Search continues for fisherman

The search is continuing for a missing fisherman last seen about 60 miles west of the Big Island.

Devin Johnson, 23, was seen early Friday morning about 60 miles west of the Big Island on a commercial fishing boat.

A C-130 search plane, an HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter and the cutter Kiska were on the scene yesterday, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

A Navy P-3 Orion fixed-wing aircraft and SH-60 Seahawk rescue helicopter from the Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe assisted in the search.

More than 6,000 square miles—an area nearly 10 times the size of Oahu—has been covered in the search.

Friends and relatives of the Kamuela man were also searching, using at least five private vessels, the Coast Guard said.

The weather is a factor in the search. Seas of 12 feet and 25 mph winds were reported yesterday.

Johnson and his brother were taking turns tending lines while the other slept. His brother discovered Johnson missing at about 2 a.m. Friday. Johnson was wearing an olive green sweater and black shorts, but no life jacket.

Lingle to discuss trip to China

Gov. Linda Lingle plans to discuss her two-week trip to China at a news conference this afternoon.

Lingle returned home Friday after visiting several Chinese cities to promote the islands as a tourism destination.

Besides emphasizing tourism, Lingle also signed an agreement to develop renewable energy, and she led a meeting seeking expansion of trade between Hawaii and Hainan province.

While in the province, Gov. Luo Baoming encouraged Hainan Airlines Chairman Chen Feng to start direct flights to Hawaii as soon as possible. The carrier recently won federal approval for at least one weekly nonstop flight from Beijing.

School to hold physics open house

The University of Hawaii at Manoa's Department of Physics and Astronomy will hold an open house for high school teachers, students and the public from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Physics and astronomy research and applications will be presented by faculty and students.

Physics demonstrations and presentations will be offered on density and buoyancy, nanophysics, anti-matter, free electron laser, cosmic ray physics, astronomy, astrobiology, geo-neutrinos, the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna project and Large Hadron Collider at 11 sites, including Watanabe Hall, Krauss Annex and the Physical Science Building.

A welcome and overview will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics Auditorium and sites will open from 9 to 11 a.m. for group visitors and from 11 a.m. to noon for informal visits.

For more information, see www.phys.hawaii.edu.