Category Archives: Idaho

Business/Economics, Idaho

“I was not prepared…no more leases…” 50% of Idaho families in poverty, ‘get used to it’! No more nail polish? : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 24 – 25 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Alabama: AAR Aerostructures & Interiors ending metal fabrication ops in Huntsville, 72 jobs lost.  Administrators said they need to “refocus” their business.

Arizona: In Chandler, after 25 years Video Paradise shutting down next week.

California:  In San Francisco, after more than ten years the upscale Bourbon Steak shutting down in March, the owner said he decided not to renew the lease and is looking for a new home.  Cosmetic company Coty shutting down their North Hollywood OPI nail polish factory, 4-hundred California jobs being lost to North Carolina!  In San Diego, after laying off 1,314 people at the end of 2015 Qualcomm laid off an additional 32 employees.

Delaware: Local news media discovered that all four Sussex County Donut Connection shops have been shutdown!  The owners of the franchise claim they’ve “retired”, but a former employee said “Business really had slacked off.”   Tax records show $26,320-USD are still owed and a lawsuit says $31,211 in rent and utilities have never been paid!

Florida:  Clothier GAP shutting down stores in Tampa and Saint Petersburg, as part of their plan to shutdown 175 stores! 

Idaho: A new Corporation for Enterprise Development study says 45.5% of Idaho families are trapped in poverty and there’s no hope of getting out, as the 2016 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard calls the economic situation the “new normal”!   Find out more info, or how your state ranks, click here.

Gem State Right to Work (you over) ‘lawmakers’ are apparently realizing  how bad the financial situation is for families and are creating a new law that will exempt ‘cottage food’ businesses (literally mom-n-pop food sellers working out of their home) from the same health codes that traditional retail establishments must obey.

It’s been revealed that pesticides have contaminated farms in eastern Idaho.  At least 809 hectares (2-thousand acres) are affected and must be cleaned up, at taxpayer expense of course (an estimated $250-thousand USD has been quoted as an initial payment!).  The contamination was discovered when farmers reported mutations in their crops and animals.  Investigators traced it to the massive use of Methyl Bromide back in 2006.  The contamination affects potatoes, hay, alfalfa, wheat and barley.  In 2006 paranoia erupted over the discovery of a nematode that destroys potato crops, state and federal agriculture ‘experts’ told farmers to use methyl bromide to kill the microbe.  It was farmers who first reported the crop and livestock mutations, concluding that it must be the result of using the toxic chemical.

A new study is blaming low Gem State high school graduation rates on internet classes!   The state Board of Education reported that ‘virtual schools’ can barely graduate 20% of their online students!   I can attest to this claim as I know a young woman who tried the virtual school program for almost a year, before giving up and going back to old fashioned brick-n-mortar school in Pocatello.  I remember her school counselor at Pokey High warning her she’d be back because the majority of students fail to complete the online courses.  The online school seems easier because supposedly you’re on your own schedule, but it turns out to be harder than traditional school.

Michigan: What automotive industry recovery?  Dearborn based Ford announced it will end sales operations in Japan and Indonesia, due to lack of sales!

Minnesota: In Saint Paul, after ten years the Highland Park Chatterbox Pub (deep fried cheeseburgers) suddenly shutdown, the owners say they were not able to find a needed third business partner and will now focus on their two smaller restaurants.

Missouri: University of Missouri Saint Louis warned of mass layoffs in order to deal with a $15-million USD shortfall ($2-million more than reported two months ago), no layoff numbers given, yet.

Nebraska: Sears Holdings confirmed it will shutdown the Omaha Kmart (on South 114th Street) in April, 66 jobs lost.  It’s the second Omaha Kmart to be shutdown.

Nevada: In Mesquite, after five years Have Boutique Will Travel shutting down.  The co-owners blame their age, one is 77 and the other is 80!

New York: In Amherst, after more than 1-hundred years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Newtrend Furniture shutting down.   Maines Food & Party Warehouse shutting down their Ithaca and Greece grocery stores by February, no public explanation given.  In NYC, after 40 years kitchen supplier Broadway Panhandler shutting down.  The owner tried to sell the business but nobody wanted to buy it.

Ohio: The only Krispy Kreme donut shop in the Dayton area shutting down next week, 20 jobs lost.  No explanation.

Oregon: The Terrace Cafe in Valley River Center shutting down after 36 years of serving up yummy food, because the mall management refuses to renew the lease.  The restaurant owner said no reason was offered and “I was not prepared to have been told that no more leases would be given to me.”

Texas:  In Dallas, the operators of Zhulong Gallery suddenly announced it will shutdown at the end of the month (instead of hosting an international photo exhibit), no reason given.

West Virginia:  Coal miner Alpha Natural Resources killing more jobs, this time 9-hundred people at eight mines and two processing operations, by the end of March!

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

Massive Sprint layoffs! 333-thousand tech jobs lost! Layoffs are now SOP! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 23 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

California:   Yet more Palo Alto tech employees in trouble, VMWare warning employees of mass layoffs due to their merger with Dell and EMC, as many as 9-hundred jobs lost!   But wait there’s a whole lot more!  Redwood Shores based Global Equities Research predicts that as many as 333-thousand tech jobs will be eliminated over the next 12 months, no thanks to rapidly developing advancements in areas like cloud computing!   University of California Berkeley’s Campus Shared Services quietly laid off 28 people, back in December.  Local Teamsters Union members are now making sure the public knows about the layoffs.  In San Francisco, popular Ames restaurant shutting down after ten years.  In Escondido, after 44 years Champion’s Family Restaurant shutting down next week.

Colorado: Kansas based Sprint shutting down their Arapahoe County call center, 178 jobs lost by April!

Connecticut:  Affinity Health Care Management bankrupt busted just five years after their last bankruptcy, but this time it’s because Medicaid payments are being held back by the state Department of Social Services!   Court documents stated that if the failed state ObamaCare loving government continues not to reimburse Medicaid services then Affinity Health Care Management will cease to exist!

Florida:  In Orlando, after five years burger & beer joint Oblivion Taproom shutting down next week.

Georgia: In Ringgold, after two years Go Georgia Arts shutdown, the owner said he wasn’t getting enough commissions.

Idaho: More Gem State Right to Work (you over) ObamaCare bull-shit; “Ferch, a Boise chiropractor, had received notice from Regence BlueShield of Idaho that the health insurance company was cutting back its payments for ‘adjustments’ — his most common procedure — to 1990s levels.  Ferch and a handful of fellow chiropractors met with the medical director for Regence. Ferch asked whether the medical director’s salary was the same as it had been in the 1990s. The room went silent……

….In Idaho, mutual insurance companies also differ from federal tax-exempt nonprofits in that they do not tell the public what they pay their leaders. Idaho law forbids regulators from divulging that information.”–SeattlePI

Illinois: God refusing to stop ‘his’ Lutheran Social Services (LSSI) from shutting down 30 offices across the state, and laying off 750 people!  LSSI is the largest social services operator in the state and blames moronic state ‘lawmakers’ for failing to come up with a budget, resulting in non-profit LSSI being owed $6-million USD: “After 7 months, we no longer can provide services for which we aren’t being paid.”-Mark Stutrud, President and CEO

Kansas: Overland Park based Sprint notified 829 local employees they will lose their jobs very soon!  In Saint John, Dillions Market shutting down by February.  Dillions is the town’s only grocery store meaning residents will have to travel 20 miles to buy food!

Maine:  New Jersey based Covanta Energy Corporation announced it will shutdown two plants, one in West Enfield and one in Jonesboro.

Missouri: New York & Co. shutting down their West Park Mall clothing store next week.

Montana:  University of Montana has begun mass layoffs, eventually 192 full-time jobs will be eliminated!

New Mexico: Kansas based Sprint shutting down their Rio Rancho call center, 394 jobs lost by the beginning of February!

New York: Ichor Systems shutting down their Kingston factory, 96 jobs lost by the end of April.  NYC based advertising company Ogilvy announced that layoffs are now SOP: “Today Ogilvy & Mather New York let go of less than 1% of our staff. This is yearly Standard Operating Procedure for a company of our size and scope of services.”

North Dakota: 95 coal miners about to lose their jobs at the Dakota Westmoreland Beulah mine.   The layoffs start in March.

Tennessee: Kansas based Sprint shutting down their Blountville call center, 444 jobs lost by February!

Washington DC: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is consolidating operations at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, possibly eliminating more than 2-hundred jobs in the process!

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

“circumstances beyond our control…changing demographics…declining sales” Ripple effect layoffs! ObamaCare keeps on cutting! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 20 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Alabama:  Sears Holdings confirmed that the Prattville Kmart will shutdown in April, 70 jobs lost. 

California:  What did you get when you got laid off?  It’s been revealed that Newark based StemCells Incorporated gave its recently ‘resigned’ CEO a $1-million USD severance package!  Pier 1 Imports shutting down their El Cerrito Plaza store by the end of February.  Local news reports say a retailer from Japan will move into the vacated Pier 1 location. 

Florida:  Orlando based Total Sleep Management now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.   Administrators blame ObamaCare: “The sleep industry ran into trouble around 2013. Pre-authorizations became a requirement for most private insurers. We lost about 40% of our revenue.”

Georgia:  Sears Holdings confirmed that the Dublin Kmart will shutdown in April, 71 jobs lost. 

Hawaii:  Simply Organized shutting down their Ewa Beach store in February.

Idaho: More proof poverty is skyrocketing in The Gem State; the only form of housing assistance comes from federally funded Section 8 and private donations (unlike most densely populated states that have a state level tax payer funded match to the federal Section 8 funding). Housing assistance is managed by Idaho Housing and Finance (IHFA, “a  self-supporting corporation”) and starting in 2011 was forced by increasing homelessness in Idaho to start a new charity fund raising operation called Home Partnership Foundation-Avenues for Hope Housing Challenge.  In 2015 they raised $317-thousand USD to supplement what they already have to work with.  Almost half of that has just been given to 32 non-profit organizations through out the state.    It’s been revealed by the state Office of Performance Evaluations that Psychosocial Rehabilitation Counselor (aka PSR or Psycho Social Rehabilitation workers) jacked up costs to Idaho Medicaid nine times over a ten years period.  In 2001 PSR costs were $8-million USD, by 2012 costs hit $76-million!    In 2013 the state tried to counter by pushing for more “managed” inpatient care, however that is backfiring because many providers are confused by the regulations which are causing problems with care.

Illinois: Baker Mondelez told 277 Chicago workers they will become unemployed starting in March, as part of the company’s plan to move to Mexico!  Also in Chicago, the Blue Buddha Boutique shutting down after 13 years because the owner’s doctor told her to reduce her “stress levels”.  You mean Buddha, meditation and the stress of running a business don’t jive?

Indiana:   The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art  laid off five people due to crashing revenues.   Marsh shutting down their Bloomington grocery store because it’s not worth it to renew the lease.

Iowa: In Ames, after 30 years restaurant Valentino’s shutdown, the owners saying “Recent circumstances beyond our control, coupled with changing demographics in our current location and declining sales made this very difficult decision necessary.”

Louisiana: Noranda shutting down its alumina factory in Gramercy, blaming a bauxite tax imposed by the government of Jamaica, and crashing sales, 444 jobs lost over the next two months!  Texas based National Oilwell Varco shutting down its Houma ops, 80 jobs lost in March.

Maine: (Ripple Effect layoffs) Chipotle Mexican Grill killing off Hutamaki.   The paper product maker said it had to layoff 30 employees due to crashing packaging orders from the troubled chain restaurant.

Maryland: After 18 years restaurant Donna’s shutting down by the end of the month.  The owners admitted they were losing money and they could not renew the lease.

Michigan:  Oregon based expensive clothier Pendleton Woolen Mills shutting down three stores in The Wolverine State blaming lack of “sales and profitability”!

Missouri:  (Ripple Effect Layoffs) In Lamar, the 117 years old Thorco Industries announced it will layoff 93 people starting in Spring. The company makes point of sales (aka point of purchase or POP) displays for retailers.  Administrators blamed the layoffs on “…retail industry changes, including the growth of e-commerce and the opening of fewer brick-and-mortar stores, has resulted in a continued decline in demand for store fixtures, such as the wire-based merchandising displays and accessories…”

Nebraska: Food giant ConAgra eliminating more jobs due to an expected drop in sales.  News reports say several hundreds of ConAgra employees in Omaha will lose there jobs to cheaper contractors as ConAgra attempts to cut operating costs!    The reports are based on a video leaked last week, but what’s really interesting is that ConAgra execs are also killing 40 sales positions (maybe that’s why they expect sales to go down?).

New Mexico:   In Los Lunas, Mitt Romney wunderkind Staples shutting down in February, 22 jobs lost. 

New York: Qatar based news source Al Jazeera made it official and issued a shutdown WARN for its NYC ops, 197 jobs lost by the end of April!  Internet fantasy sports site FanFuel revealed they’ve begun laying off employees, no numbers given.  It’s connected to legal threats challenging FanDuel’s claim that it’s not a gambling site.  The movie theater Ziegfeld Theater is shutting down after 47 years to be re-purposed as ‘a high-end event center’ for corporate elites.  Months after announcing plans to hire 125 people, Dial America now shutting down its 28 years old Amherst call center, 120 jobs lost by the beginning of March! Administrators blamed it on a major client deciding to do business with a foreign call center operator!   Sears Holdings confirms the Staten Island Mall Sears Auto Center will shutdown in February, 20 jobs lost.   After laying off 20 employees in October, Watertown’s New York Air Brake eliminating another 30 jobs blaming declining sales to the railroad industry. This is a prime example of what I call Ripple Effect Layoffs; New York Air Brake’s job losses caused by railroad industry which in turn is losing jobs caused by the oil and coal industries which in turn are losing jobs due to crashing commodity prices.

North Carolina:  Ohio based call center operator Convergys issued a layoff WARN for its Greenville center, 163 jobs lost by April due to the loss of a contract.

Oklahoma:  Oil company Devon Energy warned more “…layoffs will be a necessary part of the company’s near-term cost-management efforts. The company has not determined the extent of the reduction but expects the majority of layoffs to occur by the end of the first quarter.”

Pennsylvania:  Lehigh Valley Health Network warning that it must shutdown five offices across two counties!  LVHN rep Brian Downs said they didn’t know when the shutdowns would take place, or how many people will lose their jobs, but warned “This is health care today. This is an ongoing thing.” 

Texas:  (Ripple Effect Layoffs) In Longview, after already laying off employees in 2015, US Steel now says it might shutdown its Lone Star Tubular Operations  starting in March, 677 remaining jobs threatened by the crashing oil industry!  (Ripple Effect Layoffs) Raymondville city leaders are warning of citywide layoffs due to the shutdown of the local Walmart store.  Last year the Willacy County Correctional Center shutdown, which generated money for the city through water sales, now the Walmart is the only major source of revenue for the city and it’s shutting down!

Utah:   Sears Holdings confirmed that the 35 years old Richfield Kmart will shutdown in April, 63 jobs lost. 

Virginia: Richmond’s four years old Carytown Dixie Donuts shutting down by the end of the month.   In Pulaski, Food Lion shutting down its Memorial Drive grocery store by February because it’s not worth it to renew the lease.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

Massive ObamaCare job destruction! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 19 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Alabama: Molded Fiber Glass Manufacturing laid off 39 people from its Opp factory, blaming a delay in new tooling and the U.S. Congress for delaying a renewable energy tax credit.   Sears Holdings shutting down the Dothan Kmart on the south side of Ross Clark Circle, 56 jobs lost in March.

California:   Yet more tech layoffs as Cupertino based Apple laid off 1-hundred people from its iAd ops!  Administrators claim they will create new jobs later on.   In Bakersfield, Guarantee Shoe Center is blaming the crashing oil industry for a 20% drop in sales.  The shoe store owners said most of their customers were oil workers, many of whom have lost their jobs.  After 65 years privately funded Pinecrest Schools shutting down all their San Fernando Valley campuses (Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Canyon Country and Simi Valley) at the end of this school year!  Administrators blame increased operating costs and increased competition from publicly funded charter schools.  More proof the internet is not recession resistant, reports that Sunnyvale based Yahoo is about to layoff 25% of its employees (about 2-thousand 7-hundred)!

Colorado: Louisville based non-profit cable TV research company CableLabs laid off 30 people, in order “to ensure that CableLabs can rapidly build and sustain a significant innovation pipeline for the industry”.  Albertsons-Safeway shutting down their Denver bakery, 95 jobs lost by the end of February.

Florida: In Orlando, Nephron Pharmaceuticals issued a mass layoff WARN, 250 people becoming unemployed by April!  (is it because Jeb Bush made a campaign stop there?)

Idaho:  Privately owned tourist attraction railroad company Thunder Mountain Line shutdown, without warning or explanation.  Trader Joe’s is recalling cashews sold in Boise (as well as in 31 other locations across the U.S.).  The nuts are suspected of being contaminated with salmonella.  Mental healthcare provider Optum has revealed it’s sitting on $5-million USD in unspent Idaho Medicaid funding!  This is significant because Optum’s parent company United Health claims it lost $1-billion in 2015 (see Minnesota below)!

Illinois: What automotive industry recovery?  Quincy based Titan Tire says it’s forced to eliminate more jobs, for 2016 they’re looking at laying off 130 people in Ohio and 150 in Europe!  And that’s just for the first quarter of 2016.

Indiana: In Fort Wayne, British empire based U.S. tax-sucker BAE eliminating at least 110 jobs by the end of the year!     

Louisiana: Switzerland based oil driller Noble laying off as many as 120 people who work on its Galliano facility!

Michigan: In Bloomfield Hills, after more than 40 years Hogan’s restaurant shutting down at the end of the month.  The owner admitted his old golf themed eatery can’t compete with the new “really trendy” restaurants.  In Lansing, God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 150 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Trinity Lutheran School from shutting down.  Parents criticized the church leaders saying they never considered outside sources of funding and the decision to shutdown came without warning.

Minnesota: Evil people and lazy local news media caused a charity horse rescue op to shutdown.  Despite a sheriff’s department investigation which cleared the charity of all of the false accusations brought against it, Hightail Horse Ranch and Rescue is now blaming “overwhelming negative publicity” for halting donations and stopping volunteers needed to run the center.  Minnetonka based United Health blames ObamaCare for causing it to lose $1-billion USD, massive job cuts coming!  United Health is considering getting the hell outta the Affordable Care Act exchange system!

Missouri:  Another Saint Louis restaurant shutting down, Mile 277, and like others they’re blaming the A-hole re-development projects and greedy landlords: “The development of other venues such as Ballpark Village along with numerous lease terms has significantly impacted the operations of Mile 277. The combination of these factors has resulted in significant losses of revenue and profits. Mile 277 cannot continue to sustain these losses.”   

New Jersey:  New Brunswick based Johnson & Johnson announced it is eliminating 3-thousand medical device jobs over the next two years!  ObamaCare taxes, the bad economy, and plans to take over medical device maker rivals are forcing them to cut $1-billion USD in costs!

New York: In Queens, after 25 years The Comic Den shutting down due to “new generation of readers” opting for comics on the internet.  Jeweler to the elites Tiffany’s announced its holiday sales dropped enough to warrant layoffs.  Administrators have yet to reveal how many employees will be let go.  Too Big to Jail Morgan Stanley announced it will join the exodus from The Empire State (and other high cots areas) by moving jobs to “lower cost centers” around the world, potentially affecting thousands of jobs!

Ohio: In Youngstown, the 106 years old Masonic Temple on Wick Avenue shutting down by the end of June.  The members say the large building has become too expensive to heat during winter.   The Upper Valley Mall losing two more stores, Cardboard Heroes shutdown without warning and Lens Crafters shutting down this weekend! 

South Carolina: Barnwell County’s only hospital shutdown!  The 140 employees of Southern Palmetto Hospital said they were notified in an emergency meeting on Tuesday that they were losing their jobs on Thursday, this week!   The emergency meeting was called by the Director of Nursing, local news says hospital administrators refuse to talk to them and county administrators swear they know nothing about it.

Washington DC: Once touted by politicians like Obama, the 10 years old Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint on Wisconsin Avenue shutting down next week.  There’s no explanation, just a note taped to the door.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

18 January 2016:  “Iconic places are going out of business, and nobody cares.” 

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

“Iconic places are going out of business, and nobody cares.” Goodwill ramps up shutdowns! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 18 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Alabama: Sears Holdings shutting down the Florence Kmart in March, more than 1-hundred jobs lost!  A local news report said the employees knew nothing about it and were shocked to hear it from the news!

Arkansas: Good Food by Ferneau shutting down because the owner-chef is taking a job working for somebody else. 

California:  In San Francisco, the Gangway bar shutdown due to ignoramus owner failing to pay his employees at least minimum wage.  In California the so called Tip Credit does not apply, food service workers must be paid minimum wage even though they’re paid tips by customers.  According to the lawsuit the owner, who’s lived in California for decades, thought the Tip Credit rule was valid in California (I knew about that rule back in the 1980s, how can people who’ve lived in California longer than me be so stupid regarding The Golden State’s wage laws?).  In Anaheim Hills, after at least 30 years popular Foxfire An American Chophouse shutting down at the start of February, to make room for a shopping plaza.  In Los Altos, Main Street Cafe shutting down by the end of the month, apparently to eventually be replaced with yet another restaurant “concept”.  

Connecticut: In Greenwich, after a little more than 12 years Graham’s Toys shutdown due to the greedy landlord: “The rents are not sustainable.  The amount of business we’ve done is respectable, but it’s just not sustainable for this market.”-Shelly Steinberg, owner

Idaho:   Another Gem State Kmart shutting down, this time the Boise Kmart on Fairview shutting down by mid-March, 56 jobs lost.  A sure sign that healthcare costs are going up, the state Department of Health and Welfare is requesting a $26.3-million USD budget increase!  Administrators are now saying the previous 3.9% increase is not enough to fund the new mandate (Primary Care Access Program) to cover the 78-thousand Idahoans who fall into the Right to Work (you over) ObamaCare gap!

Illinois:  In Orland Park, Palos Community Hospital shutting down their Palos Health & Fitness center in May.  In a round-a-bout way administrators said ObamaCare was forcing them to “prioritize” their services.

Kansas: In Wichita, after 105 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Head’s Shoes shutdown. Local news said the owners aren’t commenting as to why.

Maryland: Rockville based charity thrift store/’job training center’ Goodwill shutdown 26 stores and donation centers in Toronto, Canada, apparently with no warning!  The Ontario Great Lakes Goodwill regional office claims the shutdowns are part of their plan to  remain “financially very strong and on a path of growth and prosperity.”  In other words they’re preparing for the economy to get worse!

Michigan:  New York based clothier Aeropostale shutting down their Mall of Monroe store by the end of the month.  Aeropostale has shutdown hundreds of stores since 2014 and recently said they will eliminate 1-hundred corporate level jobs.

Missouri:  In Saint Louis, after almost 20 years Harry’s Bar & Restaurant shutting down by the end of the month.  It’s starting to sound like city re-development projects are killing off local businesses: “It’s the economy, the highway closing, Ballpark Village. Downtown is just a dead area right now….nobody is talking about it. Iconic places are going out of business, and nobody cares.  Ballpark Village was the nail in the coffin. It shut down Washington Avenue and took 70% of our business.”-Tim Pieri, co-owner

New York: In Saugerties the McDonald’s junk food joint on 8 Manor Lane shutting down by the end of the month, the owner saying “It’s a business decisions…”, revealing that even when the restaurant was “making money” it was considered “under-performing”!

Ohio: With no warning Columbus based chain restaurant Max & Erma’s shutdown 13 operations in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, hundreds now jobless!  Corporate administrators said they have to “streamline” operations due to the economy.  Overwhelmingly employees say they’re shocked that their employer could shutdown overnight, (I’ve been there experienced that several times, so welcome to reality. Now try living with so many of your peers not believing that your former employer could lay you off with no warning, your employed peers always think you did something wrong! It’s amazing what the working class takes for granted, oh the power of false belief.).

Pennsylvania:  After more than three years Marty’s Market shutdown without warning, the owners saying only “We have had to make the extremely difficult decision to close…” 

Rhode Island:  More trouble for video games.  A state investigation into former Major League Baseball player Curt Schilling’s video game company 38 Studios could result in a criminal case.  38 Studios went mysteriously bankrupt and shutdown a few months after releasing it’s only video game (the game was considered a success and sold well).  The problem is that 38 Studios was partially funded with millions in state taxpayer loans, which were never paid back.

Virginia: France based nuclear power plant operator Areva laid off 50 people in Lynchburg, and another 40 at nuclear operations around the U.S.   Local news reports say since 2014 Areva has eliminated 3-hundred jobs in Luynchburg.

West Virginia: After announcing that it had suffered a 13% drop in revenue in 2015, Florida based railroad company CSX announced it will shutdown its Huntington operations, 121 jobs affected!  The work will be spread out among other CSX depots.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

17 January 2016: “we have nothing left…financially, emotionally or physically.”

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

“we have nothing left…financially, emotionally or physically.” Consumer spending falls in 2015! Execs get bonuses for killing jobs! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 17 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Jamaica, a member country of the West Indies Federation, is reporting that the unAmerican corporate America hospitality industry will hire 3-thousand Jamaicans in 2016, that’s a 50% increase from 2015!  The majority of Jamaicans are working in the U.S. states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Michigan.

Arkansas: Bentonville based economic canary in the coal mine Walmart began shutting down 154 U.S. stores on 17 January 2016, at least 10-thousand U.S. jobs lost!   (here’s the list)

California:  Cupertino based Apple is hurting for cash so much that it will now charge you to listen to ad plastered iTunes Radio in the U.S.   Here’s a fine example of why it’s not worth it to do business in The Golden State: The city of Palo Alto is demanding the family owners of Buena Vista mobile home park pay an $8-million USD fine for wanting to shutdown their money losing operation:  “The city says the money is needed so that the tenants can get expensive alternative housing in the area; in effect, the city is holding the Jissers uniquely responsible for solving the city’s severe housing affordability problem. That’s not just wrong, it’s unconstitutional.   …..The city’s motion to dismiss doesn’t deny that the city is commanding a payment of $8 million…It just says the case shouldn’t be heard by a judge….. -Larry Salzman, Pacific Legal Foundation

Hawaii:  Kahului Trucking & Storage laying off drivers as a result of the sudden shutdown of The Aloha State’s last sugar farm.

Idaho:  A new study by the United Way shows 37% of Idahoans are in poverty and employed!  Specifically, 37% of Idahoans are now classified as working poor, or Asset Limited-Income Constrained-Employed (aka ALICE).  The United Way says even with the piddly-ass social services Idahoans cannot afford to buy basic necessities!   And for more proof Right to Work only Works You Over keep reading.Governor Butch Otter wants a third mental health crisis center built in The Gem State.  Between 2014-15 eastern and northern Idaho got one each, and now Otter wants one in southern Idaho.  ‘Lawmakers’ and even local sheriffs praise the crisis centers but don’t give examples of why they’re so good.  The centers are meant to temporarily house people having mental health or drug abuse problems, instead of putting them in county jails.  The fact that sheriffs are praising them, and the governor wants to spend another $1.72-million building another one, indicates a huge need, that a lot of Idahoans are having trouble dealing with their Right to Work (you over) circumstances, yet Right to Work officials don’t want to admit it.     The city owned utility Idaho Falls Power is about to take over part of Rocky Mountain Power’s turf.  If the state Public Utilities Commission approves Rocky Mountain Power will transfer poles, conductors and conduits around the Fielding Cemetery property to the control of taxpayers of the city of Idaho Falls, for the price of  $50-thousand USD.   Even God couldn’t stop a Christian student from ripping off the Mormon Brigham Young University-Idaho of $6-thousand 2-hundred, using a university credit card.  Of course that ‘christian’ student wasn’t very smart because you can trace credit card transactions, and that’s how he got caught.

Kentucky:  ISO copper wire maker Belden shutting down their factory in Monticello, 260 jobs being lost to the state of Indiana and to the country of Mexico, between now and the beginning of next year!

Louisiana: In Opelousas, dancehall Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki shutdown after 69 years.  The property is now for sale.  The family owners blame young people and today’s greedy spoiled bands: “They don’t look at the overhead you have, the utilities and things like that. They tell me, ‘We’ll take the door.’ They’ll start off charging at $10, then $15 and $20. By midnight, they’ll have a packed house. They’ll put the money in their pockets and go home. Then you have all the stress of what the night crowd destroyed and what you have to fix. It got to where we weren’t hardly making any more money.”

Missouri:  Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood shutting down their 30 years old downtown Saint Louis location,  claiming it will help them focus on “franchise expansion”.

Montana: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission records reveal that five executives of Stillwater Mining got paid the equivalent of millions of dollars in bonuses less than five months after they eliminated 120 jobs!  The bonuses were paid in the form of stocks in the company.  Company administrators refused to comment when questioned by local news media.

New Hampshire:  In Bath, The Brick Store (one of the oldest general stores in the U.S.) shutting down “due to changes in the economy”.  The owners, Mike and Nancy Lusby, added “We did our best, but we have exhausted our resources, and lost Mike’s pension. We have done everything we can for 24 years to save the store, but we have nothing left to give … financially, emotionally or physically.”

New Jersey:  God refuses to stop the shutdown of his Mother Teresa Catholic School, in June.  Enrollment is down below 1-hundred students.    For more proof the economy has not recovered, a major shipping company, which services retailers like Disney Store and Amazon.com, Elizabeth based EZ Worldwide Express is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to crashing shipment orders!   The company even invested $12-million USD into new trucks, but now the 7-hundred employees are threatened with unemployment!  With the massive retail store shutdowns now taking place across the U.S. you can expect even more shipping companies to go bust.

Ohio:  Researchers at Ohio State University have proven that an ‘Amazon Tax’ killed internet holiday sales in 2015.   They determined that sales on Amazon.com dropped an average of 8.3% in states that implemented taxes on internet purchases.  The Washington Post article said sales declines increased as the price of the item went up: “The Amazon Tax had an especially chilling effect on big-ticket purchases that totaled more than $250, the study found. On these transactions, Amazon sales declined 11.4 percent once the tax was put in place.”      U.S. Department of Energy awarded a contract potentially valued at $139.7-million USD to a company in Idaho, to provide infrastructure support services at the radioactive Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, in Piketon.  Interestingly the Idaho Falls, Idaho, based company is called Portsmouth Mission Alliance.  In Toledo, Laffs comedy club shutdown just short of the two year mark. The club’s operations manager said “…the turnout was not quite where we needed it to be.”

Pennsylvania: In Moosic, controversial adult outdoor movie theater Oak Hill Drive-In shutdown because they couldn’t afford to upgrade to digital.

Tennessee:  Jerky maker Oberto shutting down its two years old Nashville meat factory despite promising to create 310 jobs and getting almost $2-million in taxpayer funds and grants (not tax breaks, outright cash!).  State ‘lawmakers’ swear they’ll go after the jerky maker for a refund of the tax funding.  The Nashville factory never got above 82 employees, despite Oberto’s promise.  See more below in -Washington-.   Here’s what Karl Dean, the now former mayor of Nashville, said back in 2012: “Oberto’s decision to locate a plant in Nashville speaks to the vitality of our city and the talent of our workforce. I’m especially pleased that Oberto will be bringing an existing facility back to life. Filling vacant buildings in and around our urban core is important to the strength and future of our city.”   

Washington:  Kent based mass produced jerky maker Oberto announced it will shutdown its two years old meat factory in Tennessee (well, the factory is two years old, I don’t know about the meat) and sell-off a meat factory in Oregon!   The suck-ass economy is forcing Oberto to consolidate jerky treat making to its Washington ops.

Washington DC: Wonder what’s up with all the massive retail store shutdowns?  The Department of Commerce released consumer spending numbers for 2015 and overall spending fell from 2014, and is on its way to 2008-09 levels!  Even 2015 holiday sales flatlined!   Of course the self exalted ‘expert’ analysts on TV still claim that consumers are just “holding onto their money”.   I can tell you why I didn’t spend any money in 2015 on gifts or ‘extras’, same reason as the prior two years I don’t have any extra money to spend, I’m actually borrowing money to pay utilities gottdamn it!

Wisconsin:  Retail packaging company Sealed Air shutting down their Mount Pleasant office, 74 jobs lost.  It’s part of their plans, announced back in 2014, to move 3-hundred jobs out of The Badger State!

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

16 January 2016: Wells Fargo home foreclosures funding bad oil industry debts? 

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

Great Lakes tonnage down by 9-million! Wells Fargo home foreclosures covering bad oil industry debts? Walmart fallout already killing other businesses! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 16 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

Journal Boating Industry reports “Both the unemployment rate and the number of job openings have remained essentially unchanged month-over-month, and yearly gains are starting to flatten.”  Thom Dammrich, of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, reported mixed news for the boating industry as a whole, going into 2016:  “Fuel prices remain low. Interest rates remain low. There’s nothing negative happening to adversely affect boat sales in the coming year that we can see today……The saltwater category has been growing in double digits…..” but he had a warning “We still are not getting entry-level boaters and that’s who buys these boats. That seems to be who’s missing from this equation.”

Alabama: Birmingham based Regions Bank announced the elimination of 260 jobs!  

Arkansas: Oil pipe maker Tenaris laid off 1-hundred people, blaming the crashing-n-burning oil industry!

Arizona: Days after non-profit Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) boasted that it was responsible for creating  jobs in the Phoenix area, several former employees came forth and essentially said ‘bull-shit!’ as they were part of a round of unreported TGen layoffs in October!  A reporter, who just happens to live next door to one of those laid off, did some research and discovered that TGen laid off 12 people and eliminated four vacant positions by the end of 2015. Industry reports say mining company Freeport-McMoRan has begun to layoff at least 8-hundred people at its Green Valley molybdenum Sierrita Mine!  In December a co-founder of the company resigned, after vulture capitalist investor Carl Icahn gained a controlling stake in the company (Icahn is the same guy who recently took over auto parts store Pep Boys).

California:  San Francisco based Too Big to Jail Wells Fargo continues to kill jobs, this time 121 tech jobs across the country!  It’s been revealed that Wells Fargo is actually covering the bad loans of huge oil companies (by literally throwing money at them), this should piss you off because Wells Fargo (a major mortgage company) does not hesitate to foreclose on homeowners!  (Mmmm, is it a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul?)   More proof you can’t blame the internet for brick-n-mortar destruction, dating website Zoosk laid off 40 employees.  In Venice, Superba Snack Bar shutting down at the end of the month.   In Tulare,  a class action lawsuit against Jan & Gail’s Care Homes (“Care Homes”) said newly hired employees were forced to sign an agreement waiving their right to uninterrupted meal periods without notifying employees of their right to revoke the agreement at any time.  However, the trial court ruled subdivision 11(E) of Wage Order 5 allows residential care facilities to force their employees to work on-duty meal periods!  

Florida:   In Lake City, Sitel Operating Corporation issued a WARN saying 94 people will be laid off in March.

Idaho: State Department of Health and Welfare hit with lawsuit accusing the Right to Work (you over) agency of hiding the changes in Medicaid healthcare costs for people who face being institutionalized.  The lawsuit accuses the state administrators of pretending that costs will not go up by being placed in a nursing home or hospital, and, of not informing patients of their rights.  This lawsuit comes as state ‘lawmakers’ claimed their version of ObamaCare was saving money!

Kansas: Besides the nine Walmart stores shutting down within The Sunflower State, the QuickTrip fuel station on 13th and Oliver, in Wichita, shutting down after 25 years.  It’s directly and immediately blamed on the shutdowns of nearby Walmarts: “We didn’t know it was going to be affected as dramatically as it has.The other store has suffered much quicker than we anticipated. We’ve been watching it for a while, and we could see that, unfortunately, the sales continue to decline.”-Mike Thornbrugh, QuickTrip

Michigan:  A great indicator of a good, or bad, economy are the lock systems used by shipping around The Great Lakes.   Soo Locks reports shipping for 2015 was down 10%, actual cargo tonnage down 9-million U.S. tons!    California based direct selling company ViSalus is eliminating 87 jobs in Troy by March, officially because their sales have crashed (down 44% in 2013), but it might also have something to do with lawsuits accusing the company of being yet another pyramid scheme.

Minnesota: Sears Holdings shutting down the Dundas Kmart by April, 32 jobs lost.   In Minneapolis, popular Nye’s Polonaise Room shutting down in April because property developers want to build a 29 story apartment complex in its place.

New York:  American Rock Salt laid off 17 employees blaming the unusually warm winter weather in The Empire State.   Cumberland Packing officially issued a shutdown WARN for their Brooklyn Naval Yard Sweet-n-Low ops, 335 jobs lost between May and December!  What automotive industry recovery?  In Plattsburgh, British empire Canada based bus maker Prevost Car issued a shutdown WARN, at least 55 jobs lost in April.  In Schenectady, Granite Services lost their contract with GE Power, 41 jobs lost by March.  NYC based MTV laid off an undisclosed number of people, as reported by those who were laid off.

Ohio: Florida based upscale Ruth’s Chris Steak House shutting down their 17 years old Columbus location in February “due to changing marketplace dynamics”, possibly referring to increased rent.

Oklahoma:  Inola Public Schools laid off four people and literally turned down the lights due to lack of money.  Administrators warn of more cuts.

Texas:  Sears Holdings shutting down the Longview Kmart in April, 60 jobs lost.

Virginia:  After boosting production and bringing new jobs to the area in 2015, Poland based Korona Candles laid off an undisclosed number of people, and reduced hours for employees, claiming it’s a normal seasonal thing.

Washington DC: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of people finding work as information security analysts (cybersecurity) is steadily growing, yet it’s still not enough to meet demand.  Apparently the concept of cybersecurity is too vague, mysterious, or even sinister, for many people trying to figure out what type of career they’re interested in.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

15 January 2016: The U.S. economy “…has gone the way of the Dodo Bird.” 

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.”

Business/Economics, Idaho

“Walmart won.” No more GoPro? Gas supply at record highs, demand down, yet prices in Idaho go up! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 14 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

After only two years Qatar based news source Al Jazeera is getting the hell outta Dodge! Al Jazeera America is shutting down in April, administrators say that despite increasing numbers of viewers the suck-ass U.S. economy makes doing business in ‘Merica “no longer sustainable”!  7-hundred employees affected!

Arizona: The Prescott Valley Kmart shutting down by April.  No word on how many jobs lost, but one employee was quoted by local news as saying “Walmart won.”

California:   Four Kmarts shutting down between March and April, one in Anaheim, Chula Vista, San Mateo and Citrus Heights, a total of 407 jobs lost!  More proof high-tech is not recession resistant, San Mateo based GoPro digital cam systems announced it must eliminate at least 7% of its jobs (about 105 positions) due to holiday sales that sucked!  GoPro’s 4th quarter revenues are about $100-million USD short of what the ‘experts’ thought they would get!

Connecticut:  Fairfield based industry giant General Electric (GE) announced it is killing off 6-thousand 5-hundred jobs in Europe!  It’s the result of GE’s takeover of Alstom SA Energy.

Florida:   Sears Holdings announced the 46 years old Daytona Beach Kmart, on International Speedway Boulevard, is shutting down by mid-March, 86 jobs lost.   The Lutz Kmart shutting down by March, 62 jobs lost.  

Pokey Runway liquidating

Idaho:  In Pocatello about two years after opening, previously worn clothing seller Runway Fashion Exchange “going out of business” and liquidating everything.  Essentially a for-profit thrift store, Runway Fashion Exchange has been shutting down stores across the U.S. since 2013.   There are reports that the supply of gasoline is at record levels, and demand is down (again), yet here in eastern Idaho gas prices went up by ten cents per gallon compared to last week ($2.05 in Chubbuck/Pocatello, last week it was at $1.95).  

The decade old drought is causing taxpayers to fork out more funding for aquifer recharge projects.  Governor Otter is proposing a one time $10-million USD payment plus $2-million yearly for the Egin Lakes-Egin Bench canal near Rexburg.  Supporters of the plan complain it’s not enough money!

Illinois: Hoffman Estates based Sears Holdings announced they will shutdown up to 120 Kmart and Sears stores in 2016!

Michigan: The Sears and Auto Center in Fort Gratiot shutting down by mid-March, 48 jobs lost.

Mississippi:  The 44 years old Greenville Kmart shutting down in April, no word on job losses.

Missouri:  Noranda Aluminum joins the list of aluminum smelters cutting way back on production.  190 people at Noranda’s New Madrid ops to become unemployed by the end of the week, and another 480 employees to be let go by the start of February!

New York: In DeWitt, it’s been revealed that the owner of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Yogen Fruz shut them both down due to low sales and high operating costs.   The same owner is shutting down his Pop’s Media Cafe claiming his labor costs are now double his sales, and his rent is about to be jacked by the greedy landlord.

North Carolina: In Greensboro, ConvaTec shutting down their medical products factory and laying off 250 people by the beginning of 2017!  It’s their way of becoming more competitive in the global market.

Oklahoma: In Ponca City, Mertz Manufacturing laid off about 45 people, blaming “…continued decreased product demand from the oil and gas industry.”  SandRidge Energy announced the elimination of 226 jobs (87% of its positions) with its Lariat Services Group, due to crashing oil prices!

Ohio: Steubenville Kmart shutting down by April, 65 jobs lost. 

Pennsylvania:  In Clairton, Koppers shutting down their chemical factory, 52 jobs lost over the next six months.  The factory makes chemicals for industries that are now shutting down due to crashing commodities prices.  After 60 years Trader Horn shutting down all seven stores, 2-hundred jobs lost!  It’s blamed on the deteriorating health of the owner.

South Dakota:  The Pierre Kmart shutting down by the end of March, 45 jobs lost.  The Michell Kmart shutting down in April, 52 jobs lost.  

Tennessee:  Cleveland Kmart shutting down by mid-March, no job numbers reported.  A Memphis Sears and Auto Center (on Poplar Avenue) shutting down, 109 jobs lost!

Virginia: The Sears Hometown store in Culpeper shutting down by the end of the month.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

13 January 2016: “cuts like a knife…we can’t compete” Idaho eateries give you a discount if you bring your gun! 

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.”

Idaho, Technology

Idaho joins DoD’s Cyber Squadron of the Future

13 January 2016 (04:37 UTC-07 Tango 01)/23 Dey 1394/02 Rabi’a’-Thani 1437/04 Ding-Chou (12th month) 4713

“This is the beginning. This is a massive amount of force structure the Guard has laid into this mission, but this is just the first layer.”– Colonel Kelly Hughes, USAF Space and Cyber Warfare Operations Division, Air National Guard Readiness Center

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) created Cyber Squadron of the Future now includes The Gem State National Guard (state militia).

 

It’s part of Governor Butch Otter’s plan to spend at least $1-million state tax dollars creating a state cyber security operation led by Boise State University and the U.S. Navy’s Idaho National Laboratory.

In next door Colorado, the U.S. Air Force revealed that the 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB will be directly involved: “The future of Team Five-O is bright and there are opportunities on the horizon:  Space Mission Force, Space Training Transformation, Cyber Network Defense, Cyber Squadron of the Future, Community Gathering Place, Youth Center and new services and support for our installation just to name a few and I know there will be others…”-Colonel DeAnna M. Burt, commander

It’s hoped that by 2019 Cyber Squadron of the Future will be staffed by Air and Army National Guard units from 23 states.  The DoD says attacks on internet systems are becoming more dangerous as more and more of a country’s utility infrastructure and financial system are directly controlled through the internet.  Recent cyber wargames included cyber attacks that cause food shortages.

Business/Economics, Idaho

“cuts like a knife…we can’t compete” Idaho eateries give you a discount if you bring your gun! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 13 January 2016

Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.

British empire based British Petroleum (BP, formerly known as Anglo-Iranian Oil) announced it will eliminate at least 4-thousand jobs around the world.

British empire based polymer products maker Fenner announced a 20% cut in jobs in its North American operations, blaming the oil industry.

California:   Cupertino made the Texas based retailer JCPenney‘s shutdown list for April.  Wine maker to the elites, Premier Cru,  chapter 7 bankrupt busted and shutdown without warning.  Wealthy customers are stuck as $70-million USD in paid orders will not be delivered (oh boo hoo).

Colorado: According to Colorado Oil and Gas Association only 22 oil rigs were in operation at the end of 2015, compared to 77 in 2014. The Colorado School of Mines is in danger of losing students due to the crashing oil industry: “Students are asking ‘How long is this going to occur?’ ….This is a big change as far as what they’re expectations were compared to what the realty is.”-Will Fleckenstein, adjunct professor interviewed by 9NEWS

Connecticut: In Stratford, after 82 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recession) Clough’s Hardware shutting down.

Florida:  The Venice public library shutting down by the end of the month due to unsanitary conditions that never go away despite numerous attempts to repair the building.   British empire based U.S. tax-sucking BAE announced more job cuts at its Jacksonville boatyard.  This time 3-hundred jobs to be eliminated!  Last year 1-hundred Jacksonville jobs were eliminated.  It’s blamed on reduced tax spending by the U.S. Navy.  Jacksonville based rail company CSX announced a 13% drop in revenues due to the crashing coal market.  In Coral Gables, Preferred Medical Plan issued a WARN saying 35 people will be let go in March.

