Wal-Mart Annexation Get Dumped
May 9, 2007
Wal-Mart got the message loud and clear this week in North Aurora, Illinois, when village officials turned down an annexation plan on a 5-1 vote,
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Citizen’s Group Publishes Own Big Box Traffic Study
May 7, 2007
The standard procedure in zoning cases across America is that the developer trots out his hired traffic engineer, who proceeds to explain how adding 12,000
Rare Turtles, Fly Ash Part of Wal-Mart Plan
May 6, 2007
Wal-Mart is so desperate for large parcels of land in Massachusetts, that it is willing to locate on top of a former coal ash landfill,
State Teachers Urge CREF To Strengthen Oversight Of Wal-Mart
May 5, 2007
On February 19, 2006, Sprawl-Busters noted that TIAA CREF, the teacher’s pension fund, is the 15th. largest institutional investor in Wal-Mart, holding 20.5 million shares,
Empty Wal-Mart Turned Into A Jail
May 4, 2007
What do you do with a huge, empty Wal-Mart? For the past decade, Sprawl-Busters has chronicled the moth-balling of hundred of what Wal-Mart calls their
Wal-Mart Offers City $1 Million ‘Sweetener’
May 3, 2007
Wal-Mart has gone from asking for a public handout, to passing money out in Alabama. The Birmingham News reports this week that Wal-Mart has offered
Developer Pulls the Plug on Wal-Mart Supercenter
May 3, 2007
Community pressure has squeezed Wal-Mart out of another community. On April 18, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that Anne Arundel County, Maryland, had five Wal-Marts, but the
Judge Sides With Wal-Mart, But Still No Store
April 30, 2007
Sprawl-Busters reported on June 26, 2005 that the city council in Harrison, Ohio had rejected a zone change request to build a Wal-Mart SuperCenter. Wal-Mart
Residents Gear Up To Fight Off Wal-Mart Supercenter
April 28, 2007
Sprawl-Busters received the following short report from citizens in Bath, New York who want to keep Wal-Mart out of their community: “One week ago Wal-Mart
Judge Sides With Wal-Mart In Citizen’s Appeal
April 28, 2007
On March 13, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Roanoke, Virginia had filed a lawsuit to stop a Wal-Mart supercenter from being built. The group
Mayor Loses Courageous Legal Battle With Wal-Mart
April 28, 2007
Jun Choi, the current Mayor of Edison, New Jersey, does not want a Wal-Mart supercenter in his township. But the agreements approved by township officials
Roadwork & Access Could Stymie Wal-Mart Plans
April 28, 2007
Is Wal-Mart willing to foot the bill for major roadwork to their front door? On February 28, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in the tiny
Wal-Mart Seeks To Destroy Mexican ‘Little Jewel’
April 28, 2007
Wal-Mart de Mexico was created in 1991 to promote the giant retailer’s business interests in Mexico. Today, Wal-Mart runs 903 stores in Mexico, and is
Council Expected To Formally Dump Wal-Mart Plan
April 24, 2007
In an update to a story we brought you on March 8, 2007, ABC News reports that Wal-Mart may crash and burn this evening in
Wal-Mart Tire Customer Wins $4 Million Negligence Suit
April 22, 2007
Carolyn Thome of Montgomery, Alabama won a $4 million lawsuit this week against Wal-Mart, and it only took her three years to do it. Thome
Wal-Mart Appeals Superstore Project Delay
April 22, 2007
On May 6, 2006, Sprawl-Busters printed a letter from a small merchant in Woodland, Washington, who was concerned about the damage that a proposed 163,000
Mayor Asks Residents Not To Shop At Nearby Wal-Mart
April 19, 2007
The Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama says that a new Wal-Mart supercenter just outside his city’s limits is getting an unfair tax break. Mayor Bobby Bright
Supreme Court Allows Unionization of Wal-Mart to Proceed
April 19, 2007
Two strikes and you’re out. That’s the score in Canada, where Wal-Mart has now lost two Supreme Court battles in their three year effort to
Home Depot Shrinks Its Store Size
April 18, 2007
Sometimes it takes a big company a long time to understand a little message. But the world’s largest home improvement retailer, because it is running
Wal-Mart Uses Sham Corporations To Avoid Taxes
April 18, 2007
Yesterday, the April 17th federal tax day, WakeUpWalMart.com launched a national tax day protest in 64 cities and 28 states to highlight the fact that
Wal-Mart Spends $300K to Win Ballot Question
April 18, 2007
In a corporate democracy, the one with the most money wins. That’s the rule they follow in Bentonville, Arkansas, where Wal-Mart makes lavish “gifts” to
Judge Rules Against Local Homeowners In Wal-Mart Case
April 17, 2007
On April 13th, a Superior Court judge in Wake County, North Carolina set back efforts of local residents in Knightdale to block a Wal-Mart superstore
Wal-Mart Opens Three-Level Store
April 16, 2007
Community groups often complain that Wal-Mart’s single-floor, windowless box is the worst form of retail sprawl, and that the retailer could do a better job
Another Lawsuit Filed in Wal-Mart ‘Time Shaving’ Case
April 15, 2007
The West Virginia Record newspaper reported this week that another lawsuit has been filed against Wal-Mart, charging the company with stealing from its own workers
City Officials Slammed For “Berlin Wal” of Secrecy.
