🚌 Metro soft launches tap-to-pay

Seattle Mourns Fatal Shooting of Two Youth

On Friday, just after school ended, two teens were fatally shot at a bus stop on South Henderson Street in Rainier Beach, near South Shore PK-8 School and Rainier Beach High School. The teens were friends, and one of them had just turned 18. Seattle police investigating the homicides believe the shooting was targeted. Police are asking anyone with information to call the tip line at 206-233-5000. [South Seattle Emerald]

• Community Held Vigil To Grieve: Students, faculty, coaches, and some elected officials joined more than a hundred people gathered at a vigil Saturday afternoon. Both families attended the vigil and spoke. One of the mothers said she had lost her own mother to violence. Now her child is gone too. [South Seattle Emerald]
• Black Children Being Failed by Gun Safety: In 2023, KUOW looked into the data on kids and guns in King County. They found Black youth, boys in particular, are far more likely to die by gun than any other racial group. Researchers told KUOW it is critical to “target structural racism as a fundamental driver of the U.S. firearm violence epidemic.” [KUOW]
• Pioneer Square Shooting Kills 1, Injures 3: Less than 48 hours later, one man was killed, and three people were injured when an argument at the Sinking Ship parking garage in Pioneer Square led to a gunfight at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. [Seattle Times]

Affordability Crisis Deepens 🏚️

King County’s number of eviction cases rose 12% to 8,732 in 2025. This outpaces Washington’s overall number of cases, which rose 3% from 2024 to 2025. The number of people forced from their homes is likely much higher than eviction filings show because not all cases make it to court. The year-over-year rise was initially thought to be a phase in response to the 2022 eviction moratorium ending, but observers now describe this rise as a lasting change. The Seattle Times recently published this interactive tool to better understand navigating Seattle’s maze to get government or legal help as a renter. [Seattle Times]

KC Metro Soft Launches Tap-to-Pay 🚍

Tap-to-Pay soft launched on the King County Metro RapidRide G Line yesterday. Riders are able to pay fare (full-price adult fares only) by tapping their credit or debit cards, or digital devices like phones and watches. Once tap-to-pay expands across Metro and to other transit services in the spring, transfers will be accepted between these systems. For now, make sure to grab a paper transfer! [Seattle Transit Blog]

Goal Posts Shift on Housing People for World Cup ⚽

Mayor Wilson’s team told POLITICO they plan to create 500 new shelter units — including tiny home villages, RVs, and apartments — by the time of the first World Cup match at Lumen Field on June 15. This is an exponential increase compared to the 13 new units Seattle added over the last four years, but still not enough to hold even a tenth of the city’s unsheltered homeless people. [POLITICO]

Crime Fell Across US Cities in 2025 📉

A new analysis of crime trends in 40 large U.S. cities found that homicide rates dropped 21% from 2024 to 2025. The study analyzed 13 types of offenses — from homicides to drug crimes to shoplifting — and found that 11 of the 13 offenses were lower in 2025 than in 2024. Federal nationwide data is set to be released later this year. If it reflects similar trends, the national homicide rate could fall to its lowest level in more than a century. [Washington State Standard]