Wal-Mart Project Withdrawn
March 12, 2002
Residents in north St. Louis County, Missouri were celebrating this week after it was announced in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that a proposed 74 acre
Al Norman
Kmart Closings Offset Wal-Mart Openings
March 11, 2002
The conventional wisdom is that Kmart’s implosion will be to Wal-Mart’s gain. The shutting down of 271 Kmart discount stores and 12 Kmart Supercenters, will
IKEA Still Up In the Air
March 10, 2002
Swedish furniture retailer IKEA can’t open its 300,000 s.f. carton yet in the community of East Palo Alto, California. On March 5th, the question of
Wal-Mart Gets Socks Blown Off
March 10, 2002
The city of Springboro, Ohio has boxed out stores like Wal-Mart and Meijer’s. According to the Dayton Daily News, officials in Springboro think such stores
Voters Give Boot to Home Depot Gorilla
March 8, 2002
On March 5th, voters in Mountain View, California finally got the Home Depot gorilla off their back. The grassroots citizens group which sent Home Depot
Wal-Mart Out Spends Residents on Ballot
March 7, 2002
Our contacts in Calexico, California filed this report regarding their March 5th.election, in which Wal-Mart successfully nullified an existing Calexico zoning ordinance that limited to
Voters Reject Wal-Mart, But Votes Still Counting
March 6, 2002
The Citizens for Preserving Reedley (CPR) are hoping that absentee ballots keep them on top of a ballot question that will keep Wal-Mart out of
Citizens Reject Home Depot at Ballot Box
March 6, 2002
We reported on 12/26/01 that the battle to stop Home Depot from invading Agoura Hills, California was coming to a head. On the March 5th
No Mall Group Continues Battle Against Lowe’s
March 6, 2002
On November 3, 2001, Newsflash reported on the battle of residents in the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to stop the rezoning of an excellent light-industrial
Home Depot Branches Out Against Small Firms.
March 4, 2002
Home Depot hopes to make billions of dollars by branching out into a new professional services program in three test markets in partnership with Service
Wal-Mart, the Nightmare Neighbor
March 4, 2002
Residents in Union County, North Carolina, the state with the 10th. highest number of dead Wal-Mart’s, are fighting a 200,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, which has become
Welfare for an “Emergency” Wal-Mart.
March 4, 2002
Merchants in Vinita, Oklahoma report that city officials are so covetous of expanding their Wal-Mart that they are seeking a $50,000 “emergency” grant to help
Two Big Box Ballot Questions March 5
March 2, 2002
Tuesday March 5th. will be a double-header for citizens fighting big box retailers. In Mountain View and Calexico, California, citizens groups have been organizing to
Home Depot’s Three Year Plus Battle
March 2, 2002
It only seems like an eternity that homeowners in North Miami have been fighting off a Home Depot (see 4/18/00 Newsflash). Home Depot wants to
Neighbors Say Kilbuck Wal-Mart’s a Killer
March 2, 2002
Dave Blackson, the chairman of the Kilbuck, Pennsylvania Board of Supervisors thinks a Wal-Mart supercenter is good for the taxpayers of his town. No regional
Maryland Senator Files Bills to Limit Store Size
February 23, 2002
State Senator Paul Pinsky, who represents District 22, Prince George’s County in Maryland, has filed Senate Bill 684, entitled: Zoning — Construction Permits — Retail
Vacant Wal-Marts Blot on Communities
February 22, 2002
Here is an opinion editorial that ran in the February 21st edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:” Vacant Wal-Marts leave a blot on communities.By Al
Wal-Mart Wants Double or Nothing
February 21, 2002
Roughly one month after being rejected by the small Illinois village of Plainfield (see 1/9/02 newsflash), Wal-Mart wants a second shot to have land rezoned
Wal-Mart Gets “Emergency” Approval
February 21, 2002
The City Council in Huber Heights, Ohio was in a big hurry the other night, because they had to deal with an “emergency” Wal-Mart proposal.
Wal-Mart Rezoning Called “Greed”
February 18, 2002
Wal-Mart’s effort to land on Airline Highway in the community of Prairieville, Louisiana, has hit some turbulence. According to The Advocate newspaper, opponents of the
A “Texbook Case” of Welfare for Wal-Mart
February 18, 2002
If you ever wonder how companies like Wal-Mart gain a “competitive” advantage in the retail world, you have to look beyond their “everyday low prices”
Neighbors fight Wal-Mart Eye Sore
February 18, 2002
Residents in Miramichi, New Brunswick are taking Wal-Mart Canada to task for trying to locate on 12 acres of residentially zoned land. Homeowners in the
Wal-Mart Buys Island Chain, Triples Stores.
