Seattle, WA

Instacart and DoorDash Hike Fees in Seattle Following Wage Law

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

Instacart and DoorDash are raising prices in Seattle following the city’s new minimum pay law.

Seattle in 2022 passed legislation that increased wages for drivers for the delivery apps. That law went into effect Saturday (Jan. 13), and is happening as the federal government is looking to raise wages for gig workers around the country.

According to a Seattle Times report, the new city law requires companies like DoorDash and Instacart to pay at least 44 cents per minute plus 74 cents per mile during orders (or $5 per order for orders that would otherwise pay less).

The city’s regular minimum wage of $19.97 per hour for employees at large companies hasn’t been directly applied to delivery-app drivers, whom companies have treated as independent contractors.

Steven Marchese, director of the Seattle Office of Labor Standards, told the newspaper the law was “an important step forward” in the city’s effort to create a gig economy that empowers workers, consumers and businesses.

However, both Instacart and DoorDash have criticized the law, and recently announced price increases and other changes.

Instacart said in a message to customers last week that they would “see new fees as a result of the significant increase in operating costs under this regulation,” with the company projecting that the wage hike amounts to drivers getting $26 per hour.

In addition, the new requirements mean Instacart will “only be able to facilitate orders from Seattle retail locations to customers who live within Seattle,” meaning “that customers outside of Seattle will not be able to order from stores within Seattle, and vice versa.”

DoorDash also says it’s introducing new fees and argues that the new law, “while well-intentioned,” will harm its drivers, customers and merchants.

“Merchants may experience significant declines in order volume as well as negative impacts to service,” the aggregator said in its announcement.

The new law is going into effect as the U.S. Department of Labor is preparing rule changes that could give gig workers more benefits and make it more difficult for companies to classify these employees as independent contractors.

While companies maintain the rules won’t have much effect on them, PYMNTS wrote last week that they could have a larger impact than anticipated.

“Structural changes may force a reckoning, where the platforms take on less supply, so to speak, as they contend with rising costs,” PYMNTS wrote.

“Consequently, they may hike prices: Uber said last fall that a proposed European gig worker law (which is still being hammered out) could trigger price increases of as much as 40%.”

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Storm lose 77-72 to Fire behind Carla Leite’s 20 points

Published

9 hours ago

July 5, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Storm lose 77-72 to Fire behind Carla Leite’s 20 points

article

SEATTLE, WA – JULY 4: Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm drives to the basket during the game against the Portland Fire on July 4, 2026 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. (David Ryder / NBAE / Getty Images)

SEATTLE – Carla Leite scored 20 points to lead the Portland Fire to a 77-72 victory over the Seattle Storm on Saturday night.

Leite made 4 of 8 shots and all 12 of her free throws, adding four assists for Portland (9-12). Bridget Carleton totaled 14 points and seven rebounds, while Megan Gustafson added 10 points and nine boards.

Dominique Malonga had 22 points to pace Seattle (5-17) and Natisha Hiedeman scored 15. Awa Fam had 12 points, while fellow rookie Flau’jae Johnson was held to a season-low one point.

Leite had two three-point plays to start the third quarter and Frieda Buhner came off the bench to score all nine of her points over a six-minute span as Portland turned a 32-30 halftime lead into a 54-47 advantage. Gustafson sank a 3-pointer for a 41-38 lead and the Fire never trailed again.

Emily Engstler had all nine of her points and six of her eight rebounds by halftime, helping Portland outscore Seattle 22-10 in the second period for a two-point lead at the break.

Hiedeman had nine points in the first quarter and Seattle used a 13-2 run over the final 5:27 to take a 20-10 lead before falling to 0-12 against Western Conference opponents this season.

Portland went 1-3 on a four-game trip.

Up next

Seattle: At Los Angeles Sparks on Monday.

Portland: Hosts Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.

The Source: Information in this story came from The Associated Press.

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Seattle, WA

Experts release new WNBA predictions for Portland Fire vs. Seattle Storm tonight

Published

20 hours ago

July 4, 2026

Press Room

Experts release new WNBA predictions for Portland Fire vs. Seattle Storm tonight

An exciting cross-conference WNBA matchup takes center stage on Independence Day as the Portland Fire travel north to the Emerald City to clash with the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 6:00 PM PT.

