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Crosslake Light Rail Pushes Sound Transit to Most-Used Light Rail System in US

With the boost from the expanded 2 Line, Seattle's Link rail system is humming along at 160,000 daily riders, according to new April data. That makes it the busiest light rail system in the U.S.

The Architect of the Superunknown: Kim Thayil chronicles the dissonant legacy of Soundgarden in new memoir

The Architect of the Superunknown: Kim Thayil chronicles the dissonant legacy of Soundgarden in new memoir Off patr Fri, 06/05/2026 - 4:29pm

Op-Ed: It's Time to Reform Sound Transit

Robert Cruickshank explains the ballot initiative he has filed to reform Sound Transit's board governance, arguing the overhaul is needed to ensure ST3 rail expansions are delivered as promised.

Legal Appeal from MLB Stadium Authority Restarts Stadium District Housing Saga

A push to allow housing in the Stadium District looked like it had been thwarted by a legal appeal and a shift on city council, but a new appeal from T-Mobile Park's facilities district is poised to reignite debate.

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The Forever Home: Frank Gross and the evolution of Thunder Road Guitars

The Forever Home: Frank Gross and the evolution of Thunder Road Guitars Off patr Thu, 06/04/2026 - 6:05pm

Sound Transit Recommends Fare Gates at 14 Stations for Initial Pilot

Installing fare gates at a focused number of light rail stations would pay for itself within two to five years and boost fare revenue by more than $30 million, according to Sound Transit. If given the green light later this year, gates could be in place by 2029 or 2030.

A Visible Existence: ArtsWest unveils a bold 2026-2027 season exploring the human need to matter

A Visible Existence: ArtsWest unveils a bold 2026-2027 season exploring the human need to matter Off patr Thu, 06/04/2026 - 11:32am

Issaquah Claims Victory at Sound Transit, Despite Rail Delay to 2050

Even though the 4 Line was delayed from 2044 to 2050, Issaquah leaders including Mayor Mark Mullet hosted a community celebration Monday night. Mullet sees staying on the calendar as the first step in getting the timeline for the Eastside's next light rail line moved up.

Seattle Torrent Protect Wilgren, Murphy, Carpenter in Expansion Draft

The Torrent have made some interesting choices in the upcoming expansion process by choosing to protect Anna Wilgren, Hannah Murphy, and Alex Carpenter. Not exactly an expansion draft, the PWHL’s Expansion Roster Distribution Process is a six-phase series of very complicated (I would argue unnecessarily complicated) rules to add four new teams to the previously eight-team league, increasing the size by 50%. Because so many of the players are free agents, they couldn’t do a traditional expansion draft process, so we ended up with this. The Torrent signed Alex Carpenter and protected her, which was one of the three protection slots. The players on the roster eligible for protection are Fowards: Jenna Buglioni, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter, Lexia Adzija, Danielle Sardachny Defenders: Cayla Barnes, Anna Wilgren Goalies: Corinne Schroeder, Hannah Murphy Everyone else is a free agent, including Hilary Knight. It’s all turmoil these days with expansion. With two more slots to go, the Torrent chose to protect defender Anna Wilgren and goalie Hannah Murphy. “Ha ha, Zaiem,” I can hear you saying now with a tinge of contempt, “you’ve made a mistake. You accidentally typed some other name instead of Hannah Bilka’s! Nice journalism and attention to detail.” If only. Yes that’s right, forward Hannah Bilka was not protected. Now, I don’t know what GM Meghan Turner is thinking here, but one thing that is of concern is that Bilka did not return to the Torrent after sustaining an undisclosed injury en route to winning gold in the Olympics in Milan. Since hockey injuries aren’t required to be disclosed and therefore never ever are, we don’t know what it was (is?). Maybe it’s serious? Maybe they are betting that she won’t get taken by an expansion team because of the injury? Or maybe it’s just an interesting decision. Hannah Murphy is not a surprising pick. She’s 22 years old and she has a lot of upside as a goalie, a position that tends to peak later in age. I also find her impossibly charming, but that was probably not a factor in the decision to keep her (probably). Defender Anna Wilgren was the third protection slot, which was the real surprise. Bilka or Barnes were the ones I was expecting, but Wilgren was a surprise. I have, however, since talked myself into it. Steve O’Rourke, the recently fired Torrent coach, spoke highly of her and I do like her 200 foot game. He talked about how she altered her game to try to make the Olympic team and it messed with her a bit, but as the season went on, she got better and better. Anna Wilgren being protected by the Seattle Torrent is probably the one decision that stands out as a surprise to most.My mind immediately went back to the postgame after her 3-point game vs. Minnesota. O'Rourke is obviously gone, but it shows how the org feels about her. pic.twitter.com/EMlQuiKX2B— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) June 3, 2026 And so we march on with this overwrought expansion process. Where were you when we moved from Phase 1 to Phase 2?

Sound Transit's Murky Path to Ballard, with Regionwide ST4 Hopes Dim

While hesitant to alter plans or go back to voters for funding, Sound Transit board members approved a "Request for Information" that could unearth more affordable plans for light rail to Ballard. Even so, the path to get the project back on schedule remains murky at best.

Court Ruling Against Seattle Growth Plan Undercuts State Housing Reforms

Ruling in favor of two groups trying to reopen environmental review of Seattle's Comprehensive Plan, a state Court of Appeals has affirmed a major loophole in recent state laws intended to reduce barriers to urban housing development. The decision could have big impacts statewide.