only a month since transferring from Penn State, but he already appreciates one major difference between Los Angeles and State College, Pa. "I've never had this many consecutive sunny days," Redd said, smiling.

HANALEI, Hawaii - It's a warm Tuesday afternoon on Kauai and tourists are lining up - just a few at first, then a dozen or so. Finally more than 100 have gathered, waiting patiently. They're not here to swim with dolphins, snorkel in turquoise waters or even learn to hula at a luau. They're here for a farmers market. Manager Kalen Kelekoma climbs atop a wooden crate and welcomes the throng with a warm "aloha" and an explanation of the market rules. Then the horn sounds, and they rush the stalls.

Lumeria Maui started life in 1909 as a home for old plantation workers, built by one of Hawaii's big sugar families. In its 100-plus years, the North Shore property had been repurposed as military housing and then as dorms for a women's college. Now it emerges as a small, graceful retreat center that accents local culture and relaxation under the moniker "edventure. " Prices start relatively small too, with an introductory offer of $299 a night. The deal: Lumeria sits on six acres facing the ocean in Makawao on the island of Maui.

Between dealing with terrorism threats and crises abroad, President Obama is unwinding in Hawaii with his family this week. They've snorkeled in pristine bays and dined in fashionable restaurants. Tourism officials only wish there were thousands more visitors like them. Tourism is the glue that holds this island state's finances together, keeping its streets clean, its workers paid and its children educated. But for the last two years, vacationers and conventioneers alike have abandoned Hawaii in favor of less exotic destinations closer to home.

Your story, "Hawaii, My Old Friend" by Jerry Hulse on July 15 about the old Hawaii in Holualoa was a pleasant read and brought back many warm memories. It's also nice to read about places and life in Hawaii that tourists rarely see or even know about. I wish, however, that the true old Hawaii had been equally deserving of your attentions. Old Hawaii hardly began with the plantations. It was there before the missionaries, it was there before Capt. James Cook and it is still there now. There was not one mention in your article of a Hawaii person.

If the pursuit of happiness is the ultimate goal of Americans, turns out that people have a much better shot in Hawaii than in West Virginia. Hawaii ranks No. 1 in well-being among its residents for the fourth year in a row, according to a Gallup-Healthways poll, while West Virginia for the fourth year straight is at the very bottom. According to the poll, Aloha State residents were most likely to rate their lives as "thriving," scoring themselves high in areas such as emotional health and work environment.  West Virginians, on the other hand, had the lowest score for physical health and were most likely to be diagnosed with depression.

Saddleback College's John Molle, the co-most valuable player of the Orange Empire Conference, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Hawaii. Molle, a 6-foot-4 swingman, averaged 19 points and five rebounds for Saddleback (26-8), which won the Orange Empire Conference. Molle, who played at San Diego State as a freshman, attended Irvine High School. He chose Hawaii over UC Santa Barbara, Utah, New Orleans and Lamar.