EUGENE, Ore. – The woman accused of embezzling more than $100,000 from the Eugene Weekly newspaper, forcing the paper to close temporarily until community members came to the rescue, pleaded guilty to theft charges.
Elisha Joe Young, 38, of Springfield accepted a plea deal Tuesday morning in Lane County Circuit Court. Young was employed by the paper as the business manager.
She was accused of stealing money and failing to pay bills, leading to the entire staff being laid off in December 2023. Community members crowdsourced funds to save the paper and help it reopen…