Rick Steves’ Philanthropic Announcement
Edmonds resident and travel guru Rick Steves has issued a $1 million financial “match” to the 15-years-in-the-making Lynnwood Neighborhood Center, which is under construction and will have a community meeting and event space, gym, kitchen and café, and more. “Seeing our dream of a Lynnwood Neighborhood Center becoming a reality, I’m inspired to dig deeper with this $1 million extra gift to challenge my neighbors to join in,” he told My Edmonds News recently. Get more details about the funding and the project here.
Quick Quack Car Wash Teams Up with National Park Fund for Fundraiser
Quick Quack Car Wash is partnering with Washington’s National Park Fund to raise money for the state’s national parks, including Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. The funds raised will go directly toward trail maintenance and conservation, wildlife support, and youth-education programs. Learn more here.
Microsoft Announces New Efforts, Funds to Help People Thrive with AI
Amid its work to advance artificial intelligence, Redmond-based Microsoft today announced Microsoft Elevate and a new corporate think tank, Microsoft AI Economy Institute, to equip people around the world with the skills, knowledge, and tools to thrive with AI, according to a blog from Microsoft President Brad Smith. Find out more here.
L’Experience Paris’ Bastille Day Celebration
L’Experience Paris, a French eatery with locations in Bellevue, Kirkland, and Mercer Island, is celebrating Bastille Day from July 12-14 with a curated breakfast spread that’ll feature croissants, baguettes, premium Beurre d’Echire butter, jam, Patrick Font French juice, and a choice of Dodo coffee or hot cocoa — all for $19, a business representative said. Get more details here.
Skagit Valley Resident Appearing on New TV Show
Skagit County-based modern homesteader Melissa K. Norris was recently cast a “guide” on the new Max show “Back to the Frontier,” on which several families try out living in the Canadian Rockies 1880s style. Learn more about the show here.