Exploring Everett - Tygart Media

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Category: Exploring Everett

Everett, Washington is in the middle of something big. A $1 billion waterfront transformation. A Boeing workforce that built the world’s largest commercial jets. A port city with a downtown that’s finally catching up to its potential. A Navy presence at Naval Station Everett. A comedy and arts scene punching above its weight. And neighborhoods — Riverside, Silver Lake, Downtown, Bayside — each with their own identity and story.

Exploring Everett is Tygart Media’s hyperlocal coverage vertical for Snohomish County’s largest city. We cover the waterfront redevelopment, Boeing and Paine Field, city hall, the food and arts scene, real estate, neighborhoods, and everything in between — written for people who live here, work here, or are paying attention to what’s coming.

Coverage categories include: Everett News, Waterfront Development, Boeing & Aerospace, Business, Arts & Culture, Food & Drink, Real Estate, Neighborhoods, Government, Schools, Public Safety, Events, and Outdoors.

Exploring Everett content is also published at exploringeverett.com.

  • What Comes Next for Everett Residents After the Stadium Vote: Timeline, Traffic, and the $25 Million Gap

    The April 29 council vote approved $10.6 million for Everett’s downtown stadium. For residents, the immediate question isn’t the vote — it’s what comes next: when does construction start, what does it mean for your neighborhood, and what is the $25 million gap that still has to close?

    What the Stadium Actually Costs You (Right Now)

    The $10.6 million approved April 29 comes from Everett’s general fund balance as an interfund loan — money the city is effectively lending itself. It is not a new tax. It does not require a voter ballot measure to approve. The council voted 6-1 to authorize it, with council member Judy Tuohy casting the lone dissent.

    The long-term cost picture is different. The full stadium costs $120 million. The city has committed approximately $17.7 million to date (the earlier $7.2 million in pre-development plus the new $10.6 million). The remaining $25 million gap — about 21% of the project — still requires a solution. That solution will likely involve a stadium construction bond. If a bond is issued, residents may see the debt service reflected in future city budgets, depending on how it is structured and what revenue sources are pledged to service it.

    The Fiscal Advisory Committee — reconvening in May at Council Vice President Paula Rhyne’s formal request — will be the body that clarifies the bond structure before the council votes on a full funding plan, expected July or August 2026.

    Construction: What Happens Near Your Home

    The stadium site is in the downtown core, adjacent to Angel of the Winds Arena on Colby Avenue. The surrounding blocks include surface lots, commercial properties, and several parcels still being acquired. City staff report that 14 property offers have been made, with some purchase agreements complete and others in negotiation.

    Construction is targeted to start in September 2026 and complete in late 2027. For residents who commute through downtown or use Everett Station — one of the region’s major transit hubs — the construction period will bring lane restrictions and traffic changes on blocks adjacent to the site. The city has not yet published a traffic management plan for the construction phase.

    Residents near the arena should expect: noise during construction hours (typically 7 AM–6 PM weekdays), increased truck traffic on Colby and adjacent streets, and periodic weekend work as the project accelerates toward its 2027 deadline.

    Neighborhood Impact: The Long View

    Downtown Everett’s transformation is already underway on multiple tracks: the Millwright District on the waterfront, Waterfront Place at the Port of Everett, and Sound Transit’s fully-funded Everett Link extension. The stadium is the entertainment anchor that connects these investments.

    For residents in neighborhoods close to downtown — Bayside, Port Gardner, Broadway District, and the blocks north of Everett Station — a functioning multi-sport venue that hosts AquaSox baseball and United Soccer League matches adds evening and weekend foot traffic. That foot traffic typically accelerates adjacent restaurant and retail openings, which is exactly the economic sequence the city needs.

    The downside scenario: if the $25 million funding gap cannot be closed — whether because private partners withdraw, the bond structure proves unworkable, or the Fiscal Advisory Committee raises red flags — the April 29 vote’s $4.8 million in unrecoverable spending becomes the cost of a project that did not reach groundbreaking. The council accepted that risk. Residents watching the next three months should track the funding plan vote, not the groundbreaking announcement.

    The Three Dates Every Everett Resident Should Track

    May 2026: Fiscal Advisory Committee reconvenes. This is the first test of whether the financing is structurally sound.

    July–August 2026: Funding plan vote. The council approves (or rejects) the full financial architecture including the construction bond, private partner contributions, and debt service plan. This is the highest-stakes decision remaining in the process.

    September 2026: Target groundbreaking — if the prior two steps succeed.

    Frequently Asked Questions: Everett Stadium and Residents

    Related Exploring Everett coverage: Everett’s $10.6M Stadium Vote — Complete Guide | Port of Everett Waterfront Place Guide | Eclipse Mill Park Complete Guide

  • Everett’s Downtown Stadium in 2026: The Complete Guide to the Four-Step Pathway to September Groundbreaking

    What comes after the April 29 vote? The Everett City Council approved $10.6 million in stadium funding — but that decision set four more decisions in motion. Here is the exact four-step pathway between today and a September 2026 groundbreaking, what is resolved, what is not, and what could still stop it.

    The April 29 Vote Was a Domino, Not the Finish Line

    When the Everett City Council voted 6-1 on April 29 to release an additional $10.6 million for the downtown stadium project — drawn from the city’s general fund balance as an interfund loan — it made the biggest forward step in the three-year effort to keep the AquaSox in Everett and bring United Soccer League franchises to a new outdoor venue.

    But council member Scott Bader said it precisely before casting his vote: “Certain dominoes have to fall before the next domino can fall.” The $10.6 million was one domino. The pathway to a September 2026 groundbreaking requires four more to fall in sequence — each dependent on the one before it.

    The total project budget stands at $120 million. The city has already spent approximately $7.2 million on design and pre-development. The April 29 vote unlocks the next $10.6 million. That leaves a funding gap of roughly $25 million — about 21% of the project’s total cost — still unresolved.

    Domino 1: The Fiscal Advisory Committee Reconvenes

    Immediately after the April 29 vote concluded, Council Vice President Paula Rhyne made a formal request: reconvene the Stadium Fiscal Advisory Committee before the council takes any further binding financial action on the stadium.

    The Fiscal Advisory Committee was established in 2024 to provide independent financial analysis of the stadium’s funding structure. It was active during the design-build procurement process but has not been formally called since the project’s cost escalated to $120 million and the full funding picture came into sharper relief.

    Rhyne’s request reflects a concern multiple council members and community members have raised: the city has not yet published detailed financial statements showing exactly how a stadium construction bond would be structured, repaid, and serviced. The committee’s work addresses that gap before any bond ordinance is placed before voters or the council.

    Timing: The committee should reconvene in May 2026. Its findings flow directly into Domino 2.

    Domino 2: Property Acquisition Completion

    The site for the downtown stadium is not a single parcel — it requires assembly of multiple properties in the blocks adjacent to Angel of the Winds Arena. City staff reported that as of the April 29 vote, 14 property offers had been made. Some purchase agreements are complete. Others remain in negotiation.

    The $10.6 million unlocked by the vote is specifically designated for two purposes: completing the design process and completing property acquisition. The city has stated that all necessary properties may be acquired by fall 2026 — which is the sequence prerequisite for Domino 3.

    What could go wrong: If any property seller refuses to negotiate or litigation delays a condemnation proceeding, site assembly extends beyond fall and the September groundbreaking shifts. The city has not disclosed which, if any, properties are contested.

    Domino 3: The Funding Plan Vote

    The most consequential unresolved piece in the entire stadium pathway is the $25 million gap between the city’s committed resources and the $120 million project total. Addressing that gap requires a funding plan — and the funding plan requires a council vote.

    The city is exploring public-private partnerships to close the gap. The stadium tenants — the AquaSox (Minor League Baseball) and two United Soccer League franchises — have collectively committed approximately $17 million in lease and naming rights arrangements. That leaves roughly $8 million still unresolved in the private partnership column, on top of however much the city ultimately contributes via a construction bond or additional reserves.

    City staff and the Fiscal Advisory Committee are expected to present the full funding architecture to the council in July or August 2026. The council would then vote to approve it before any construction contracts are executed.

