Williams takes over at Navy Region Hawaii

Rear Adm. Richard L. Williams Jr. has assumed command of Navy Region Hawaii, which oversees the Navy’s largest and most strategic island base in the Pacific. He replaced Rear Adm. Fernandez "Frank" Ponds, who had been commander of Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific since November 2011.

The change of command took place July 10 aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial at Ford Island.

As commander of Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, Williams is in charge of 11 combat vessels home-ported in Pearl Harbor. He also will have oversight of the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.

Williams comes to Hawaii after serving as branch head of assessments of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. He is a former commander of the guided-missile frigate USS McInerney.

Ponds is the new commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 in San Diego.

Bank executive picked as new ‘Iolani CFO

Reid A. Gushiken, a Central Pacific Bank executive, has been appointed as ‘Iolani School’s new chief financial officer. He will begin Aug. 8.

Gushiken will replace Glenn Ching, who is retiring in October after 21 years at ‘Iolani.

Since 2007 Gushiken has been the senior vice president and controller for Central Pacific Bank, where he oversees all aspects of the bank’s accounting and financial reporting functions, including $4.3 billion in assets.

He is also a board member and treasurer for the Central Pacific Bank Foundation and Helping Hands Hawaii, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen the local community by delivering goods and services to those in need.

Gushiken earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington and attended the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking.

Man dies after being found off Kaanapali

A 50-year-old California man died shortly after he was found unconscious Sunday in waters off Black Rock in Kaanapali.

According to Maui police, Michael Taugher of Benicia, Calif., was snorkeling with family members.

When the family members returned to shore, they noticed Taugher was missing and began searching the water.

Taugher was found unresponsive and floating just before 10 a.m. He was pulled to the shoreline, where lifeguards, paramedics and fire rescue personnel tried unsuccessfully to revive him.

An initial investigation indicated no signs of foul play.

Blaze causes $200K in harm to Kauai home

Kauai firefighters extinguished a structure fire that caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to an Ulu Ko subdivision home and its contents Saturday.

Firefighters were called to the Alaekea Street residence around 2:50 p.m.

When they arrived they saw smoke coming from the second-story windows and traced it to a couch on fire on the first floor.

Damage was contained to the ground floor, and the fire was brought under control by 3:06 p.m.

No one was occupying the home, and no injuries were reported.

Damage was estimated at $150,000 to the structure and $50,000 to its contents. The cause of the fire is under investigation.