Erick Bengel

2 weeks ago | thenewstribune.com | Erick Bengel

A former Weston city recorder - whose tenure was marked by bookkeeping errors and suspected signature forgery - was often unsupervised, did not receive an employee handbook or formal training, and became overwhelmed in the role. A Umatilla County Sheriff's Office report, which the Union-Bulletin obtained through a public records request, details discrepancies that appeared in the city's financial records while the former employee served as city recorder from April 2024 to September 2024.

2 weeks ago | union-bulletin.com | Erick Bengel

A former Weston city recorder — whose tenure was marked by bookkeeping errors and suspected signature forgery — was often unsupervised, did not receive an employee handbook or formal training, and became overwhelmed in the role. A Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office report, which the Union-Bulletin obtained through a public records request, details discrepancies that appeared in the city’s financial records while the former employee served as city recorder from April 2024 to September 2024.

3 weeks ago | union-bulletin.com | Erick Bengel

A law enforcement investigation is unlikely to result in criminal charges for a former Weston city recorder whose tenure coincided with an outbreak of bookkeeping errors, according to Mayor Mike Dowd. The Umatilla County Sheriff's Office opened the case late last year after the city discovered copious irregularities, including unpaid and incorrectly paid bills, in its financial records. The sheriff's office could not immediately confirm whether the case remains active.

4 weeks ago | thenewstribune.com | Erick Bengel

WAITSBURG - Under a new city ordinance, the quantity of livestock a person may keep on their property now depends on the amount of open space available. For years the city has allowed an unlimited number of animals to be raised within at least a quarter-acre, or 10,890 square feet, of land, minus structures. This has led certain residents to keep an inordinate number, sometimes up to half a dozen or so large animals, in that restrictive space, according to City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe.

4 weeks ago | thenewstribune.com | Erick Bengel

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's public works director has been honored by the Washington State Department of Health for his decades spent serving the community and keeping its water clean. Jim Lynch, who has worked for the city since 1993 and stepped into his current role in 2014, received the Friend of Drinking Water award at the City Council's Wednesday, May 21, meeting.