In brief: Scout restaurant closes amid hotel bankruptcy
Scout, a downtown Spokane eatery that opened in 2012 in the Montvale Hotel, closed its doors recently, a bankruptcy trustee said Monday.
The restaurant opened in January 2012 in the space vacated by Far West Billiards. Scout was opened by Rob Brewster, owner of the Montvale Hotel.
Scout is the second of two restaurants that used space inside the Montvale, at 1005 W. First Ave. The other, the Catacombs Pub, closed last month.
In February, Brewster filed for bankruptcy protection for the Montvale, listing debts exceeding $3 million.
While the Montvale goes through bankruptcy, trustee David Gardner said that has no effect on leasing space inside the building to new business operators. Gardner said he is seeking offers from applicants who wish to take over either restaurant space.
The closure of Scout took place the weekend of June 2, but Gardner said neither Brewster nor any staff at Scout contacted him about the closure.
“I heard about it from my hotel management company,” Gardner said.
That company, HMS of Spokane, is operating the Montvale, and Gardner said the hotel is operating normally.
SEC paying $580,000 in retaliation lawsuit
WASHINGTON – The Securities and Exchange Commission is paying $580,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former assistant SEC inspector general who accused the agency of firing him in retaliation for bringing possible misconduct to light.
The SEC reached the settlement last month with David Weber, who sued the agency in November. Weber’s attorney, Cary Hansel, announced the settlement Monday. Weber was the assistant inspector general for investigations, one of those responsible for probing allegations of misconduct by SEC officials and employees. He is an attorney and a certified fraud examiner.
Weber had raised concerns about possible inappropriate relationships between former SEC Inspector General David Kotz and women he worked with on investigations of the Ponzi schemes run by Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford.
Weber also warned of a security flaw in some SEC computers that contained sensitive stock-exchange data.
Kotz, who left the SEC in January 2012, has denied the allegations. He didn’t immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Monday.
Lululemon Athletica looking for new CEO
Lululemon is on the hunt for a new CEO.
The yoga clothing company that made headlines earlier this year for its see-through pants issue said Monday that CEO Christine Day will step down as head of the company after a successor is named. Day has held the CEO spot for more than five years.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. shares dropped nearly 14 percent in after-hours trading following the news.
The time is right to bring in a new CEO to drive the next phase of Lululemon’s growth, Day said in a statement, given that the company has laid plans for the next five years and crafted a vision for the next 10. Day will continue to lead the company while the board searches for a new CEO.
The Canadian company made the announcement as it reported a slight increase in its fiscal first-quarter profit on higher revenue.
Lululemon earned $47.3 million, or 32 cents per share, for the quarter that ended May 5. That’s compared with $46.6 million, or 32 cents per share, in the first quarter last year.