Three days in, and Colt Emerson is already looking like the Mariners' next fan obsession.

Why it matters: It's been a frustratingly flat start to a season for a team that entered 2026 with legitimate World Series expectations.

The latest: The 20-year-old infielder got a standing ovation before he even stepped into the batter's box during his first game Sunday at T-Mobile Park.

• A day later, he delivered.
• Facing a two-strike count in the bottom of the eighth, Emerson sent a low pitch over the wall Monday for a three-run homer — his first major league hit — helping seal Seattle's 6-1 win over the White Sox.
• T-Mobile Park predictably erupted.

State of play: The youngest Mariner to debut since Félix Hernández in 2005, Emerson entered the season as Seattle's No. 1 prospect and one of baseball's top-ranked young players.

• The Mariners showed just how much they believed in him by signing him to an eight-year extension in March — before he had even appeared in a major league game.
• Emerson was called up from Triple-A Tacoma to replace an injured Brendan Donovan.

Mariners fans love getting attached to young talent early — especially players who arrive with hype and make an immediate impact.

• Julio Rodríguez became the franchise's new sweetheart in 2022 with towering home runs and All-Star energy.
• Cal Raleigh became a cult hero by crushing 60 home runs last season.
• But neither has generated much electricity so far this year.

Catch up quick: The Mariners spent much of April and May looking less like the confident October team fans expected and more like a group searching for momentum.

• That's why Emerson's arrival feels bigger than one rookie call-up.
• Less than a week in and he's given Seattle something the season had been missing: buzz.

The bottom line: Maybe Emerson won't save the Mariners' season, but it's sure starting to feel fun again.

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The Seattle City Council voted yesterday to temporarily allow larger tiny home villages and safe lots for people living in vehicles — a key part of Mayor Katie Wilson's plan to address homelessness.

The big picture: The measure is one way Wilson is trying to fulfill her pledge of adding 1,000 shelter units by the end of the year.

What's inside: The ordinance, which passed unanimously, allows tiny home villages and safe lots to house up to 150 people per site.

• That's up from a previous cap of 100 residents.
• The measure also allows one tiny home village with up to 250 residents.

What they're saying: Wilson has argued the legislation is needed to help the city make better use of limited shelter sites and move more people indoors.

• Her office previously called the 100-person cap an "extremely low limit" that is "out of step with national best practices."

Yes, but: The council made some changes to the mayor's initial proposal, including by setting minimum 24-hour staffing requirements for larger tiny home villages and requiring operators to submit public safety plans.

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✂️ Seattle will bear the brunt of Starbucks' latest layoffs, with the company cutting 252 workers tied to the company's Sodo headquarters. (KING 5)

🏛️ The Trump administration has launched an investigation into Washington's policy of housing transgender women in women's prisons, following a lawsuit alleging a woman was assaulted by a transgender inmate. (Washington State Standard)

💸 Delivery company Dlivrd agreed to pay nearly $300,000 to gig workers and the city after Seattle labor officials said the company violated app-based worker protection laws. (MyNorthwest)

Union workers at REI are urging customers to boycott the outdoor retailer's anniversary sale this week.

The big picture: The boycott comes after the co-op and its union failed to reach a contract agreement last month, with the union calling management's latest offer "unacceptable."

Catch up quick: Since 2022, 11 REI stores around the country have voted to unionize, including one in Bellingham.

Yes, but: Demonstrations in support of the boycott are happening at non-union stores, too.

• In Seattle — home to one of two REI flagship stores nationwide — an REI member scaled a climbing wall and displayed a "Boycott REI" banner over the weekend, the union said.
• Union members have been distributing leaflets outside additional REI stores in Washington urging customers not to shop the sale, UFCW 3000 spokesperson Rich Smith told Axios.
• The outdoor co-op, which was founded in Seattle, has more than 190 U.S. stores.

The other side: REI called the boycott push "a disappointing move" in a written statement earlier this month.

What's next: The union is urging shoppers to boycott REI through May 25, the final day of the annual sale.

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I have a bumpy relationship with restaurant tasting menus. Sometimes, I get full by the third course, which is a bummer if you've already dropped $150.

MariPili Tapas Bar offers a more economical $75 five-course spread with a wide variety of bites — and it won't have you feeling overstuffed by the end.

Zoom in: When I went to the Capitol Hill bar earlier this month, the offerings included an octopus empanada; two types of croquetas; ropa vieja served on a puffed rice cracker; roast suckling lamb; stuffed squid; a lemon-curd cheesecake shortbread; and a killer deviled egg.

What to expect: The first three platters each carried three small items, for nine small bites total.

• The fourth course, the lamb, was more substantial without being overwhelming.
• The extravaganza finished with a plate of two miniature desserts — a course MariPili is known for — ending with the perfect amount of sweetness.

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