Local News

A state Department of Social and Health Services worker spent more than 75 hours browsing the Internet on the job during a four-month stretch last year, according to an audit released Monday. The worker, who was not identified, used his computer to shop for boats, motorcycles, pet supplies, guns and a chainsaw, according to a report…

We’ve all wished we could have more than 24 hours in a day. At the Special Commitment Center — a state facility for sexual predators –maybe you can. One center employee reported (and got a supervisor to approve) working 88 hours on a single day last year, according to a state audit released Monday. An administrator told auditors…

The Associated Press Washington auditors have determined that pre-retirement salary increases led to more than $30,000 in excess pension payments for three former firefighters. The Department of Retirement Systems projects that it will save the system more than $140,000 over the coming years by permanently reducing the combined pension values for the three retirees. State officials concluded that…

The launch of all-electronic tolling on the Highway 520 bridge cost the project $40 million in uncollected revenues during nine months of delay, according to a state performance audit released Friday. The report says “unclear roles and inadequate policies” plagued the state Department of Transportation (DOT)’s implementation in 2010-11 while bids and specifications were being arranged…

A state Department of Ecology employee gave more than 85 hours of free massages to coworkers during workdays last year, according to an audit released Monday. Shannon Cline, who recently left the agency, was attending a massage-therapy school and was required to practice a certain number of hours to obtain a license, according to a state Auditor’s Office…

Seattle Public Schools lost a significant amount of money this past school year by failing to charge rent for about 9,000 hours of facility usage by outside groups. The district also hasn’t followed up on about $103,000 in past-due fees, according to state auditors, and may not be receiving as much as it should from city parks department…

The City of Seattle lacks consistent standards on purchasing and payments, making it hard to tell if what the city is buying is for a legitimate public purpose, according to an audit report released today by State Auditor Brian Sonntag. The audit finding says that 48 of 50 randomly selected city payments totaling $238,617 were inadequate…

A  report taking a critical look at the way internal investigations are handled inside the King County Sheriff’s Office is expected to be released this morning by the Metropolitan King County Council. The 69-page audit conducted by a Chicago security management consulting firm, makes eight findings and 18 recommendations on ways the department can improve policies and provide law enforcement…

Seattle City Councilmembers today called for an independent audit of Seattle Public Utilities’ financial practices in the wake of the arrest of a former employee on suspicion of stealing $1 million in developer payments for water main extensions. City Councilwoman Jean Godden, chair of the Libraries, Utilities and Center Committee, asked the Seattle City Auditor to…