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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 3 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 11 |
| 1893 | 10 |
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| 1895 | 19 |
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| 1903 | 6 |
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| 1925 | 1 |
88 stories matching audit
- Corruption Charges in Snohomish County
The Snohomish County Attorney charges commissioners with 'malfeasance, misfeasance, corruption, and misdemeanor' in a sweeping legal bid to remove them from office.
- The Mayor's Ultimatum to the Board of Health
Mayor J.T. Ronald demands the resignation of the Health Board after they refuse to fire the health officer for being 'opprobrious.'
- Railroad Giant Swallows Sound Steamship Line
Northern Pacific Railroad absorbs the Puget Sound & Alaska Steamship Company to consolidate management and slash operating costs.
- City Treasury Nearing Empty, Controller Warns
Controller L. Q. Jackson reveals Tacoma's coffers are so low the city may soon struggle to pay for basic services, forcing a halt to promotional spending.
- County Surveyor Ames Accused of Skimming Wages
A scathing editorial calls for the immediate removal of County Surveyor Ames for payroll fraud.
- The City and County Spar Over Who Pays for the Poor
Mayor Ronald and health officials grapple with a budget crisis over the medical care of impoverished residents, highlighting the administrative friction in 1890s Seattle.
- The Shake-up at Chehalis
After fourteen years of controversy, the state removes the superintendent of the reform school amid allegations of suppressed scandals.
- City Treasurer Decamps as Embezzlement Scandal Rocks Seattle
City Treasurer Adolph Krug has fled the city after an audit revealed a $20,000 deficit in his accounts.
- Aberdeen Banker Arrested While Auditing His Own Failed Bank
C. T. Wooding, called in to untangle the defunct Aberdeen bank's books, is charged with perjury — and the town cries foul.
- The Campaign to Defend John H. McGraw
Prominent citizens and former associates testify to the character of the Republican sheriff as rumors of past gambling and dishonesty circulate on the campaign trail.
- Tacoma’s Great Fires of 1903
A year-end audit of the city's fire department reveals a staggering $309,000 in property loss, largely driven by massive blazes at industrial warehouses and cereal mills.
- The Populist Takes the County Treasury
After a long bond fight, J. W. Maple finally took control of King County's money—and the temporary treasurer resigned rather than stand in the way.
- The Phantom Section Hands of the Northern Pacific
A roadmaster at Cle Elum is arrested for padding six railroad crews with fictitious workers—until a foreman’s conscience, and the auditors, caught up with him.
- The Silence at the Vancouver Institution
A Walla Walla father challenges the state’s neglect of oral education methods for deaf children.
- The Fake Auditor of J. Pierpont Morgan
A Seattle hotel swindler successfully impersonates a corporate auditor to extract cash.
- The Jailhouse Audit: Seattle's 1877 Infrastructure Battle
Before the city's modern boom, King County commissioners were locked in a tense legal standoff over the construction costs of the local jail.
- The Adjutant General and the Missing $40,000
Ortis Hamilton was charged with embezzling state and national military funds—and an audit found 90 percent of the Washington towns checked so far were also short.
- The Struggle to Feed and House King County's Poor in 1876
Newly surfaced county records reveal the bureaucratic grind of managing public welfare, road construction, and the sequestration of municipal rents in 1870s Seattle.
- The Price of Order: Seattle’s 1878 County Budget
A deep dive into the 1878 King County audit reveals a frontier government struggling to balance the books through liquor licenses, jail construction, and the high cost of local justice.
- The Treasurer’s Bond Had a Hole in It
Seattle’s treasurer-elect filed a $90,000 bond, but wives’ names were penciled in, signatures were missing, and one backer wanted out.
- The Political Hatchet Job That Failed
A Port Townsend city treasurer finds himself the victim of a coordinated, sensationalist smear campaign—only for the local press to walk it back.
- The Auditor's Ledger Reveals County Financial Chaos
A two-year audit of Yakima County's books exposes missing records, uncollected taxes, and an impossible-to-balance treasury.
- The Great City Printing Graft
Seattle’s local newspapers accused the Telegraph of padding city bills, sparking a political firestorm that reached the city council.
- City Hall's Belt-Tightening Cost Two Officers Their Badges
Facing a sudden budget crunch in 1876, the Seattle City Council moves to dismiss two members of the police force to balance the books.
- The Audit Error That Almost Sent a Clerk to Prison
A tragic mix-up of names and a hurried stamp by an overworked clerk led to a major forgery indictment against a Seattle county employee.