Hawaii's Governor highlighted significant progress across the state in July 2026, including a major healthcare advancement and record land lease awards. The University of Hawaiʻi (UH) Cancer Center launched the Hoʻōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center on July 6, the state's first facility for early phase clinical trials, with over 200 community leaders attending the Kakaʻako grand opening.
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) awarded over 1,000 project leases in July for homestead communities on Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu. This included 200 residential leases for a new Panaʻewa homestead in East Hawaiʻi on July 11, 2026, marking the first such awards in over two decades, with development planned for 2030.
Three years after the devastating August 8, 2023 wildfires, efforts continue to restore Lahaina and Kula, supporting residents in their return home. The Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) also awarded a $125,000 contract for a memorial honoring the 1924 Battle of Hanapēpē on Kauaʻi, with construction starting September 1 and completion by February 2027. Additionally, Hawaiʻi and Indonesia celebrated 20 years of partnership, with the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard's 111th Army Band participating in cultural exchanges.