Seven weeks into her term, Mayor Katie Wilson gave her first State of the City address. It was, by most accounts, inspiring and light on specifics — which is either a reasonable way to govern or a very expensive TED Talk depending on your patience level. The teleprompter broke. She kept going. Points for that.

Meanwhile, the Paul Allen Estate made it official: the Seahawks are for sale. Less than three weeks after the confetti, the most expensive NFL franchise in history goes to whoever shows up with the biggest bag. The frontrunner list is essentially a who's-who of tech billionaires who either fled Seattle, already said no, or have complicated relationships with the Epstein documents. Perfectly normal stuff.

And in the same week all of this is happening, the Washington State Senate passed a Millionaires Tax — a 2.99% levy on capital gains above $1 million. The poetry writes itself.

Here's your Monday.

Seahawks officially for sale — price tag somewhere between "a lot" and "absurd" The Paul Allen Estate formally launched the sale process this week, with Allen & Company and Latham & Watkins running it. This isn't a surprise — Allen's wishes before his death in 2018 called for selling his sports holdings and donating proceeds to philanthropy. But the timing is something else. Paul Allen paid $194 million in 1997 to keep the team from leaving. The expected sale price is $7-11 billion, with NFL insider Mike Florio suggesting it clears $10 billion easy. That's roughly a 5,000% return — the best investment in Seattle history and an extraordinary indictment of the housing market simultaneously.

The buyer list: Jeff Bezos ($231B, lived here 30 years, now on a private island in Miami, reportedly interested), Steve Ballmer ($141B, said "we've got enough sports" in 2024 but the team wasn't actually for sale then), Bill Gates ($107B, deep Paul Allen ties, recently appeared in newly released Epstein documents which complicates NFL approval), MacKenzie Scott ($38B, could buy it and donate the proceeds — genuinely elegant but a long shot), Larry Ellison (has money, has no Seattle connection whatsoever). The Rich Eisen Show also floated Macklemore, Eddie Vedder, and Bill Nye the Science Guy, which says something about where this conversation has gone.

Washington State Senate passes Millionaires Tax — same week as the Seahawks sale The Senate passed a 2.99% levy on individual capital gains above $1 million, projected to generate $2 billion annually for education and childcare. It now heads to the House. Whether Seattle's next billionaire football owner will actually be subject to it depends heavily on whether they live here or just say they do. Bezos, for what it's worth, moved to Miami in 2023.

Mayor Wilson's State of the City: inspiring, teleprompter optional Wilson delivered her first State of the City address Tuesday at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, on Lunar New Year, seven weeks into her term. The audio glitched, the teleprompter broke, she kept talking for 40 minutes. The speech hit homelessness (4,000 people sleeping outside, 1,000 new shelter units promised by year's end), affordability (renters survey, junk fee crackdowns coming), gun violence (expert panel being convened after January's Rainier Beach bus stop shooting), and small business permitting (two-year permit waits are apparently still a thing). She also noted the city is "not on track for Vision Zero goals" in what was an off-script moment. Critics called it light on specifics. Supporters called it appropriately big-picture for week seven. She closed by quoting Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV: "We're here to stay, and we ain't going nowhere." The teleprompter was not available for comment.

The Raising Cane's line in the U-District was a lot Seattle's first Raising Cane's opened in the University District on Tuesday. The line was, by multiple accounts, not a small line — people were camped out from 3pm the day before. We have exceptional ramen, some of the best pho on the West Coast, and more independent coffee shops per capita than anywhere that matters. People waited overnight for chicken tenders and Texas Toast. Sam Darnold showed up for the soft opening. We are not here to judge. We are a little here to judge.

Washington passes a law banning employee microchipping West Seattle Rep. Brianna Thomas's HB 2303 passed the State House 87-6 this week, making it illegal for employers to require workers to be microchipped as a condition of employment. Penalties start at $10,000. Thomas's quote: "Don't chip me, bro." This was apparently necessary enough to legislate. If you have questions about what was happening at whatever company prompted this, same.

Baiana at Pike Place — OPENING soon Chef Emme Ribeiro Collins — MasterChef competitor, Chopped winner, daughter of the late Tempero do Brasil — is opening her Afro-Brazilian concept Baiana in the former Pike's Pit space at Pike Place Market. Acarajé, coxinha, moqueca. Late February or early March. Eight seats. There will be a line, and it will be worth it.

Roma Roma — OPEN on Capitol Hill The Roman al taglio counter from brothers Forrest and Colin Brunton is now open at 12th and Pine. Pizza cut to order, priced by weight. Capitol Hill needed this.

Boon Boona Coffee — OPEN on the waterfront Seattle's Ethiopian-owned roaster opened its fifth location on the Overlook Walk along Elliott Bay. Good coffee, waterfront views, and proof that not every new downtown opening is a hotel bar with a $24 wagyu slider.

ASEAN Streat Food Hall — CLOSED Westlake Mall's ground-floor food hall, which never quite became the Singapore-style hawker complex it promised to be, was served an eviction notice and is done. Three years. It came off, as Seattle Met put it, "more as a ghost kitchen with seating." The concept deserved better execution.

Hiawatha Community Center reopens in West Seattle after six years Wilson mentioned it in the State of the City and it's worth repeating: Hiawatha is back. Six years closed for renovation. West Seattle has been patient about a lot of things. This one's a genuine win.

Bus lane on Denny Way — it's finally happening Wilson announced the city will partner with SDOT to paint a bus lane on Denny Way. This has been discussed approximately forever. If it actually gets painted, it will be the most significant infrastructure moment in recent memory for anyone who has ever sat on the 8 going nowhere.

Idea Man by Paul Allen The man bought the Seahawks for $194 million in 1997 to stop them from leaving. His estate is selling them for up to $11 billion. Whatever he was doing, it worked. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to build Microsoft, save Seattle's NFL franchise, and fund an entire octopus research institute — this is the book. Feels like required reading this week.

Faraday Sleeve Washington just passed a law making it illegal for your employer to microchip you. Which is great. But your phone is still telling seventeen different apps exactly where you are at all times, so. A Faraday sleeve blocks all wireless signals — GPS, RFID, cellular, the whole thing. Probably overkill. Probably not.

That's your Monday. The Seahawks are officially on the market, the millionaires are getting taxed, the mayor gave a speech that moved people without quite telling them what comes next, and somewhere in the U-District, someone is still in line for chicken tenders.

See you Thursday with weekend plans.

If this made your Monday slightly more tolerable, forward it to someone who gets it. Help us keep the lights on over here.

If you need me, I'll be at Boon Boona on the waterfront doing math on whether Macklemore could pull together a consortium.

– The Drizzle