    Timing: July–August 2026. This is the highest-risk domino — a council rejection or a major change in the funding structure would restart the clock.

    Domino 4: The September 2026 Groundbreaking

    If Dominoes 1–3 fall cleanly — Fiscal Advisory Committee signs off, all properties acquired, funding plan approved — the construction timeline targets a September 2026 groundbreaking and a late 2027 delivery.

    The stadium would be the first purpose-built outdoor multi-sport venue in Everett’s downtown core. Its capacity and configuration are designed to serve AquaSox baseball, outdoor soccer for two USL teams, and community events. The proximity to Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett Station, and the emerging downtown entertainment district positions it as an anchor for the city’s next decade of development.

    The interfund loan approved April 29 carries a downside risk: if the project does not proceed, approximately $4.8 million is considered unrecoverable from the design and acquisition spend to date. The council accepted that risk in its 6-1 vote. Council member Judy Tuohy cast the lone dissent.

    The Bigger Picture: What This Stadium Means for Downtown Everett

    The stadium’s significance extends beyond the box scores. Downtown Everett’s transformation — driven by the Millwright District, Waterfront Place at the Port, and Sound Transit’s fully-funded Everett Link extension — is happening on multiple fronts simultaneously. A purpose-built multi-sport venue in the downtown core adds the kind of anchor that accelerates adjacent development: hospitality, food and beverage, and retail.

    For Everett’s civic identity, the stadium also resolves a years-long anxiety about whether the AquaSox — a Seattle Mariners affiliate that has been in Everett for decades — would ultimately relocate. The April 29 vote answered that question with six votes to keep them here.

    The question now is whether four more dominoes fall cleanly. The sequencing is tight. The financial gap is real. But the city has committed to the pathway, and the timeline is specific: Fiscal Advisory Committee in May, property acquisition through summer, funding plan vote in July or August, and a shovel in the ground before fall.

    Frequently Asked Questions: Everett Stadium 2026

    Related Exploring Everett coverage: Everett’s $10.6M Stadium Vote — Complete Guide | Port of Everett Waterfront Place Guide | Eclipse Mill Park Complete Guide

  • What 15 Years and $350 Million Built: The Port of Everett Story That Other Cities Are Now Studying

    What does a successful waterfront transformation actually look like? The Port of Everett spent 15 years and $350 million finding out — surviving a developer bankruptcy, a recession, and its own false starts. Today, Cascadia Daily News named it the regional blueprint other cities are studying. Here is the full story of how Everett got here, and what comes next.

    A Major Pacific Northwest Outlet Just Called Port of Everett the Waterfront Model

    Cascadia Daily News, the Pacific Northwest’s most-read regional outlet, published a deep feature today as part of its four-part “Sea Change” series examining waterfront redevelopment across Western Washington. Part two focuses entirely on the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place — and it positions Everett as the benchmark that other ports, including Bellingham, are now studying.

    The headline says it plainly: “After a bankrupt developer and broken promises, Port of Everett is realizing its waterfront vision.” The subheading: “15 years and $350 million turned 65-acre windfall into restaurants, housing and marine trades.”

    For those of us who live here, it’s easy to take the waterfront for granted. A Thursday evening in the rain, there’s still a line out the door at Tapped Public House. Families are walking the esplanade. Boats are in the marina. But to understand what we’re actually standing on, it helps to know the story of how this almost never happened — and the lessons Everett is now teaching to other communities wrestling with the same questions.

    The Bankruptcy That Changed Everything

    In 2005, the Port of Everett made what seemed like a reasonable bet. It sold 65 acres of prime north marina waterfront land to Maritime Trust Co., a Chicago-based developer, for a planned $400 million mixed-use redevelopment. The vision: 600 housing units, retail, office space, boat moorage, and light industrial boat businesses on land that had been dominated by mills and fishing since Everett’s founding.

    Maritime Trust had development capabilities, but Lisa Lefeber — now the Port of Everett’s executive director, then a communications specialist — says the firm never quite got Everett. Some of their conceptual ideas drew on Vancouver’s Granville Island for inspiration, which she described as “a disconnect” from what this community actually was.

    Then 2008 happened. Maritime Trust lost its main financier, Merrill Lynch, when the Great Recession hit. The developer filed for bankruptcy. The Port of Everett spent years in federal bankruptcy court to win back those 65 acres — land that had once been theirs, land that the community had entrusted them to steward well.

    By 2012, the port had the land back. And a decision to make.

    The Pivot That Made the Difference: No Master Developer

    The most important strategic choice the Port of Everett made after the bankruptcy wasn’t a design decision. It was a control decision: this time, the port would not sell the land. It would retain ownership, lease to tenants and developers, and remain the anchor of the waterfront’s direction.

    “When you don’t control the property, you don’t control how the site is used in terms of housing,” Lefeber told Cascadia Daily News. Maritime Trust, she noted, had wanted to turn the waterfront into “a private residential development” — the antithesis of why Washington state ports were created in the first place.

    The port also made another unconventional move: it built out streets and utilities across the waterfront before tenants arrived. The goal was to “show value and proof of concept” and draw in the first housing development. It worked. The infrastructure investment de-risked the site for private partners and gave developers something tangible to build against.

    The third shift was community engagement. Rather than hand the vision to an outside firm, the port went back to Everett residents to ask what they actually wanted. “We want it all,” Lefeber said in the CDN feature, describing the port’s philosophy. “We want industry. We want a place for people and families to be able to play and work and live. One of our big philosophies is a working waterfront.”

    What $350 Million Built

    Fifteen years and $350 million later — $175 million from private partners (hotel and apartment construction) and $175 million from a mix of federal grants, state funding, and Port of Everett financing and revenue — Waterfront Place encompasses five districts on and around the north marina.

    Fisherman’s Harbor anchors the public-facing side: the “Restaurant Row” building with Tapped Public House, Rustic Cork, The Net Shed, Menchie’s, and Marina Azul is here, along with the Sawyer and Carling condo buildings, the Port’s administrative offices, and the hotel. The Craftsman District keeps more than 20 marine trades businesses — boat repair, storage, and service operations — embedded in the broader development. The state’s largest public marina sits steps from it all.

    Jeff LaLone, co-owner of Bayside Marine, which specializes in boat storage and service for vessels under 50 feet, told CDN what the environment has meant to his business: “Everybody does a good job of just trying to have a good, nice, beautiful place to come to. For me to sit at my desk and look out the window, I’m looking at the boats, and you can walk down the street and grab something to eat. It’s just really nice.”

    Jack Ng, owner of both Fisherman Jack’s and Muse Whiskey & Coffee Bar — the latter housed in the historic Weyerhaeuser building, complete with a private whiskey collection inside the building’s vintage vault — said he was drawn to the waterfront because of the port’s long-term vision. “That building is going to be a big icon piece. I just want to be part of the history.”

    Ng also serves as a port commissioner for the Port of South Whidbey, so he understands the economic development role from both sides: “They can help a small business grow. They’re not there to have 100 percent of return on the investment, and their investment is more for bringing jobs for the local economy.”

    The Honest Assessment: Still a Work in Progress

    Lefeber doesn’t oversell what’s been built. Giant piles of dirt and gravel are still visible. Signs point to what’s coming next. The Millwright District — the 10-acre inland extension of Waterfront Place — still needs to be built out. The plans call for more than 300 housing units and 125,000 square feet of office space, but the port is actively reconsidering that mix.

    “With the U.S. shift to remote work, it may not make sense to create a huge office building at the waterfront,” Lefeber said. The port is now asking: “Is there a better mix of balance? Like, do we look at 80,000 square feet of office, and then maybe a hotel?” The flexibility to revisit plans is part of the model — Waterfront Place is not locked into a master developer’s decade-old blueprint.

    Lefeber’s description of waterfront redevelopment has become something of a mantra: “It’s been a little bit of a roller-coaster. I always joke with anything waterfront redevelopment, it’s two steps forward, and then you get punched back through the wall.”

