Wal-Mart “Ditched” From Developer’s Plans.
May 3, 2005
After two years of wrangling and lawsuits, a developer has reached an out of court settlement with neighbors in Leominster, Massachusetts. The settlement deletes a
Al Norman
Wal-Mart Next To Graveyard May Lead To Disinterment
May 3, 2005
So determined are today’s big box developers, that they are willing to build their store literally over dead bodies. According to the Reidsville Review newspaper,
City Council Rejects One Wal-Mart, OKs Another.
May 3, 2005
Wal-Mart tried desperately to avoid the embarassment of defeat in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by trying to withdraw its petition to rezone 25 acres to build
City Officials Laying Groundwork for Wal-Mart Sprawl
May 1, 2005
City officials in Delhi, California think a Wal-Mart supercenter will help them get sales tax revenue back from neighboring towns. Instead of engaging in regional
Lawmakers Want 3% Sales Tax On Big Box Stores
May 1, 2005
Lawmakers in Maine are considering imposing a new sales tax on big box stores, like Wal-Mart, which they say cost state taxpayers money when their
Voters Reject Target, Lowe’s Project
April 30, 2005
On April 26th, the voters of San Luis Obispo in a special election voted 51% to reject a big box superstore project, including a Target,
Wal-Mart Shuts Store, Lays Off 200 Workers
April 30, 2005
They’d rather have no store, than a unionized store. That seems to sum up Wal-Mart’s antagonism against organized labor. If workers get too strong, shut
Citizens Ask Courts To Stop Wal-Mart Construction
April 26, 2005
Apparently a lawsuit against a Wal-Mart supercenter in American Canyon, California was not enough to halt work on the proposed project. City officials gave Wal-Mart
Chinese Workers Strike Wal-Mart Supplier
April 24, 2005
Wal-Mart may have trouble keeping its shelves stocked with Chinese-made phones, as a result of a worker action in Shenzhen Province in China. According to
Support For Anti-Wal-Mart Resolution Grows
April 24, 2005
My first contact with residents from Murphysboro came in mid-March, when a local resident wrote: “Walmart has a store in Murphysboro, Illinois. The town is
Supervisors Reject Wal-Mart Supercenter
April 24, 2005
Supervisors in Carroll Township, Pennsylvania voted this week to reject plans for a 250 acre retail center, anchored by a Wal-Mart supercenter. The developer, Lobar
Wal-Mart’s “Alpine” Store Gets Hostile Reception
April 23, 2005
It was standing room only at the Deerwood Elementary School in Orange County, Florida on April 14th, when Wal-Mart came to dazzle the crowd with
Wal-Mart Rezoning Goes To The Ballot
April 20, 2005
Another Wal-Mart proposal is going to the voters, this time in Benson, Arizona. According to the San Pedro Valley News-Sun, the special election will take
Waltons Lobby To Lower Their Estate Taxes
April 20, 2005
USA Today reports this week that Sam Walton’s daughter, Alice, has led a Walton family lobbying effort to permanently repeal the federal estate tax. President
Wal-Mart Debate Stirs Conflict Of Interest Charges
April 20, 2005
They say there are two things you should not watch being made: sausage and legislation. But add a third: zoning decisions. In Helotes, Texas, citizens
Lawmaker Calls Wal-Mart ‘Welfare Queen.’
April 19, 2005
Watch your wallet, Wal-Mart is in town. The giant retailer has a giant appetite for subsidies, and nothing satisfies like a big fix of Medicaid
Citizens Continue Ten Year Battle Against Wal-Mart
April 18, 2005
Sam Walton boasted that if a community didn’t want Wal-Mart, they wouldn’t “create a fuss”, but simply move on to other communities that did want
Wal-Mart Loses First Round Vote
April 15, 2005
The local newspaper said there was “roaring applause” this week when the Vienna, Michigan township Planning Commission voted 3-2 to reject a Wal-Mart application for
Wal-Mart Makes Absurd “Wildlife” Offer
April 13, 2005
Today across America there are roughly 356 empty Wal-Mart buildings, totalling 26 million square feet. Add in the parking lots, and you’ve got roughly 52
Lowe’s Suffers Island Defeat
April 13, 2005
Lowe’s, the nation’s number two building supply chain, suffered a significant defeat this week at the hands of residents of Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Here’s
Citizens Take Wal-Mart Decision To Court
April 11, 2005
Residents of Tarpon Springs, Florida have been fighting a Wal-Mart supercenter for months now, and because of one person’s vote, have been forced to take
City Wants Wal-Mart To Pay For Frivolous Legal Bills
April 10, 2005
The city council in Turlock, California is considering a measure that would force Wal-Mart to pay for the city’s legal bills if its lawsuit against
Residents Don’t Want Supersized Wal-Mart.
April 10, 2005
The picturesque city of Santa Fe, New Mexico already has a Wal-Mart. They’ve had one for twenty years. But the retailer wants to supersize its
Home Depot Runs Out of Parking Space.
