Shannon Braddock speaking to her supporters on Election Night. As of this morning, shes holding the lead over Lisa Herbold at 52.25 percent.
Shannon Braddock speaking to her supporters on Election Night. As of this morning, she's holding the lead over Lisa Herbold at 52.25 percent. KR

Moderates Holding Their Leads in Seattle City Council Races: The latest ballot count shows Shannon Braddock, Tim Burgess, and Bruce Harrell leading over Lisa Herbold, Jon Grant, and Tammy Morales, respectively. Ballots are still being counted!

Amazon to Fund University Research: The online retailer announced a new program today, called Amazon Catalyst, that will fund university-based research into "complex challenges" such as immigration and climate change.

In Other Positive Amazon News: Beginning in 2016, the company will offer 20 weeks of paid leave to new birth mothers and six weeks to other parents, including fathers, as well as eight weeks of flexible time for mothers and primary caregivers upon returning to work.

Washington State "Decades Behind" in Treatment of Developmentally Disabled: More people here are institutionalized than in other parts of the country.

Officials still aren't sure what made people sick.
Officials still aren't sure what made people sick. Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com

More People Sickened by Chipotle: The number of people who've contracted E. coli from eating at Chipotle in Washington has risen to 29, reports the Seattle Times. Officials are still waiting for tests to determine what poisoned the diners, but they suspect it was fresh produce.

Was Russian Jet Bombed? US and UK officials suspect a bomb planted in luggage or somewhere else on the plane by Islamic State or affiliated terrorists was responsible for killing 224 people, reports Politico.

Scientists Map Source of the Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest: "A large team of scientists has nearly completed the first map of the mantle under the tectonic plate that is colliding with the Pacific Northwest and putting Seattle, Portland and Vancouver at risk of the largest earthquakes and tsunamis in the world."

The major surprise, Allen said, is that the mantle beneath a small piece of the Juan de Fuca plate is moving differently from the rest of the plate, resulting in segmentation of the subduction zone. Similar segmentation is seen in Pacific Northwest megaquakes, which don’t always break along the entire 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) length, producing magnitude 9 or greater events. Instead, it often breaks along shorter segments, generating quakes of magnitude 7 or 8.

It's Now Legal to Buy a Glass of Wine in Fircrest, WA: Voters finally overturned the city's 90-year ban on alcohol sales by the glass.

Also Strangely Legal: Religious arbitration, in which religion is used to sort out secular problems like claims of financial fraud and wrongful death and is often "impervious to legal challenges." "Customers who buy bamboo floors from Higuera Hardwoods in Washington State must take any dispute before a Christian arbitrator, according to the company’s website."

What Is This Disgusting Scene Out of a Horror Movie??! "At first, we didn't know what to make of it. There were so many of these odd, pink clumps all over the sidewalk. From a distance, it looked like raw hamburger." Ewww....