    The Alexa’s Café closure, the delayed Marina Azul opening, the long wait for Millwright Phase 2 to get moving — all of it fits the pattern. The progress is real, but it’s never linear.

    What Fully Built Looks Like: $8.6 Million a Year in Local Tax Revenue

    When Waterfront Place is complete across all five districts, the port projects $8.6 million a year in local sales tax revenue. That’s not a speculative forecast — it’s the mathematical outcome of the retail, restaurant, housing, and hospitality uses the port has already proven it can attract and sustain. The 3.4% retail vacancy rate across Snohomish County provides additional evidence that demand for this kind of space isn’t hypothetical.

    The Port of Everett’s $70 million 2026 budget includes continued waterfront infrastructure investment. The $11.25 million federal Pier 3 grant secured in April 2026 extends the same logic to the working seaport side: federal confidence in the Port of Everett’s management and vision is showing up in competitive grant awards.

    Why Bellingham — and the Rest of Washington — Is Watching

    The Cascadia Daily News “Sea Change” series is explicitly benchmarking Bellingham against Everett and other ports. The parallel is uncomfortable but accurate: Bellingham’s waterfront, like Everett’s in the early 2000s, has sat partially undeveloped for years while port officials, city officials, and community members debate what should go there. Some sections have sat empty for decades.

    What Everett’s story tells Bellingham — and any other community grappling with a waterfront opportunity — is that the critical decisions aren’t architectural. They’re about land control, infrastructure investment sequence, community authenticity, and patience with a 15-to-20-year timeline.

    The port retained ownership of the land rather than selling to a master developer. It built infrastructure before tenants arrived. It kept marine trades in the mix rather than prioritizing higher-margin residential. And it never lost sight of the fact that the waterfront belonged to the whole city, not just to the people who lived or worked there.

    That’s the lesson. And on a rainy Thursday evening in 2026, with a line out the door at Tapped and kids looking at the boats from the esplanade, it’s a lesson that appears to have worked.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How much has been invested in Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place?

    More than $350 million has been invested in Waterfront Place over the past 15 years. Of that, $175 million came from private partners (hotel and apartment construction) and $175 million from a combination of federal and state grants and Port of Everett financing and revenue.

    Why did Port of Everett regain the waterfront land in 2012?

    In 2005, the Port sold 65 acres to Maritime Trust Co., a Chicago developer, for a planned $400 million redevelopment. After Maritime Trust lost its main financier (Merrill Lynch) in the 2008 recession, the firm filed for bankruptcy. The Port of Everett won back the land in federal bankruptcy court by 2012.

    What is the Millwright District at Port of Everett Waterfront Place?

    The Millwright District is the next 10-acre phase of Waterfront Place development. Plans call for more than 300 housing units and over 125,000 square feet of commercial/office space. The Port is currently reconsidering the office portion of the plan, potentially scaling it to 80,000 square feet and adding a hotel component instead.

    What will Waterfront Place generate in tax revenue when complete?

    When fully built out across all five districts, Waterfront Place is projected to generate $8.6 million per year in local sales tax revenue.

    What five districts make up Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place?

    Waterfront Place encompasses five districts: Fisherman’s Harbor (Restaurant Row, condos, hotel, Port offices), the Craftsman District (20+ marine trades businesses), the state’s largest public marina, Pacific Rim Plaza (public gathering space and art), and the emerging Millwright District. The working seaport with Pier 3 is located approximately 2 miles away.

    Why is Bellingham studying Port of Everett’s waterfront model?

    Cascadia Daily News’s “Sea Change” series (published May 7, 2026) selected Port of Everett as a case study for Bellingham because the two cities share parallel histories: both had prime waterfront acreage tied up by troubled development deals, and both faced community questions about the right balance between working waterfront and public-facing amenities. Bellingham is at the beginning of its redevelopment journey; Port of Everett shows what 15 years of sustained execution can produce.

  • Everett Police Is Getting a $327K Augmented Reality Training System — Funded Entirely by Federal Grant

    Everett Police Is Getting a $327K Augmented Reality Training System — Funded Entirely by Federal Grant

    Q: Is Everett Police getting augmented reality training technology?
    A: Yes. The Everett City Council is scheduled to approve a $327,573 purchase of an InVeris FATS AR augmented reality training system for EPD on May 13, 2026 — fully funded by a federal DOJ COPS grant, with no general fund money involved.

    Everett Police Department is set to receive a major training upgrade: a mobile augmented reality platform that projects digital subjects and threats into real physical spaces, letting officers practice de-escalation and crisis response scenarios in actual buildings, hallways, and parking lots — not just a shooting range.

    The Everett City Council is scheduled to approve a sole-source purchase of the InVeris FATS AR (Augmented Reality) Training System on May 13 as a consent agenda item. Total cost: $327,573.07 ($298,064.67 system cost plus $29,508.40 in tax). Funding source: a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice under the COPS FY25 Safer Outcomes program. No general fund money is involved.

    What the System Does

    The InVeris FATS AR system scans a real physical environment — a room, a corridor, a lobby — and overlays computer-generated characters into it. Officers see the actual space around them alongside digitally projected individuals they must interact with, de-escalate, or respond to in real time.

    According to the resolution cover sheet signed by Police Chief Robert Goetz, the system supports:

    • Multi-officer participation in the same scenario simultaneously
    • Real-time instructor control over how scenarios evolve — the instructor can introduce new elements, escalate or de-escalate situations, and change variables mid-exercise
    • Integrated after-action review with positional tracking, weapon orientation data, and performance analytics — so officers and instructors can review exactly what happened and why
    • BlueFire® smart weapon integration — training weapons communicate with the system, tracking how and when officers raise or use them

    The scenarios EPD is specifically targeting with the system: situations involving individuals experiencing mental health crises, behavioral health conditions, and other complex interactions “that require communication, decision-making, and peer intervention,” per the resolution.

    This directly connects to the department’s direction under Chief Goetz’s community policing strategy, which has emphasized de-escalation skill-building alongside enforcement. The AR system delivers that philosophy in a high-fidelity, data-recordable training environment where officers can fail safely, reset, and learn from what the system captured.

    Why It’s a Sole-Source Purchase

    The resolution asks the council to waive standard public bidding requirements. Under normal circumstances, contracts of this size go through competitive bidding. The justification here, per state law (RCW 39.04.280) and federal grant rules (2 CFR 200.320(c)): there is only one vendor that makes this system.

    The cover sheet states: “no other commercially available system meets the department’s operational requirements for multi-officer, real-world, augmented-reality training with integrated weapon functionality and instructor-controlled adaptability.”

    InVeris holds patents on the core technology — including real-world environment scanning, the BlueFire® weapon integration, and AI-driven scenario control — that competitors cannot replicate. EPD’s market research confirmed no alternative system qualifies.

    Sole-source purchases are reviewed and approved by the City Council case by case. Placing it on the consent agenda signals that city staff reviewed the sole-source documentation and found it meets the statutory threshold.

    The Federal Grant Behind It

    The COPS FY25 Safer Outcomes grant from the U.S. Department of Justice targets police departments investing in training and technology designed to reduce use-of-force incidents and improve officer-civilian outcomes.

    EPD’s grant application tied the InVeris AR system to Safer Outcomes priorities: crisis response, de-escalation, and officer decision-making training — particularly for encounters involving individuals in mental health or behavioral health situations.

    The grant covers the full system cost. Everett taxpayers are not paying for this purchase from the general fund.

    The approach aligns with a national trend in law enforcement training: moving from static range-and-role-player exercises toward immersive, data-rich scenario environments. AR lets EPD run more training sessions faster, reset immediately between scenarios, and accumulate a performance record over time that supports individual officer coaching.

    What Happens at the May 13 Meeting

    The InVeris resolution is on the consent agenda for May 13 — meaning it’s expected to pass as part of a block vote alongside routine items like claims payables and contract extensions. Consent items move without individual debate unless a council member pulls one for separate discussion.

    The May 13 meeting at City Hall begins at 6:30 p.m. The utility tax and rate ordinances are also on Wednesday’s agenda for their first readings. It is one of the more substantive midweek council sessions of the spring.

