Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, can be an opportunity to change minds.
Seattle, WA
Kraken Tie It, But Can’t Stop Josi | Seattle Kraken
One of the Kraken’s elements of success last season was not losing more than three games in a row. Saturday’s defeat makes it 0-4 on the current homestand with Buffalo in town already, bags stored at Climate Pledge Arena, here to play Monday. The homestand represents the third four-game losing streak of the season to go with an eight-game winless streak that was quickly followed by an 11-0-2 point streak that stoked playoff hopes while a two-game sweep of Calgary and Winnipeg right before this homestand did the same.
“Our work ethic was good tonight, our compete was good in our defensive zone,” said Dave Hakstol post-game in a short meeting with the media. “We just spent a little bit too much time in our D-zone. There wasn’t enough time in the offensive zone, especially in the first two periods. We came up with some good opportunities and when we were able to come up with the puck, we made some good things happen. But it’s tough to score in the offensive zone off the cycle in this league.”
Nashville’s defensive corps was intentional and physical from the early shifts Saturday. One example: Luke Schenn knocked down Jared McCann early in the first period and doubled with a hard check late in the opening frame.
Hakstol acknowledged Nashville is a “big team” while focusing less on net-front hits and more on how the Predators were winning puck battles and getting pucks out along the walls of their own zone. They weren’t giving up many retrievals and second sets of plays to Seattle. Not glamorous or always noticed by fans, but coaches study video closely for wall play.
“That’s an area where we weren’t efficient enough tonight,” said Hakstol. “They’re a heavy team there … we had too many plays die there, rather than be advanced.”
Momentum Swings in First 20 Minutes
The Kraken brought early energy to the start of Saturday’s game, another must-win proposition. They nearly scored at the five-minute mark when defenseman Jamie Oleksiak joined the rush and then some. He outskated a couple of Nashville defenders and beat elite goalie Juuse Saros.
Just one problem, the rising shot rang off the crossbar and kept the scoresheet without entries until Nashville’s Tommy Novak looked to pass cross-ice and net front to wide-open linemate Luke Evangelista at SEA goalie Philipp Grubauer’s “back door.” But Novak’s feed never made it to his teammate, instead caroming off Kraken D-man Justin Schultz’s skate. The puck slid past Grubauer, first hitting his leg pad. Bad luck and a second straight goal over two games that the opponents scored without shooting directly on net.
The first period finished with Nashville showing why it started the night with a 13-game point streak, sitting atop the Western Conference wild-card standings. The Predators, well rested after a 4-2 win at Winnipeg last Wednesday, doubled the home squad’s shots on goal, 10 to 5.
Nashville Rising
When 33-year-old Ryan O’Reilly center signed with Nashville last summer, he had several reasons for the move, including previous relationships with new GM Barry Trotz and coach Andrew Burnette. He also liked the blend of Nashville veterans such as Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, plus two-time Stanley Cup-winning Ryan McDonough, playing on a roster with promising young players, including Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista.
It didn’t hurt O’Reilly’s enthusiasm when Trotz (he coached Nashville for its first 15 seasons with seven playoff appearances) added defenseman Luke Schenn and Gustav Nyqvist to the lineup. During O’Reilly’s introductory press conference, he asked a question himself: “Why can’t we contend?” Nashville turned its season around from sellers to buyers at the trade deadline with the ongoing 14-game point streak.
O’Reilly and Nyqvist are making Trotz look wise in his inaugural turn as an NHL GM – and profoundly supporting O’Reilly’s summertime musing – by teaming up with Forsberg to put up some gaudy first-line numbers: Forsberg (35 goals, 36 assists), Nyqvist (already a career-high 59 points with 18 goals and 41 assists), O’Reilly (24 G, 32 A).
Kudos to Kraken Fans
The Seattle squad did not reach double-digits in shots on goal until less than five minutes in the middle period. To its credit, the Climate Pledge Arena crowd didn’t deter from supporting the home squad throughout the first 40 minutes. Lots of boos for Nashville D-man Luke Schenn for decking Jared McCann early in the game and then slamming the Kraken’s leading scorer into the end boards of the Predators zone late first period.
