The Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s St. Paul Bureau is now open for business! Picked up the credentials, took a quick tour of the Xcel Energy Center and was thankful to see power strips and a strong Wi-Fi signal. I may not even have to leave the main convention area to write.

Some protesters were out on this Sunday, but it was very low-key, especially with the news that events could be delayed or postponed due to the severity of Gustav. As it is, tomorrow’s session will be short, and to-the-point, with no rhetoric and all business.

After that, events will be day-by-day (like the rest of us).

A few shots from the St. Paul venue for the RNC:

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^^A behind-the scenes view (literally) of the MSNBC staging area just outside convention site.

^^Here’s the view of the convention from the Star-Bulletin St. Paul Bureau, also known as seat 112F10 inside the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

^^The view of the convention podium from where the Hawaii delegation is sitting.

^^A view looking at the Hawaii delegation seats, with the CNN broadcast booth set up almost directly behind them.

Convention business starts tomorrow. The session was supposed to go from 2:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., but instead will be cut to about two hours starting around 3 p.m., out of respect to the potential disaster that could be caused by Hurricane Gustav.