MORNING BRIEFING: Winter is coming and Santa is here.

HERE

City Council will consider a $472,000 contract to pave a new portion of Centennial Trail along Summit Boulevard between Bridge and Boone avenues. (S-R)

Police are searching for the man who robbed an arcade at Spokane Valley Mall at gunpoint Friday night. Hundreds of people at the movie theater next door were evacuated. (KREM)

More than two-thirds of calls to Washington Healthplanfinder's customer-support center in Spokane Valley went unanswered in October due to unexpectedly high call volume. (Seattle Times)

THERE

Winter is coming to the East Coast this week and its timing couldn't be worse for holiday travelers. (LA Times)

In a historic deal struck Sunday in Geneva between Iran and six world powers, Iran agreed to halt to its nuclear program in exchange for temporary relief on some trade sanctions. Secretary of State John Kerry was apparently the "closer." (WaPo)

President Obama kicked off this his West Coast fundraising tour in Seattle on Sunday. At his first stop, he was greeted by protesters demonstrating against the Keystone XL pipeline. (Seattle Times)

SANTA! OH MY GOD! 

The jolliest elf of all has arrived at River Park Square. (Inlander)