Prosecutor cuts office hours in response to budget cuts

Prosecutor Denis Tracy said crimes may begin to be prosecuted less vigorously if Whitman County’s budget woes continue.

Because of the county’s sagging revenue totals, Tracy’s 2010 budget is $21,902 below 2009. To cover that cost, Tracy’s office will be open to the public two hours less per day during 2010 than it was in 2009.

Tracy told the Gazette Tuesday the reduction in hours is a result of leaving a receptionist position unfilled.

“We have fewer people in the prosecutor’s office, but we do not have fewer cases,” Tracy said in a statement released Monday morning. “While this will inevitabl...