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| | |  | Seattle World Cup matches are projected to generate nearly $96 million in state and local tax revenue. (Mick Haupt / Unsplash) |
| Breaking Down the Bill for World Cup Preparation | On Tuesday, Seattle City Council met to discuss the $32 million expected to be spent on World Cup preparations. The city will be spending $14 million of its own money (including $6 million in taxpayer dollars). The other $18 million will come from state and federal grants and through an agreement with the SeattleFWC26 local organizing committee. [Seattle Times] | - 💰 What is the money for? The funds cover everything from public safety and cleaning up trash and graffiti, to detecting threats from aerial drones. SeattleFWC26’s grant will provide approximately $15 million to cover overtime and equipment for police and fire departments. A little more than $2 million will come from the Washington State Military Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security so that Seattle police can do that drone threat detection that’s received so much attention. [CHS Blog]
- ⚽ What has the state spent? Outside of the grants and city funds, Washington lawmakers allocated $46.6 million for overall preparations, including $19.4 million for stadium upgrades and $22.6 million for transportation investments. [CHS Blog]
- 🏨 Will attendance live up to the hype? Between the war with Iran, ICE activity, and our country’s deteriorating relationship with Canada, officials have been hedging their bets on how many fans will turn up. Hotel bookings have been below expectations. That said, predictions still sit at about 750,000 to attend the Seattle matches, both at the stadium and to watch across the city. A report by Visit Seattle, the City of Seattle, and King County predicts an $845 million boost to the economy in the county. [CHS Blog]
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| | | Thinking about Napa or Sonoma for your next wine trip? If you are open to something a little different, Dundee, Oregon offers a slower, more personal wine country experience just a few hours from Seattle. Walkable, welcoming, and rooted in exceptional Pinot, it is where plans loosen and moments linger. | | This spring, enjoy exclusive lodging offers for City Cast listeners. Start slow, stay awhile, and experience wine country at your own pace. | |
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| What Seattle’s Talking About |
| 🩺 Unprecedented drop in healthcare enrollment: The state’s Health Benefit Exchange reports a drop of nearly 13% fewer Washingtonians enrolling in health insurance compared to last year. That means 36,500 more people went without insurance. The cost of monthly premiums increased when Congress let tax credits expire at the end of 2025. The report says, “We haven’t seen a drop of this magnitude in the Exchange’s history.” [Washington Health Benefit Exchange] | | 🌮 Burien taco crawl: Looking for your new favorite taco spot? This year, 19 restaurants participated in Burien’s annual taco crawl, competing for top of the list. Winners included Centro Neighborhood Kitchen, El Cabrito Mexican Restaurant, B Town Halo Grill, and more. B-Town Blog has the full list of all competing restaurants. | |  | An al pastor taco, yum! (Alexandra Tran/ Unsplash) |
| 🚻 Seattle’s most terrifying pit stop: The Ship Canal bridge is under construction, and rather than return to the ground to use the bathroom, the crew has rigged up a precarious solution. Could it be the bathroom with the best view in the city? Maybe. Would I want to visit that Honey Bucket? Absolutely not. [Reddit] |
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