APEC Briefs

Federal court to open on holiday for arrestees

The U.S. District Court courthouse on Ala Moana Boulevard will be open during the Veterans Day holiday weekend to handle initial court hearings for any individual arrested on misdemeanor charges related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

"Individuals charged with federal misdemeanors will have hearings on the day of arrest whenever possible," the federal court clerk’s office said.

The court will hold hearings at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, Veterans Day; Saturday; and Sunday.

Those hearings will be for arrestees who can be brought to the courthouse between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on each of the three days.

Those arrested at other times will be held at the Federal Detention Center until their initial hearing the next morning.

The hearings are only for misdemeanor cases.

People arrested by federal authorities on felony charges will have their hearings during normal business hours next week, the clerk’s office said.

F-22s to perform flyovers for Veterans Day

With Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation activities going on at the same time as Veterans Day events, the Hawaii National Guard is alerting residents of plans for a jet fighter flyover Friday in honor of veterans.

Officials want to head off any fear that the F-22 Raptor formation is in response to an APEC-related emergency.

"The Hawaii Air National Guard will be conducting a four aircraft F-22 flyover in support of the Veterans Day ceremony at Punchbowl on Friday, Nov. 11," the Guard said in a news release. "The flyover will produce a considerable amount of noise; however, residents should not be alarmed."

The flyover will occur at about 11 a.m. The jets from the 199th Fighter Squadron will fly a route over Kahala, along the H-1, head over the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and continue along the Koolau range.

The Veterans Day flyover has been a tradition for decades, the National Guard noted, but this will be the first flyover with F-22 stealth fighters.

Security zones block mail service

People who pick up their mail from the Waikiki Post Office won’t be able to do so Saturday due to security zones being imposed for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The post office will be closed from 6 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Sunday. There will be no access to post office boxes on Saturday, U.S. Postal Service officials said Tuesday. Access to mail on Friday will only be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The location’s retail lobby will be closed due to Veterans Day.

To make up for the closure, the Waikiki Post Office will make special arrangements to deliver mail to its P.O. boxes Friday, Veterans Day. Mail usually isn’t delivered on federal holidays.

There will be no mail pickup from blue USPS collection boxes or mail drops at the Waikiki Post Office, from the Hilton Hawaiian Village’s front desk and Contract Postal Unit, or from the collection box at 1741 Ala Moana Blvd., between each location’s last collection time on Thursday and 7 a.m. Monday.

Delivery times on Saturday might be affected by road closures and other traffic issues related to APEC, officials said.

Symposium seeks to aid businesses

On Thursday, members of the APEC Business Advisory Council will hold an all-day symposium for small and medium enterprise businesses at the Halekulani Hotel. The symposium participants will discuss what they see as priorities for APEC leaders.

Their key messages will be delivered at an 11:30 a.m. briefing Thursday at the APEC CEO Summit at the Sheraton Waikiki and will focus on the need for public and private collaboration to promote growth, action to promote sustainable growth, and support for small and medium-size enterprises. Speaking at the briefing will be Deb Henretta, ABAC chairwoman and group president-Asia for Procter & Gamble; Ziyavudin Magomedov, incoming ABAC chairman and chairman of Summa Group; and Gempachiro Aihara, ABAC Japan and adviser at Mitsui & Co.

Topics at the 8 a.m.-to-5:15 p.m. event will include new roles for small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, in global markets; free-trade agreements opening doors for SMEs; creating transparent and open business environments for SMEs; and trading across borders — regulatory and operational concerns.

The luncheon keynote speaker is U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson.

PROTOCOL

Making points

A sampling of protocol tips has been shared during cultural training sessions held throughout the community for this week’s APEC summit. Here’s one:

» The Hawaii Prince home to the Japan delegation should avoid using lilies, camellias, lotus blossoms or any white flower in arrangements, as they are associated with funerals.

Source: Outrigger Hotels & Resorts