AI for Housing Permits: Cities are turning to AI to catch incomplete applications before they hit human planners, aiming to cut repeated correction cycles; Honolulu’s CivCheck is cited for reducing review cycles and speeding processing. Hurricane Lala Data: UH Mesonet and the Hawaii Climate Data Portal quantify Lala’s impact as roughly 1.9 million Olympic-size pools of water, with extreme hourly rain and major flooding on Hawaiʻi Island. Next Storm Watch: State and county officials warn Tropical Depression Two-C could bring 10–15 inches of rain and renewed flooding risk on already-saturated ground. Lunar Tech: China’s Chang’e-7 is set to launch Aug. 24 toward Shackleton Crater, targeting water ice with a hopper-style lander and international science payloads, including Hawaii-linked researchers. Seabed Mining Pushback: NOAA opens public comment on a deep-sea mining recovery application tied to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, while Guam and the Northern Marianas urge caution and community consultation. Honolulu Leadership: The Honolulu Liquor Commission selects Jason K. White as its next Administrator. Ancient DNA Breakthrough: Smithsonian researchers report they’ve decoded the genome of the extinct Lānaʻi hookbill from a museum specimen, using modern ancient DNA methods. Autonomous Naval Warfare: Saildrone and Lockheed Martin conducted first-ever live-fire missile launches from a Saildrone unmanned surface vehicle during RIMPAC off Hawaiʻi. Local Economy Snapshot: Hawaiʻi’s July unemployment rate holds at 2.7%, with jobs up year over year.