Seattle, WA
Seattle School Board President facing recall effort
As Seattle Public Schools faces continued public backlash over proposed school closures, a group of parents is attempting to recall board President Liza Rankin.
In court documents filed with King County, the group argues Rankin adopted a “rushed and improper” school closure process and repeatedly failed to “provide transparency and community engagement on decisions critical to the well-being of the district.”
The parents also contend Rankin failed to uphold her duties as a school board member to adequately oversee the district and “ensure the district delivers student educational outcomes.”
“As Board President, Liza Rankin must uphold the highest standards in public office, especially in a time of urgent crisis like that which Seattle Public Schools now faces,” Ben Gitenstein, one of the petitioners, said in a statement. “Instead, Rankin has committed violations that have worsened our district’s crisis.”
“Now more than ever, it is necessary to recall Rankin in order to save our students and Seattle Public Schools from her leadership,” added Gitenstein, the parent of two SPS students and a former school board candidate.
Janai Ray, Nancy Bacon, Annie Becker, and Rebekah Binns are also named as petitioners on the recall paperwork.
Rankin was first elected to the board in 2019, and represents the northernmost parts of Seattle, including the Crown Hill, Broadview, Northgate, and Lake City neighborhoods. She was reelected for a second four-year term last fall.
A King County Superior Court judge must approve the recall before the petition can be circulated to voters. The petition would then need to get over 48,000 valid signatures from legal voters before getting on a ballot.
Gitenstein said the group isn’t planning to recall other board members “at this time.”
The recall effort comes as Washington’s largest public school system moves ahead with proposals to close four schools — a scaled down version of a previous plan that called for up to 21 schools to be shuttered next year. The board is expected to vote on a final closure plan by the end of January.
RELATED: 4 Seattle schools up for closure revealed
In an interview with KUOW on Tuesday, Rankin said she stands by her actions as school board president and denied any accusations of malfeasance or wrongdoing.
“I have actually been taking it very seriously, that my duty as board president is to help ensure that we are abiding by laws and rules around compliance,” she said.
Rankin also argued the closure process hasn’t been rushed, pointing out that she was among several board members to push back on the mass closure plan first proposed in September.
‘It’s literally a skeleton.’ Seattle School Board critiques plan for mass closures
“What we received didn’t justify that level of change, and so we said ‘no thank you, please try again,’” Rankin said. “I think rushing would have been to accept it anyway, knowing that it didn’t have all the information we needed. And we definitely didn’t do that.”
This is Rankin’s second attempted recall. She and the entire board were targeted for recall in 2021, amid accusations they failed to prepare for schools to reopen during Covid. A judge later dismissed the petition.
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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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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.
Remember to bet responsibly and within your financial limits. For additional resources and advice on responsible gambling, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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