February 11, 2002
Six months ago, I was invited to Puerto Rico at the invitation of the Centro Unido de Detallistas, an organization of small merchants. At the
Mayor Tells Developer to Sue His Citizens
February 11, 2002
For years, big box retailers have tried to conquer Ithaca, New York. Wal-Mart lost a very bitter battle there, and then developers tried to foist
Wal-Mart’s 4th Try in Mesa Goes to Ballot
February 8, 2002
In just about a month, voters in Mesa, Arizona will decide the fate of a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter — again. This is the fourth location
How Sprawled We See Thee Lie
February 8, 2002
Just ask local officials in Bethelehem, New York: There’s plenty of room at the inn for sprawlbox development. This little burg is now getting a
Attempted Murder At Wal-Mart
February 7, 2002
This is another in our series of vignettes about crime at Wal-Mart. Jury selection began this week in Lake Charles, Louisiana. According to the American
A Smiley Face Associate Story
February 7, 2002
According to a columnist in the Burlington Free Press this week, a trial in federal court involved allegations that Wal-Mart violated labor laws and even
Walgreens Forced to Leave Historic Site
February 1, 2002
Walgreens convenience store ran into a Wal of opposition in the small town of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Activists in Dartmouth, which is near the city of
Wal-Mart Can’t Afford to Build
January 31, 2002
I first reported on the brewing battle against Wal-Mart in Ellsworth, ME in a June 30,2000 newsflash. Here’s an update from CORD, the Citizens Organized
2nd Wal-Mart Won’t Chip in for Roadwork
January 31, 2002
Wal-Mart already has a 120,000 s.f. store in Enid, Oklahoma. So it seemed somewhat redundant and greedy to some residents of this community when Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart “Disappointed” by Rejection
January 28, 2002
About eight months ago, I first heard from residents of Spring Valley, Texas, a small community in the Houston market area. The community was organizing
County Adopts Cap on Building Size
January 26, 2002
Citizens in Hood River County, Oregon are celebrating this week a zoning victory. Here is a report from the Citizens for Responsible Growth on the
Supervisors Ignore Own Planning Vote
January 24, 2002
Township Supervisors in Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania, with police in attendance for “crowd control”, ignored the advice of their own Planning Commission this week, and voted
Corporate Welfare for Kmart
January 24, 2002
Kmart’s plunge into bankruptcy has not enhanced its image in the central city of Milwaukee, where some residents say Kmart is definitely not OK for
Wal-Mart On A Slippery Slope.
January 21, 2002
Some residents of Greeley, Colorado apparently believe that one Wal-Mart supercenter is one more than enough. But according to the Greeley Tribune newspaper, this city
Konover’s Target Shot Down 6-1.
January 17, 2002
The small Connecticut town of Canton (pop 9,000) will not be getting a Target store. One of New England’s most prolific developers, the Konover company,
From Farmland to Wal-Mart?
January 17, 2002
Residents in the small town of Florissant, Missouri report that they have begun organizing to prevent a Wal-Mart from setting up shop on a large
Double Trouble from Wal-Mart.
January 17, 2002
The community of Lacey, Washington is staring down a double-barrel shotgun. Here’s a report from Tristan Baurick about Lacey’s double trouble: “Wal-Mart is coming; and
Wal-Mart “Surprised” by Defeat
January 9, 2002
Wal-Mart never seems to be prepared for defeat. Yet another community in a long string of communities has wasted Wal-Mart’s plans to build a 24
Wal-Mart and the Pirates
January 9, 2002
On August 19, 2001, newsflash first mentioned the “Battle of New Orleans” to stop a 200,000 s.f. Wal-Mart supercenter from locating on 17 acres in
Wal-Mart Will Mean End To Country Living
January 7, 2002
Wal-mart has invaded Middletown, Delaware — and some local opponents understand the changes this superstore will bring, but they are not sure enough of their
Kmart On the Ropes, Service Merchandise Dies
January 7, 2002
Kmart was in the headlines this week as a Prudential Securities analyst downgraded the retailer’s shares to a ‘sell’ rating, prompting toldyouso analysts to suggest
Home Depot Pushes Its Way Onto Ballot
January 5, 2002
For almost three years, Home Depot has tried to get the people of Mountain View, California to allow them to build a store at the
Disabled Man Removed from Wal-Mart Store
January 5, 2002
Here’s another “the customer is boss” story from a Wal-Mart shopper who says he was certainly not treated like the boss. Rodney Jackson, a disabled
Wal-Mart Project Rises From the Dead
January 5, 2002
A Wal-Mart proposal in Virginia has risen like a vampire from the dead to terrorize an entire neighborhood. On February 3, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported that
Wal-Mart Pulls Out of City
January 2, 2002
The Citizens for Preserving Reedley (CPR) got some good news this week, when Wal-Mart announced its proposed store near the Kings River at the gateway
Wal-Mart “Screws Up” in Germany
December 31, 2001
More reports out of Germany suggest that Wal-Mart’s efforts to take this nation by storm have run into a WAL of cultural and government opposition.
Word of Wal-Mart Leaks Out to Neighbors
December 31, 2001
Homeowners in Lawton, Oklahoma have literally “woken up” to the fact that their city officials have been doing some real estate wheeling and dealing with
The Osgood File On Sprawl-Busters
December 28, 2001
The American Communications Foundation, based in Mill Valley, California, recently provided me with a copy of “The Osgood File” radio show, with Charles Osgood, from