    What To Do Next

    • Watch the May 13 meeting: Live at YouTube.com/EverettCity, 6:30 p.m.
    • Read the resolution and grant materials: Available in the May 13 agenda packet at everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter.
    • Contact EPD: Police Chief Robert Goetz, RGoetz@everettwa.gov, 425-754-4540.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Who is paying for this?

    The federal government, through a COPS FY25 Safer Outcomes grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. The full $327,573.07 cost comes from the grant. Everett’s general fund is not used.

    What is InVeris FATS AR?

    FATS stands for Firearms Augmented Training System. The AR version projects digital characters into real physical environments, allowing officers to train in actual spaces — a building, a room, an outdoor area — rather than a dedicated simulation lab. The system is the only untethered AR training platform designed for law enforcement available in the current market.

    Why isn’t this put out to competitive bid?

    The City and EPD determined that InVeris is the only vendor with a commercially available AR training system meeting their requirements for multi-officer participation, real-world scanning, and integrated smart weapon functionality. Under state law and federal grant rules, a sole-source purchase is permitted when no alternative exists. The council reviews and approves the waiver.

    What kinds of scenarios will officers train on?

    Primarily de-escalation and crisis response, including encounters with individuals experiencing mental health crises or behavioral health episodes. The system records officer behavior for after-action review and coaching. The scenarios align with EPD’s COPS FY25 Safer Outcomes grant priorities.

    Has EPD used AR training before?

    The resolution does not reference prior AR training at EPD. This would be the department’s first InVeris FATS AR system.

    When will EPD have the system?

    The council is expected to approve the purchase on May 13, 2026. Delivery and installation timelines depend on InVeris’s production schedule following a purchase order.

  • Everett’s Utility Tax and Rate Bills Go to First Reading Wednesday — Final Vote May 27

    Everett’s Utility Tax and Rate Bills Go to First Reading Wednesday — Final Vote May 27

    Q: When will Everett vote on the utility tax?
    A: The Everett City Council is scheduled to hold the final vote on CB 2605-27 (utility tax) and CB 2605-26 (utility rates) on May 27, 2026. First reading is May 13. If both ordinances pass, the new rate structure takes effect August 1, 2026.

    The ordinances that would replace Everett’s 6% water-and-sewer payment with a 12% utility tax — and update the rate tables to match — are officially on Wednesday’s City Council agenda. Two companion bills, CB 2605-27 and CB 2605-26, go to first reading at 6:30 p.m. on May 13 at City Hall, 3002 Wetmore Ave.

    If both advance through three readings without amendment, the final vote lands May 27. Rate changes would take effect August 1, 2026 — about 11 weeks away. Here’s what each bill does and why it matters to your water bill.

    The Two Bills, Explained

    CB 2605-27: The Utility Tax Ordinance

    This bill replaces the City’s existing 6% payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) — a mechanism in place since a June 1, 1983 City Council resolution — with a 12% utility tax on the City’s water and sewer utility (Fund 401).

    The legal distinction matters: the PILOT was an internal transfer between city departments. A utility tax is a formal statutory charge under RCW 35.22.195 that shows up directly in rate calculations. The rate is doubling and the structure is changing simultaneously.

    According to the ordinance cover sheet, Finance Director Mike Bailey is the contact. The purpose, stated plainly in the bill: “to impose a 12% utility tax on the City’s water and sewer utility for the purpose of increasing revenue available for core City services.”

    CB 2605-26: The Rate Amendments

    This is the bill most residents will see on their monthly statement. It amends Everett’s established utility rates for 2025 through 2028 to account for the new utility tax, plus a $1 increase to the base filtration rate to allow the utility to retire some existing filtration debt ahead of schedule.

    The rate table in the ordinance shows what single-family sewer customers would pay each year:

    PeriodSingle Family Sewer (Monthly)
    2025$104.04
    2026 Jan–July$118.49
    2026 Aug–Dec$126.78 (if approved)
    2027$141.99
    2028+$158.51

    The August 2026 jump — from $118.49 to $126.78 — is roughly $8.29 more per month on sewer alone for a single-family home. Water and filtration rates are also amended; the full tables are in the ordinance. The City has previously estimated the total combined impact of the utility tax change at approximately $10.74 per month for a typical residential customer.

    Note: the bill’s rate table states that monthly charges “include Surface Water Quality Protection and Enhancement and the current state and city utility tax” — meaning the new rates are designed to be all-in figures once both ordinances pass.

    Why This Is Happening

    Everett is facing what city documents call a structural budget challenge: the cost of providing core services is growing faster than revenues. The projected 2027 general fund deficit has been pegged at approximately $14 million. The utility tax and rate changes are one lever the city is pulling to address it.

    Other levers under active discussion include potential regionalization of fire services through a regional fire authority (RFA), Sno-Isle library regionalization, a new levy lid lift, and annexation of the Mariner neighborhood — most of which require voter approval. The utility tax does not: it is a council-authorized charge under state law.

    The PILOT mechanism has been in place since 1983. Moving to a formal utility tax aligns Everett’s structure with how other Washington cities handle internal utility revenue transfers.

    What Happens Next

    The legislative timeline for both bills:

    • May 13: Briefing and 1st Reading (both bills)
    • May 20: 2nd Reading (CB 2605-26 public hearing also scheduled May 20)
    • May 27: 3rd and Final Reading — action vote on both ordinances

    Between now and May 27, residents can submit written public comments to the Everett City Council at council@everettwa.gov or by mail to 2930 Wetmore Ave., Suite 9A, Everett, WA 98201. Remote speakers can register via everettwa.gov/speakerform at least 30 minutes before each meeting.

    What Residents Should Know

    • No voter approval required. Unlike a levy lid lift, this is a council-only vote. There is no ballot measure.
    • Two bills, one outcome. CB 2605-27 (tax) and CB 2605-26 (rates) are companion ordinances. Both need to pass for the full rate structure to work as designed.
    • Outside-city customers are also affected. Everett operates a regional water system serving customers across much of Snohomish County. The rate ordinance covers outside-city rates as well.
    • The filtration rate increase is separate. The $1 base filtration increase included in CB 2605-26 accelerates debt retirement — a distinct financial item bundled into the same bill.
    • This has been in the works since at least April. The proposal first surfaced publicly in the City’s spring budget discussions and has been anticipated since the City disclosed its fiscal gap earlier this year.

    What To Do Next

    • Read the bills: CB 2605-27 and CB 2605-26 are available in the May 13 agenda packet at everettwa.gov/AgendaCenter.
    • Comment in writing: Email council@everettwa.gov before May 20 to ensure comments reach members ahead of the final vote.
    • Attend or watch: City Hall, 3002 Wetmore Ave., Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. Live stream at YouTube.com/EverettCity.
    • Register to speak remotely: everettwa.gov/speakerform, at least 30 minutes before the meeting.
    • Questions about the ordinance: Finance Director Mike Bailey at mbailey@everettwa.gov.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the utility tax rate being proposed?

    CB 2605-27 proposes a 12% utility tax on the City’s water and sewer utility, replacing the existing 6% payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) that has been in place since 1983.

    When would the new rates take effect if approved?

    August 1, 2026, per CB 2605-26.

    Does this require voter approval?

    No. A utility tax is a council-authorized charge under state law (RCW 35.22.195). The City Council votes on it; it does not go to a public ballot.

    How much will this add to a typical bill?

    The City has estimated approximately $10.74 per month for a typical residential customer. The rate ordinance shows single-family sewer rates going from $118.49 to $126.78 in August 2026 — about $8.29 more per month on that line alone. Water and filtration rate changes are in the full ordinance.

    Why is the City doing this now?

    Everett projects a roughly $14 million general fund deficit in 2027. The utility tax is one of several revenue-side measures under discussion. Unlike a levy lid lift or annexation vote, it doesn’t require voter approval — making it one of the faster-moving options available to the council.

    Who does this affect beyond Everett city limits?

    Everett operates a regional water system that serves customers across much of Snohomish County. The rate ordinance covers outside-city customer rates as well as city customers.

    Is there a public hearing?

