It is raining today. This is not news. What is news: at 10 AM this morning in Olympia, Governor Bob Ferguson will supposedly sign Senate Bill 6346 into law - Washington's first income tax since statehood. The 9.9% levy on household earnings above $1 million affects less than half a percent of state residents and doesn't kick in until 2028. It pairs with expanded Working Families Tax Credits, free school meals for every K-12 kid in the state, and meaningful relief for small businesses. Republicans are calling it unconstitutional. The courts will decide that. Initiative organizers are already promising a repeal campaign on the November ballot. But as of this morning, Washington has an income tax, and the people most upset about it made more than a million dollars last year.

Five days ago, the NBA's Board of Governors voted 30-0 to formally explore expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas, targeting a 2028-29 start. One Roof Sports and Entertainment - the Kraken's umbrella group - is the only ownership group to publicly declare a bid. Nothing is finalized. But Commissioner Adam Silver used the phrase "when, not if" at Wednesday's press conference. That's the closest thing to a promise Seattle has gotten from a league since a lease agreement that didn't hold. We're cautiously optimistic. We've been cautiously optimistic before.

Also: 75,000 people marched through this city on Saturday. Cal Anderson to Seattle Center, down Pine, peaceful, done by dinner. The Seahawks sale has no named buyers. The Mariners split their opening series with Cleveland and the Yankees are in town tonight. The 2 Line is running across Lake Washington. Good morning. Here's your Monday.

Mariners open the 50th season 2-2, Yankees in tonight Thursday's opener was rough -- Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez combined for 0-7 with six strikeouts, and Cleveland rookie Chase DeLauter hit two home runs in his regular-season debut as the Guardians won 6-4. The M's bounced back Friday 5-1, dropped a tight one Saturday 6-5, then blew the doors off Sunday 8-0 to split the series. The weekend's bright spot: new acquisition Brendan Donovan hit the first leadoff Opening Day home run in franchise history. The Yankees start a three-game series at T-Mobile tonight. It's the 50th season. There's a lot of baseball left.

Washington AG sues Kalshi, calls it a bookie with a VC budget AG Nick Brown filed suit Friday in King County Superior Court against Kalshi -- the "prediction market" platform that lets users bet on sports, elections, Supreme Court cases, wars, the number of measles cases this year, and what witnesses will say during a child trafficking hearing. Washington has banned online gambling since 2006, and Brown argues that Kalshi's rebranding as a "prediction market" doesn't change what it actually is. One of the company's own ads cited in the lawsuit shows a text exchange where someone tells a friend they "found a way to bet on the NFL even though we live in Washington" -- which the complaint notes is essentially an admission. Kalshi immediately filed to move the case to federal court, arguing CFTC jurisdiction preempts state law. The state is seeking a shutdown of Kalshi's Washington operations, recovery of consumer losses, and civil penalties. Washington is now the latest in more than 20 states filing similar suits.

Seahawks sale enters NFL annual meeting week with no buyer named The NFL's annual meeting runs through Tuesday in Phoenix, and Commissioner Goodell is expected to face questions about the sale at his press conference. As of Friday, no credible buyer names had surfaced publicly. GM John Schneider told reporters last week that Jody Allen's message remains "let's go win another one" -- the franchise is operating normally, cap spending is active, and Seattle signed Jake Bobo and safety D'Anthony Bell this week. The sale process runs through the 2026 offseason. Whoever ends up buying will be paying north of $9 billion for a Super Bowl champion with a full stadium and a packed fanbase. The NFL's quietly maintained list of pre-approved buyers is doing its work in the background.

South Park's Cesar Chavez Park gets renamed following abuse allegations King County and the City of Seattle have pulled signage from the South Park park formerly named for labor activist Cesar Chavez, following recent sexual abuse allegations. The public has until April 14 to submit new name suggestions. It's a small park, but the decision tracks with a broader reckoning over naming and civic memory playing out across the country.

