History for Chron

A fire destroyed all of the inventory and most of the building that housed Millwood Furniture Co. on East Montgomery Avenue.

Kenneth Knudson, battalion chief for Spokane Valley Fire District 1, said fire had already burst through the business’s windows when the first alarm came in at 1:27 a.m. A crew of 14 firefighters and five trucks got the blaze under control in about 90 minutes, but the damage was severe.

Knudson estimated the damage at about $500,000.

A federal judge ruled against former President Richard Nixon’s attempt to block government officials from rummaging through boxes he left behind.

U.S. District Court Judge Aubrey E. Robinson Jr. said the law clearly gives the government the right to look at anything deemed to be presidential historic materials.

“There’s got to be a preliminary determination immediately of what is personal and private,” Robinson said. “And if it’s personal and private, it doesn’t belong to the government.”