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Join us for an evening of tastings from a host of Washington wineries while strolling your favorite Redmond Town Center shops Taste Wines from Across Washington- AlI in One Night in Redmond Sip, shop, stroll, and disoover your new favorite wines at the 5th Annual Redmond Wine Walk!

Join us Friday, August 21, from 5:00-8:00 PM at Redmond Town Center as we celebrate WAugust, Washington's month- long celebration of Washington wine. Enjoy a curated selection of wineries selected by Seattle Unoorked, featuring wines from Walla Walla, Yakima Valley, Lake Chelan, Puget Sound, and beyond while exploring Redmond's premier shopping and dining destination.

Enjoy live music in the plaza, browse local shops, meet winery representatives, and purchase bottles directly from participating wineries.

Are you a fan off Harry Potter?! If so, you'll have the chance to experience the wizarding world in a whole new way as Marymoor Park in Redmond hosts a first-of-its-kind outdoor drone show.

The show, which runs August 14-15, 2026, will feature more than 1,200 drones. They will be choreographed to iconic moments and music from the film series.

Centro Cultural Mexicano is preparing for its annual backpack giveaway, a tradition that has become a lifeline for families across the community as the new school year approaches.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 14, until supplies last, at the organization's downtown Redmond location, 16300 Redmond Way.

Mariana Martinez, executive director of Centro Cultural Mexicano, says the giveaway is open to anyone in need. "Anybody can attend," Martinez said.

For many of the families the organization serves, the giveaway addresses a real gap.

"A lot of families don't have the essentials, or are working with very limited resources," Martinez said.

"So, for us, it is really important to equip children to get ready to go to school."

That means more than just a backpack. Folders, notebooks, markers and colored pencils round out the supplies families receive — small items, Martinez says, that carry a larger meaning for kids on the first day of school.

"Some backpacks are so sophisticated with different colors — you can see in their children's faces that it's making their day," Martinez said. "And that really is the point. Motivating them to focus on education, and it is priceless. This event holds dear in my heart," Martinez said, "because it really is planting seeds to education in our communities."

This year, the giveaway comes with a twist.

Children attending the event can enter a contest by drawing a picture about what going back to school means to them, with a chance to win a computer.

Martinez also emphasized that donations from the community make the event possible each year.

"We look forward to receiving donations from community members," she said. "I think this is what makes our community strong."

Looking ahead to September, Centro Cultural Mexicano is also gearing up for a bigger celebration: Mexican Independence Day.

This year's festivities will go beyond the traditional "El Grito" — the ceremonial shout marking independence — with a full Lucha Libre wrestling show featuring Lucha Libre Volcánica of Tacoma.

Details on the Mexican Independence Day festivities on Centro Cultural Mexicano's Instagram.

When Starbucks scrapped an AI-powered inventory counting tool back in May, just nine months after revealing the new system, it landed as a surprise to those tracking the coffee giant’s high-tech ambitions.

A new report from Fast Company tells the inside story of how the national rollout disintegrated — and why the Redmond, Wash.-based startup behind it was left “blindsided.”

Known as “Automated Counting,” the tool was built in partnership with NomadGo to scan backroom storage shelves using iPad Pros equipped with computer vision, spatial computing, and augmented reality. It was designed to automatically tally coffee bags, milk, syrups, and other key supplies.

The idea was to turn an hour-long manual chore into a 10-to-12-minute job so baristas could focus on making drinks and connecting with customers.

The technology was deployed rapidly across all 11,300 company-operated Starbucks locations in North America. But almost immediately, real-world store environments triggered rampant glitches, according to Fast Company.

Baristas reported camera errors — such as shiny refrigerator reflections doubling milk counts or the app misidentifying syrups and trash cans — while stores with spotty Wi-Fi frequently had their counting progress wiped out entirely mid-scan.

According to Fast Company, the technical breakdowns stemmed from both software limitations and outdated infrastructure.

While NomadGo’s computer vision achieved 99% accuracy in controlled tests, CEO David Greschler noted that computer vision inherently struggles when inventory changes — requiring up to six weeks of retraining for seasonal holiday cups or limited-time packaging that NomadGo developers sometimes only learned about once items hit store shelves.

Compounding the problem, people involved in building the tool pointed to Starbucks’ backend network, which relies on a legacy IBM AS/400 system dating back to the 1990s, making it difficult for cutting-edge AI to process real-time store data reliably.

When Starbucks notified NomadGo on April 3 that it was pulling the plug, the startup was reportedly blindsided. Greschler called the decision “a complete surprise,” telling Fast Company that “there’s nothing you can do when leadership and strategy change.”

Within days of losing its centerpiece enterprise client, NomadGo was forced to lay off a large chunk of its 30-person workforce, according to the report, including the technical team that managed the Starbucks integration.

Six weeks later, on May 18, Starbucks formally notified baristas that Automated Counting was retired, instructing them to rip the QR tracking codes off backroom shelves and return to manual tallies.

