Staff report
January
Jan. 15
Nokomis building razed — The old Nokomis building, which once housed Redmond’s first library and the former Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce, was torn down to make way for a mixed-use development.
Refugees rebuilding their lives — Local nonprofits, faith groups and more do what they can to help Syrian refugees starting over in the Pacific Northwest.
Jan. 29
Meeting attendees weed through retail marijuana store issues — Redmond residents, business owners and more filled the Council Chambers during a planning commission meeting to share their thoughts and concerns about marijuana retail stores.
Store owner and son ‘horrified’ after they received KKK-type items — Leona Coakley-Spring, owner of From Rags to Riches, and her son Shane Coakley received a bag with Ku Klux Klan-type (KKK) items at their consignment shop.
February
Feb. 5
Speaking out against racism — In response to the earlier incident at From Rags to Riches, members of the Redmond community came together to speak out against racism.
Feb. 12
RPD, Sheriff investigate four threats of public violence — Redmond-area law enforcement responded to threats of public violence at three schools and a movie theater in the span of a week and a half. The threats ended up being false.
Salmon runs in Lake Washington on the decline — The Reporter examines some of the reasons why salmon runs have been steadily declining in Lake Washington for nearly 40 years.
Feb. 26
Haggart sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for second-degree murder — After pleading guilty, Daniel Haggart was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for second-degree murder in the stabbing that killed 17-year-old Cara Neil in July 2014.
Students weigh in on the 2016 U.S. presidential candidates — Seniors from local high schools share their thoughts on the U.S. presidential election and the candidates running for office.
March
March 4
Downtown Redmond Athletic Club closes — After about three and a half decades, the Redmond Athletic Club (RAC) in downtown closed, much to the surprise and upset of many of its members, who only learned about the closure on the club’s last day of business.
RAC employees call police on Chancellor, others over misunderstanding — A misunderstanding leads to RAC employees to call the police on Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, who had been interested in purchasing the business.
March 11
Council examines encampment policies, seeks public input — Redmond City Council looked at potential changes to the city’s permitting policies regarding homeless encampments in town.
April
April 1
Police Chief Gibson is ready for retirement — After 36 and a half years in law enforcement, the last almost six of which were with the Redmond Police Department (RPD), Police Chief Ron Gibson retired.
April 8
Wilson sworn in as Redmond’s top cop — Former Assistant Police Chief Kristi Wilson officially becomes the new top cop in Redmond.
April 15
Over the moon for ice cream — More than 100 people lined up for the opening of Molly Moon’s ice cream in downtown Redmond.
April 29
Lake Washington School District bond passing in early results — The $398 million Lake Washington School District (LWSD) bond to reduce overcrowding passes.
No charges filed in Rags to Riches KKK robe case: aftereffects still linger for owner — A three-month-long investigation found that it was too difficult to show that the actions of the man who left behind KKK-type items at From Rags to Riches intentionally threatened Coakley-Spring or her family.
City begins Phase II of Redmond Central Connector construction — The City of Redmond breaks ground on the next segment of the Redmond Central Connector trail.
May
May 6
Student musicians impress crowd at Carnegie Hall — The Studio Jazz Orchestra at Redmond High School performed at Carnegie Hall as part of the Ensemble Spotlight series.
Local KING 5 television reporters retire after decades-long careers — Redmond-area residents Dennis Bounds, Linda Byron and Jeff Renner retired from KING 5.
May 13
Tree House duo to close shop after 37 years in Redmond — The Tree House Children’s Consignment closes its doors for good as co-owners Sue Swanson and Jeanne Bolton retired.
May 20
Residents spark concerns about pot-related businesses — Parents and residents from Redmond and Redmond Ridge shared their concerns as Redmond city and King County councils looked at amending zoning codes regarding marijuana-related businesses.
June
June 3
Bear Creek School’s Ji earns state tennis title — Caleb Ji from The Bear Creek School wins the boys singles state title in tennis.
Marymoor concert organizers strive to keep a handle on sound levels — After receiving a number of noise complaints from the previous year’s concert series, the organizers of Marymoor Park Concerts worked with the City of Redmond and AEG Live to come up with solutions on how to make this year’s series enjoyable for everyone.
June 10
Council votes 6-0 to allow retail pot stores in Redmond — Redmond City Council voted 6-0 to allow retail marijuana stores in town.
Mother charged with second-degree murder of young son — Tami Annett Christianson was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her 16-month-old son.
June 17
‘We fight on and have pride in who we are’ — Members of the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community share their thoughts and concerns following the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. that killed 49 people and injured 53 more.
July
July 8
Malsch sentenced to 10 years for vehicular homicide — After pleading guilty to vehicular homicide — DUI, felony hit and run and reckless driving in February 2015, which resulted in the death of Michael Ey, Robert Malsch was sentenced to 125 months in prison.
July 15
Local law enforcement respond to Dallas shooting — After a sniper in Dallas killed five police officers, local law enforcement officers shared their thoughts on the shootings as well as what it means to wear a blue uniform in this day and age.
