Hurricane Lala Recovery: Hawaii County and state officials kept pushing to restore power, communications, and roads after the storm’s worst impacts on the Big Island and Kaʻū, with community groups and the Red Cross emphasizing that reopening transportation routes is key to getting food, water, and cleanup supplies to isolated neighborhoods. Public Safety & Community Support: The Hawai‘i Police Department is running “Fill a Police Cruiser Kōkua” supply drives in Kona and Hilo to stock essentials for Lala-impacted families. Deep-Sea Mining Fight: Environmentalists and community advocates sued to stop the first commercial sale of Pacific seabed-mining leases near American Samoa, while NOAA opened a public comment period on The Metals Company USA’s deep-sea mining application. Local Business & Jobs: Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii landed on the Inc. 5000 list, citing strong sales growth and planned new store openings. Tourism & Peace: PATA’s new leadership is pitching tourism as a tool for peace, with Hawaii Tourism Authority research leadership taking a prominent role. Scams Watch: BBB Scam Tracker reports show Wahiawa tied for sixth in Hawaii for scam reports in July, including a reported $3,000 online purchase loss. Women’s Equality: WalletHub ranked Hawaii No. 1 for women’s equality in 2026. Tech/Defense: A Navy undersea tech office in Keyport is accelerating how early-stage undersea capabilities move from lab to fleet. Business Expansion: Jollibee’s Tim Ho Wan is taking full control of its North American master franchise platform and expanding U.S. stores, including Hawaii.