David Asper Johnson, Argonaut publisher

The founder, editor and publisher of The Argonaut—a useful and newsy community weekly centered in Marina del Rey—died yesterday at age 68. He had suffered from a rare blood disorder. Johnson launched the newspaper in 1971, and six years later co-founded The Beach Reporter in the South Bay. The Argonaut website reports that longtime employee Carol Hector was announced as the new editor, publisher and owner at an informal meeting of the board of directors on Saturday.