Category Archives: Idaho

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: Confusion reigns over east Idaho Postal Processing Center shutdown!

14 April 2015 (18:42 UTC-07 Tango 01, 13 April 2015)/24 Farvardin 1394/23 Jumada t-Tania 1436/26 Geng Chen 4713

So far no written shutdown notice has been issued for east Idaho’s Gateway Postal Processing Center, only verbal warnings that it will take place on 18 April 2015.  There are consistent reports from the contracted truck drivers, who make the Boise to Pocatello and Salt Lake City, Utah, to Pocatello runs: They are refusing to sign new contracts to run the new routes that postal administrators in Salt Lake City have created, and that the shutdown will be delayed at least until June as a result.

Drivers are reporting some of the new routes will have some of them sitting at processing centers for up to 28 hours, which means they’ll lose money.  Last week it was reported that a driver in the 834 zip code area of east Idaho quit (on that day the truck from the Driggs area supposedly never showed up at Gateway for the evening delivery).

Drivers making the Boise and Salt Lake runs are reporting that USPS loading dock personnel, in those cities, have not heard anything about the Gateway shutdown.

Mail arriving at Gateway in Pocatello, from Boise and Salt Lake City, continues to increase in volume, which seems counter productive if Gateway is to be shutdown at the end of this week.  Gateway employees are stressed because they’ve lost about half their manpower to “involuntary” transfers and early retirements, and supervisors are not being allowed to hire new employees.  Many employees are now working 10 to 12 hour days, six to seven days per week.

In an earlier posting I reported that east Idaho mail in the 834 zip code area will be sent to the main Post Office in Idaho Falls (IF) to be shipped to Salt Lake City.  Inside reports say management at the IF PO has issued a written statement to Salt Lake administrators saying they are incapable of complying due to logistical reasons; their loading dock is not big enough to handle all that mail.

It seems like a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.  Until the remaining Gateway employees get written notices of layoff, or plant shutdown, they are in limbo working long hard hours, not knowing what to expect, and as a result not being able to plan for anything.  Welcome to the Hotel California.

USPS Network Rationalization Consolidation List Updated April 10, 2015 (this list now shows the Gateway Pocatello Processing Center to be listed as TBD; To Be Determined)

Confusion over plan for Petaluma mail facility

announcement confirming Gateway shutdown?

Santa Ana Postal District gets new 2-ton trucks, specifically for  Amazon

USPS to spend $6 billion buying new trucks, as it layoffs thousands of employees

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: Major announcement confirming shutdown of east Idaho’s only Postal Processing Center?

11 April 2015 (16:42 UTC-07 Tango 01)/22 Farvardin 1394/21 Jumada t-Tania 1436/23 Geng Chen 4713

In the past week employees at the doomed Gateway Processing Center in Pocatello, Idaho, were given news confirming the pending shutdown.

As of 17 April 2015 all remaining Mail Handlers will become unemployed, with no severance (told to apply for unemployment).  All parcel mail (packages) are supposedly to be shipped down to Salt Lake City for processing after that date.

Salt Lake Postal District administrators decided to save 16 Gateway Clerk jobs (on top of the original 13), but only temporarily.  The Salt Lake Letter Processing Center is, admittedly, unable to handle all of east Idaho’s letter mail, so, two of Gateway’s letter sorting machines will remain operational for at least six more months (apparently until Salt Lake gets another machine of their own).

This is more proof of how ineffectual your local ‘elected’ officials are.

East Idaho’s Gateway Processing Center is one of 82, across the United States, that are being shutdown before summer.

Zero Hour approaches fast for east Idaho’s only Postal Processing Center! 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: Notices posted in Post Offices as Zero Hour approaches fast for east Idaho’s only Postal Processing Center!

06 April 2015 (13:52 UTC-07 Tango 01)/17 Farvardin 1394/16 Jumada t-Tania 1436/18 Geng Chen 4713

Some east Idaho Post Offices have posted collection time changes (“Due to operational changes…”) for parcels and letters dropped off at their location.   The new collection times are 30 minutes earlier than normal and go into effect on 18 April 2015.

Notice posted inside the Clark Street PO in Pocatello, Idaho.

Notice posted inside the Clark Street PO in Pocatello, Idaho.

