Today’s news digest is dedicated to Seattle: star baseball player Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners is sidelined with a concussion but is expected to return after the All-Star Game; Mayor Katie Wilson is facing pushback from the city council on a plan for free school meals; and a radio show host criticized her proposal to ban hidden rental fees, warning that it could increase the base rent.
Julio Rodriguez will miss the final series before the break, but is expected back after the All-Star Game
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez will not play in the final series of the first half of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the club is hoping he will be back after the All-Star Game break. Rodriguez was placed on the 7-day injured list (IL) with a concussion following an incident in a game against the Los Angeles Angels on July 4. He took a pitch to the back of the head while running from first to second base in the bottom of the first inning. He stayed in the game for another inning, but was replaced by Victor Robles in the top of the third. Rodriguez is currently working with the team’s staff at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, while the Mariners are on a six-game road trip through Florida.
Team manager Dan Wilson confirmed to reporters that Rodriguez is gradually increasing his workload and is feeling better. “Julio continues to work. Baseball workouts get more intense every day, and that’s a very good sign. I think during the break he’ll reach a point where his symptoms are fully gone and he’ll be ready to get back on the field after the break,” Wilson said, citing Seattle Sports. He is expected to return for a home series against the San Francisco Giants next Friday after the All-Star break.
Wilson also addressed the status of utility player Brandon Donovan, who has been out since mid-May due to a groin muscle strain. The exact timeline for a rehab assignment has not been announced, but Wilson said it is getting close. “We just want to be sure he’s fully ready. He’s checking all the boxes, and I think in the next few days he’ll start on-field work as part of his rehab,” Wilson added. For the Mariners, Rodriguez’s return is a key moment: the star center fielder is the team’s leader both offensively and defensively, and his absence has had a noticeable impact on results.
Seattle’s mayor hit a roadblock: city council proposes delaying free meals for all schoolchildren
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s plan to provide free school lunches to every student in the city has met resistance from the city council. At last week’s meeting, council members proposed significantly postponing the rollout of the initiative, as well as a preschool voucher program, in order to redirect funds to support low-income families. As reported by The Seattle Times, amendments proposed by council chair Joy Hollingsworth and council member Dionn Foster would push back the launch of universal free meals for students in Seattle public schools to the 2027–2028 school year. Instead, the proposal is to invest the freed-up $3 million into an existing child food assistance program for children from low-income families that operates on weekends and during school breaks.
Wilson previously announced plans to use $1.3 billion in property tax revenue approved by voters in November to provide free breakfasts and lunches in all Seattle schools. About half of the schools already offer such meals, but Wilson wanted to make it universal so that no child goes hungry. In her written statement, she stressed: “We shouldn’t delay the implementation of this proven universal policy, which we know will change the lives of children and families.” She also said the plan includes backup mechanisms to ensure the program is funded at least through 2031.
However, council members raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the initiative. In their view, the biggest risk is tied to a recently passed Washington tax on high incomes—sometimes called the “millionaires tax”—which is supposed to become an additional source of funding for school meals starting in 2029. The tax is already being challenged by conservative organizations in court, and if it is overturned, the program would be in jeopardy. “A one-year delay provides time to determine whether the long-term viability of this program is threatened,” the text of the amendment says. Foster said the proposed compromise would allow resources to be focused on the students who need them most, which aligns better with the racial equity principles built into the target tax. She called it a “win-win.”
A second amendment concerns the pilot voucher program for preschool education (the Seattle Preschool Program) that the mayor has also promoted. Rather than launching it in 2026–2027, the council proposes redirecting more than $920,000 from that budget toward strengthening food assistance for low-income families. Notably, the preschool education program itself—launched back in 2015—has already proven effective at reducing racial gaps in children’s readiness for school, but due to long waitlists many families cannot get into it.
A final vote on the package of 11 amendments in the council committee overseeing the education levy is scheduled for July 22. If the amendments are adopted, it would be a serious blow to one of Mayor Wilson’s key campaign promises. At the same time, supporters of the delay argue that this approach is more practical: first provide meals for those who need them most, and then, with stable funding, expand the program to all students. How quickly Seattle can roll out full universal school meals remains an open question.
“I don’t know when people will figure it out”: John Curley takes aim at Seattle mayor’s proposal to ban hidden rent fees
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has put forward a proposal to ban so-called “junk fees” in residential lease agreements. However, John Curley, host of the KIRO Newsradio radio show, sharply criticized the initiative during his broadcast, saying it would not make housing more affordable—it would simply shift the burden onto all renters through higher base rent. In comments for MyNorthwest.com, Curley said Seattle residents constantly vote for new taxes and programs, but don’t realize that in the end they are the ones paying for them—through their rent.
Curley offered a specific example: suppose an apartment costs $2,300 per month. Of that amount, $300 to $350 goes to the property tax, which is already built into the rate. Add votes for family and education support programs—those also fall on the renter. Then there’s the Climate Commitment Act, which, according to Curley, adds another $35 to $50 to the same rent. And that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Junk fees include, for example, charges for pets, additional services, or document processing fees. The mayor believes eliminating them would reduce the financial burden on tenants. But Curley disagrees: “You think the landlord isn’t going to pass those costs on to everyone?” If you remove pet fees, then the damage from a ruined carpet or furniture gets spread across all tenants—even those who don’t have a cat or a dog. The same applies to raising the minimum wage: property owners would simply add those costs into the rent rate.
Curley emphasized that in Seattle people are used to solving problems with “big government,” but in reality every new law or tax ultimately hits the pocket of the person who voted for it. “When are people going to figure out they’re paying for everything themselves?” he fumed. “Do you think the government is going to come in and make life more affordable? It never has and it never will.” In his view, instead of banning individual fees, people should consider the combined effect of all municipal decisions that, in the end, turn rent into an unbearable burden.
That position reflects a long-running dispute between those who favor regulating the housing market and those who believe any restrictions only drive prices higher. The Climate Commitment Act that Curley mentioned is Washington’s carbon-reduction program, funded through the sale of pollution credits. Consumers do feel its impact in fuel and utility bills—and, as Curley’s argument suggests, those added costs are incorporated into rent. So even if the mayor’s proposal sounds well-intentioned, it could lead to all renters paying more for base rent regardless of whether they have pets or use additional services—and that is unlikely to make Seattle more livable.