April 15, 2007
Wal-Mart wants to build a 156,000 s.f. superstore on 25 acres of land in Berlin, Wisconsin, across the street from an existing Wal-Mart discount store
Wal-Mart Threatens To Turn Fair Field To Foul Field
April 14, 2007
On November 2, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart lost a tie vote by the Planning Commissioners in Fairfield, California. The retailer wanted to transfer from
Penn & Teller Go After Sprawl-Busters
April 13, 2007
Greenfield, Massachusetts native Penn Jillette, the talking half of the Las Vegas-based magic act Penn & Teller, turned his TV lens back on his hometown
County Sides With Wal-Mart Opponents
April 11, 2007
Sprawl-Busters reported on December 17, 2005 that a group called the Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association (FNA) had organized in response to a Wal-Mart supercenter proposed for
Citizen’s Petition Throws Wal-Mart Into Neutral
April 11, 2007
City planners in Forest Lake Minnesota last week gave initial approval to the expansion of the city’s Wal-Mart discount store into a superstore. The retailer
Area Residents Trash Wal-Mart’s ‘Survey’
April 9, 2007
Last month, the Butte County Board of Supervisors unloaded a list of objections to a proposed 210,000 s.f. Wal-Mart in north Chico, California. Wal-Mart wanted
Wal-Mart Fights The Case Of The Shinking Superstore
April 7, 2007
After nearly six years of wrangling, Wal-Mart and the City Council in Lawrence, Kansas will step into a courtroom later this month, as the retailer
Judge Throws Out Two Wal-Mart Lawsuit. Case Continues.
April 7, 2007
A Judge in Douglas County, Kansas has thrown out two lawsuits filed against city officials in Lawrence, Kansas for their refusal to approve a Wal-Mart
Target Project Stirs Opposition
April 6, 2007
Residents in Petaluma, California think a Florida developer’s proposed Target retail complex is just “Peta-looney,” and they’re organizing to block it. Residents sent Sprawl-Busters the
Wal-Mart Officially Shuts Down Its Effort
April 5, 2007
On February 8, 2007, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wal-Mart’s proposal in Westbrook, Maine appeared over, after a bitter, three year battle with local residents. It was
Wal-Mart Loses Battle To Balloonists
April 5, 2007
Wal-Mart got that deflated feeling this week, when the city council in Albuquerque, New Mexico shot down their plans for a superstore. The opponents that
Wal-Mart To Turn Fruit Bowl Into Sprawl-Bowl
April 4, 2007
Sprawl-Busters first wrote about Yakima, Washington four years ago, on February 21, 2003. At the time, citizens wrote: “Yakima is a city of about 85,000
Citizens Tie Wal-Mart Up In Court For Half A Decade
April 2, 2007
On August 8, 2002, Sprawl-Busters reported that residents in Monroe and Union County, North Carolina had successfully kept out a Wal-Mart supercenter by challenging their
Wal-Mart Removes Endangered Tortoises From Superstore Site
March 31, 2007
Endangered species in your way? Rent a backhoe. That’s what Wal-Mart did this week in Florida. A Wal-Mart backhoe began removing an endangered species from
Village Officials Misled By Wal-Mart Revenues
March 30, 2007
Local residents in North Aurora, Illinois have been gathering signatures in opposition to a proposed Wal-Mart, and testified this week against a proposed superstore. The
Wal-Mart Slammed for Lobbying Against Port Security
March 29, 2007
Community activists this week charged that Wal-Mart and other retailers are placing their profits ahead of national security. The group Wake Up Wal-Mart, helped coordinate
Home Depot Uses Arsenic-Treated Lumber Near Public Wells
March 28, 2007
Township officials in Lacey, New Jersey may have to go to the well one more time in response to citizen frustration over a 1,400 foot
Wal-Mart Finds A Worm In The Big Apple
March 28, 2007
Be careful what you bite off, Mr. Scott. It appears that Wal-Mart’s CEO has found a big worm in The Big Apple, and the retailer
Wal-Mart Abandons Its Superstore Plan
March 25, 2007
On July 20, 2006, Sprawl-Busters reported that a group called the Concerned Citizens of Folsom had organized to stop a proposed 208,412 s.f. Wal-Mart supercenter
Judge Keeps Wal-Mart Construction On Ice
March 25, 2007
Despite the heat of controversy over a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter in American Canyon, California, the construction site has been on ice for the past four
Wal-Mart Warned: Stop Selling Contaminated Cypress Mulch
March 24, 2007
An environmentalist in Georgia has warned big box retailers with garden centers to stop selling contaminated ‘cypress’ mulch, or face legal liability for doing so.
State Officials Choose Wal-Mart Over Agricultural Preservation
March 24, 2007
State agricultural officials in Michigan, instead of protecting valuable farmland, are protecting Wal-Mart. The Bay City Times reports today that the state’s Department of Agriculture
Wal-Mart’s Option Runs Out
March 24, 2007
The mood in Rapho township, Pennslyvania, is a lot lighter this week-end, as the shadow of a Wal-Mart supercenter has suddenly disappeared. The Intelligencer Journal
Wal-Mart Loses Court Appeal in Superstore Case
March 21, 2007
This past week, a Broward County, Florida judge gave residents in Davie, Florida something to get juiced about. Wal-Mart had proposed to build a 24/7
Citizens Take Wal-Mart to the Ballot
March 21, 2007
In the old days, Wal-Mart could breeze into a community, talk up the local folks, blow a zoning change by the City Council, and be
Huge ‘Lifestyle’ Center Seeks Corporate Welfare
March 19, 2007
Residents in Eagle, Colorado are battling to stop a huge “mixed-use” project from swallowing up their town as they know it. Sprawl-Busters received the following