18 April is supposedly the day all east Idaho mail will be shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah, for processing.  That’s ALL mail; inbound from out of the area, out bound to other states and countries, and even cross-town letters!

17 April is the official last day of operations for the Gateway Processing Center in Pocatello.  Many people are confusing the Processing Center with the Gateway Post Office, which is located in the same building.   About 13 Clerks will remain employed after 17 April to continue operating the Post Office and the loading dock in the Processing Center.  The loading dock will remain open because beginning 18 April all east Idaho mail (in the 832 zip code area) will be loaded straight onto trucks bound for out of state processing centers in Salt Lake City.

East Idaho mail in the 834 zip code area will be sent to the main PO in Idaho Falls (IF) to be shipped to Salt Lake City.  This will be a logistical nightmare because the loading dock at the IF PO has only one door, which means trucks will have to wait in line to unload and load.

About 50 good paying jobs are in the process of being lost to a combination of early retirements, forced (“involuntary”) transfers and outright layoffs (with no severance).

There are rumors that eventually all Post Offices in Pocatello will be shutdown except for the Gateway Post Office, meaning the residents of Chubbuck and Pocatello will have only one Post Office.

Postal administrators swear up and down that delivery times will not be adversely affected by the shutdown.  I’ve got another reason why that is a lie: Performance Ratings.   For more than two decades the Gateway Processing Center has maintained some of the highest performance ratings in the Salt Lake Postal District, I’ve read that’s it’s as high as 92%.  Guess who has maintained the lowest performance ratings?  Yep, the Salt Lake Processing Centers!

Here’s some other disturbing news.  While Salt Lake postal administrators want to shutdown Gateway, for some odd reason in the past month they’ve more than doubled the mail volume they’ve been sending to Pocatello for processing!  Gateway Mail Handlers and Clerks state that the mail volume is now as high as during the end of year holiday season, and they’re operating with fewer employees due to forced retirements and transfers, and Salt Lake administrators will not allow the hiring of more employees due to the pending shutdown!

Question: If Salt Lake postal administrators think Pocatello is inefficient, and that Salt Lake can handle processing better, then why are they sending more and more mail our way?

A recent Idaho State Journal article indicated that Chubbuck city administrators have joined with Pocatello to try and stop the shutdown.  No word on any of the dozens of other east Idaho cities joining the fight, even though the shutdown will directly affect them as well.  Also, still no word from the dozens of east Idaho mail order companies, that use Priority Mail to ship out their products, showing any concern over the shutdown (companies like Weigh Vest, Fin Fun Mermaid, some company that sends Priority Medium Flat Rate boxes filed with dirt and exotic flower bulbs, another company that sends heavy boxes marked “liquid”, etc).  Those companies will see a delay in their shipments as a result of the shutdown, despite what Salt Lake postal administrators say.

Pathetic turnout for east Idaho Mayor’s last ditch effort to save Postal Processing Center!

Business/Economics, Idaho

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 27 – 28 February 2015: “We have not been spared…” “…1,200 plus employees may not be getting a paycheck.” Obamacare at it again! More BS in the oil sector! Harassing A-hole debt collectors soon to join unemployment line!

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

An east coast health insurance company is killing jobs, no thanks to Obama Care.  Highmark laid off almost 1-hundred people in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia!  Administrators admit that since Obama Care went into effect they’ve actually lost customers, so much so that they have to make drastic cuts!  Apparently Obama Care favors Highmark’s competitor Aetna as many of Highmark’s customers were forced to change insurance plans and become Aetna and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center customers.    One report says Highmark lost 60% of “market share” just in the western half of Pennsylvania!   What was that about Obama Care increasing access to healthcare?

Arizona: In Green Valley, after 14 years The Old Time Butcher Shop announced it will shutdown in March. The owners say a 60% drop in business is a sign to spend more time with their great-grand-children.

California:  Castaic Union School District has approved the elimination of at least 43 jobs.  Those still employed will be forced to take unpaid days off (furlough).   It’s blamed on what I call DSS (Disapearing Student Syndrome), district administrators say the school system has lost more than 1-thousand students over the past ten years!