The home-standing Storm look to assert their dominance behind a balanced offensive attack led by dynamic playmaker Dominique Malonga and veteran guard Naty Hiedeman. The visiting Fire will try to play the ultimate holiday spoiler, counting on a heavy scoring punch from Carla Leite to disrupt Seattle’s defensive rhythm. To help you locate the sharpest analytical angles before tip-off, we cross-referenced our advanced game simulations with live, crowd-sourced contract data from Polymarket, the world’s largest decentralized prediction platform.

Fire vs. Storm: Matchup Overview

Teams: Portland Fire vs. Seattle Storm
Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM PT
Venue: Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle, WA)

Current Betting Odds

Spread: Storm -4.5 (+100), Fire +4.5 (-106)
Total (Over/Under): 171.5 Points
Moneyline: Fire +170, Storm -174

The odds and lines featured in this article are the best available from selected sports betting sites like Novig and BetMGM at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Polymarket Prediction Market Insights:

Polymarket’s liquid wagering pools offer real-time tracking of public and sharp sentiment, where contract share prices adjust fluidly to represent precise market-implied probabilities:

Seattle Storm Moneyline (To Win): 63¢ (63% implied probability)
Portland Fire Moneyline (To Win): 38¢ (38% implied probability)
Storm Spread (-4.5): 50¢ (50% implied probability)
Fire Spread (+4.5): 52¢ (52% implied probability)
Total Points Over 171.5: 51¢ (51% implied probability)
Total Points Under 171.5: 50¢ (50% implied probability)

(Note: Prediction market participants on Polymarket are trading the game notably closer than standard sportsbooks, pricing Seattle as a more modest 63% moneyline favorite).

Deep Betting Market Analysis & Projections

By routing raw roster efficiency matrices, player matchup data, and home-court advantages through 10,000 algorithmic simulations, our predictive engine has mapped out the highest-probability vectors for Saturday’s showdown:

1. Outright Moneyline: Seattle Storm (73.7% Win Probability)

The Data: Our machine-learning model gives Seattle a commanding 73.7% probability to win straight up.
The Angle: This represents a massive value gap on the prediction exchanges. While sportsbooks have priced the Storm heavily at -174, Polymarket traders are valuing Seattle shares at just 63¢. Backing the Storm moneyline contract on Polymarket provides exceptional statistical leverage over standard bookmaker juice.

2. The Point Spread: Storm -4.5 (+100)

The Data: Simulations indicate a strong 58.0% probability that Seattle covers the -4.5 spread.
The Angle: Our model projects a final score of Storm 88, Fire 81, indicating a seven-point victory for the hosts. Laying the 4.5 points with Seattle at even money (+100) on Novig represents an analytical edge over public sentiment.

3. Game Total: Under 171.5 Points (+106)

The Data: The simulation baseline shows a clear 58.6% lean toward the Under.
The Angle: Our projected combined score sits at 169 points. With Novig offering a plus-money premium of +106 on the Under, fading a high-scoring track meet provides a very comfortable mathematical cushion compared to public expectations.

WNBA Player Props: Projected Box Scores

To evaluate how the individual stars will impact the floor at Climate Pledge Arena, here is the statistical breakdown from our game simulations:

Seattle Storm Projection

Dominique Malonga: 18 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST
Naty Hiedeman: 14 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST
Awak Kuier Fam: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
Flau’jae Johnson: 12 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Jordan Horston: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST

Portland Fire Projection

Carla Leite: 15 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST
Brack Carleton: 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
Megan Gustafson: 9 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST
Luisa Geiselsoder: 9 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
Emily Engstler: 8 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST

Fire vs. Storm Summary:

The data signals a celebratory night for Seattle fans, as the Storm are structurally positioned to handle their Pacific Northwest rivals. While backing Seattle on the flat moneyline via Polymarket yields the highest pure value, locking in Under 171.5 points (+106) provides an excellent statistical fallback play.

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Seattle, WA

Where to watch Portland Fire vs Seattle Storm on July 4: TV channel, start time and streaming

Published

1 day ago

July 4, 2026

Press Room

The WNBA has returned with a brand new collective bargaining agreement and a league full of loaded rosters as the 2026 season tips off.

A rookie class headlined by Dallas Wings top pick Azzi Fudd, Minnesota’s Olivia Miles and Washington’s Lauren Betts is ready to make a mark in the pros while the defending champion Las Vegas Aces look to keep their dynasty alive with a fourth title in five years.

As the the season gets going under a new media rights deal, it can be tough to figure out which channel each team is playing on every night. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in when the Seattle Storm host the Portland Fire on Saturday.