50 years ago in Expo history: The fair’s big ‘skimming’ suit ended in a settlement

Expo ’74 reached a settlement over a legal dispute involving alleged “skimming” of profits from a number of concessionaires.

The details of the settlement were not disclosed. General manager Petr Spurney said only that “we have shaken hands with concessionaires.” The attorney for the concessionaires said he was “very satisfied.”

Expo also settled a pair of suits involving Joseph Scholnick, the former director of ticket marketing. That suit had been acrimonious at times, with Scholnick claiming that he was wrongly fired and also that the fair was teetering on bankruptcy.

Details of that settlement were also undisclosed, but Spurney said all of Expo’s “objectives” were achieved.

Meanwhile, another legal dispute had arisen with Tally Ho Lines of Spokane, which provided horse-drawn carriage shuttles between parking lots and the fair entrances. Several of the horses had bolted, causing one of the carriages to smash into a camper. Tally Ho was suing Expo for $20,000 after Expo canceled the contract in August.

From 100 years ago: A cornerstone was installed at the new West Valley High School in Millwood, scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

It would serve “virtually all the west side of the Spokane Valley.” Three school districts combined to build the school: Orchard Park, Trent and Pleasant Prairie.

Administrators planned to have 12 teachers and about 250 students upon opening later in the school year.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1953: Nikita Khrushchev appointed First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.