Colorado:  In Denver, after 35 years the owner of Hollywood Posters announced he must shut it down by April.  It’s blamed on evil landlords jacking up the rent: “We’re seeing a re-gentrifying of East Colfax. Rates are going crazy!”-Carolyn Martinez, commercial real estate agent

Connecticut:  Evil Too Big to Jail Royal Bank of Scotland (aka RBS) announced it will eliminate more than 1-thousand U.S. jobs in Stamford!  The British empire bank said it’s part of their plans to cut global operations down from 38 countries to just 13.

Idaho: The Idaho Department of Labor has finally posted some past due WARNs issued by Kimbal and Plum Creek Timber (in my earlier Job Loss reports I noted that no WARNs had been posted concerning their layoffs-shutdowns).  Also, a WARN was posted by food producer Simplot saying 20 people will be laid off from their Aberdeen ops in April.

Illinois:  In Peru, OfficeMax is quietly shutting down its call center, 275 employees were ordered to keep their mouths shut!  Local news reports say the shutdown will happen in March.  Apparently OfficeMax is moving the call center offshore to India.  The 42 years old Aurora Child Development Center shutting down due to state funding problems.  Administrators say the great state of Illinois is at least three months behind on their Child Care Assistance Program payments!

Indiana:  US Steel (aka USS) shutting down the last of their Gary coke factories by May, 3-hundred jobs lost!  Administrators blame the crashing steel market and the fact that they’ve spent big bucks on building a new coke factory in Alabama.

Michigan: Evil debt collector Asset Acceptance Capital announced it will layoff 125 call center employees in May!  Good, now those harassing ass-holes will know what it’s like when you can’t pay your bills!

Missouri: A major advertising company in Saint Louis laid off 15 people.  Administrators of Osborn Barr blame crashing orders for advertisements from its primary client; the farm industry.

New York: Bankrupt NYC based women’s clothing chain Cache issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their administrative offices by March, 1-hundred jobs lost!  Is Obama Care responsible for the shutdown of Jewish home healthcare services?  In Bronx, FEGS (Federation Employment and Guidance Services) Family Care Services (Jewish Home Healthcare) issued a WARN saying they lost their contract with the state Children Services, 80 jobs lost by March. FEGS also issued a WARN saying as a result they must “restructure” resulting in at least 206 employees across the state becoming jobless by May!  In West Point, Land O’Frost announced it will shutdown its recently acquired Wimmer’s Meats factory by Autumn. Company administrators claim they had plans to operate the factory for years to come, but the economy is worse than they thought, 125 jobs lost!

Ohio: Amazingly TimkenSteel is blaming low oil prices for laying off 52 steel workers in March!  Apparently TimkenSteel customers work in the oil industry and orders have crashed.

Puerto Rico: The FDIC seized the assets of Doral Bank and turned them over to Banco Popular of Puerto Rico.

Texas: Oil industry tool maker Dresser-Rand announced it will kill off about 650 jobs!  Administrators blame crashing orders from the oil industry, however, the true reason could be that Dresser-Rand is trying to make itself look lean and mean as it hopes to sell itself to Germany’s Siemens for $7.6-billion USD.

Washington:  In Everett, Illinois based Boeing has notified 319 employees that they will become jobless in April!  In late 2013 state politicians extended tax breaks for Boeing for the sole purpose of keeping jobs alive, now they’re trying to get that money back.    After less than one year of operation Trios Medical Center now in big financial trouble no thanks to Obama Care (referred to as “the changing healthcare market”) with CEO Glen Marshall explaining that “The national trend has and will continue to be one of doing more with less. We have not been spared in that regard.”  40 employees laid off without notice and hospital assets are now being sold off.  An unnamed employee told local news media “On Fridays, on paydays, people are frantically checking their bank accounts to see if they’ll get paid. It’s a real fear that 1,200 plus employees may not be getting a paycheck.”

Wisconsin: Pay/Half clothing store shutting down in the Regency Mall.  No closure date was reported, and neither was an explanation given.

23 – 26 February 2015: “…the economy has dictated.”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shutdown. It doesn’t count people who get a severance for being laid off.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: Pathetic turnout for east Idaho Mayor’s last ditch effort to save Postal Processing Center!

