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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Primary election ballots go out for Spokane County

Ballots were mailed this week for Spokane County’s Aug. 16 primary election.

Only registered voters in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Medical Lake, Fire District 9 and the Spokane and Deer Park school districts are to receive ballots.

Those who don’t have their ballots by Aug. 5 should call the Election Office at (509) 477-2320, officials advised.

More information, including a list of ballot drop-box locations in the affected cities and districts, is available at spokanecounty.org/ elections. Information on candidates and other issues on the ballots are available at spokesman.com/ elections.

John Craig

Spokane man gets two years for tax fraud

A Spokane man was sentenced to nearly two years in prison Thursday for tax fraud he committed from jail.

Richard C. Vancil, 44, was sentenced to 23 months for submitting 63 false income tax refund claims totaling more than $92,000 for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax years while an inmate at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, Wash.

He waived indictment April 19 and pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false claim for income tax refunds, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Vancil filed three tax returns in his name; the other 60 were submitted in other inmates’ names, the news release said. His scheme was discovered by the state Department of Corrections and the Internal Revenue Services Fraud Detection Center.

The Internal Revenue Service prevented payment on two dozen of the claims but issued refunds totaling nearly $55,000 on the other claims.

Vancil has been ordered to pay restitution to the IRS for the false claims.

Chelsea Bannach

Two oversized loads scheduled for weekend

Two more cut-down versions of oversized loads are scheduled to travel from the Port of Lewiston to the Idaho/Montana border this weekend.

The controversial shipments will travel north on Highway 95 to the Interstate 90 interchange in Coeur d’Alene, then east on I-90 to the Montana border, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

The average speed of the loads is expected to be about 35 miles per hour and will cause traffic delays limited to 15 minutes, a transportation department news release said; 25 locations have been identified where traffic can pass.

Both shipments are nearly 18 feet wide, 14 feet high and 76 feet long. One weighs 85,000 pounds, the other 88,000 pounds. Two Idaho State Police patrol vehicles and pilot vehicles will accompany each load, the news release said.

The loads are carrying Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil equipment to Alberta. One will leave the port Saturday at 10 p.m., while the other will leave Sunday about 10 p.m.

Chelsea Bannach