NATION BRIEFS

TENNESSEE/Jury convicts Palin e-mail hacker

The son of a Democratic Tennessee lawmaker was convicted Friday on two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail account while she campaigned on the Republican presidential ticket in 2008. The federal court jury found David Kernell, 22, guilty of obstruction of justice and unauthorized access to a computer after four days of deliberation. He was acquitted of wire fraud. The jury deadlocked on a charge of identify theft. Obstructing an investigation carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence and unauthorized access to a computer is a misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence. The former Alaska governor said on her Facebook page: "As Watergate taught us, we rightfully reject illegally breaking into candidates' private communications for political intrigue in an attempt to derail an election."

ARIZONA/Police search for wounded officer

Authorities in southern Arizona are searching for a deputy who radioed for help and said he had been shot with an AK-47 assault rifle in a remote desert area. Pinal County Sheriff's Lt. Tammy Villar says the deputy called in Friday to say he had encountered a group and been shot in the abdomen. The area is used by drug- and human-smugglers from Mexico. However, the circumstances that led to the shooting are unclear. Villar says officers are trying to find the deputy, who apparently was about 50 miles south of Phoenix.

HAWAII/Same-sex civil unions depend on governor

Whether same-sex civil unions become law in Hawaii is now up to Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, whose office was flooded Friday with phone calls and e-mails from gay rights and religious groups after the bill won approval in the waning moments of the legislative session. She has until July 6 to make a decision. The governor was unavailable for comment Friday. The bill was unexpectedly revived and cleared the legislature Thursday, the last day of this year's session. Lingle has sent mixed signals: She wanted lawmakers not to debate the issue because the state had more pressing budget matters to deal with, but she also said the public should know how the legislature feels about the issue.

CALIFORNIA/Computer system may hinder census

The Government Accountability Office says a computer system needed to finish the 2010 census may not be up to the job. GAO Strategic Issues director Robert Goldenkoff said Friday before a congressional hearing in Los Angeles that the Paper Based Operations Control System hasn't demonstrated the ability to meet peak requirements of the census as it seeks to count residents who did not return forms by mail. Census director Robert Groves says in a statement that the problems stem from a late change from a handheld device system to the paper-based system.

FLORIDA/GOP removing signs of Crist

Just hours after Gov. Charlie Crist announced he would run for the U.S. Senate as an independent, the Florida GOP hastened to remove any likeness to the Republican governor they helped elect. First item to go in the breakup: an oil painting that the Republican Party of Florida purchased for its headquarters in Tallahassee. The portrait of Crist came down after he announced that he would skip the GOP primary and run as an independent for the state's open Senate seat. Officials also removed his signatures from party materials.