Governor pulls back regent nominees

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has withdrawn two of his nominees for the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

The state Senate Education Committee voted Monday to reject them, making it unlikely that the full Senate would confirm the governor’s picks.

The committee voted not to recommend confirmation of Sandra Scarr, a former psychology professor who serves on several Big Island organizations, and Patrick Naughton, a former provost at Hawaii Community College who has a nonprofit that works with dyslexic students.

Scarr and Naughton were nominated to represent Hawaii island on the board. Senators, as is customary, gave Abercrombie the option of withdrawing the nominations before they reached the Senate floor for a final vote. He did so Monday night.

Compromise seen on school day law

Lawmakers say they are close to reaching a compromise on amending a law that sets minimums for the length of the public school day.

A draft bill is expected to be discussed at a conference committee meeting scheduled for today.

Legislators are looking at a variety of options for amending Act 167.

The state Department of Education says implementing the law could cost millions, and teachers worry it could result in the loss of some planning or preparation time.

Lawmakers say they are looking at exemptions for schools that are far from reaching the minimums, but don’t want a complete postponement of the law.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Sheep-hunt applications available

Applications for this year’s mouflon sheep hunting season on Lanai are available at Division of Forestry and Wildlife offices.

The deadline is May 27. Go to www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dofaw.

The season will consist of three separate hunts, one each for archery, muzzle-loading firearms and general rifle hunts. Archery will run from July 30 through Aug. 6, muzzle-loading Aug. 13-14 and 20-21, and general rifle through nine consecutive weekends between Aug. 22 and Oct. 23.

Correction: Archery hunting will run from July 30 through Aug. 6. An earlier version of this story incorrectly said it would start June 30.

100 years of Makahiki

Boy Scouts young and old will gather for the 100th anniversary Makahiki Scout Show Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ala Moana Beach Park. It is the oldest event of its kind in the country. The event, sponsored by the Prudential Locations Foundation, is open to the public and includes hundreds of scouting displays, Scout competitions and entertainment. Contact Keao Miller, Aloha Council, at 595-6366, ext. 230.