Public Transparency

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is preparing to sign a proposed stipulated final order imposing a $1,000 civil penalty on Crook County High School Principal Jake Huffman, resolving a months-long state investigation into his private wrestling academy’s use of district facilities without paying required rental fees.

Crook County Library Director Sarah Beeler has abruptly resigned, leaving trustees and staff with unanswered questions about the circumstances of her departure, according to details uncovered from a September public meeting.

The Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority (OWWSA) is facing intensifying scrutiny after revelations involving both its former and current managers involving ethics and nepotism issues, and its former manager’s alleged misuse of district funds and other controversies that led to his quiet 2024 resignation.

Crook County has begun rolling out new transparency initiatives after mounting scrutiny over its handling of public records and compliance with Oregon’s open government laws.

At a recent public meeting about the financial health of OPERF, the $100 billion Oregon Public Employees Retirement System Fund, an activist criticized the Oregon State Treasury for losing money when it recently sold $4.5 billion in private equity holdings from the fund.

As Oregon state treasurer for eight years, Tobias Read didn’t have a discouraging word for “private equity,” the secretive investments that account for one quarter of the state’s $100 billion Public Employees Retirement System fund. 

The Prineville City Council has approved a resolution providing for remote video attendance at its public meetings, but questions remain about whether residents will be permitted to testify remotely.

In recent months, the Prineville Review has faced multiple waves of communications as part of an unsettling campaign of intimidation. From anonymous death threats to unfounded accusations of personal lawsuits, other things that are just simply inappropriate to be repeated here in publication, and now claims that our reporting amounts to “harassing volunteers”, it’s clear that some would rather silence difficult questions than face them.

Crook County, Ore. - The Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority (OWWSA) briefly placed a “media screening policy” on the agenda for its...

The Ochoco West Water & Sanitary Authority (OWWSA) is again poised to violate Oregon’s public meetings law, this time by giving just one day’s notice for its upcoming Aug 12th regular meeting — well below both statutory expectations and state guidance