A Starbucks spokesperson provided GeekWire with this statement on Monday:

“Human connection is at the core of our business, which is why we have invested $500 million to put more partners (employees) in our coffeehouses. We use technology to support human connection, not to replace it. This tool was designed to simplify a routine task and give partners more time with their customers. When it fell short, we listened to feedback and changed course. That is what innovation looks like at Starbucks: listening, learning, and adapting.”

GeekWire also contacted NomadGo, and we’ll update this story when we hear back.

Despite retiring Automated Counting, Starbucks has pushed forward with other AI initiatives across its business. The coffee giant is building an AI-powered ordering companion inside its mobile app to translate cravings into custom recipes, while testing a ChatGPT integration that suggests drinks based on a customer’s mood or outfit.

For store staff, the company continues to rely on Green Dot Assist, a generative AI virtual assistant built to help baristas quickly look up recipes, standards, and store operating procedures.

King County prosecutors charged a 56-year-old man after he allegedly broke into storage units in Redmond and Issaquah this year, stealing thousands of dollars' worth of items — including firearms and unique collectibles.

Brian McLaren was arrested June 22 on Camano Island and faces multiple charges of burglary for a string of incidents that took place in February and April.

According to legal documents, he broke into several units at the Redmond Ridge Self Storage and Issaquah Highlands Self Storage facilities, stealing dozens of items.

McLaren's heists included a safe containing 13 firearms, musical instruments, an oriental rug, collectible games, comic books and thousands of dollars of other goods, some of which he hauled out in carts. According to Issaquah Police Department, McLaren may have had an accomplice in the Issaquah incidents.

Kelsey Johnston, one of the victims of the burglaries in Issaquah, said that she lost about $15,000 worth of items that she'd collected over the course of seven years.

"We open up the door and everything's scattered to the ground. Things are ripped open. It's just violating," said Johnston. "These are memories. These are not just things that you can sell."

Law enforcement officials have since recovered some of Johnston's belongings, but the firearms have yet to be recovered.

Security footage from the facility showed McLaren using several methods to break into storage units.

Sometimes he cut the wire fencing at the top of the storage units and entered above the door; sometimes he tried random codes on locked storage unit doors until one worked; sometimes he forced his way in.

It was through security footage that law enforcement was able to connect McLaren to the criminal incidents in Redmond.

The man wore a pair of distinctive brown Nike shoes with blue laces during the burglary and an unrelated incident, which helped officers identify him as the suspect.

Two people were arrested after Redmond police said an investigation into a spa uncovered suspected prostitution at the business and a nearby home.

Police arrested a woman on suspicion of second-degree promoting prostitution, money laundering and permitting prostitution. A man was arrested on suspicion of second-degree promoting prostitution. Neither has been formally charged.

At their first court appearances, King County prosecutors asked that the woman be held on $150,000 bond. A judge set her bond at $75,000.

Prosecutors requested $75,000 bond for the man, but the court set it at $20,000.

The investigation began in February after detectives received online ads that appeared to promote sexual services at V Spa, located at 16615 Redmond Way, according to court documents.

Police linked a telephone number in the ads to the woman. Information obtained through a warrant led investigators to a home in the 8000 block of 172nd Ave. NE, where police said surveillance showed women staying and being driven to the spa.

Investigators said suspected customers visited the home throughout the day and night. Surveillance also allegedly showed the woman escorting workers between the spa and residence.

Undercover officers visited V Spa on June 25 and July 2 and offered money for sexual services, police said.

Workers agreed during both operations and told officers that the business received $60 from a half-hour payment, with the remainder going to the workers.

Officers served search warrants at the spa, residence and on the woman’s vehicle on July 9.

Before searching the home, police stopped the vehicle near westbound SR 520 and Northeast 51st Street. Officers arrested the man, who police said was driving a woman from the residence.

At the home, investigators reported finding condoms, lubricant, sex toys, drug paraphernalia, suitcases, women’s clothing and $8,360 in cash inside a bathroom cabinet. Police also described a basement room with a massage table and another containing a bed.

Officers found two women at V Spa, along with $3,350 in cash, passports, phones and laptops, according to the documents.

Police said the man told detectives the woman was his girlfriend of about 10 years and operated V Spa and Cali Spa in Seattle. He allegedly said he drove women between the residence and spas for about $60 per trip and picked up women at the airport about once a month.

The woman declined to speak with officers after her arrest, police said.

New York-based investment group is expanding its reach in the Puget Sound area with two acquisitions of multi-million-dollar apartment buildings in Seattle and Redmond, totaling $172 million.

KKR & Co. purchased the 235-unit Baldwyn in Seattle for $77.82 million and the 195-unit Cru at Willows in Redmond for $93.85 million, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.

Seattle-based real estate company, Goodman Real Estate, developed both apartment complexes and acted as the seller.

Seattle, Redmond deals build on KKR’s growing presence across the Puget Sound region

In 2021, Goodman purchased the Cru at Willows site for $7.5 million. The six-story mixed-use apartment building opened in 2024, located at 12377 137th Place N.E.

