Elisha Young, Eugene Weekly's former business manager embezzled from the paper for years, bringing the paper to a halt in December 2023. It began printig again in February 2024. Young pled guilty this week to five felony counts of theft, just weeks before she was set to face a jury trial in May.
Courtesy Eugene Weekly staff
Just over two years ago, Eugene Weekly, the city’s longtime alternative-weekly newspaper, came to a shocking halt. EW’s editor announced that their beloved paper was flat broke — not because of mismanagement, but because their business manager had apparently been embezzling for years. The paper was missing $100,000, with an additional $200,000 in bills that hadn’t been paid. Editor Camilla Mortenson said she had no choice but to lay off the entire staff, including herself, just before Christmas in 2023. But with a strong upwelling of community support, the paper resumed printing in February 2024.
In the meantime, a veritable saga unfolded as Elisha Young, the former business manager, was brought to justice. She ultimately pled guilty this week to five felony counts of theft, just weeks before she was set to face a jury trial in May. Mortensen said the paper has been thriving, but is still building back to where it was before the embezzlement began. She joins us to share the more details about the impact these unfolding events have had on the paper, its staff and the community it serves.
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