The state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments between the City of Seattle and the group Safe King County over whether or not voters should have a voice in banning drug injection sites. Although Safe King County had enough signatures last year for its initiative to ban injection sites, the city sued to prevent it from appearing on the ballot. (My Northwest)

The question at the heart of the debate over Initiative 1631, which would implement an energy tax, is “who will pay the tax?” Spoiler – you would pay. Home heating and gasoline costs would be just a few of the daily items that would increase under I-1631, but advocates try to pretend just big companies will pay. (Seattle Times)

Text messages between Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez, as well as mega liberal donor Nick Hanauer, were released, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the sudden repeal of the jobs tax. “Pulling the head tax down now is super super smart and strategic,” Hanauer texted the mayor. Read more about the topsy-turvy world of progressive policy making here. (Seattle Times)

Cedar Grove Composting has agreed to pay more than $785,000 to settle a lawsuit after it was deemed responsible for a bad smell. Lynyrd Skynyrd asked if we could smell that smell…and for the people of Marysville that smell was compost. The company will also spend $1.45 million to prevent future issues. (Everett Herald)

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and challenger Lisa Brown will meet in a battle of ideas tonight at Northwest Passages forum in Spokane. Voters are hoping for an opportunity to hear more about the solutions each candidate has, but…probably it’ll be a bunch of talking points and “gotcha” zingers. Politics, right? (The Spokesman-Review)

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