KKR has established a notable footprint in the Puget Sound region before, with its 2019 acquisition of the Amazon-leased Summit office tower in Bellevue and the office portion of F5 Tower in downtown Seattle for more than $1.2 billion, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.

KKR acquired the portfolio of Lennar subsidiary Quarterra for $2.1 billion in 2024, giving the investment giant a foothold in the local multifamily market. Eighteen multifamily assets were sold across eight states, including apartment properties in Seattle’s Central District and Kirkland.

In all, KKR either owns or has invested in $260 billion in assets worldwide.

Goodman Real Estate’s own portfolio has seen plenty of movement and heavily involved in the purchase and sale of multifamily properties throughout the region in recent years.

In 2025, Goodman sold at least four properties, including apartment buildings in Tacoma and Everett, for a total of nearly $123 million, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal.

Goodman also acquired two apartment buildings in 2025, located in Seattle’s South Lake Union and Belltown, which cost $94.7 million and $47.8 million, respectively.

Redmond industrial property at 18816 N.E. Union Hill Road sold this week for a little over $38.5 million, according to King County records.The city is planning a new maintenance and operations center on the 9.1-acre site.

I was unable to defeat the paywall myself, so all I found was this headline.

The Redmond City Council last week approved the acquisition of a 9.1-acre parcel from Heidelberg Materials and Aggregates for $38.5 million — land that will be home for a new city maintenance and operations center.

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The site, at 18816 NE Union Hill Road, and the center to be built there will replace the aging and undersized facility at 18080 NE 76th St., according to the city. The new location is less than a mile northeast of the current site. Costco Wholesale Corp.’s Redmond warehouse is in-between the locations.

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Redmond is purchasing the property from HM Pacific Northwest Inc.

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Design of the new center will begin this year. The city expects to break ground in 2028 and open the new facility by 2030.

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The new maintenance and operations center has an estimated budget of $236.8 million, which includes design, construction, and other costs, including the property purchase, according to a city spokesperson. Numbers are expected to adjust, though. Redmond is using a progressive design-build approach to build the new facility, which brings the designer and contractor on board earlier in the process and allows planning, design, and construction decisions to happen together, the city said in a news release.

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The current maintenance and operations center is the operating base for about 150 employees and scores of seasonal staff, housing teams responsible for maintaining Redmond’s critical infrastructure, including roads, sewers, stormwater, drinking water, and more. With a crowded footprint and some of its buildings dating to the 1970s, the facility is now challenged to fully support operational needs for the growing city, according to the release.

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This is a portion of the Redmond maintenance and operations center at 18080 NE 76th St., including the photo below. The city plans to build a new facility less than a mile away.

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The Redmond City Council last week approved the acquisition of a 9.1-acre parcel from Heidelberg Materials and Aggregates for $38.5 million — land that will be home for a new city maintenance and operations center.

​

The site, at 18816 NE Union Hill Road, and the center to be built there will replace the aging and undersized facility at 18080 NE 76th St., according to the city. The new location is less than a mile northeast of the current site. Costco Wholesale Corp.’s Redmond warehouse is in-between the locations.

​

Redmond is purchasing the property from HM Pacific Northwest Inc.

​

Design of the new center will begin this year. The city expects to break ground in 2028 and open the new facility by 2030.

​

The new maintenance and operations center has an estimated budget of $236.8 million, which includes design, construction, and other costs, including the property purchase, according to a city spokesperson. Numbers are expected to adjust, though. Redmond is using a progressive design-build approach to build the new facility, which brings the designer and contractor on board earlier in the process and allows planning, design, and construction decisions to happen together, the city said in a news release.

​

The current maintenance and operations center is the operating base for about 150 employees and scores of seasonal staff, housing teams responsible for maintaining Redmond’s critical infrastructure, including roads, sewers, stormwater, drinking water, and more. With a crowded footprint and some of its buildings dating to the 1970s, the facility is now challenged to fully support operational needs for the growing city, according to the release.

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The new facility will be purpose-built and modernized to improve efficiency, safety, sustainability, and long-term service delivery to the community, the city added.

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“Every day, our community members rely on essential city services that often operate behind the scenes from our MOC,” Mayor Angela Birney said in the release. “This land purchase streamlines the process for rebuilding our new facility and brings us one step closer to an upgraded, resilient MOC that will serve Redmond’s needs today while ensuring we are prepared for tomorrow.”

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The city explored the option of demolishing the maintenance and operations center and rebuilding at its current location, but that would have required relocating 200-plus staff and their equipment to more than 17 sites in and around Redmond for more than two years and could have affected service, the release said. Building on a different site significantly reduces upfront costs for relocation and won’t disrupt service for residents during construction, it added.

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Teams based at the maintenance and operations center include the Public Works Department’s mechanics who maintain the city’s entire vehicle fleet; traffic-operations and street-maintenance teams; concrete crew; stormwater, wastewater, and drinking-water divisions; and the Parks and Recreation Department’s city facilities, and parks maintenance and operations crews.