Kayaker missing off Big Island

Rescuers plan to continue searching today for a 26-year-old kayaker who had been reported missing Saturday evening off the Big Island's north coast.

Miguel Serrino, of the Big Island, was last seen wearing multicolored shorts and a dark blue T-shirt. He was kayaking off Kapaa Beach Park in North Kohala.

The Coast Guard was searching with a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a C-130 Hercules from Barbers Point. Big Island's fire department and Civil Air Patrol are assisting with the search.

Anyone with information about Serrino's whereabouts should call Coast Guard Sector Honolulu at 842-2600.

2 guilty of meth sale near school

A federal jury in Honolulu on Friday convicted two Honolulu residents of selling methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school.

Arnold Luna and Shana Galan were found guilty distributing meth near Honolulu Community College, part of the downtown/Kalihi Weed and Seed district.

Luna set up a $20 meth sale between an undercover police officer and another defendant who pleaded guilty last month, U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said in a news release. Galan then handed $20 worth of meth to the same defendant, who sold it to the officer, the release said.

Luna was convicted of one count of distributing 0.027 grams of meth; Galan was found guilty of distributing 0.046 grams of meth.

Both face up to 40 years in prison with a mandatory one-year minimum and a $2 million fine. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9.

The case resulted from police response to community complaints of drug dealing in the area. Police have charged 15 individuals, of which 10 have pleaded guilty.

Disaster agency gets new chief

A retired Marine three-star general has been selected as the new director of the Hawaii-based Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.

Retired Lt. Gen. John F. Goodman served as the commanding general of the Marine Forces Pacific. He led the U.S. military operation that provided humanitarian assistance in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis in May.

A Sacramento native, Goodman graduated from Arizona State University, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, the Marine Corps War College, and the United States Pinnacle Strategic Planning course.

He replaces Gerard “;Pete”; Bradford III, who retired in June. The Center for Excellence, based at Tripler Army Medical Center, is a federal agency that promotes civil-military international disaster preparedness and management in the Asia-Pacific region.