Seattle, WA
Caitlin Clark fuels 'incredible' night in first game vs Seattle Storm
SEATTLE – It was unquestionably a special evening for basketball in Seattle on Wednesday night when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever came to town to take on the Seattle Storm.
The rookie sensation helped the Storm draw a sold-out crowd of 18,343 fans to Climate Pledge Arena, which set a new franchise record. And there was an undeniable buzz in arena from the moment Clark stepped up the court and was swarmed for autographs during warmups.
That’s been the norm for the former Iowa star and all-time NCAA scoring leader. Clark captivated the nation during her collegiate career with the Hawkeyes. As a senior last season, she led the nation in scoring at 31.6 points per game and led Iowa to the national title game, becoming the first player to accomplish both feats in the same campaign.
Clark now plays for the team that had the third-worst record in the WNBA last season and is 0-5 after Wednesday’s 85-83 loss to the Storm. But that hasn’t dampened any of the hype surrounding the 22-year-old phenom. The jersey manufacturer Fanatics sold out of most sizes of Clark’s Fever jersey within an hour of her being drafted.
“It was pretty incredible. That crowd and that environment was great, just looking around at like a sea of people on both sides, behind the baskets,” Clark said postgame. “It was a great game. Obviously I would’ve loved if we would have won, but I hope these fans continue to still show up for Seattle. They’ve got a great team. Hopefully when we come back here they’ll be here. It’s so fun playing in front of those environments.”
Clark and WNBA peers Angel Reese and Cameron Brink are among talented rookie class added excitement to the growing WNBA. The Associated Press’ Doug Feinberg reported that the league saw a 14% increase in attendance during the opening week of the season. Clark’s debut against the New York Liberty also drew record viewership numbers on ESPN. The 2.1 million average viewers of the broadcast was the best ever for a WNBA game on the network, and ESPN’s five broadcasted games in the season’s first week saw an average of 1.43 million viewers, an 181% increase from the first five games broadcasted last season.
“It’s definitely hard to put into perspective the reach and impact you have not only across the country, but really across the world,” Clark said, “and that’s obviously something I hope and want to do, especially because we want to make women’s basketball even more global than it already is and impact people with (showing) young boys and young girls what basketball can do for their lives. So it’s definitely hard to put into perspective, and it’s cool for me to have people come up to me (around the world) that say their fans and they love women’s basketball and they love the teams I’ve been a part of.”
Caitlin Clark pregame asked about an expected attendance record tonight at Climate Pledge Arena. pic.twitter.com/fcoj7FEkHG
— Zac Hereth (@ZacHereth) May 23, 2024
The sellout crowd at Climate Pledge Arena included a number of well-known Seattle Sports stars. Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Ngjiba and a slew of their Seattle Seahawks teammates, former UW Huskies and NBA standouts Detlef Schrempf and Isaiah Thomas, and former Storm forward Gabby Williams were among the many in attendance. It was also the Storm’s first sellout since 2022, and the attention that Clark commanded to women’s basketball in Seattle didn’t go unnoticed by her opponents.
“Amazing. I think it’s great for the city of Seattle,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said of the turnout. “I think it’s great for women’s basketball (and) basketball in general to have an ability to put new eyes on the game and generate this magnetic energy that’s coming from basketball. I love it. I love that I was a part of it, and hopefully we can keep it flowing.”
Video: Caitlin Clark brings record crowd to game at Seattle Storm
Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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