17 March 2015 (16:10 UTC-07 Tango 01)/26 Jumada I-Ula 1436/26 Esfand 1393/27 Ji Mao 4713

Only one city council seems concerned with the shutdown of east Idaho’s only mail sorting and processing center; Pocatello.  This is despite the fact the closure will affect all of eastern Idaho!

What’s worse it seems that even the residents of Pocatello don’t give a damn.  According to local TV station KPVI, only 50 people showed up to the mayor’s “11th Hour Town Hall to Reverse USPS Plant Closure” meeting.

A lot of blame can be placed on east Idaho news media for failing to explain the situation, as I’ve written before most east Idahoans are oblivious to the whole situation.  Even in the latest lazily done KPVI report no mention of the fact that this shutdown will affect all of east Idaho is made, they only mention Pocatello and “the county”.

The time of the Pocatello mayor’s meeting was set right at the height of operations at the Gateway Station; 18:00 hours to 20:00 hours, when trucks filled with the days mail from all over east Idaho (and even trucks from Boise) come in and employees are busy “hashing” everything out in time for outbound shipments after midnight (actually postal workers are busting butt right up ’till deadlines, but the mayors meeting was set for 6pm to 8pm, the time when the trucks roll in to dump their mail).  But, if anybody is wondering why Postal Employees haven’t spoken up or gone on strike it’s because they’d be instantly fired from their job, or fined or imprisoned (starting in 1947 with the Taft-Hartley Act which was replaced with the 1955 Act and several other Acts down the road, however, that didn’t stop a massive postal strike in 1970 that actually worked).

Either the people of east Idaho are so stupid as to not understand the importance of their only Postal Processing Center being shutdown, or they take their Postal Service for granted thinking it’s one of those things that will always be there.  Several countries in the European Union have fully privatized their postal systems in the past decade, and with disastrous results.  I remember reading about when Italy shifted to a fully privatized postal system just a few years ago, and the initial result was total chaos when it came to deliveries, and prices went up.  Many U.S. ebay sellers stopped selling to Italian buyers, it was so bad.

Ponder this east Idaho: You never know how good you had it ’till you lose it.

East Idahoans oblivious to shutdown of their only Postal Processing Center! 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: East Idahoans oblivious to shutdown of their only Postal Processing Center!

16 March 2015 (08:22 UTC-07 Tango 01)/25 Jumada I-Ula 1436/25 Esfand 1393/26 Ji Mao 4713

“I thought it was just a rumor.”

“They’ll just move the work to Clark Street Post Office.”

“There’s a Postal Processing Center here?”

These are most common responses I got from talking to fellow east Idahoans.  18 April 2015 is the last day of operations for the Gateway Station Processing Center on Flandro Drive in Pocatello.

Another common misconception I heard was that it was just the Gateway Post Office that was being consolidated with Clark Street Post Office.  Wrong!

The Gateway Processing Center is the mail sorting and processing center for all of eastern Idaho and it will be shutdown by 18 April 2015.  From that point on all mail will be sent out of state to Salt Lake City, Utah, even your letters sent ‘cross town!

Last week several meetings were held with Gateway employees notifying them of impending layoffs.  At least two were offered “involuntary transfers” to Salt Lake City (meaning if they refuse they lose their jobs).  Others were told to apply for two open Letter Carrier positions in Pocatello, however, at least 30 employees are already on that list and those two positions have been ‘open’ for a while.  Since January about eight Gateway employees were forced to take early retirement and about a dozen have already been transfered out of the area.  At least 50 good paying jobs are being lost.

Approximately 13 employees will stay on after 18 April 2015 to continue loading dock ops, and run “window operations” at the Gateway Post Office.

Unconfirmed rumors have it that eventually all Post Offices in the area will be shutdown, except Gateway Post Office, meaning everybody in the cities of Pocatello and Chubbuck will have only one Post Office.

The mayor of Pocatello has called for public hearings but it sounds like most residents don’t understand the situation, or don’t care.  State and federal level politicians seem too concerned with their pet projects.  We haven’t heard anything from the Chubbuck city council or mayor.  In fact, the whole of eastern Idaho doesn’t seem to care even though the Gateway shutdown will directly impact mail delivery for all of east Idaho.