Damage at Chihuly Garden and Glass tops $250,000 A man broke into Chihuly Garden and Glass last week, attacked a security guard, and caused nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damage to the installation. Seattle Police arrested a suspect. The downtown attraction has been a fixture at Seattle Center since 2012, and much of the glass art inside is irreplaceable. Investigation is ongoing.

Kha-Bar - Open (soft) Bengali restaurant on Capitol Hill, soft-opening with regional specialties not commonly found in Seattle -- chhana dalna (a paneer curry) and dab chingri, a mustardy prawn dish traditionally cooked inside a coconut. Positioned near the NOD Theater, already drawing attention from food writers. This fills a real gap.

Balandra - Open (soft) The former Art of the Table space at 3801 Stone Way N is alive again with this all-day restaurant calling itself tapas but reading more eclectic -- chilaquiles and filet mignon Benedict at brunch, trumpet mushroom udon and paella arancini at dinner. Currently in soft open. If it can find its identity, there's something interesting here.

Mt. Joy - Closed Ethan Stowell's Mt. Joy, launched last year with ambitious multi-location plans, has shuttered both locations. Capitol Hill Seattle traced the story through several ownership changes without finding clear answers. Another ambitious Seattle restaurant concept that didn't survive contact with the market.

Oyster Cellar - Temporarily Closed The downtown seafood spot has shut temporarily due to staffing issues and slow foot traffic. Critics liked the food consistently. The hours and menu positioning never quite clicked with customers. Status TBD.

2 Line Crosslake Connection: It's open. Actually open. Voted in 2008. Construction started 2015. Delayed for years by concrete plinths on the I-90 floating bridge that had to be torn out and completely rebuilt. Opened Saturday, March 28, 2026. The 2 Line now runs 35 miles from Downtown Redmond to Lynnwood, crossing Lake Washington on a floating bridge -- the first light rail in the world to do so. New stations at Judkins Park and Mercer Island. Bellevue to downtown Seattle: 22 minutes. The system now spans 63 miles and 50 stations. All 691 pieces of Sound Transit merchandise sold out in three hours. Sound Transit merchandise. Sold out. In three hours. Seattle, you were ready for this.

Revive I-5: Northbound Ship Canal Bridge still reduced through June The two left northbound lanes over the Ship Canal Bridge remain closed under WSDOT's preservation project through June 5. The bridge is 60 years old and overdue. Express lanes are running northbound-only 24/7. All lanes open temporarily for the World Cup in June, then close again. Plan accordingly -- or take the 2 Line, which, as noted above, is a real thing you can do now.

Mariners Cap It's baseball season and it's the 50th year. Donovan hit a leadoff homer on Opening Day, the offense dropped eight runs in the Sunday clincher, and the Yankees are in town tonight. Pay half price versus stadium costs.

Repel Windproof Compact Travel Umbrella High near 47 today. Rain after 2 PM. Possibly mixing with snow tonight. It is March 30 and we are discussing snow. The light is here - the warmth has been rescheduled. This one opens automatically, handles sideways wind, and fits in any bag. An upgrade from the oversized golf umbrella you've been white-knuckling through every spring commute since 2019.

Washington woke up this morning with an income tax on the books for the first time in its history. The Sonics are closer to coming back than they've been since the day they left. Seventy-five thousand people walked from one end of the city to the other on Saturday and made it home for dinner. The 2 Line crossed Lake Washington. The Mariners are 2-2 and the Yankees are coming.

It's a lot for a Monday. It's a lot for any day. But that's the thing about this city - it tends to move several things at once and make you catch up.

See you Thursday with somewhere to be this weekend.

If this made your Monday slightly more tolerable, forward it to someone who gets it. Word of mouth is the whole strategy.

If you need me, I'll be riding the 2 Line to Mercer Island for absolutely no reason other than the fact that I can.

- The Drizzle