<\/p>\n
From 1976:<\/strong> Was the local stagehands union causing entertainment acts to skip Spokane?<\/p>\n Promoters said yes. Some complained that Spokane\u2019s stagehands were overpaid and that \u201cthe local union sometimes used more men than needed for setting up a show.\u201d<\/p>\n A new report, prepared by city staff, refuted these arguments. The stagehands\u2019 wages had increased by 10 % recently, \u201cbut the wages are not, taken as a total, higher than Seattle wages.\u201d<\/p>\n The report concluded that \u201cthere is little to support any allegations of nonprofessional work standards within the stagehands\u2019 union.\u2019<\/p>\n The report did find that one particular circumstance fueled some of the complaints. The stage manager of the Opera House and the stage manager of the Coliseum were brothers. Both were the sons of the former Coliseum stage manager, who was now business manager of the firm that handled stagehand and projectionist bookings.<\/p>\n The report said it could find no \u201cabuses of this dual role,\u201d but admitted the \u201csituation is undesirable from the point of view of the city\u2019s image.\u201d<\/p>\n From 1926:<\/strong> How easy was it to buy booze in Prohibition-era Spokane?<\/p>\n Ridiculously easy. You didn\u2019t even need to ask for it.<\/p>\n At least that\u2019s what one reformer reported after staging an experiment in downtown Spokane.<\/p>\n He said he walked into the Oregon Bar on West Main Avenue, ordered two drinks, without specifying the contents. He tasted them and \u2013 sure enough \u2013 it was \u201cmoonshine whisky.\u201d<\/p>\n He did the same thing at the nearby Garni Bar. He slapped $1 on the counter, without saying a word, and received a glass of moonshine.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n