In brief: Spokane man sentenced in bank robberies

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – An unemployed Washington state restaurant worker has been sentenced to two decades in federal prison for robbing banks in Illinois and two other states.

Carl Frederick Kieffer, 49, of Spokane, pleaded guilty in May in East St. Louis to charges linked to holdups weeks apart last year in O’Fallon, Illinois; Charlotte, Michigan; and Lusk, Wyoming. He was arrested shortly after making off with $3,300 from an O’Fallon bank.

Kieffer also was suspected of bank holdups last year in the Detroit suburb of Novi; Tipp City and Bolivar, Ohio; and Farmersville, Illinois. Investigators say he confessed to many of those, though he was never charged.

U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan noted that Kieffer has spent 30 of his 49 years behind bars.

Wendle hired in McMorris Rodgers’ office

Spokane native Chud Wendle has joined Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ local office as district director, the congresswoman announced this week.

“I was intrigued from day one by the challenges and opportunities this job would present,” Wendle said.

A member of the Wendle family that owns several area car dealerships, Chud Wendle was named McMorris Rodgers’ district director and will work out of her office in downtown Spokane. Wendle has spent the past six years in Pullman, where he worked in real estate and ran a frozen yogurt and cupcake shop with his wife, Cindy.

Wendle said his job description includes being the “eyes and ears” for the congresswoman in the district. He will handle legislative matters, though he will be available to assist with McMorris Rodgers’ re-election campaign. She faces challengers Joe Pakootas and Dave Wilson, and Tom Horne in the primary concluding next week.

In a statement announcing the hire, McMorris Rodgers praised Wendle’s ties to the community and his nonprofit work.

Otter challenger launches TV ad

BOISE – The first campaign commercial of the Idaho governor’s race is out, and it’s from GOP Gov. Butch Otter’s Democratic challenger, millionaire businessman A.J. Balukoff.

“Tired of business as usual in Boise? Then take a look at A.J. Balukoff, a successful businessman who’s created jobs by bringing people together to get things done,” the ad begins.

The ad stresses both Balukoff’s business credentials and his longtime service as chairman of the Boise School Board, a post in which he took a high-profile stand against the controversial Students Come First school reform laws, which Otter and GOP Schools Superintendent Tom Luna championed. Voters rejected the laws in 2012.

The ad began running Tuesday morning in southern and eastern Idaho, and is tentatively scheduled to start in the Spokane TV market in the “next week or two,” depending on fundraising, said Balukoff’s campaign spokesman, Mike Lanza.

Residents to weigh in on Columbia bridge

VANCOUVER, Wash. – With a 2-1 vote, Clark County commissioners have approved placing an advisory vote on November’s ballot to gauge public interest on a third bridge over the Columbia River.

With Tuesday’s vote, residents will weigh in on building a bridge in the east part of the county for an estimated $860 million, the Vancouver Columbian reported.

This is the latest episode in a protracted debate on how to relieve congestion between southwest Washington and the Portland area. Transportation officials in the two states have backed a plan to revamp the Interstate 5 crossing, but those efforts were stifled after Washington lawmakers balked at authorizing money. That bridge plan included light rail and cost an estimated $2.9 billion, but it would come with federal money.

Backers of a third bridge argue it’s a more affordable crossing.