April 9, 2005
Home Depot couldn’t find a place to park this week in Pembroke Pines, Florida. The home improvement retailer wants to build a second store only
Wal-Mart Doesn’t Like “Go Dark” Provision
April 9, 2005
Local residents in Lockport, Illinois have spent as much as $45,000 in legal bills fighting a Wal-Mart supercenter in their community, and all they got
Congressman Want ABC to Drop Wal-Mart Sponsorship
April 8, 2005
Sam Walton’s autobiography was titled “Made In America,” but since that book was written (by a Fortune magazine editor) not much else at Wal-Mart has
Wal-Mart Resorts To Publishing Its Own Surveys
April 7, 2005
You know its gotten pretty bad when a retailer has to commission its own survey to show that people want them around. After all, we’re
State Lawmakers Work on (Wal-Mart) Health Care Benefit Law
April 6, 2005
Legislation widely seen as targeting giant retailers like Wal-Mart, which provide weak health care benefits for its employees, is moving through the Maryland General Assembly
Ohio Developer & Wal-Mart Buy Victory Over Size Limits.
April 6, 2005
Local residents opposed to a Wal-Mart expansion suffered a setback last night, as voters in Bennington, Vermont opted in a special election to remove a
‘ Wal-Mart Loses Referendum Due to Anti-Wal-Mart Hysteria
April 6, 2005
The voters of Monroe, Wisconsin made what the local newpaper called a “clear choice” Tuesday night, handing Wal-Mart a decisive defeat at the polls. The
Wal-Mart Media Event News Fizzles; Union Launches New Offensive
April 5, 2005
Wal-Mart loves managed news, and their idea of the marketplace of free ideas is to invite a pre-selected group of journalists to a hotel room
Attempt to Block Wal-Mart on May 3rd Ballot
April 4, 2005
What other retailer in the world ever faces ballot questions to block their construction? The idea of citizens trying to stop a store using the
Threat of Wal-Mart Spurs Citizen Opposition
April 3, 2005
All it takes is the shadow of a Wal-Mart to get people upset. Here’s a frontline report from residents in Palmer, Alaska: “It was about
Lawmakers Seek Limits to “Predatory Superstores.”
April 3, 2005
Three city council members in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania introduced a new ordinance on St. Patricks’ Day that is sure to turn retailers like Wal-Mart green. Bill
. Vice Chairman of Wal-Mart Board Nailed in Financial Scam
March 26, 2005
One of my favorite Wal-Mart associates is leaving the company. Tom Coughlin, who came up with the memorable quote: “At Wal-Mart we make dust, our
Property Rights Groups Pushing Oregon-Style Measure 37
March 26, 2005
Like a land use virus spreading from state to state, Oregon’s new Measure 37 law is attracting property rights advocates in other states, prompting anti-sprawl
Wal-Mart Holds First-Ever “Media Conference.” No interviews please.
March 24, 2005
From Wal-Mart’s perspective, the best news is managed news. Wal-Mart loves news that comes out of a can. Everything is carefully scripted, so that what
Wal-Mart Gets Slam-Dunked By Opponents
March 24, 2005
Residents in Upland, California can celebrate this week the passing of another Wal-Mart supercenter. Despite Wal-Mart’s grandiose plans to build 40 supercenters in California, a
State Lawmakers Pass Wal-Mart Subsidized Tax Break Bill
March 24, 2005
Lawmakers in Indiana have been burning the midnight oil trying to help the world’s richest retailer use state tax dollars to subsidize it’s operation. As
Krispy Kreme Kloses Wal-Mart Stores
March 23, 2005
How sweet it is! No more “hot doughnuts now” at Wal-Mart. Doughnut maker Krispy Kreme is klosing its shops inside Wal-Mart stores, in a klear
Residents Battling Over Wal-Mart Supercenters
March 22, 2005
City officials in Columbus, Ohio seem to be swooning over a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter, but local residents are prepared to fight the giant retailer and
Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million in “Janitorgate” Case
March 19, 2005
The headlines across America this week announced that Wal-Mart had agreed to settle a lawsuit against it for $11 million for using illegal workers to
Lowe’s Gets Hammered At First Hearing
March 19, 2005
Home improvement giant Lowe’s is probably used to nailing down its plans without much community resistance, but on Pawleys Island, South Carolina, this week, it
City Sticks By Plan to Keep Out Big Boxes
March 17, 2005
The city council in Carlsbad, California has decided big box stores are not worth pursuing. The city has been engaged in months of negotiations over
NLRB Orders Hearing On Wal-Mart Unfair Labor Charges
March 17, 2005
Every Wal-Mart manager is warned by the company not to “Threaten, Interrogate Promise, Spy” on their workers. Wal-Mart calls this their TIPS on unionization. But
Lowe’s Tries To Get Around Size Cap
March 16, 2005
No community is really an island, and some of the most beautiful and fragile places in America are fair game for big box retailers. In
Residents Alarmed by Prospect of Wal-Mart
March 14, 2005
Sprawl-Busters has received the following report from the community of Crystal Lake, Illinois regarding an unwanted Wal-Mart supercenter: “I am a resident in the Cary,
Citizens Explain Opposition to Wal-Mart
March 14, 2005
Several activists from Pullman, Washington contacted Sprawl-Busters to correct our earlier story about Pullman, in which we incorrectly moved the town to Idaho. Pullman is
Activists Explore “Ethics Test” For Big Box Retailers
March 13, 2005
Activists in Longmont, Colorado are researching a new way to put a crimp in development plans of big box retailers. Here’s their report: “Our thought
Residents Concerned By Wal-Mart Saturation.
March 13, 2005
Wal-Mart has been applying pressure throughout Utah to open up new stores in this state. Newsflash has written about clashes in towns like Centerville and