We do business here, too

It wasn’t the first time a Hawaii conference was dismissed as a junket, and it won’t be the last. But the flap over an international education conference here serves as a reminder of how important the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting here next year will be.

The San Diego Unified School District may have had good reason to ditch the Dec. 3 trip to the International Baccalaureate for seven educators. But Hawaii is a legitimate venue for business and governmental exchange, and APEC should help to raise this state’s profile as such.

Hillary Clinton’s statements last week about Hawaii’s strategic potential didn’t hurt, either.

Cancer Center welcome

After years of delay, construction will soon begin on the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, offering island residents the promise of access to the best care available.

At the groundbreaking last week, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye told of his late wife Maggie’s struggle with colon cancer and her difficult final days.

Too many others in Hawaii know that story firsthand. In the years to come, hopefully fewer will.