Citizens Organize Recall Effort In Four Languages
January 19, 2006
Many citizens in Rosemead, California want to get rid of their Mayor, who has been a cheerleader for a Wal-Mart supercenter. Citizens have already removed
Al Norman
Wal-Mart, Home Depot Fail to Pay Environmental Taxes
January 19, 2006
Ever hear of a multi-billionaire tax delinquent? The state of California is chasing down a couple of deadbeat corporations that have failed to pay years
Labor Department Ends Special Deal With Wal-Mart.
January 19, 2006
Ready or not, here they come. Child-labor law enforcers from the U.S. Department of Labor are no longer going to give Wal-Mart 15 days advance
Home Depot Wants 400-500 New Stores–Activists Want To Stop Them
January 19, 2006
If you don’t already have a Home Depot where you live, hold the phone. The world’s largest home improvement store, the second largest retailer in
Wal-Mart Finds Haven in Grand Haven
January 18, 2006
Local citizens in Grand Haven, Michigan are getting a full dose of the Wal-Mart hustle, as township officials and the retailer gang up to push
Town Changes Zoning To Block Wal-Mart
January 18, 2006
Wal-Mart’s first steps into Amherst, New York were not very auspicious. Town officials have begun efforts to push the project right out of town. Here’s
Wal-Mart Folds Its Tent And Leaves
January 17, 2006
Unlike big boxes, citizen victories over big boxes come in all shapes and forms. In Northridge, California, about 20 miles from Los Angeles, residents are
Pension Fund Asked To Pressure Wal-Mart, Costco To Behave Ethically
January 16, 2006
One large Wal-Mart investor is being asked to help reform the retailer’s anti-community policies. On February 2, 2006, in New York City, a “responsible investing”
Thought of New Home Depot is Unpleasant
January 15, 2006
Many residents in Pleasanton, California find the thought of another huge Home Depot store in their community an unpleasant idea. Plans for a Home Depot
Wal-Mart Somehow ‘Missed’ Wetlands
January 14, 2006
Wal-Mart, which prides itself on its state-of-the-art technology in product delivery and inventory, somehow failed to inventory the existence of wetlands on the parcel it
Activists Win Fair Share Health Override in Maryland
January 14, 2006
The Governor of Maryland and Wal-Mart were the big losers this week, when the Maryland state legislature voted to override the Governor’s veto of a
The Sun Sets On Home Depot’s Plans
January 12, 2006
Plans to build a Home Depot in the Sunset Harbour neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida has sunk below the horizon this week. Angry residents, who
Wal-Mart Wants Store In Floodplain
January 12, 2006
Put on your hip boots, shoppers. Wal-Mart wants to build a supercenterin the floodplains of Amherst, New York, and the residents think the plan is
Wal-Mart Worst Spot For Police Calls 4 Years Straight
January 11, 2006
It’s official. The results are in. For the fourth year straight, Wal-Mart has won the top spot as the crime magnet in Tucson, Arizona. The
Several Towns Push For Size Limits on Superstores
January 11, 2006
Damariscotta, Maine is described by the region’s Chamber of Commerce as “your doorway to classic Maine.” Local residents along Route 1 in mid-coast Maine want
Residents Want Right To Vote On Wal-Mart
January 11, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported on September 20, 2005, that residents in Fairfax, Ohio had formed a group, Fairfax First, to stop the development of a proposed 200,000
County Sues County Over Wal-Mart Distribution Center
January 8, 2006
Two counties are locked in a legal battle over a Wal-Mart distribution center four times larger than one of their supercenters. Approval by the Putnam
Parish Ignores Hundreds of Wal-Mart Opponents
January 8, 2006
The St. Tammany Parish Council had to ignore the pleas of more than 300 Covington, Louisiana residents last week when they voted to support construction
Developer Spent $90,000 To Lose A Vote
January 8, 2006
Money can buy many things — but not always an election. Big box developers rely on money — and more money — as their main
Residents Battling Wal-Mart Supercenter
January 8, 2006
Sprawl-Busters has received the following update report from residents in the town of Cortland, New York: “We have a very active citizens’ group, Citizens for
Wal-Mart Approval Overturned By Court
January 5, 2006
Now you see it, now you don’t. Officials in Lodi, California had their plans turned upside down just before Xmas, when a San Joaquin County
Wal-Mart Chairman Helping To Evict Tribal Peoples
January 5, 2006
S. Robson Walton, the son of Sam, is the Chairman of the Wal-Mart Board of Directors. He has served on the Wal-Mart Board for 28
Home Depot Slam-Dunked In First Hearing
January 4, 2006
There was very little doubt about how the Planning Commission in Newark, Delaware felt about Home Depot’s plans to build a large store in this
Home Depot Plan Attracts Opposition
January 4, 2006
There is already a Home Depot less than 10 minutes away, but the Atlanta-based retailer continues its plans to saturate the area surrounding the town
Another ‘Lunch Break’ Class Action Against Wal-Mart
January 4, 2006
Wal-Mart gets sent to the back of the class — again. A judge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ruled n December 27th that Wal-Mart workers who charge
Officials Worry Over Wal-Mart’s ‘Dark Stores’
January 4, 2006
Sprawl-Busters has been writing about Wal-Mart abandoned stores for six years now, and the media is starting to get the picture. At most points in
Voters Seek To Recall Pro Wal-Mart Politicians
January 2, 2006
In Rosemead, California, a vote for Wal-Mart can be a political swan song. Last May, Sprawl-Buster’s reported that residents in the city of Rosemead had
Home Depot Sued Over Secret Rental Damage Fee
January 1, 2006
Home Depot has been secretely adding a 10% fee to all its rental equipment — without letting consumers know about it. That’s according to a
Fair Share Health Care Bill To Be Heard This Month
January 1, 2006
Lawmakers in New Hampshire will take up legislation this month that requires large corporations to pay their fair share of health care costs for their
City Appeals Home Depot Approval On Traffic Concerns
December 31, 2005
City officials in Capitola, California say they are not trying to kill the Home Depot project, but that it’s traffic impact is just not workable
Haitian Business Destroyed’Not By Earthquake, But By Home Depot
December 31, 2005
A Haitian immigrant who built a multi-million business in New Jersey is now fighting to survive financially — a victim not of the recent earthquake
Home Depot Plans Get Nailed.
