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Westside Seattle
25 days
Anchorhead Coffee tunes into West Seattle: Award-winning roaster to take over former Starbucks corner
Anchorhead Coffee tunes into West Seattle: Award-winning roaster to take over former Starbucks corner Off patr Tue, 06/02/2026 - 6:39pm
PubliCola
25 days
Wilson Proposes Doubling Transit Sales Tax to Fund Local Bus Service Expansion
By Erica C. Barnett Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has proposed doubling a sales tax that funds transit service in… The post Wilson Proposes Doubling Transit Sales Tax to Fund Local Bus Service Expansion appeared first on PubliCola.
Westside Seattle
26 days
A decade of spirit: How Whisky West became a Morgan Junction mainstay
A decade of spirit: How Whisky West became a Morgan Junction mainstay Off patr Tue, 06/02/2026 - 12:00pm
Davy Jones Locker Room
26 days
Melinda French Gates Becomes Minority Owner of the Seattle Kraken
Melinda French Gates is becoming a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken, the team’s parent company said Monday, pending approval from the NHL. The size of her stake and the terms were not disclosed. French Gates, 61, the philanthropist and ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is buying into One Roof Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns the Kraken. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan first reported the deal. French Gates is worth about $30 billion, according to Forbes, and the investment is her first ownership stake in a major professional sports team. She joins a group led by majority owner Samantha Holloway that includes minority investors David Wright, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Holloway became majority owner in December 2024 after the death of her father, David Bonderman, the TPG co-founder whose group, Seattle Hockey Partners, won the expansion franchise. “As a longtime Seattle resident, it means a lot to me to have the chance to make this investment in our city and its future,” French Gates said in a statement. “I’m a big believer in the power of sports, and after many years of cheering on Seattle from the sidelines, I’m excited to have an even deeper connection to the Seattle sports community. Seattle is an engine of innovation in so many ways, and Samantha Holloway’s leadership of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena reflects that.” Holloway said in the statement, “Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and importantly, a Seattle sports fan. We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.” “It’s just time,” French Gates told ESPN. “What you’re seeing is a generation of women coming into their full power. I’ve walked into tough rooms, and being one of the few is very hard. Once we can create enough that we’re one of many, it just gets easier.” Though originally from Dallas, French Gates has lived in the Seattle area for nearly 40 years. She joined Microsoft in 1987, where she met Bill Gates, and worked on multimedia products before leaving in 1996. She co-chaired the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 2000 until 2024 and now runs Pivotal, a Kirkland-based organization she founded in 2015 to support women and young people in the United States and abroad. One Roof Sports and Entertainment, created in March, owns the Kraken and controls Climate Pledge Arena, along with the Kraken Community Iceplex, the rebuilt Memorial Stadium, and the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The group is pursuing an NBA expansion team for Seattle. What this means for the Kraken Nothing changes from a hockey operations standpoint. Jason Botterill will continue to be the GM, they are conducting an audit, they will pursue free agents and make draft picks and attempt trades and it will be business as usual there. The addition brings financial security. Though the NHL has a hard salary cap, Scouting, front office salaries, player development, analytics, facilities, and support staff are not subject to an NHL salary cap and can vary from organization to organization, depending on the owners’ willingness and ability to spend money. A group with French Gates’s money can cover all of that through a rebuild without needing the team to turn a profit, and won’t be forced to cut costs or tear the team down in a bad year. There is also a very expensive NBA bid going on. In March, the NBA’s Board of Governors voted to explore expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas, and Holloway’s group, advised by JPMorgan Chase and Moelis, is the only public Seattle bidder. The NBA hired PJT Partners to evaluate the markets, ownership groups, and arenas and the expansion fees is projected to be somewhere in the $6 to $10 billion range. French Gates is now an owner in One Roof, the group pursuing the NBA team, so her money is already behind that effort. Though we don’t know the extent of her stake, her fortune is several times the projected fee, and because the NBA weighs the strength of each ownership group, her name helps the Seattle bid. Her most visible impact will probably be in the community. The One Roof Foundation has focused on getting more kids into sports, and French Gates has spent her career working on opportunities for women and families. Holloway said, “We’re really aligned on that.” For the Kraken, the deal leaves them with a richer, steadier ownership group. For One Roof, it adds another prominent name as it tries to bring the NBA back to Seattle.
PubliCola
26 days
Aide to Councilmember Saka Sought Restraining Order Against Constituent
Saka called Police Chief Shon Barnes to ask what to do about a resident who contacted his office repeatedly about… The post Aide to Councilmember Saka Sought Restraining Order Against Constituent appeared first on PubliCola.
PubliCola
27 days
Seattle Nice: How Badly Did Sound Transit Screw Seattle Over?
By Erica C. Barnett On this week’s episode of the Seattle Nice podcast, we did a deep dive on the… The post Seattle Nice: How Badly Did Sound Transit Screw Seattle Over? appeared first on PubliCola.
PubliCola
29 days
This Week on PubliCola: May 30, 2026
Sound Transit stiffs Ballard, Councilmembers Push Police Cameras, Top Wilson Aid Resigns, and More By Erica C. Barnett Monday, May… The post This Week on PubliCola: May 30, 2026 appeared first on PubliCola.
PubliCola
30 days
Sound Transit Sacrifices Light Rail to Ballard, Moves Long-Deferred Graham Station Forward, in Latest “Realignment” Plan
By Erica C. Barnett The Sound Transit board voted to approve a new “affordable” light rail plan on Thursday afternoon… The post Sound Transit Sacrifices Light Rail to Ballard, Moves Long-Deferred Graham Station Forward, in Latest “Realignment” Plan appeared first on PubliCola.