Sheriff John Urquhart had a conflict of interest when he did not allow an investigation into claims he raped a former deputy, according to the watchdog for King County government. The office has decided he violated department rules in ordering his internal affairs squad to ignore the claims, saying he should have sent the claims to, “an outside local or state law enforcement authority for investigation.”

Pierce County Democrats failed to report $90,358 in spending, $63,642 in contributions and $34,791 in debt between 2015 and 2016 according to the state attorney general’s office. “By not timely reporting its contributions and expenditures, the committee inhibited the public’s right to know the source of the committee’s income and how it spent its funding,” the office said in a news release.

Port of Seattle Commissioners voted to approve an additional $213 million in funding for Sea-Tac projects, saying the cost estimates have increased. The two projects that will benefit from the money are the new International Arrivals Facility and renovation to the terminal used by Alaska Airlines.

Seattle’s Human Rights Commission has become the second city commission to request Mayor Ed Murray resign. Murray still refuses to step down despite urges from councilmembers and commissions after allegations of Murray sexually abusing his foster child came to light earlier this year.

Seattle’s gun tax brought in $100,000 in 2016 which was far less than the $200,000 to $400,000 the city had predicted the tax would bring in.

Spokane County Commissioners are considering cutting jail funds instead of raising property taxes to repair a $10 million budget shortfall – which has happened in part due to declining sales tax revenue. “Detention Services takes up such a huge chunk of the budget, and if they do have to make cuts, that’s where a lot of the cuts would have to come from,” Jared Webley, county spokesman, said.

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited Washington yesterday, stopping at sites like Hanford and the McNary Lock and Dam. “I’m focused on trying to make as many national labs as I can, to understand in even broader context what the Dept. of Energy does on a daily basis,” he said.

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