    Yes — a public hearing on the rate ordinance (CB 2605-26) is scheduled for May 20, alongside the 2nd reading. Written comments can also be submitted to council@everettwa.gov at any time before the May 27 vote.

  • Living in Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge: Everett’s Hilltop Neighborhood With One Road In and Views That Make It Worth It

    What is the Valley View neighborhood in Everett like?
    Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge is a small, tight-knit hilltop neighborhood in southeast Everett with approximately 680 residents. The neighborhood sits on a plateau with panoramic views of the Cascade Mountains and Snohomish Valley. It has only one road in: 75th Street Southeast, over an Interstate 5 overpass. Homes sell in an average of 12 days — far faster than the national average of 55 — with a median sale price of $675,000.

    Living in Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge: Everett’s Hilltop Neighborhood

    There’s only one road into Valley View. That one fact explains everything about it.

    You cross the Interstate 5 overpass on 75th Street Southeast, and then you’re in. Quiet, curved streets. Cul-de-sacs that dead-end into tree canopy. Homes with views of the Cascades to the east and the Snohomish Valley below. The plateau that the City of Everett officially designates as Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t need to.

    Valley View is one of the last neighborhoods in the desk’s coverage rotation — and one of the most distinct in south Everett.

    A Triangle on a Plateau

    The City of Everett groups three sub-areas — Valley View, Sylvan Crest, and Larimer Ridge — as a single neighborhood because that’s how residents experience them: one continuous, well-kept plateau community in the southeast corner of the city, roughly five miles from downtown Everett. The city’s official neighborhood page is at everettwa.gov/559.

    The shape of the neighborhood is almost literally triangular, defined on two sides by natural terrain and on the third by Interstate 5. The highway that most Puget Sound drivers barely register is, for Valley View, the defining boundary — the feature that keeps the neighborhood separate and quiet. Only one way over: 75th Street SE. Nobody passes through Valley View en route to somewhere else. Everyone who’s there chose to be there.

    The Housing Market Tells the Story

    Homes in Valley View sell in an average of 12 days — versus a national average of 55. The median sale price over the last year is $675,000, down 9% from the prior year’s peak, which actually makes this one of the more watchable entry points into a south Everett plateau neighborhood if you time it right.

    Most of the housing stock was built between 1940 and 1969 — mid-century bones, established lots, mature trees, real yards. A number of more recently built homes fill out the mix. The neighborhood ranks in the top 15% of highest-income neighborhoods in America and in the top 10.9% of family-friendly neighborhoods statewide — a combination of high homeownership rates, above-average school quality, and low crime.

    Who Lives Here

    Roughly 680 people call Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge home, making it one of Everett’s smaller neighborhood units by population. That scale matters: neighbors actually know each other here. The intimate headcount is part of why the neighborhood consistently appears on lists of Everett’s most community-oriented places to live — there’s enough density to sustain a real association, but not so much that faces blur.

    English is spoken in about 68.8% of households. Vietnamese, Spanish, Arabic, and Tagalog are the next most common languages — a reflection of the broader southeast Everett demographic mix that runs through Pinehurst-Beverly Park, Cascade View, and Evergreen. The neighborhood’s diversity is baked in quietly, without being its defining public identity.

    The Neighborhood Association

    Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge has an active neighborhood association that meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the South Precinct Police station, with no meetings in July, August, or December. For new residents, this meeting is the fastest way to understand what’s actually happening in the neighborhood — what’s being proposed, what longtime residents care about, who to call when something comes up.

    The City of Everett’s Council of Neighborhoods coordinates across all neighborhood associations, and Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge is fully part of that structure.

    Parks and Getting Outside

    Rotary Park sits close to the neighborhood — a fishing and recreation park with a public boat ramp, one of the few spots in south Everett where you can launch a kayak or fish from shore on a weekday morning. For longer trail time, the Japanese Gulch Trail offers a forested escape with wildlife and quiet that surprises people who don’t know it. Forest Park — Everett’s 197-acre crown jewel with trails, an animal farm, and playgrounds — is a short drive north.

    The neighborhood’s own streets double as walking routes given the near-absence of through traffic. If your definition of a neighborhood park includes “my street at 7 AM with almost no cars,” Valley View delivers consistently.

    Schools

    Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge is served by Everett Public Schools, which posted a record 96.3% graduation rate for the class of 2025 — one of the highest rates in Washington State. Jefferson Elementary and Eisenhower Middle School serve families in this portion of southeast Everett. The district’s strong college and career readiness programming and the proximity to Everett Community College give Valley View students real post-secondary options close to home.

    What to Know Before You Move

    Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge is not for people who want city energy immediately outside their door. There are no coffee shops on the corner, no walkable commercial strip. The appeal is something else: real quiet, genuine mountain views, neighbors who wave, and a housing market that’s been overlooked because the neighborhood doesn’t advertise itself.

    The one-road-in geography is a feature for most residents — it keeps the plateau private. I-5 access via 75th Street SE puts you on the freeway in under two minutes. Community Transit serves the area for riders who don’t drive.

    For families comparing south Everett seriously — looking at Glacier View, Cascade View, or Pinehurst-Beverly Park — Valley View belongs on the list. It’s the one most people drive past without ever knowing the plateau exists above them.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Where exactly is Valley View in Everett?
    Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge is in southeast Everett, approximately five miles from downtown. The only road access is via 75th Street Southeast, which crosses an I-5 overpass into the neighborhood.

    What is the City of Everett’s official name for this neighborhood?
    The city designates the combined area as Valley View – Sylvan Crest – Larimer Ridge, recognizing the three sub-areas as one neighborhood unit. The official page is at everettwa.gov/559.

    What is the median home price in Valley View?
    The median home sale price over the last 12 months is $675,000 — down 9% from the prior year. Homes sell in an average of 12 days, well below the national average of 55 days.

    Does Valley View have a neighborhood association?
    Yes. The Valley View-Sylvan Crest-Larimer Ridge Neighborhood Association meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the South Precinct Police station. No meetings in July, August, or December.

    What schools serve Valley View?
    The neighborhood is served by Everett Public Schools. Jefferson Elementary and Eisenhower Middle School serve the area. EPS posted a record 96.3% graduation rate for the class of 2025.

  • Meet Dr. Ian Saltzman: The Everett Schools Superintendent Behind Seven Years of Progress

    Who is the superintendent of Everett Public Schools?
    Dr. Ian B. Saltzman has served as superintendent of Everett Public Schools since summer 2019. A 30-year education veteran who came from Palm Beach County, Florida, Saltzman leads a district of more than 21,000 students across 27 schools. Under his leadership, EPS achieved a record 96.3% four-year graduation rate for the class of 2025 — the highest in district history and well above Washington State’s 84% average.

    Meet Dr. Ian Saltzman: The Superintendent Who Came to Everett and Didn’t Look Back

    He flew across the country for a job he wasn’t sure he’d get. Seven years later, Ian Saltzman is one of the most decorated school leaders in Washington State.

    In April 2026, Dr. Ian Saltzman received the Elson S. Floyd Award at the Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s annual meeting — recognition given to “a visionary leader who, through partnership, tenacity, and a strong commitment to community, has created lasting opportunities to improve quality of life and positively impact the regional economy.” The award is named for the late Elson S. Floyd, former president of Washington State University and a nationally recognized figure in higher education.

    It’s a fitting honor for a superintendent who has spent seven years doing something many people doubted was easy: turning a mid-sized, economically diverse Pacific Northwest school district into one of Washington’s strongest graduation performers — without the wealthy zip codes that make those numbers easy elsewhere.

    The Road to Everett

    Before Saltzman was walking the halls of Everett’s 27 schools, he was a middle school special education teacher in Palm Beach County, Florida. He spent his entire 30-year career in one Florida district — rising from classroom teacher to principal at four different campuses, from elementary through high school. By 2016, he was serving as the district’s south region superintendent, overseeing 59 schools.

    When the Everett School Board launched a superintendent search in 2019, Saltzman was among 35 candidates. He was selected unanimously after a marathon of interviews that included students, teachers, and principals. The unanimous vote spoke to something the board saw clearly: a leader who had done the work at every level.

