💵 Melinda French Gates did what?

Seattle Sports Summer Has Officially Kicked Off

So much has been happening in Seattle’s sports world! Melinda French Gates is buying a stake in the Seattle Kraken as a minority investor. French Gates said she is a “big believer in the power of sports,” and that belief (and her reported net worth of $30 billion) has put her on the shortlist to buy the Seahawks. All I’ve got to say is: What about the Sonics? [Geekwire]

• Seattleite competes in World Cup: The FIFA World Cup starts soon, and one of Seattle’s own Sounders players will be competing on the U.S. Men's National Team. Cristian Roldan has been a big part of the Sounders’ success and will (hopefully) be a big part of Team USA's success as well. He will be playing in Seattle for the U.S. vs. Australia game on June 19. [Sounders FC]
• Fans want Russell Wilson back? The former Seahawks quarterback is reportedly leaving the field for a job with CBS Sports. Some Seahawks fans want him to sign a one-day contract, so that he can still retire as a Seahawk despite having been traded from the team in 2022. While Wilson hasn’t confirmed his retirement, he could be up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the same time as his former teammate Bobby Wagner. [The Seattle Times]
• Baseball for the win: The Mariners are finally doing well again, but both catcher Cal Raleigh and first baseman Josh Naylor are injured. If collegiate games are more your speed, we recommend the DubSea Fish Sticks! Their opening night is June 6th against the Washington A's. [My Northwest/City Cast Seattle/Go Fishsticks]

🌊 Trump Admin removing ocean monitoring system: The National Science Foundation will start removing deep-sea instruments anchored off of Washington and other coastal states this month. The observation system they make up was put in place a decade ago to monitor marine ecosystems, currents, and coastal environments. [The New York Times]

❌ Skagit County passes data center moratorium: Skagit County’s board of commissioners voted to pass a six-month moratorium on approving permits for data centers requiring more than two megawatts of electricity or larger than 2,000 square feet. Officials said that farmers in the county can’t afford to part with the electricity, land, and water data centers consume. [The Seattle Times]

🚽 Problem at public bathroom pilot: A window was shattered at one of Seattle’s newly installed public bathrooms near Lumen Field on Sunday. The Throne Labs bathroom is part of a pilot program ahead of the FIFA World Cup to expand public bathroom access. Despite the damage (and the social media ruckus it kicked up), the window was replaced the next day. [KING5]