Investigations
Auditors flag half of Washington counties over COVID-19 aid
Findings of fraud or misuse remained rare despite short deadlines set for local governments to spend billions in emergency relief.
Jacob Jones
Jacob Jones is Cascade PBS's investigations editor, dedicated to pursuing public-interest accountability stories throughout the state. He previously worked as a staff reporter at The Inlander in Spoka
Latest work
Investigations
A year of Crosscut investigations into federal pandemic aid
WA Recovery Watch published over 30 stories on funding delays, disparities and unspent aid. Here's what came from that reporting — and what's next.
Inside Cascade PBS
Crosscut’s Recovery Watch project wins WashCOG’s Bunting Award
The Washington Coalition for Open Government recognized records and data reporting that helps readers learn about local pandemic relief spending.
Inside Cascade PBS
Learn how to match political candidates to federal relief dollars
Help fill transparency gaps by cross-referencing relief payments and disclosure reports listing businesses owned by public officials or candidates running for office.
News
Data gaps make relief payments to WA officials hard to trace
Learn how to match public officials and candidates to billions in federal relief dollars, and why watchdogs say financial disclosure rules need improvement.