Seattle, WA
Seattle Storm becomes the most valuable team in the WNBA
It was a blockbuster year for the WNBA, with Caitlin Clark joining the league. It was an even bigger year for the Seattle Storm as the team became the most valuable franchise in the league.
Purchased for $10 million from the Clay Bennett group that moved the Sonics to Oklahoma City, the team now tops the association with an estimated value of $151 million despite being in a smaller market.
“We are in the middle of a sea change,” Seattle Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder told the Puget Sound Business Journal. “We got a valuation that really has started to change the landscape of valuations for women’s sports.”
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Gilder said that when she, Lisa Brummel and Dawn Trudeau bought the team, they knew they would make money. The team is now valued at 15 times what they paid for it.
There’s no doubt that the league benefits from the Catlin Clark halo effect, but the Storm saw a significant revenue boost before that even happened. In 2022, there was a significant uptick in ticket sales following the team’s move from Everett to the larger Climate Pledge Arena. There was a 94% revenue increase from 2021 to 2023.
In July, the WNBA entered an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC, which was reportedly worth $200 million. It is expected to boost player salaries and revenues.
Storm legend Sue Bird, a four-time WNBA champion and five-time Olympic gold medalist, joined the team’s ownership group, Force 10 Hoops, on April 24.
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Force 10 opened the team’s $64 million training facility and headquarters in Interbay in April, just before the 2024 season began. The Storm is one of only two WNBA teams with its own practice facility.
Starbucks and Providence Swedish are founding partners of the facility.
“These partnerships are comprehensive,” President and CEO Alicia Valavanis told the Business Journal.
The contract amounts for each are generally in “the mid-six to low-seven figures,” she said.
Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.
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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