Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Colorado: In Lafayette, the Crossroad’s Tavern shutdown by the greedy landlord.  The landlord is the Flatirons Community Church.

Georgia:  In Valdosta, Classic Art & Frame shutdown after 37 years.

Illinois:  Missouri based ammo maker Olin Corporation eliminating 35 Winchester related jobs in East Alton, by February.  They blame crashing sales of ammo to civilians in 2015.  In Elgin, Books at Sunset shutdown after 16 years.

Massachusetts: In Spencer, after 174 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ First United Methodist Church.  The local reverend blames it on The Rapture, I mean crashing membership.

Missouri: In Kansas City, greedy landlord shutdown the ten years old recordBar nightclub.

Nevada:  Whole food store Reno Provisions suddenly shutdown.  Reports say the store struggled with problems like lack of revenues, e-coli outbreaks and now a new lawsuit.

New Jersey:  In Bordertown, after 35 years jeweler Golden Pleasures shutting down in February.  The owner, Don Farmer, said he realized that “Retail is a jail.”  New York based clothier Eileen Fisher shutting down their ten years old Westfield store by the end of the month.  It’s the last Eileen Fisher store in New Jersey.  After 37 years the Cherry Hill Coastline Bar and Grill now bankrupt busted and shutdown.

A New Mexico cow killed by Winter Storm Goliath

New Mexico:  Winter Storm Goliath has killed thousands of dairy cows in the Clovis area.  At one point dairy production was down to just 10% of capacity.

New York: NYC based iconic bookseller Barnes & Noble shutting down the last of its Queens bookstores in 2016.  It’s part of their surprise announcement to increase the number of bookstore shutdowns across the United States, thousands of jobs lost!  Over the past decade Barnes & Noble has averaged about 15 store shutdowns per year, they didn’t say how many stores they will shutdown in 2016, but it’s going to be more than 15.  Some analysts suspect it’ll be in the hundreds as leases on 442 stores expire this year, and Barnes & Noble administrators indicated there is no economic reason to renew them!   Honest Weight, one of the last food co-op grocery stores in The Empire State, is warning that state employment regulations will force them to shutdown.  

Tennessee: Shelbyville Record Shop ended its brick-n-motar retail ops but will continue repairing audio and video equipment.

Texas:  Texas Association of Dairymen upped the number of dairy cows killed by Winter Storm Goliath to 5% (one report says at least 40-thousand killed!).  The estimate counts only mature cows.  On top of that, the snow levels are making it almost impossible to bring in all the cows for milking, meaning many cows will stop producing milk.  The Dairymen warn they will probably find even more dead cows as they dig out from Goliath.  Get ready for skyrocketing dairy prices in Texas.  Now if you think beef prices are high enough, add this to the mix; one beef rancher says he lost 350 beef cows to Goliath, and he says there are at least 30 other ranchers in the area with similar losses!  In Dallas, after 40 years the original Black-eyed Pea restaurant was suddenly shutdown due to the company going bankrupt.  At least 15 Black-eyed Pea restaurants have been shutdown in Texas.  The bankruptcy will affect restaurants in the state of Colorado as well.

Vermont: After 142 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Quechee Community Church.  Apparently God needs money because the church is being sold-off.

Virginia: In Alexandria, after 53 years Why Not? children’s boutique shutting down by the end of the month.

Washington DC:  Reports say Barack Obama is about to issue an executive order allowing foreign students to stay in the United States, after they graduate from a U.S. college/university, and take your job!

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

01 January 2016: “The city basically doesn’t want us here anymore. We got priced out.” 

Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”