Ten news organizations are suing the Legislature for withholding public records, saying “state lawmakers are misinterpreting language in the state’s public-records laws to avoid turning over their calendars, emails, text messages and other materials connected to their work,” according to the Tacoma News Tribune. (Read more here)

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray finally resigns after a fifth person accuses him of sexual abuse. Murray’s younger cousin accused the mayor of molesting him in the 70s. “There would be times when I would fake sleeping because I didn’t want him touching me,” Joseph Dyer, now 54, said in his accusation. Murray still maintains the allegations are false.

City Council President Bruce Harrell will become interim mayor at 5pm today when Murray’s resignation becomes effective. Harrell will serve for the next five days – at the end of which he will decide to either continue as interim mayor for the next two months or allow the City Council to choose a different member as interim mayor.

King County is fined a mere $361,000 for the West Point treatment plant breakdown that sent 235 million gallons of sewage into the Puget Sound. The Washington Dept. of Ecology has also outlined improvement requirements that may cost up to $1 million. “A treatment-plant failure of this magnitude is completely unacceptable,” Ecology Director Maia Bellon said in response to the fines and improvement requirements issued.

Oak View Group’s KeyArena renovation proposal may “pump at least $40 million into traffic and transportation mitigation.” Seattle City Council has yet to officially approve the $600 million project but is expected to release more information before December 4^th – the proposed day for voting.

Seattle is running a homeless sweep under the West Seattle Bridge this week to remove people who are illegally camping in the area that has seen 235 total thefts so far this year.

Spokane’s Republican commissioners voted to allow Gov. Inslee to select newest commissioner. Once appointed, they will fill the position on the Spokane County Commission that was held by Shelly O’Quinn until this last July. Inslee will be selecting between County Treasurer Rob Chase, County Chief Deputy Auditor Mary Kuney and marketing executive John Guarisco.

Columbia Basic College in the Tri-Cities will be led by Rebekah Woods. The board of trustees made their final decision this last week to hire Woods as president based on her 20-year history of success as a college administrator.

Benton PUD will raise their rates an average of 1.9% – effective at the beginning of next month – to help cover the 3.8% increase in their cost of electricity. Benton buys their electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration.

Hanford workers have evaporated enough liquid waste to free up 525,000 more gallons of storage space for radioactive waste at the nuclear site.

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