    He brought to Everett a philosophy he’s held since the classroom: produce “great learners and great citizens.” Simple in language. Harder to execute across a community of 21,000 students from dozens of language backgrounds, neighborhoods spanning the entire east-west corridor of the city, and an economy still reshaping itself.

    What Seven Years Have Built

    The clearest measure: the graduating class of 2025 achieved a record 96.3% four-year, on-time graduation rate — the highest in Everett Public Schools history. Cascade High School’s Class of 2025 graduated at 96.6%. Washington State’s average: 84%. EPS isn’t performing like a district with obstacles; it’s performing like a district that figured something out.

    Saltzman has overseen a string of successful levy campaigns that kept program funding intact through tight budget cycles — no small feat in a political environment where school levies often fail. He’s secured grant funds that expanded career and college readiness programming. And he navigated EPS through COVID-era disruption that knocked other districts’ outcomes backward for years after reopening.

    His membership in Chiefs for Change — a national bipartisan organization of education leaders recognized for driving results in complex districts — signals that peers and policymakers far outside Everett are paying attention.

    Credentials Worth Knowing

    Saltzman’s credentials match his practice. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in special education from Florida State University — a foundation that, by his own account, shapes how he thinks about meeting every individual student’s needs. His specialist and doctoral degrees in educational leadership came from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

    The special education training shows up in how he approaches the district. The question, for Saltzman, isn’t whether students can succeed — it’s what systems need to change so they do.

    What’s Ahead in 2026

    With the Elson S. Floyd Award on his shelf and graduation metrics at a record high, Everett Public Schools heads into the 2026-27 school year with real momentum. The district’s SchooLinks college-and-career-readiness platform transition is underway ahead of a statewide September 2026 deadline. Summer Academy and Career Link programming are expanding. The proximity to Everett Community College and WSU Everett creates a direct pipeline that Saltzman has worked to strengthen from the high-school side.

    For a community that’s watched Everett change fast — waterfront development, Boeing’s North Line expansion, Sound Transit in motion — having a stable, experienced hand running the district matters. Schools are neighborhoods. And in Everett, under Saltzman, they’ve been getting better.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How long has Ian Saltzman been superintendent of Everett Public Schools?
    Dr. Ian Saltzman became EPS superintendent in summer 2019 and has served in the role for nearly seven years as of 2026.

    Where did Ian Saltzman work before Everett?
    Saltzman spent his entire 30-year education career in Palm Beach County, Florida. His final Florida role was south region superintendent, overseeing 59 schools.

    What is Dr. Saltzman’s educational background?
    He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in special education from Florida State University, and specialist and doctoral degrees in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

    What was the Elson S. Floyd Award given for?
    The Economic Alliance Snohomish County gives the Elson S. Floyd Award to “a visionary leader who through partnership, tenacity, and a strong commitment to community has created lasting opportunities to improve quality of life and positively impact the regional economy.”

    What is Everett’s graduation rate?
    The Everett Public Schools graduating class of 2025 achieved a 96.3% four-year, on-time graduation rate — the highest in district history and above Washington State’s 84% average.

  • Petty Thief and Pretenders UK Hit Kings Hall on June 27 — A Double-Bill That Gets Classic Rock Right

    Petty Thief and Pretenders UK Hit Kings Hall on June 27 — A Double-Bill That Gets Classic Rock Right

    What is playing at APEX Everett on June 27, 2026?
    Petty Thief, Seattle’s tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, headlines Kings Hall at APEX on Saturday June 27, 2026. Opening the night is Pretenders UK, a Seattle-based four-piece recreating the early 1980s Pretenders. Show time is 8:00 PM. Tickets from $41 via Ticketmaster (event 0F00647F843C4809). Kings Hall is located at 1611 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201.

    Verdict: GO. Petty Thief is the most authentic Tom Petty tribute in the Pacific Northwest — nineteen years running, a current lineup that has been working together since 2017, and a philosophy that treats the catalog as worth getting right. Pretenders UK brings the early Chrissie Hynde era specifically, which is where the Pretenders’ best work lives. Together on the Kings Hall stage for one Saturday night, this is the kind of double-bill where the opening act is not a throwaway.

    Three conditions met for GO: the lineup does not exist anywhere else in this market window, Kings Hall is the right room for this material, and tickets from $41 for two bands is fair-market or below.

    Everett’s newest dedicated concert stage has spent its first year building a habit of landing acts that could be playing larger rooms in Seattle but show up here instead. The Crystal Method and Rabbit in the Moon in June. All City Fight Night in May. Petty Thief and Pretenders UK on June 27 continues that calendar. The value of a room like Kings Hall is that it does not require an act to be an arena act. The material Tom Petty recorded was designed to be played live in a room where you can hear every guitar part, where the room fills with the sound of the band, and where the person next to you is as locked in as you are. That is what you get here.

    Petty Thief: Nineteen Years of Not Being a Novelty Act

    Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017. He was 66. He left behind 40 years of recordings with the Heartbreakers that defined what American rock looked like when it was running correctly — inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, five number-one albums, and a catalog that still sounds like it was written yesterday when played in a room where the speakers are pointed at you.

    Petty Thief did not form in response to that loss. Andy Volmer started the band in 2007 as a Halloween spoof — he and some friends dressed as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and called themselves “Refugees” for one party. That was supposed to be the end of it.

    It wasn’t. By 2026, Petty Thief is in its nineteenth year, and the current lineup — Volmer, Steve Crabtree, Mark Mosholder, John Paredes, and Rick Bourgoin — has been performing together since the fall of 2017. The five of them locked in right after Petty’s death and set a standard for themselves that Volmer has described explicitly: “We wanted to approach the tribute genre as a true live rock and roll band, not a novelty act.”

    That matters because the Tom Petty tribute circuit has a lot of novelty acts. Costume shows. Medley bands. Revues built around three songs everyone knows and a lot of filler. Petty Thief plays the full catalog — “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “The Waiting,” “Breakdown,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Learning to Fly” — and treats the material the way Petty would have wanted it treated: as rock songs, not museum exhibits.

    The current lineup is the most stable the band has ever been. When five musicians have been playing the same catalog together for almost a decade, what you hear is not a band approximating the sound — it’s a band that has internalised it. There is a difference, and you can hear it live.

    Pretenders UK: The Opening Act That Is Also a Reason to Show Up Early

    Pretenders UK opens the bill. They are a Seattle-based four-piece, and their specific commitment is to the early 1980s Pretenders — the Chrissie Hynde era that produced the records most people associate with the band’s peak.

    That era produced “Brass in Pocket” in 1979. “Talk of the Town” in 1981. “Back on the Chain Gang” in 1982. “Middle of the Road” in 1984. It is the decade when the Pretenders were defining what new wave sounded like when it had real guitar work behind it — harder than the synth acts of the period, more melodic than punk, built around Hynde’s rhythm guitar and voice in a way that no one else in that window matched.

    Pretenders UK focuses on that era specifically. That is a curatorial choice, and it’s the right one. The original Pretenders went through significant lineup changes across the decade — the early 1980s period is musically coherent in a way the later catalog is not. A tribute band that picks an era and commits to it is a different proposition than one trying to cover everything. Show up before 8:00 PM. Pretenders UK is not a warm-up.

    Why This Double-Bill Works

    Tom Petty and Chrissie Hynde were not the same kind of artist, and that is the reason this bill lands well. Petty was American heartland rock — guitars, road imagery, working-class romanticism delivered with a Gainesville, Florida drawl that managed to sound both regional and universal. The Pretenders were a British-American hybrid, new wave by genre classification but louder and more guitar-forward than that label implies, anchored by a frontwoman who wrote differently than her contemporaries.

    The two catalogs share a refusal to be precious. Petty’s music worked at stadium scale and on a car radio simultaneously. The Pretenders played arenas and sounded like they had something to prove every night. Both bands earned their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by making records that did not age out.

