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Posted: Sunday, December 23rd, 2007 7:52 AM HST

Superferry, Warriors grabbed headlines in 2007

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ The year 2007 will likely be remembered in the state for the fight over the Hawaii Superferry and the success of the University of Hawaii football team. The Superferry was scheduled to launch interisland service in August before it was blocked by the courts and protesters on Kauai. In the end, the Legislature enacted a new law to allow the ferry to operate while an environmental assessment is conducted. The Honolulu-Maui service resumed in December, while the Honolulu-Kauai service remained on hold. The University of Hawaii football team earned the only unbeaten record in the nation, a Number 10 national ranking and an invitation to the Sugar Bowl to face 4th-ranked Georgia on New Year's Day. Other top stories of the year include the attempted court martial of Hawaii 1st Lieutenant Ehren Watada for his refusal to deploy to Iraq in February, the deaths of ten Schofield Barracks soldiers and four other troops when an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq in August and TV bounty hunter Duane ``Dog'' Chapman's repeated use of the N-word in a profanity laced tirade in October. (Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved)