Voters Elect Anti-Sprawl Slate
March 22, 2006
Residents in Saranac Lake, New York, which fought off a Wal-Mart in the 1990s, are now celebrating a second victory against sprawl. Village elections yesterday
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City Approves 13 Homes in Home Depot Parking Lot
March 22, 2006
Parking lots are traditionally thought of as a place to park cars. But not at Home Depot. In Calgary, Canada, the retail giant apparently struck
Will A Super Wal-Mart Play in Peoria?
March 21, 2006
Heads up, Peoria, Arizona: Wal-Mart has big plans for your community. Sprawl-Busters received the following SOS today from Peoria: “Wal-Mart is proposing to move into
Town Passes Six Month Freeze On Big Boxes
March 21, 2006
There won’t be any big box stores anytime soon in the town of Nobleboro, Maine. Two days ago the town meeting passed a six month
Citizens Decide To Appeal Wal-Mart Ruling
March 20, 2006
In late February, a hearing examiner in Pullman, Washington rejected efforts by local residents to block a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter. The City Supervisor said at
Union Releases ‘Wal-Mart Tax’ Health Care Study
March 19, 2006
The AFL-CIO released this past week a 16 page study of the public subsidies that state and federal taxpayers provide to the private retailer, Wal-Mart,
Massachusetts Big Box Developers Sprawling Over Maine
March 19, 2006
With major retail developers from Massachusetts assaulting towns like Damariscotta, Thomaston and other mid-coast Maine communities, the residents in Ellsworth report that another Massachusetts developer
Religious Groups Pursue Court Case Against Wal-Mart Location
March 19, 2006
Wal-Mart has already started building a store three times the size of a football field in Guelph, Ontario, in Canada. But a multi-faith religious group
Residents Organize Against Home Depot
March 19, 2006
Citizen activism against big box stores knows no political boundaries. Sprawl-Busters received the following report this week from north of the border, where residents feel
Disabled Win $13 M Class Action Suit Against Kmart
March 19, 2006
This past week Kmart offered a $13 million blue light special — but its owner, Sears Holding, was not too pleased. The beleaguered retailer settled
Home Depot Cuts Its Safety Managers Nationwide
March 19, 2006
Sprawl-Busters received word this week from one of our sources that Home Depot has made a major cutback in its store safety program. In past
Music To Defeat Wal-Marts
March 18, 2006
Sprawl-Busters received the following email this week: “You don’t know us, but we’re a Canadian roots band called the Dust Poets. We just released a
Martin Leedy, Anti-Wal-Mart Music
March 18, 2006
Adam Olson of Giantslayer Records & Publishing sent Sprawl-Busters the following lyrics this week from a new song by Danny Green. Here are the lyrics,
Citizen Pressure Stops ‘Lifestyle’ Retail Sprawl
March 15, 2006
On March 8, 2006, Sprawl-Busters brought you the first-hand account of a citizen’s revolt in Canton, Michigan against a developer’s plans to convert a golf
Citizen Lawsuit Stalls Wal-Mart For A Year
March 13, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported in April of 2005 that residents in Lockport, Illinois had taken their city to court fighting a Wal-Mart supercenter in their community. The
Mayor Says Wal-Mart ‘Selfish’ Over Road Fee Dispute
March 12, 2006
The Mayor of Monument, Colorado thinks Wal-Mart is holding a grudge against the town, and is acting in a selfish way. He’s referring to Wal-Mart’s
State Sues Over Secret Wal-Mart Welfare Deal
March 12, 2006
In July of 2004, Sprawl-Busters reported that Wisconsin’s Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager had filed a complaint in Dodge County Circuit Court against a private development
Wal-Mart’s Retail Musical Chairs
March 12, 2006
The following story, which was sent to Sprawl-Busters by Elizabeth Davis, narrates the intricate tangle of uncontrolled growth in a southern town under development pressure:
State Rules Wal-Mart Detention Pond Is a Wetland
March 9, 2006
Wal-Mart is drowning in its own water. We reported on February 15, 2006 that the Conservation Commission in Hadley, Massachusetts ruled that a detention pond
Wal-Mart Could Hinge On Election Results
March 9, 2006
Sprawl-Busters reported on December 6, 2005 that Wal-Mart had returned to the scene of a defeat back in 1999, when their plans to build in
Residents Rally Against ‘Lifestyle’ Center
March 8, 2006
Over the past several years, developers have been trying to mask the huge scale of their retail projects by calling them “lifestyle” centers. Words like
Citizens Push for Size Cap
March 4, 2006
Citizens in Bitterroot, Montana have proposed a zoning ordinance that would limit the size of retail stores, and require developers to measure the impact of
Wal-Mart Scraps Plans to Expand Into Superstore
March 3, 2006
For Wal-Mart, trying to expand their discount store in Punta Gorda, Florida has been like hitting their head against the WAL. And this week, local
Wal-Mart Gets Ethics’Worldwide
March 2, 2006
Just about one year ago, Sprawl-Busters announced that Wal-Mart had introduced a new Office of Ethics for its workers, complete with a toll free number
Residents Gear Up To Block Home Depot
March 1, 2006
Home Depot tries to hide in Wal-Mart’s shadow, hoping that citizens will not consider them as objectionable as a Wal-Mart supercenter. But the fact is,
Residents Revolt Against Two Supercenters 4 Miles Apart
March 1, 2006
There isn’t one good reason to have two Wal-Mart supercenters four miles apart, and the residents of Great Falls, Montana understand that. Residents in Great
Citizens Create ‘Chain Against Chains’ in Wal-Mart Battle
March 1, 2006
Residents of Fairhope, Alabama figure there’s one thing that a chain store like Wal-Mart understands: other chains. So the group of Wal-Mart opponents, known as
Wal-Mart Finally Revealed, Citizens Unhappy With Secrecy
February 28, 2006
“Bad news on the horizon,” a resident of Spooner, Wisconsin writes this week. “The Mayor admits Wal-Mart has been presented as a concept, but still
Eight Years Later, Wal-Mart Returns
February 27, 2006
In 1998, residents in Kilmarnock, Virginia asked me to visit their community to help them ward off rumored interest by Wal-Mart in their small town.
Wal-Mart Pays Another Environmental Fine
February 26, 2006
Wal-Mart, the giant retailer that likes to appear environmentally green, will have to fork over some of that green for damage its stormwater runoff did
Spending political campaign funds at Wal-Mart apparently doesn’t play well in Peoria
February 26, 2006
Spending political campaign funds at Wal-Mart apparently doesn’t play well in Peoria. Paul Mangieri, a Democratic running for Illinois state treasurer, promised this week to
Spending political campaign funds at Wal-Mart apparently doesn’t play well in Peoria. Paul Mangieri?
February 26, 2006
Stop the presses! Wal-Mart may have major legal and ethical problems, but the company’s CEO felt compelled to tell thousands of shareholders at their Annual
Proposal To Cap Size of Retail Heads To Town Meeting
February 25, 2006
Over the years, the town of Hadley, Massachusetts has destroyed hundreds of acres of prime farmland, creating a strip of roadside sprawl that congests the
Honey, We Shrunk the Wal-Mart
February 25, 2006
The Incredible Shrinking Wal-Mart has come to Gresham, Oregon — but not without some considerable arm-twisting. The Oregonian newspaper reported this week that Wal-Mart, in
Planners Put Special Requirements on Large Scale Buildings.
February 25, 2006
In November of 2005, residents in Kenosha, Wisconsin first learned about a developer’s plans to build a Wal-Mart superstore less than 3 miles away from
Wal-Mart Takes Big Tumble Off ‘Most Admired’ List
February 22, 2006
How the mighty have fallen. The Fortune magazine list of 100 “Most Admired” Companies is out this month, and Wal-Mart’s fortunes have continued to slide.
Cabot Betrays Its Dealers For Deal With Lowe’s
February 20, 2006
It’s tough being an independent merchant these days, when the big companies dominate so much of the market. This week Sprawl-Busters received the following cautionary
Wal-Mart’s 24 Million Square Feet of Dark Stores
February 20, 2006
Wal-Mart discount stores are slowly disappearing. Over the past 5 years, Wal-Mart has shut down 35.3 million square feet of discount stores. Since 1999, Sprawl-Busters
Wal-Mart Returns For Second Try
February 20, 2006
Residents of Ellsworth, Maine were greeted with unpleasant news in today’s Ellsworth Weekly: Wal-Mart is going to try to again to build a superstore on
Public Retiree Funds Own Big Share In Wal-Mart Stock
February 19, 2006
Public pension funds — many of them representing union retirees — own a substantial amount of stock in one of the most virulently anti-union companies
Fair Share Health Care Bill On Hold
February 19, 2006
Attempts by lawmakers in Washington State to imitate the “fair share” health care bill now law in Maryland has apparently been grounded for the immediate
Wal-Mart Supercenter Not Welcomed By All
February 19, 2006
Wal-Mart has an option to purchase 63 acres in Broussard, Louisiana, and the retailer is also weighing adding a Sam’s Club to the mix. “I
Employee ‘Infiltrates’ Wal-Mart & Lives To Tell About It
February 18, 2006
Josh Smith worked for Wal-Mart, and now he’s talking about the experience. Here’s his communiqu?? to Sprawl-Busters: “On October 10th, 2005 I infiltrated Wal-Mart Supercenter
Residents Begin Petition Drive Against Target
February 18, 2006
Southfield, Michigan is a suburb of Detroit, but it is just another pin on the map for the Target corporation. Residents in Southfield filed the
Citizens In Court Next Week Against Wal-Mart.
February 17, 2006
Wal-Mart has missed all its construction deadlines in Iowa City, Iowa, thanks to the effort of local residents who have tied the retailer up in
Residents Don’t Want Wal-Mart 50 Ft From Their Homes
February 17, 2006
Residents in Delaware, Ohio have submitted the following update on their battle with Wal-Mart: “Currently a developer has bought 20.4 acres next to our housing
Don’t Shop At Wal-Mart For the Morning After Pill
February 16, 2006
Three women from Massachusetts won a “victory” against Wal-Mart this week by forcing the retailer to sell the “morning after pill.” But the unfortunate consequence
Wal-Mart Sinks Into Wetlands Delay
February 15, 2006
Those Massachusetts wetlands can be very dangerous. Just ask Wal-Mart, which just stepped into a multi-year quagmire in the town of Hadley, Massachusetts. Wal-Mart has
Court Overturns Lower Courts, Rules For Wal-Mart
February 12, 2006
On December 13, 2005, Sprawl-Busters reported that citizens in Batavia, New York had put a proposed Wal-Mart into a deep freeze when they took the
Developer Ends Talks With Wal-Mart
February 12, 2006
Another developer, under public pressure, has dropped hands with Wal-Mart to make their proposal more palatable. In the town of Thomaston, Maine, a developer from