And lets not forget the numerous east Idaho businesses that use the United States Postal Service (USPS), like the company that makes those back breaking weight vests for divers, or the company that packs back breaking amounts of spent ammo casings into Flat Rate boxes, or the company that ships back breaking “liquid” in Flat Rate boxes.  I say back breaking because package sorting is still done by hand at the Gateway Processing Center.

Which brings me to some data about Gateway, data that belies any logical reason for shutting it down.  Despite still sorting packages and First Class “chunks” by hand, Gateway is the highest rated postal processing center for meeting deadlines and accuracy, higher than fully automated centers!  In fact Gateway gets “incoming” mail from Boise, Idaho, and Salt Lake City that’s actually meant for other states, meaning Boise and Salt Lake screwed up!

And speaking of getting mail from Boise; in the past week and a half Boise has increased the number of trucks sent to Gateway to five per day.  There’s a new “extra” 04:00 hours Boise truck arriving six days per week now.

USPS administrators claim there might be only a day delay in mail delivery, that’s impossible.  It will take one day to drive the daily mail down to Salt Lake City, then another day to drive it back, that’s two days right there.  Data already shows that Salt Lake City mail processors take longer to sort the mail than Gateway, and now they have to sort east Idaho’s mail as well, so who knows how long that will take.  Now couple that with the fact that 82 USPS processing centers across the United States are being shutdown this year, and an estimated 15-thousand USPS jobs being eliminated, that’s got to mean a significant delay in delivery!

Between 2012 and 2013 about 141 USPS processing centers were consolidated or shutdown.  Since 2006 approximately 216-thousand postal jobs were eliminated!

Postal services are still far cheaper than UPS or FedEx.  Some people say shutting down postal centers are necessary because the USPS is losing money, but if that were the case how was the USPS able to hand Congress billions of dollars in cash to fund the government retirement system? (that’s doubly impressive since the USPS is not taxpayer funded)  And if the USPS is a money losing operation then why is Staples so adamant about taking over Post Office operations?

For years now the American Postal Workers Union has been warning that the U.S. Congressional Postal Commission is working to sell off the USPS to the highest bidder.  In the long run it will mean low paid workers with no benefits and yet you’ll have to pay more for shipping, that’s always what happens.

When are the People going to wake up and take action?

USPS & Staples continue ‘trial’ deal to run Post Offices! 

Staples takes over U.S. Postal Service?

USPS reports a $2-billion USD loss for their fiscal 3rd quarter! 

The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it will shutdown 82 distribution centers beginning in January 2015, thousands of jobs lost! 

Congress screws over the Postal Service, 3,600 offices to close 

More Economic Decline: Chubbuck’s Allstate call center already killing jobs! 

More Economic Decline: East Idaho city in Death Spiral

More Economic Decline: Idaho politicians give away more than $18-million in Idaho taxes, to out-o-state lawyers! 

More Economic Decline: Idaho politicians give away more than $1-million in Idaho taxes, to France! 

More Economic Decline: Heinz pulls stake, Warren Buffett abandons Pocatello 

Unpaid contractor is winning bidder for abandoned Hoku Materials factory, again! 

Pocatello’s Old Fred Meyer & Albertsons on Yellowstone Ave, did not close down in the 1990s 

Idaho, International, U.S.

U.S., Mexico & Canada Measles, 15 February 2015: New mystery outbreak in Wisconsin community that’s 94% vaccinated! Christians locked down! Most California 7th graders 95% – 100% vaccinated!

Canada

Ontario has 11 cases of measles.  Of note is that none of the infected Canadians traveled outside Ontario.  It has been confirmed that at least one of the infected adults, in the Greater Toronto Area, had been vaccinated for measles!

Manitoba health administrators report an infant is infected.  The infant is too young for full measles vaccination.  The family had traveled to India.  The Manitoba case is considered a different strain of measles from the Ontario cases.

Mexico

The New York based World Bank reports that measles vaccination rates for children 12 months to 23 months, in Mexico, dropped in 2013 to 89%.  In 2012 the vaccination rate was at 99%.  It should be noted that the World Bank considers a child vaccinated after only one dose, even though it actually takes more than one dose over several years.

Despite declining vaccination rates Mexico has reported only two measles cases, so far.

United States

“To date there are 22 confirmed cases in Los Angeles County, 17 of which are linked to the Disneyland Parks. As the outbreak continues to unfold, it is likely that new measles cases will occur among those who have had contact with persons in the initial wave of infection.”-Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, California

Orange County, California, confirms 35 cases.

Contra Costa County, California, reports one case of measles.  The person had ridden on a Bay Are Rapid Transit (BART) bus before getting sick: “…we don’t know yet where this person was exposed.”-Erika Jenssen, Contra Costa Public Health

“As of 2-13-2015, Ventura County Public Health has confirmed 13 cases of measles. The age range of the cases is 13 months to 59 years of age. One case previously reported does not meet the case definition for this outbreak. No measles cases were confirmed in Ventura County in 2014.”-Ventura County Health Care Agency, California

Ventura County health administrators announced the following locations as being measles hotspots:  Gold’s Gym, 1357 E Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley. Target, Simi Valley. Sycamore Square, 2907 Cochran St., Simi Valley.  Oxnard West Target, 2850 N Oxnard Blvd.  Dickey’s’s BBQ Pit, 2902 Tapo Canyon Rd., Simi Valley.  Costco Simi Valley, 2660 Park Center Dr.  Costco Oxnard, 2001 E Ventura Blvd.  BG’s Restaurant, 428 S. A Street, Oxnard. Vons, 1291 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard. El Torito, 1720 E. Ventura Blvd., Oxnard. Andrea’s Seafood, 1449 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura.  Albertson’s, 920 N. Ventura Rd., Oxnard.  Carl’s Jr., 2301 N. Oxnard Blvd., (corner of Vineyard).  Century RiverPark 16 Theaters, 2766 Seaglass Way, Oxnard.  Little Explorers Preschool, 5165 Cochran Street, Simi Valley.  Cal Lutheran University, 1 University Dr., Simi Valley.  Toppers, 2701 Peninsula Road, Oxnard.  CitiBank, 430 Arneill Road, Camarillo.

Ventura County health officers claim they’ve screened all employees at those locations, and have “excluded from work” those who are “at risk of coming down with measles” (code for locking down unvaccinated people).

Alameda County Public Health Department, California, confirm six cases.

California’s Shots for Schools reports most schools with 7th grade students have a 95% – 100% vaccination rate, and most kindergartners are 80% – 94% vaccinated!

Elko County, Nevada, health administrators suspect a measles outbreak in local schools and as such has locked down at least 12 unvaccinated elementary students in their homes!  Four people are confirmed infected.

Since September 2014, western and northern Idaho has seen 21 cases of mumps.  Mumps is covered in the measles vaccine known as MMR.  So far no cases of measles have been confirmed.

Washington state confirms two cases of mumps can be traced to Idaho.

King County, Washington, reporting the following locations as possible measles hot spots: Sheraton Hotel (common areas), 1400 6th Ave, Seattle.  SeaTac Airport, Main Terminal and Concourse D and Rental Car Facility.  Dicks Drive-In, 115 Broadway Ave. East, Seattle.

In Port Angeles, Washington, Clallam County health administrators quarantined several Olympic Christian School students after a 5 years old was found infected: “All students who cannot demonstrate proof of immunity to measles have been excluded from Olympic Christian School until February 27, 2015, and placed in quarantine.”– Clallam County Health and Human Services

Cook County, Illinois, reports 13 cases, however the Chicago Sun Times reports those cases might not have anything to do with ground zero at Disneyland in California: “Illinois health officials are still trying to figure out how the people became infected with the measles virus. No ties have been found to the December outbreak at Disneyland in California, health officials said.” 

Madison County, Illinois, now says a reported case of measles was a “false positive”, proving that even the tests for measles can be wrong.

Portage County, Wisconsin, has locked down two people on suspicion of having measles.  If confirmed as measles the two children would be the first cases in that state.  Portage County health administrators say 94% of residents are vaccinated!

U.S. news media spreading lies about vaccine

Business/Economics, Idaho

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 18 – 21 January 2015: “…like ripping off a band aid…” More than 17-thousand jobs lost! Increased use of credit cards results in massive layoffs! Proof you’re worth more dead than alive; corporate America even sells your impending death to investors!

