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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 8 |
| 1862 | 5 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 43 |
| 1877 | 32 |
| 1878 | 21 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 9 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 55 |
| 1884 | 21 |
| 1885 | 32 |
| 1886 | 18 |
| 1887 | 18 |
| 1888 | 17 |
| 1889 | 36 |
| 1890 | 7 |
| 1891 | 60 |
| 1892 | 121 |
| 1893 | 111 |
| 1894 | 115 |
| 1895 | 165 |
| 1897 | 7 |
| 1898 | 7 |
| 1899 | 21 |
| 1900 | 9 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 55 |
| 1904 | 37 |
| 1905 | 8 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 19 |
| 1909 | 66 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 23 |
| 1915 | 13 |
| 1916 | 33 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 6 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
1,263 stories matching expens
- The Expense Account Scandal
An investigation by the state bureau reveals that the Industrial Insurance Commission chairman was padding his vouchers to cover personal travel and family expenses.
- The Price of Justice in Olympia
A legal fight over venue costs in 1892 sparks anxiety among Thurston County taxpayers, revealing the administrative strain of high-profile litigation.
- County Commissioners Hike Taxes Amidst Deficit Fears
Facing a projected deficit in the current expense fund, the county board approves a 16-mill levy to cover rising costs in administration and infrastructure.
- City Council Struggles with Budget Deficits
Facing declining property values and stagnant income, the Kennewick council cuts park funding to keep the city afloat.
- The Battle for the County Clerk's Desk
A public spat between M. C. Belle and W. S. Jenkins over whether the county clerk’s office is a bloated expense or a manageable public service.
- The Politics of the Per Diem
A spat between county officials over travel expenses exposes the partisan friction simmering beneath local administrative life.
- State Funding for Washington's Farmers' Institutes
For the first time, the state legislature has appropriated $5,000 to support agricultural education across Washington's counties.
- The Courthouse Math Behind a Judge-Shrinking Plan
Tacoma officials weigh merging the Pierce and Thurston judicial districts to save $10,000 a year, even as prosecutors ask for more help.
- The High Cost of Paving Progress
A warning to the city that the frenetic pace of street regrading is pushing homeowners toward financial ruin.
- The Skagit County Sheriff’s 'First Class' Hotel
Newly formed Skagit County lacks a proper jail, forcing the sheriff to board inmates at local hotels at public expense.
- The Most Expensive Film in the Northwest
Dr. H. S. Clemmer pays a record-breaking $20,000 to bring the controversial film 'The Birth of a Nation' to the local theater.
- The Price of Policing the 'Unfortunates'
A budget report reveals that Seattle’s municipal court revenue plummeted after a policy change regarding how the city policed its marginalized citizens.
- The Price of Fire Protection
A debate in City Hall reveals the cost and complexity of securing fire hydrants and water service for a growing Seattle.
- Eatonville Doctor Accused of Taking School Funds
A physician is accused of embezzling district funds, sparking a frantic manhunt across the Puget Sound region.
- The Silent Screen Goes Dark in Richland
A local entrepreneur pulls the plug on the town's only movie theater after the community fails to support the expense.
- The Dust That Cost a Dollar: Kennewick’s Summer of Dry Streets
With city coffers empty and saloon licenses expired, the Commercial Club faces a parching summer. Will business owners pay for water, or let the dust settle?
- The Hidden Cost of Shipping Raw Hides
Seattle is exporting its wealth in the form of raw animal skins and buying back expensive leather—an economic cycle the editor calls 'almost criminal.'
- Democrats Call for Fiscal Reform
A new political club forms in Aberdeen to challenge the 'excessive expense' of Republican-led local government.
- The Fire Alarm Circuit That Left a Third of Seattle Uncovered
The 1894 fire department report celebrated lower expenses but warned that overloaded alarm circuits could leave a third of the city cut off during repairs.
- The Price of a Vote: Seattle’s 1884 Election Costs
A look back at the surprisingly high cost of democracy in early Seattle, where administrative overhead, printing, and legal red tape turned local elections into a financial burden for the growing town.
- Business Leaders Remonstrate Against Court Expansion
King County business firms petition the state legislature to block the creation of an additional Superior Court judge, citing unnecessary tax burdens.
- City Leaders Accused of Financial Mismanagement
A critical report on how city funds are being held in 'favored banks' while the city pays interest on its own debt.
- The State Is Broke: Why Olympia Needs an Emergency Legislature
A supreme court ruling on university lands has left Washington's brand-new state government without money to pay its own debts — and the Olympia Tribune argues the legislature must be hauled back to the capital before the state's credit collapses.
- The Streetcar That Ate the Profits: Third Street Line May Shut Down
A federal receiver gets permission to issue $15,000 in certificates, but the order bars any more money from being sunk into Seattle's losing Third Street railway.
- The Never-Ending Repairs of Front Street
A skeptical editorial questions the city's approach to maintaining the crumbling bulkheads and sidewalks of the waterfront.
Also about this, in other words
- The True Cost of Living
A haunting poem from the era exposes the impossibility of supporting a family on a mill worker's starvation wage.