Investigations

The board of the Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority (OWWSA) held an illegal special meeting Tuesday night, July 29th, after issuing just four hours’ notice to the public and media—far short of the 24-hour bare minimum required by Oregon law.

Mike Smetzer, the owner of the now-defunct Central Oregon Motors, was arrested Wednesday, July 2nd, by the Crook County Sheriff’s Office following a grand jury indictment that returned on June 27th, according to court records.

The Prineville Review filed a formal grievance Wednesday morning against the Crook County Board of Commissioners, alleging the county failed to provide timely and specific notice of a public hearing concerning a controversial expansion of the TSR North Solar Facility near Powell Butte.

The Prineville City Council will hold its previously postponed public hearing on a proposed 10% rate increase for Republic Services at its regular public meeting scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10 at City Hall.

Republic Services is once again asking the Prineville City Council to approve a rate increase for solid waste collection services. A public hearing on the request is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 387 NE Third Street.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) voted unanimously Friday to launch a formal investigation into Crook County High School Principal Jake Huffman, finding there is “a substantial objective basis” to believe he may have violated state ethics laws by using his public position and school district facilities to benefit a private wrestling business he owns.

A proposal to grant Crook County Fire & Rescue Chief Matt Smith an approximate 8% raise was rejected by the majority of the district’s elected board during its public meeting on Friday

Florida, the “Sunshine State,” once known as a beacon of government transparency, is growing ever darker, and the clouds are spreading throughout the United States.

Following an ongoing dispute over public records sought by The Prineville Review from Crook County since November, Oregon’s Public Records Advocate has raised serious concerns about the county’s handling of public records requests—both generally and in relation to this publication’s outstanding requests.

A Crook County water district is facing severe financial and governance issues following allegations of misappropriating thousands of dollars, general mismanagement, and potential ethics violations by its elected board—nearly half of which has now resigned.