December 31, 2005
Home Depot’s plans to build a “small” 100,000 s.f. store on 64th street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, got nailed by area residents this week, who
Home Depot Withdrawal Called Blessing In Disguise
December 31, 2005
When Home Depot announced last week that it was pulling out of plans to build another giant store in Columbus, Ohio, some people were more
Grocer Warns Residents Of Wal-Mart’s Impact
December 30, 2005
A proposed Wal-Mart store in Hartford, Wisconsin has generated significant opposition in that community. On September 17, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Hartford had
Wal-Mart Begins New Year By Shutting Down Store
December 27, 2005
Wal-Mart is celebrating the New Year in Dumas, Arkansas by shutting down its discount store. Wal-Mart doesn’t like to talk about underperforming stores, but in
Home Depot Employee Drives Car Through Store Entrance
December 27, 2005
Ali Warrayat, 24, of Gilbert, Arizona went out for a drive on December 18th that ended up in the paint department of the Chandler Home
Where Home Depot Goes, Lowe’s Is Sure To Follow.
December 26, 2005
Everywhere that Mary went, her lamb was sure to go. A story from Knight Ridder News today explains why every time you see a Home
Santa Gives Home Depot The Gift of Public Welfare
December 24, 2005
Christmas is the season of giving, and even big corporations need “gifts” to stay in business. Home Depot is the 3rd largest retailer in the
The Twelve Days of Wal-Mart
December 24, 2005
For the past several years, Sprawl-Busters has featured a Christmas wish to Wal-Mart from Dee Brantley, of Lake Charles, Louisiana, who has a Wal-Mart supercenter
Jury Slams Wal-Mart with $172 Million ‘Work Break’ Fine
December 23, 2005
Wal-Mart has learned the hard way this week that there’s literally no free lunch. In its 2005 Annual Report to stockholders, Wal-Mart warned investors that
Wal-Mart Dropped From Deal
December 23, 2005
Christmas came a few days early in Elk Grove, California, when a Wal-Mart supercenter fell off Santa’s sleigh and broke into tiny pieces. According to
The Tortoise Loses Race With Wal-Mart.
December 23, 2005
Gopher tortoises have been around for at least 60 million years, but it looks like they are losing the race to survive to a faster
Home Depot Developer Breaks Ground, But Breaks Law
December 23, 2005
What was supposed to be a festive ground-breaking, complete with shovels and earth being turned, instead turned into a major embarrassment for a Home Depot
Citizens Take Wal-Mart To Court
December 22, 2005
A citizen’s group called the Informed Citizens Alliance (ICA) has filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to stop work on a 104,000 s.f. Wal-Mart
Grocer’s Association Campaigns Against Wal-Mart Saturation.
December 22, 2005
The National Grocer’s Association (N.G.A.), whose members have largely taken the brunt of Wal-Mart’s movement into the superstore/grocery business, has written to its members this
Developer Pulls Wal-Mart Out of Project
December 20, 2005
What sound does Wal-Mart make when it gets dropped on its head? That’s the sound you’ll hear today in Porterville, California, where a developer has
Planning Committee Denies Wal-Mart, Lowe’s Rezoning
December 20, 2005
Although the final decision will rest with the Town Council, anti-Wal-Mart activists in Harrisburg, North Carolina won a victory this week when the Planning and
Lawsuits Say Wal-Mart Secretly Manipulated Time Sheets
December 20, 2005
An update sent to Sprawl-Busters from a Massachusetts Attorney Robert Bonsignore, suggests that Wal-Mart is facing a serious class action lawsuit because of its prevalent
Thirteen years After Defeat, Wal-Mart Returns
December 17, 2005
A developer based in Fairfield, Connecticut has filed plans with the state of Massachusetts for a 160,000 square foot big box store in Greenfield, Massachusetts,
Jesus Saves–By Shopping At Wal-Mart?
December 17, 2005
As we head into the season that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, here is a letter that was sent to Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott