Investigations

The Crook County Board of Commissioners has approved a new public records policy, marking the second major phase of an ongoing transparency initiative championed by Commissioner Seth Crawford with unanimous support from other commissioners.

A Central Oregon homeowner says he paid thousands in a deposit for a new roof, but after the charge went through, communication with the contractor stopped — prompting a credit card dispute and raising broader concerns about consumer protection. 

Crook County commissioners are seeking additional information and an independent third-party review of the Crook County Vector Control District after concluding the district's response to concerns raised earlier this year failed to adequately address a series of governance, financial oversight, and public meetings questions.

A dispute involving a Central Oregon contractor has progressed from complaints to state agencies and a mediated settlement agreement before the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) to court proceedings after a homeowner alleged the agreement was breached.

Kate Sinner, a director at Business Oregon with connections throughout state government, was selected Wednesday to take over as the executive director at Travel Oregon, the state’s tourism promotion agency.

Last week, a federal courtroom became the latest venue for examining the conduct of the Alfalfa Fire District and several of its officials and their efforts to silence the press.

Election night results suggest voters overwhelmingly rejected the levy while supporting fire funding requests elsewhere across Central Oregon, a result that could deepen questions surrounding one of the region’s most controversial fire districts.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has voted to move forward with a formal investigation into Alfalfa Fire District Chief Chad LaVallee, adding another layer to what has become a growing list of legal controversies and governance concerns surrounding the rural fire district and its leadership.

For months, the Prineville Review has been engaged in ongoing investigative reporting into the Alfalfa Fire District—most recently revealing a state investigation into alleged election law violations tied to the District, as well as documenting repeated and ongoing failures to comply with Oregon’s public meetings laws.

The Oregon Journalism Project has learned that an Oregon Court of Appeals judge who sided with PacifiCorp in a case brought by thousands of rural Oregonians caught in the 2020 Labor Day wildfires represented the utility giant for years before she left private legal practice.