    A double-bill built around this pair of catalogs has internal logic. If you are the kind of person who stayed through the Heartbreakers set at any festival you attended in the last three decades, you are also the kind of person who already knows every word to “Brass in Pocket.” One night. One room. Same ticket. And if you need one more reason: Everett has proven this summer that it can host legacy classic rock acts done right — Canned Heat and Big Brother showed that in May.

    The Logistics

    Where: Kings Hall at APEX Art and Culture Center, 1611 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201.
    When: Saturday June 27, 2026. Show time 8:00 PM.
    Tickets: From $41 at Ticketmaster (event 0F00647F843C4809). Also available via SeatGeek. Purchase in advance — tribute shows at Kings Hall have sold ahead of date.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What time does Petty Thief start at Kings Hall APEX Everett?

    Show time is 8:00 PM on Saturday June 27, 2026. Pretenders UK opens the night before Petty Thief headlines. Kings Hall at APEX Art and Culture Center is at 1611 Everett Ave, Everett, WA 98201. Tickets from $41 via Ticketmaster event 0F00647F843C4809.

    Who is opening for Petty Thief at APEX Everett on June 27?

    Pretenders UK opens the show — a Seattle-based four-piece dedicated to the early 1980s Pretenders catalog, including “Brass in Pocket,” “Back on the Chain Gang,” “Talk of the Town,” and “Middle of the Road.” This is not a warm-up act; they are the second reason to buy a ticket.

    Who is Petty Thief and are they from Seattle?

    Petty Thief is Seattle’s tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Founded in 2007 by Andy Volmer, the current five-piece lineup has been together since 2017. Volmer describes their approach as “a true live rock and roll band, not a novelty act.” They are the Pacific Northwest’s longest-running Tom Petty tribute.

    How much are tickets for Petty Thief at APEX Everett?

    Tickets start from $41 via Ticketmaster (event 0F00647F843C4809) and SeatGeek. For a two-band tribute night in a mid-size room, that is competitive pricing — single-act cover shows at seated venues in the greater Seattle area typically run $60–$90.

    What songs will Petty Thief play at APEX Everett?

    Petty Thief plays the full Heartbreakers catalog — expect “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “The Waiting,” “Breakdown,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Learning to Fly,” and more. They play the hits and the catalog, not a three-song medley.

  • Tomorrow Is Everett’s Biggest Sports Friday in Years: WHL Final Game 1 at 7 PM and an AquaSox Noon Doubleheader Both Happen May 8

    Tomorrow Is Everett’s Biggest Sports Friday in Years: WHL Final Game 1 at 7 PM and an AquaSox Noon Doubleheader Both Happen May 8

    Q: What’s happening in Everett sports on Friday, May 8, 2026?
    A: Two major sporting events are happening in Everett on Friday, May 8 — the Everett Silvertips host the Prince Albert Raiders in WHL Championship Final Game 1 at Angel of the Winds Arena at 7:00 PM PT, and the Everett AquaSox host the Hillsboro Hops in a daytime doubleheader at Funko Field starting at 12:05 PM. It is the most action-packed single sports day the city has seen in years.

    Put this one on the calendar with a red marker. On Friday, May 8, 2026, Everett is hosting two major sporting events at the same time — a WHL Championship Final Game 1 and an AquaSox doubleheader — less than two miles apart. If you have ever wondered whether Everett is a real sports city, tomorrow answers the question.

    Here is everything you need to know to make the most of it.

    Event 1: AquaSox vs. Hillsboro Hops — Noon Doubleheader at Funko Field

    • When: Friday, May 8 — first game starts at 12:05 PM PT
    • Where: Funko Field, 3900 Broadway, Everett
    • Tickets: milb.com/everett or box office day-of

    The AquaSox play a rare midday doubleheader to open the weekend portion of their 6-game home series against the Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate). Two regulation games starting at noon means you get your baseball in the afternoon, leaving your evening completely open for whatever is happening seven blocks over at Angel of the Winds.

    The Frogs came into this homestand hot — they swept their first two games of the series and the roster is playing confident baseball. The prospect names driving attention right now: Felnin Celesten (back-to-back NWL Player of the Week, team-leading 26 hits), Luke Stevenson (Mariners No. 8 prospect, .500 OBP in April), and Brandon Eike (6 HR on the season). Noon baseball on a sunny May Friday in Everett with this group is exactly what minor league baseball is supposed to feel like.

    The doubleheader format means games are shorter — typically 7 innings each. Plan for 2.5 to 3 hours total. A noon start should wrap by 3:00-3:30 PM, giving you four hours before the WHL Final face-off.

    Event 2: Silvertips vs. Prince Albert Raiders — WHL Final Game 1 at Angel of the Winds Arena

    • When: Friday, May 8 — face-off at 7:00 PM PT
    • Where: Angel of the Winds Arena, 2000 Hewitt Ave, Everett
    • TV/Stream: TSN (Canada) / Victory+ (US streaming)
    • Tickets: Available at everettsilvertips.com/playoffs — check the Ticket+Drink combo offer

    This is the one. After a franchise-best regular season (54 wins, 111 points, two straight Scotty Munro Trophies), a sweep of Portland, a five-game win over Kelowna, and a sweep of the Penticton Vees in the Western Conference Final, the Everett Silvertips are in the WHL Championship Final for the first time since 2018. Their opponent, the Prince Albert Raiders, eliminated the defending WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers to get here.

    The Silvertips have never won the Ed Chynoweth Cup. This roster — built around 16-year-old Landon DuPont (leading WHL defensemen in playoff scoring), goaltender Anders Miller (12-0-1, .936 save percentage), Matias Vanhanen (19 playoff points), and Julius Miettinen (18 playoff points) — is the best chance this franchise has ever had to change that. Angel of the Winds Arena at Game 1 of a WHL Final is not a normal Friday night hockey crowd. It is an atmosphere.

    The Ticket+Drink combo offer is available through the Silvertips playoff ticket page — good way to get both games at a slight discount if you are making a night of it.

    The Fan’s Guide to Doing Both

    This is completely achievable. Here is one way to structure the day:

    • 11:30 AM — Arrive at Funko Field. Grab a hot dog, find your seat, enjoy the pregame atmosphere.
    • 12:05 PM — First game of the doubleheader begins.
    • ~2:00 PM — Second game of the doubleheader underway.
    • ~3:30 PM — Baseball wraps. Head downtown. Eat something. The area around Angel of the Winds Arena has food options along Hewitt and in the transit hub.
    • 5:30-6:00 PM — Doors open at AOTW. This is a WHL Final — do not show up late.
    • 7:00 PM — Puck drops. The Silvertips and Raiders start playing for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
    • ~10:00 PM — Game ends. You either watched an Everett win or you are already thinking about Game 2 on Saturday.

    Funko Field is at 3900 Broadway. Angel of the Winds Arena is at 2000 Hewitt Ave. The drive between them is under five minutes; it is walkable in about 25 minutes if you want to stretch after the baseball. Parking is available near both venues. If you are driving between the two, the afternoon gap gives you plenty of time — this is not a sprint.

    Why This Day Matters

    There are moments when a city’s sports calendar aligns in a way that only happens once in a while. Everett is not a huge city, but tomorrow it has two professional-level sporting events happening simultaneously in venues seven blocks apart. The AquaSox are a legitimate prospect showcase for one of baseball’s most interesting farm systems. The Silvertips are playing in the WHL Championship Final with a roster capable of winning it.

    And on Saturday, the AquaSox have Star Wars Night at 7:05 PM and the Silvertips play WHL Final Game 2 at 6:00 PM — so the weekend has two more major events lined up right behind Friday’s doubleheader.

    Whatever you choose to do tomorrow: buy the tickets, get to the venue on time, and remember this stretch of Everett sports for a while. It does not come around every year.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What time does the AquaSox doubleheader start on May 8?

    The AquaSox vs. Hillsboro Hops doubleheader begins at 12:05 PM PT on Friday, May 8 at Funko Field. Both games are typically 7 innings in doubleheader format.

    What time does WHL Final Game 1 start on May 8?

    WHL Championship Final Game 1 starts at 7:00 PM PT on Friday, May 8 at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.

    How far apart are Funko Field and Angel of the Winds Arena?

