Seattle, WA
After being released by the Seattle Storm, Stanford great Kiana Williams looking for her next home
Early in the decade, Kiana Williams established herself as an important figure at Stanford, helping the Cardinal win the 2021 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament en route to the school’s first women’s basketball title since 1992. Williams, along with players like Cameron Brink, Haley Jones and Lexie Hull formed a dominant roster that will forever go down in history as arguably one of Stanford’s best and most talented.
After Williams graduated following the title-winning season, she left as the school’s all-time leader in three pointers while cementing herself as a true Cardinal legend. Now, only three years after leaving college, Williams’ basketball career is in limbo after her recent release from the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.
Selected by the Seattle Storm with the 18th overall pick of the 2021 WNBA Draft, Williams was initially a longshot to make the roster as the team already had Sue Bird, Jordin Canada, Jewel Loyd and Kennedy Burke in their backcourt. Against the odds she made the final roster and proceeded to spend the following two seasons in Seattle, playing in 13 games between 2021 and 2022 where she averaged 1.7 points in the latter year. Released three games into the ‘22 campaign, Williams signed with Connecticut where she played the rest of the season with the Sun.
Williams did not play in the WNBA last year before once again rejoining the Storm on a training camp contract before this season. Her performance was good enough to earn her another spot on the initial roster, but after getting waived on July 2, she signed two 10-day contracts. Playing in 13 games with the team where she averaged only 0.8 points, she was not retained following the expiration of her second 10-day contract and was waived for a second time.
Never missing a game while in college with 128 consecutive starts, Williams ended her tenure averaging 13.4 points per game with 3.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds. With her being the program’s all-time three point leader, her career percentage from behind the arc was .370. One of Tara VanDerveer’s most reliable players during her time there, Williams’ legacy will never be forgotten.
Listed as a 5-foot-7 hybrid guard, Williams’ versatility as well as her strong shooting ability make her the type of player that any team could use, and as the WNBA playoffs approach, Williams will continue to grind in the hopes of either finding a home for a team’s playoff run, or come back better than ever next season, ready to help a franchise achieve its aspirations.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson answered pressing questions about the city’s most pressing issues, including the steps she’s taking to protect residents’ public safety and affordability, while also touching on activating CCTV cameras across the city.
Anyone waiting for the ferry, taking a stroll along the revamped Seattle waterfront or visiting the Seattle Aquarium just got a new option for finding a sweet treat: Ben & Jerry’s is coming to Pier 54.
A lease announcement last week shared that the new shop will be operated by local franchise owners Lance and Moria Blair, owners of the Green Lake and Gig Harbor Ben & Jerry’s locations. They pair is also opening another Seattle location in Northgate soon.
The permanent shop announcement comes after Ben & Jerry’s operated a pop-up at the waterfront location last simmer.
“As a Seattle native, the waterfront holds a special place in my heart,” Lance Blair said in a news release. “I could not be more excited to be a part of bringing Ben & Jerry’s to Pier 54 and continue building connections with the local community while serving visitors from around the world.”
The new location comes as local ice cream chains Molly Moon’s and Salt & Straw have also expanded into the downtown area in the past year.
Where is the new Ben & Jerry’s location?
The new Ben & Jerry’s is located at Pier 54 on the Seattle Waterfront: 1001 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98104.
The shop will be open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Where are the other Ben & Jerry’s locations in Seattle?
The ice cream chain operates four other locations in the Seattle area:
- Alki Beach: 2742 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
- Bellevue: 166 Bellevue Way NE Bellevue, WA 98004
- Green Lake: 7900 E Green Lake Drive N Suite 104, Seattle, WA 98103
- Kirkland: 176 Lake Street South, Kirkland, WA 98033
How many locations does Ben & Jerry’s have in Washington?
Ben & Jerry’s has ten locations across Washington, including two in Issaquah and three in the Spokane area. See the full list of locations at benjerry.com/ice-cream-near-me.
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network’s Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
Seattle, WA
VIDEO: Mayor Wilson proposes renewing, expanding Seattle Transit Measure by doubling the sales-tax percentage that funds it.
Through the end of this year, 0.15% of the sales tax you pay funds the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure. That would double to 0.30% if the City Council and Seattle voters approve the renewal/expansion that Mayor Katie Wilson officially introduced this afternoon. She said it’ll make living in Seattle more affordable by enabling more people to “live car-free or car-light.” She acknowledged that raising the sales tax isn’t ideal but noted that it’s one of the few revenue-raising tools available under state law. Besides paying for more transit – 280,000 additional Metro bus trips a year, 100,000 more than the current measure funds – it also would pay for 22,000 free ORCA transit passes, more than double what the city provides now, said acting SDOT director Angela Brady during the announcement event at City Hall. The passes are now available to Seattle Promise scholars, low-income Seattle Preschool Program families, and Seattle Housing Authority residents. The measure’s renewal/expansion would also make those passes available to Housing Choice Voucher participants.
The mayor’s announcement says the Transit Measure isn’t just about buses: It also would “support the design and delivery of Sound Transit’s West Seattle Link Extension, Ballard Link Extension, and Graham Street Station.” The 0.30% sales tax would generate an estimated $138 million average per year for the 10 years of this measure, which is proposed to go to voters in November. Council review starts this Thursday and will be led by District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, who chairs the council committee that oversees transportation. We’ll add the specific text of the proposal when we get it; the slide deck for Thursday’s council meeting is now available, and we’ll add some highlights from that soon.
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