July 22
Residents concerned about potential pot facilities on Redmond Ridge — Redmond Ridge residents share their concerns about potential pot facilities coming to their neighborhood.
July 29
King County Council votes 5-3 on marijuana regulations — The King County Council voted 5-3 to approve legislation refining existing county land-use regulations concerning the growth, processing and retail sale of marijuana.
August
Aug. 5
Trio in Rio: Local Olympians set for action — Morghan King, Rob Munn and Hans Struzyna, originally from Redmond, competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. King placed sixth in the women’s 48kg (106.0 pounds) weightlifting competition. Munn and Struzyna and the U.S. rowing squad placed fourth in the men’s 8 rowing competition.
Aug. 12
Detectives searching for suspect in assault case — RPD and the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) partnered together to locate a suspect who assaulted a 42-year-old Redmond woman while she was walking her dog on the trail at Marymoor Park.
Aug. 19
Residents Walk for Safety to celebrate assault survivor — Following an assault at Marymoor Park, members of the Redmond community came together for a walk to support the survivor.
Aug. 26
City of Redmond brings Hay aboard to help the homeless — The city hired Kent Hay to work with the homeless population in Redmond. Hay’s position, homeless outreach specialist, was created based on a homelessness task force recommendation and has since become part of the city’s budget.
September
Sept. 2
Old-school hip-hop in the house — The sold-out I Love the ’90s concert brought old school hip-hop to Redmond as one of the last concerts of the summer at Marymoor Park.
Construction begins on Downtown Park, continues on two-way conversion projects — Downtown construction kicks into full gear with the second phase of the two-way street conversion of Cleveland Street and Redmond Way and the first phase of Downtown Park.
Sept. 16
Frankie’s, other businesses closing to make way for new hotel — Frankie’s Pizza and Pasta, along with other businesses in the same downtown plaza, closed to make way for a new hotel.
Sept. 30
City encourages people to shop local through ‘We Dig Downtown’ campaign — With all of the construction in downtown, the city launched a campaign to encourage people to buy local and support businesses in the neighborhood.
October
Oct. 7
Mayor Marchione presents $695 million biennium budget — The 2017-18 budget is a 3.6 percent increase from the city’s previous budget and focuses on the themes of preserving neighborhoods, keeping it green, investing in the future and organizational excellence.
Oct. 14
One tough, inspirational Redmond High Mustang — Living with ankylosing spondylitis, RHS’s Alex Weininger gives it his all on the football field, inspiring his teammates and more.
Deceased adult male found in retention pond — The body of 31-year-old Robert Hall was found in a retention pool in Redmond. Police ruled out foul play.
Eastside agencies, organizations offer help for domestic-violence survivors — Nonprofit organizations on the Eastside share about the services they offer to help domestic-violence survivors.
Oct. 21
Sze pleads not guilty to 8 counts of voyeurism at Hartman Pool — After being charged with eight counts of voyeurism at Hartman Pool, Allen Sze pleaded not guilty.
Oct. 28
Man charged for Seattle carjackings linked to Redmond incidents — Genede Ahmed Kedir, who was linked to three attempted carjackings in Redmond, was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery in a pair of carjackings in Seattle.
November
Nov. 4
Sen. Andy Hill, 54, dies after battle with lung cancer — Sen. Andy Hill of Redmond lost his battle with lung cancer and dies at 54.
Nov. 11
Costco unveils new membership warehouse today in Redmond — After about 20 years of on-and-off discussions, Costco finally opened a membership warehouse in Redmond.
General election 2016 — Incumbents in the 45th and 48th legislative districts, as well as the Congressional District 1, win their respective races in the general election.
Nov. 18
High schoolers walk out of class in protest of presidential results — High schoolers in the greater Redmond area — and throughout the country — walked out of class to protest the results of the presidential election.
Nov. 25
Overlake nets state title — The Overlake School’s girls soccer team became the first in the school’s history to win the state title, with a 3-0 win over La Salle.
December
Dec. 9
Rossi set to fill late Sen. Hill’s vacant 45th seat — Following the death of Sen. Andy Hill, King County Council unanimously appointed Dino Rossi as a replacement to complete the rest of Hill’s term.
Legacy, Chinese partner purchase Redmond Square for $31M —The Redmond Square business complex in downtown was sold to make way for a mixed-use community that could include for-sale condominiums, apartments for rent and upscale senior living.
Dec. 16
Police arrest known drug supplier at Bothell ‘Lego house’ — After a years-long investigation, police were able to identify and arrest Carlos Anderson, a suspect they believed to be a narcotics supplier in several Eastside cities, including Redmond.
Dec. 23
New mosque sign vandalized one week after installation — After the original sign at the Muslim Association of Puget Sound (MAPS) in Redmond was vandalized, the new sign was vandalized just one week following its installation.
Eastside law enforcement agencies collaborate to tackle property crimes — The Reporter takes an in-depth look at the area’s pro-act units at Eastside police departments, including RPD’s, and how the agencies work together to tackle property crime throughout the region.