When former Kraken defenseman Jeremy Lauzon hit fan favorite Brandon Tanev late second period, Lauzon held his former teammate too long and watching a replay shows Tanev was vulnerable and fortunate it wasn’t worse. Linemate Kailer Yamamoto took exception and raced to confront Lauzon despite giving up six inches of height and some 70 pounds. The Kraken faithful loved Yamamoto’s moxy and roared approval.
Yamamoto, always the pro and happy to get a start at third-line center between Tanev and the aforementioned Andre Burakovsky, was matter-of-fact about his rush on Lauzon, size mismatch and all: “Just didn’t like the head, trying to stick up for my teammate.”
Seattle, WA
Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle
SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.
The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.
The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”
Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.
RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures
Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.
“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”
A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.
RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver
Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.
“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.
According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.
Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.
That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.
Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.
Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.
Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.
“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”
Seattle, WA
Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, ahead of December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organizers designated the June 26 match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.”
Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body FIFA to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with FIFA.
Some in Seattle have doubts over the teams in the ‘Pride Match’
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned.
“The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration … has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years.
“It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
Some in the city’s LGBTQ community had mixed feelings given the participants, said Jon Cairns, 49, manager of local LGBTQ+ club Kremwerk.
Cairns, however, said his own view was that it provided a platform to promote acceptance that only the world’s biggest sporting event could offer.
“My reaction is let’s have them,” he told Reuters. “International sports is one of the biggest brokers historically of social change and individual rights and freedoms worldwide, including in the U.S.”
He cited black U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ raised-fist protest in 1968 as moments where “only international sports could reach that big of an audience.”
“They’re not going to turn off the World Cup on state television in Iran or Egypt to block out a Pride flag in the audience,” Cairns said.
The Pride Match is “a host city initiative” and separate of FIFA, a spokesperson for soccer’s governing body told Reuters.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community sees an opportunity
Egypt and Iran’s involvement in the Pride Match is not the first time the World Cup has grappled with stark differences in attitudes between hosts and visitors.
In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, the emir said visitors should “respect our culture” when asked about gay people attending the tournament.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans. Teams including England and the Netherlands that had been planning to wear the armbands to protest Qatar’s laws against same-sex relationships abandoned the plan.
For Ryan Webster, a 40-year-old lifestyle manager who was at Kremwerk the weekend before Pride, Seattle’s “Pride Match” was an opportunity to show solidarity with people in countries where their sexuality was outlawed.
“I’m choosing to believe that this is our moment to allow the members of the LGBTQ community that come from those countries to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in totality that they might not have otherwise,” he said outside the club, which will host a watch party for Friday’s game.
Inside, ‘Venus Fengz’ lip-synced to Cher’s “Believe” before introducing fellow drag performers to the stage, clapped and cheered by a raucous crowd.
Fengz, who only wanted to provide their stage name, said Pride coinciding with the World Cup would bring increased visibility, anticipating perhaps some new audience members.
“I think it’s always great for us to be able to share space and share places with people who don’t have the same experiences as us,” they told Reuters.
“Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and show grace where you can and know that everyone is a human learning (from) different experiences, but also it can get hard — because you’re on the shorter end of the stick, always trying to have to explain yourself around people who don’t grow up with the same worldview.”
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Las Vegas could be years away from landing an NBA expansion team, but the league’s commissioner is now offering a clearer sense of the timeline.
On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told “The Dan Patrick Show” that Seattle and Las Vegas remain the cities the NBA is focused on if it expands. “If we expand, at least we’re thinking ’28-29 season,” Silver said.
Silver had previously signaled before that March meeting that Seattle and Las Vegas were at the center of the expansion discussion, while cautioning that no decision had been made.
“We will make decisions in 2026,” Silver said in February.
At the time, Silver said the league was not expected to vote in March but could emerge from those meetings ready to take the next step and begin discussions with potential ownership groups.
Las Vegas has long been viewed as Seattle’s most likely expansion partner if the NBA grows from 30 to 32 teams. Silver, however, has repeatedly said the league could expand by two teams, one team, or not at all.
The potential of an NBA Las Vegas expansion team has already drawn interest. This week, majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bill Foley, announced he is putting together a bid for the expansion team in Las Vegas.
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