    About 1.5 miles — a 5-minute drive or a 25-minute walk. The afternoon gap between the doubleheader and the WHL Final face-off gives fans plenty of time to move between venues.

    Where can I get WHL Final Game 1 tickets?

    Tickets for the Silvertips WHL Championship Final are available at everettsilvertips.com/playoffs and through Ticketmaster. A Ticket+Drink combo offer is available through the Silvertips playoff ticket page.

    What other events are happening in Everett sports this weekend?

    Saturday, May 9 features AquaSox Star Wars Night at 7:05 PM at Funko Field (limited-edition jerseys, character meet-and-greet, postgame fireworks) AND Silvertips WHL Final Game 2 at 6:00 PM at Angel of the Winds Arena. The full sports weekend runs Thursday through Sunday.

    Related Everett Sports Coverage

  • AquaSox Star Wars Night Is Saturday: Limited Jerseys, Character Meet & Greet, and Postgame Fireworks at Funko Field

    AquaSox Star Wars Night Is Saturday: Limited Jerseys, Character Meet & Greet, and Postgame Fireworks at Funko Field

    Q: What’s happening at AquaSox Star Wars Night on May 9, 2026?
    A: The Everett AquaSox host the Hillsboro Hops on Saturday, May 9 at 7:05 PM at Funko Field for Star Wars Night — featuring limited-edition Star Wars-themed jerseys auctioned for charity, a pregame character meet-and-greet on the main concourse, postgame fireworks set to Star Wars music, and a Silvertips WHL Final Game 2 happening the same night less than two miles away at Angel of the Winds Arena.

    There are good sports Saturdays, and then there is May 9, 2026 in Everett. The AquaSox bring Star Wars Night to Funko Field. The Silvertips play WHL Championship Final Game 2 at Angel of the Winds Arena. And the downtown is fully, completely alive with baseball fans, hockey fans, and lightsaber-wielding kids who talked their parents into the whole deal.

    If you only do one AquaSox game all year, this is the one to do. Here’s everything you need to know about Star Wars Night at Funko Field on Saturday, May 9.

    The Game

    • Who: Everett AquaSox vs. Hillsboro Hops
    • When: Saturday, May 9 at 7:05 PM PT
    • Where: Funko Field, 3900 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201
    • Tickets: Available at milb.com/everett or the Funko Field box office

    The AquaSox head into Saturday riding a hot homestand. This is a 6-game home series against the Hillsboro Hops — the Arizona Diamondbacks’ High-A affiliate — and the Frogs came in rolling after a strong road trip to Tri-City. The AquaSox prospect pipeline is genuinely exciting right now: Felnin Celesten (back-to-back NWL Player of the Week honors, .295 season average and team-leading 26 hits) and Luke Stevenson (Mariners Hitter of the Month for April, .500 OBP) give you real reasons to pay attention beyond the promotions.

    The Star Wars Promotions

    Limited-Edition Star Wars Jerseys — Auctioned for Charity

    The players will take the field in limited-edition Star Wars-themed game jerseys — and you can own one. The game-worn jerseys are auctioned online, with proceeds benefiting AquaSox Charities presented by Kendall Automotive Group. If you have been waiting for a piece of AquaSox memorabilia that is actually unique, this is your moment. Check milb.com/everett for auction details and bidding information.

    Star Wars Character Meet & Greet

    Show up early. A pregame character meet-and-greet runs on the main concourse before first pitch, and characters will be available for photos throughout the game. Specific character appearances vary, but if you are bringing kids (or you are an adult with strong opinions about whether Han Solo shot first), arriving 45-60 minutes before first pitch gives you the best shot at photos without the crowd.

    Postgame Fireworks — Star Wars Edition

    The night closes with a postgame fireworks extravaganza set to Star Wars-inspired music. Stay for all nine innings (the AquaSox have been fun to watch at home), and you get a full fireworks show over the Funko Field outfield as your exit music. The combination of a warm May night, decent baseball, and a John Williams soundtrack feels like something that should cost more than a regular AquaSox ticket. It doesn’t.

    The Bigger Picture: Why This Homestand Matters

    This AquaSox roster has been one of the more interesting Mariners farm teams to watch in recent years. The prospect watch for this homestand centers on a few names:

    Felnin Celesten — The outfielder won back-to-back Northwest League Player of the Week awards and is hitting .295 with the team’s best runs total. His feel for the strike zone and his ability to put the ball in play make him one of the more watchable prospects in the NWL right now.

    Luke Stevenson — The catcher won the Mariners’ Hitter of the Month Award for April with a .321 BA, .500 OBP, and .982 OPS. He is currently ranked as the No. 8 Mariners prospect in the system, and he had 20 walks last month. That kind of plate discipline at High-A is a real organizational signal.

    Brandon Eike — Six home runs on the season and still climbing. Every time Eike connects, the Funko Field scoreboard becomes a brief conversation about whether this is the at-bat you tell people about later.

    Brock Moore — The bullpen arm won the team’s Bullpen Award for April with 8.1 innings, 20 strikeouts, 1 walk, 4 saves, a 2.16 ERA, and a 0.48 WHIP. That WHIP is not a typo.

    The Saturday Context: Silvertips WHL Final Game 2 Is the Same Night

    Saturday, May 9 is arguably the most sports-dense day Everett has had in years. While the AquaSox are playing Star Wars Night at Funko Field, the Everett Silvertips are hosting Prince Albert in WHL Championship Final Game 2 at Angel of the Winds Arena at 6:00 PM — about 1.5 miles away. The two venues are close enough that a motivated fan could theoretically watch part of one game and make it to the other, though we are not responsible for the decision-making quality late in that particular evening.

    The WHL Final is not a normal sporting event. The Silvertips have never won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history — 2004 and 2018 were heartbreaks. This roster, with goaltender Anders Miller’s historic .936 playoff save percentage and 16-year-old Landon DuPont leading WHL defensemen in postseason scoring, has a genuine chance to close this thing out. Saturday’s Game 2 is huge in a way that is hard to overstate for longtime Everett hockey fans.

    Which event should you choose? That’s not our call. But if you have the flexibility: both venues are accessible, both events are special, and the combination of a WHL Final game and AquaSox Star Wars Night in one Saturday in Everett is the kind of thing you remember when your kids ask why you liked living here.

    Getting There

    • Funko Field address: 3900 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201
    • Parking: Multiple lots adjacent to the stadium; arrive 45+ minutes early if attending the character meet-and-greet
    • Transit: Everett Transit routes serve the Broadway corridor; check everetttransit.org for Saturday service
    • Tickets: milb.com/everett or the box office day-of (subject to availability)

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What time is AquaSox Star Wars Night on May 9?

    First pitch is Saturday, May 9 at 7:05 PM PT at Funko Field, 3900 Broadway, Everett. The pregame character meet-and-greet starts before gates open — arrive early for the best access.

    How do I bid on the AquaSox Star Wars jerseys?

    Game-worn Star Wars themed jerseys are auctioned online through AquaSox Charities presented by Kendall Automotive Group. Visit milb.com/everett for auction details and bidding instructions.

    Are there Star Wars characters at the AquaSox game?

    Yes — a pregame character meet-and-greet runs on the main concourse before first pitch, with characters available throughout the game for photos. Arriving 45-60 minutes early is recommended for the best meet-and-greet access.

    Is there a fireworks show at AquaSox Star Wars Night?

    Yes — a postgame fireworks extravaganza set to Star Wars-inspired music follows the conclusion of the game on Saturday, May 9.

    What other sports are happening in Everett on May 9?

    The Everett Silvertips host Prince Albert in WHL Championship Final Game 2 at Angel of the Winds Arena at 6:00 PM PT the same night — about 1.5 miles from Funko Field. It is a remarkable sports Saturday for the city.

    Who are the AquaSox prospects to watch in May 2026?

    Felnin Celesten (back-to-back NWL Player of the Week), Luke Stevenson (Mariners No. 8 prospect, .500 OBP in April), Brandon Eike (6 HR), and reliever Brock Moore (0.48 WHIP in April) are the names driving the most excitement in the system right now.

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