Rep. Matt Manweller Steps Down from Leadership Role in the House: Manweller, who has twice been investigated over claims of sexually harassing his students at Central Washington University, was put on administrative leave from the university this week as CWU said it was investigating Manweller over new allegations. Manweller has claimed he is innocent (it's just his "quirky personality"), but has now agreed to step down from his role in the state legislature as assistant floor leader. He was also removed as the top-ranking Republican on the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee.

Open Enrollment Ends Today! It's the last day to sign up for health insurance in the state exchange to get coverage over the next year. To get yours, go to wahealthplanfinder.org.

"Watch Out for the Wealthy": That's from a real public comment on a proposal to create subsidized housing for homeless seniors at the empty Fort Lawton in Magnolia. You must read this piece on the wealthy neighbors opposing the idea. "To most, these unused buildings at a closed army post called Fort Lawton look unremarkable," Heidi Groover writes. "But look again through the lens of Seattle’s homelessness crisis and they represent a sort of civic Rorschach test."

Washington State Ranked as Fifth Worst Drivers in the Country: A study by a Seattle-based insurance comparison company found that across the country, driving-related deaths have increased 14 percent. "The cause? Americans are simply spending more time on the road, and still texting and talking while driving, the study found," the Seattle Times reports.

Seattle Police Recommend Charging Sheley Secrest Over Democracy Vouchers: SPD recommended that Secrest be charged for false reporting; their investigation concluded that Secrest put her own money into the democracy voucher program "and claimed it was donated by Seattle voters to qualify for up to $150,000 in vouchers," the Seattle Times reports. City Attorney Pete Holmes' office has not yet decided whether to charge Secrest for what would be a gross misdemeanor.

Oh God, Six Workers May Have Been Contaminated at Hanford: It happened at the Plutonium Finishing Plant.

THERE IS A BAGEL PLACE OPENING UP ON CAPITOL HILL?!?!?! I'm not talking about Montreal-style bagels; reportedly, there is a New York-style bagel place opening up on East Madison soon. Hesitant to get my hopes up, but:

“The recipe testing was a very intensive process,” Westman said, adding that she and Dimas also went on a New York City tasting tour of around two dozen different bagel shops.

“We now can tell a good bagel by just looking at the crumb,” Dimas said.

Westman and Dimas said the research showed that bagel bakers are a more secretive group than you may have thought. “There are lots of secrets in the bagel industry,” Dimas said, “and lots of disinformation from other bakers.”

(Bagel Oasis up north also does a solid job.)

A Lesson for Democrats from Alabama: "In the wake of Doug Jones’s victory Tuesday over Roy S. Moore, some Democrats are making the case that the party erred in recent years by failing to put enough of its resources into engaging with black communities, who helped produce the stunning upset in Alabama on Tuesday — and who turned out heavily in Virginia last month as well," the New York Times reports.

Critically:

The discussion comes in a year in which the party has debated its mission: Should it focus on luring the white working-class voters who found appeal in President Trump? Or should it look to solidify the diverse crop of voters who have been most loyal?

Women Democrats Want to Investigate Trump for Sexual Harassment and Assault: Representative Trey Gowdy, a Republican from South Carolina who heads the right committee for such an investigation, rejected the idea. But Dems will continue to push.

Can We Stop Worshipping Elon Musk Yet:

Elon Musk making a strong case for being the worst https://t.co/H89N0BJuDA pic.twitter.com/dFMif2NjyJ
— Matt Blackwell (@matt_blackwell) December 15, 2017