Briefcase

Niko’s closes after 26 years downtown

Niko’s, a fixture in the downtown Spokane restaurant scene, has closed.

General Manager Pauline Riley said owner and chef Laith Elaimy prepared the last of the restaurant’s Greek and Mediterranean dishes Friday, 26 years after he founded the restaurant around the corner from what came to be its permanent location at Post Street and Riverside Avenue.

“Twenty-six years is beyond normal for any restaurant,” said Riley, who has worked with Elaimy for 14 years.

She opened the restaurant’s popular wine bar in 1998, and said she would not be interested in continuing without Elaimy, who is retiring.

“We absolutely adored him,” she said.

Riley said she has no immediate plans, other than helping Elaimy wrap up Niko’s.

Bert Caldwell

Ambassadors Group settles with Virginia family

A Virginia couple who sued Spokane-based Ambassadors Group after their daughter became ill on a “People to People” trip have settled the lawsuit, court documents show.

First filed in 2008 in Eastern Washington’s U.S. District Court, the suit by Paul and Dorothy Spiotta said their daughter, who was 11 at the time, became malnourished during an Ambassadors-sponsored trip to Australia. Since she is a juvenile, the daughter is referred to only as “K.S.” in court papers.

The suit alleged Ambassadors’ employees failed to monitor the girl’s health and did not react when she became ill while on a three-week group education trip.

Attorneys for Ambassadors Group said the company’s guides did nothing wrong and were not negligent.

Court filings say the Spiottas’ daughter was hospitalized after the trip but recovered after several months of treatment. She is now 15 and in good health.

Terms of the settlement remain confidential.

Tom Sowa

Free paper shredding day planned in Spokane Valley

Spokane’s U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Spokane office of United Data Security are co-sponsoring a free paper shredding day Friday at the Metro Post Office parking lot, 5511 E. Alki Ave., Spokane Valley.

The free shred event runs from 7 to 11 a.m.

Representatives will be on hand to discuss how to protect information and avoid identify theft.

Tom Sowa

Cabela’s credit card suit settled for $10.4 million

SIDNEY, Neb. – Outdoor retailer Cabela’s has agreed to pay nearly $10.4 million and reform its credit card practices as part of a settlement with federal regulators.

Cabela’s will pay $10.1 million in restitution and pay a $250,000 fine. But the company, based in Sidney, Neb., did not admit wrongdoing.

Cabela’s agreed to eliminate improper fees it charged some customers for late payments and exceeding credit limits. It will also change the way it handles penalty interest rates, collection practices and notices to customers.

Associated Press