Kyle Murphy, Executive Director of Carbon Washington says next year there will be a climate initiative. “We find that for carbon pricing and big climate legislation, this legislative session is not impossible…” Murphy said. Read more here. (Washington State Wire)

King County paid a now ex-sheriff’s deputy more than $160,000 in what the deputy claims was hush money from Sheriff John Urquhart’s Office. Brian Barnes, the former deputy, says the payout was designed to muzzle his attempts at exposing wrongdoing within the Office. (The Seattle Times)

King County Superior Court signed a temporary sexual-assault protection order which prohibits Sheriff John Urquhart from coming near the woman who accused Urquhart of rape last year. The assault protection order against Urquhart comes after his attempts to discredit her by inappropriately sharing, or attempting to share, her medical records to benefit his campaign. (The Seattle Times)

Heading into the final days of the campaign, mayoral candidates Jenny Durkan and Cary Moon are trying to differentiate themselves to voters. One key area is how each would address homelessness as mayor. Durkan would support removing unsanctioned homeless camps, calling them unsafe. While Moon has promised to block removal of unsanctioned camps. (The Seattle Times)

Speaking of the Seattle Mayor…

Seattle Mayor Tim Burgess has announced he opposes the new business tax supported by some members of the City Council. “Seattle already has the highest business taxes in the state,” he said, adding that businesses already do their fair share to help. (The Seattle Times)

Voter turnout in Thurston County has been a bit sparse so far, with only 12 percent of ballots in the county having been returned. Considering this is a non-presidential election year, Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall said she is expecting between 35 and 40 percent turnout among the county’s 176,300 registered voters. (The Olympian)

The President of Evergreen State College is still trying to get things back to normal after students brought the college to a halt when a professor dared to speak his mind earlier this year. The college’s president, George Bridges, started seeking help from a psychologist when he, “…begun feeling broken during the summer.” (MyNorthwest)

When you think of million dollar campaigns, a race for the seat on the Port of Vancouver Board of Commissioners would be low on the list of likely campaigns. Well, this years’ campaign between Don Orange (if the name sounds familiar we’ve written about him before) and Kris Greene has eclipsed the $1 million mark. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

After some debate and pressure from citizens, the Richland City Council plans to call a special session Thursday to discuss inclusiveness. The council will meet at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at 505 Swift Blvd. (The Tri-City Herald)

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