Georgia: Mount Berry Square Mall Sears and Auto Center shutting down in March, 86 jobs lost.

Hawaii: Nimitz highway Kmart (the first Kmart opened in Hawaii) shutting down in March, 141 jobs lost!  Imported furniture and textile seller Chai Studio shutting down this month due to a property developer re-purposing the retail property.  The owner of Chai Studio is looking for a new location to open a new textile design studio.

Idaho: It’s finally being revealed by local news sources that state taxpayers were funding the maintaining of the JR. Simplot mansion to the tune of nearly $1-million USD during the time the property was in possession of the state!   Back in 2004 the mansion (estimated to be worth $2-million) was given to The Gem State, however, it was supposedly given back to the Simplot family in 2013 because the utility bills alone were costing taxpayers $150-thousand per year!  This info was originally reported by the United Kingdom’s DailyMail back in 2013.    The Simplot family can no longer pay the upkeep on the mansion and are tearing it down.

To counter the growing trend of chain restaurants openly opposing guns, local Gem State eateries are offering discounts if you’re packin’ heat!  Dueling Irons restaurant knocks off 15% from the price of your meal: “The open carry discount is being expanded to included ccw permits, and increasing to 15%.”-Dueling Irons facebook post

I warned in the past (after a manager told me at least a year ago they were in an unofficial “holding  pattern”) now it’s official, the Pocatello Kmart shutting down by April, 65 jobs lost.

Indiana: Sears Holdings revealed it will shutdown the Terre Haute Kmart by April, 62 jobs lost.  Crummy clothier Old Navy shutting down their 15 years old Kokomo store within two weeks, blaming crashed sales in December.

Iowa:  Ottumwa Kmart shutting down by April, 38 jobs lost. In Dubuque, Second Time Around Consignment shutting down this weekend.  Local news says it’s the second time in two years a consignment shop shutdown in that very location.

Kansas: North Topeka Kmart shutting down by Spring, 49 jobs lost.

Maryland:  Pier 1 Imports shutting down their Towson store.  In Ownings Mills, JCPenney shutting down by April.

Massachusetts: Nuclea Biotechnologies eliminating jobs at two locations and shutting down their Pittsfield genomics ops as part of a “major internal reorganization”.   In Waltham, Evolving Closet consignment store shutting down this month.  In Woburn, after 12 years Kay’s Hallmark gift store shutting down in February.

Michigan: Sears Holdings revealed it will shutdown three Kmart stores by April, one in Virginia, Superior and Ironwood, 137 jobs lost!

Minnesota: The rumors have been confirmed, the Kmart located in the Thunderbird Mall will shutdown, at least 48 jobs lost.   After 55 years Buck’s Unpainted Furniture shutting down this month, co-owner Roger Buck saying “We don’t want to unload trucks any more  and work weekends any more.”  Two stores shutting down in the Hutchinson Mall; Claire’s Accessories and Urban Express.

New Jersey:  Moonachie based clothier Joyce Leslie now chapter 11 bankrupt busted due to crashed sales.

New York:  In Brooklyn, Angry Wade’s bar shutting down after the greedy landlord jacked the rent to $16-thousand USD per month!  NYC based clothier Aeropostale announced it will eliminate at least 1-hundred jobs due to continued declining sales!  Stop & Shop shutting down its Freeport store in February, 91 jobs lost.  Too Big to Jail Morgan Stanley finally revealed how many New Yorkers will become unemployed between March and April; 414!  

North Carolina:  Haywood County in big trouble, they’ve reduced their operating budget by $2.4-million USD and will have to shutdown at least one school, conduct layoffs and reduce pay for remaining employees!    It’s blamed on the loss of state school funding (due in part to crashing enrollment) and half a million dollars in tax collections being diverted to other counties that are in bigger trouble than Haywood!

Ohio: Sears Holdings revealed it will shutdown the Boardman Kmart by April, 81 jobs lost.  The 11 years old Regal movie theater in the Indian Mound Mall shutting down this week, 11 jobs lost.  American Eagle clothier shutting down their Upper Valley Mall store by the end of January.

Oklahoma: In Utica, after more than 70 years Petty’s Fine Foods shutting down in February, 50 jobs lost.

Pennsylvania: Jerry Sandusky founded The Second Mile charity asking courts to approve a shutdown request, citing lack of donations.  Pittsburg based clothier American Eagle (American Eagle Outfitters) revealed at an investor’s conference in Florida that it will shutdown 150 stores across the U.S. over the next three years!  In Cranberry, the JCPenney shutting down by April.

South Carolina: Beaded Frog jewelry/beading store in Greenville shutting down: “Our rent will more than double at the end of our lease. The new rent structure exceeds what a bead store should pay…”-Heidi Woody, owner

Tennessee:  After spending money to paint their eatery in the colors of East Tennessee State University the owners of Alley Kat Sandwich Shop shutting it down by the end of this week.  In Morristown, the JCPenney shutting down by April.

Texas: In Dallas, after seven years Green Bean Toy Boutique shutting down, the pissed manager blames looky-loos: “They will come in and see something, and say I can get that cheaper on Amazon. That kind of cuts like a knife…we can’t compete with that.”-Marchell Dean

Utah: Sears Holdings shutting down their North Logan Kmart by April, 58 jobs lost.   In Price, the JCPenney store shutting down by April.

Vermont:  Entergy shutting down their Vermont Yankee nuclear plant HQ offices and eliminating 150 jobs by May!  It’s part of the ongoing decommissioning of the nuclear power plant.

Virginia:   British empire based U.S. tax-sucking BAE notified 530 people they will be laid off in March!  Last month BAE laid off 160 people at its Norfolk shipyard!  In November BAE laid off 185 people!   BAE blames decreased tax spending by the U.S. Navy.  At the Chesapeake Square Mall, American Eagle clothier shutting down by the end of the month.  Across the street a Michaels arts & craft store shutting down.

Washington: Eatonville Sears Hometown store shutting down.  In Everett, God refusing to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Trinity Lutheran College, due to The Rapture, I mean what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome: “…the Board of Directors of Trinity Lutheran College has come to the conclusion that any efforts to increase enrollment at Trinity will no longer sustain the college.”-Kevin Bates

In Yakima, after almost ten years Garden Girl shutting down by the end of February: “I’m worn out, that’s the bottom line.”-Lenette Roehl, owner

Wyoming: JCPenney shutting down their Rock Springs store in April, 25 jobs lost.  The Cowboy State is the birth place of the iconic retailer.

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

12 January 2016: “It was a shock.”  Puerto Rico kills GameStop!

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.”