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

Alabama: In Huntsville, Colorado based Sports Authority announced they will shutdown their Bridge Street Town Centre store in February.  JCPenney announced they will shutdown their Cullman Shopping Center store in April, 25 jobs lost.

California: In Los Angeles, old style clothing store Revival Vintage shutdown, the owner did not want to renew the lease.  San Jose news sources report that ebay administrators have confirmed they will sell off their PayPal ops, resulting in at least 2-thousand 4-hundred people becoming jobless! The sale of PayPal is being pushed by ‘activist’ (more like vulture capitalist) investors who now control most of ebay’s stock.  DreamWorks Animation announced they will eliminate 400 to 500 jobs and shutdown their Redwood City studio in 2015!  DreamWorks laid off 350 people in 2014!  Company administrators say their revenues have fallen by tens of millions of dollars. In Moreno Valley, G2 Secure Staff issued a WARN saying they will layoff 39 people in March.  In Willows, Johns Manville issued a WARN saying they will layoff 40 people by March. In Vista, Zodiac Pool Systems issued a WARN saying they will shutdown in October, at least 97 jobs lost.  In Vandenberg AFB, taxsucker InDyne issued a WARN saying they will layoff 541 people in March!   In San Ramon, California oil company Chevron finally issued a WARN revealing they laid off 100 people back in December!   I doubt it’s really about oil prices, Chevron is at least the second oil company operating in California to issue a WARN about massive layoffs after the fact (a violation of WARN regulations)!

Colorado: After 25 years Pismo Fine Art Glass shutdown, the owner wants to retire.  Renewable bio-fuel maker Gevo laid off 23 HQ employees and the CEO claims he’s cutting his base pay by 25%: “Gevo has determined this to be an opportune time to scale down the team to focus primarily on technology optimizations…”

Connecticut: The Milford Board of Education is planning to layoff 18 teachers for the 2015-16 school year, “primarily stemming from continued enrollment decline”.  The University of Connecticut admitted they laid off employees, but refused to say how many.

Florida: 289 employees of rail company CSX have accepted early retirement buyouts! CSX was hoping for 300, which means the other 11 employes will probably be forced out.

Idaho: An independent investigation revealed that recently re-‘elected’ Pocatello mayor Brian Blad farmed out city road crews to other cities, for free and without permission of the city council (as required by law).  The cost to Pocatello taxpayers is at least $15,773 in labor!  To add insult to injury the city council said they aren’t going to pursue the matter, even though Idaho laws allows them to call in the Attorney General!  The investigation was done by Deaton and Company, who submitted a seven page report to the city.  Local news media refer to the scandal as ‘PaveGate’.

Illinois: Chicago based United Continental joins other airlines in contracting out thousands of in-house jobs, as many as 2-thousand jobs now going to cheap-o contractors!

Massachusetts: Kickass Cupcakes now chapter 7 bankrupt busted. The cupcake company has been shutting down stores since 2013. The owner refused to talk to local news media.

Michigan: God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Christian bookstore, Kregel Parable.  The owners of Restaurant Mediteran announced it will shutdown in March.  Two of the co-owners want to retire and the third owner says he can’t handle more than one restaurant at a time.  In Dearborn, The Mediterranean Chef shutdown and being liqudated.

Montana: Washington based Revett Mining shutting down their copper and silver Troy Mine, blaming low prices.  70 jobs lost.

Nebraska: In Scottsbluff, after six years female clothing store T & Company shutdown.

New Hampshire: In Nashua, the owners of Silverlight Candle & Gift Shoppe announced they will shutdown in February.  They blame the unexpected shutdown of next door Aubuchon Hardware for the final nail in their coffin.

New Jersey: Belgium-Brazil owned Anheuser-Busch laying off 60 people and cutting beer production in Newark. It’s probably because this year’s malt barley crops in three states has been killed off by mother nature. 

New York: In Valley Stream, after 30 years Sunrise Multiplex Cinemas shutdown, they sold out to a shopping mall developer.  Despite reporting “substantial” quarterly gains (due to increased credit card use) NYC based American Express announced it will kill off 4-thousand jobs by the end of 2015!  Company administrators also credited their better than expected quarterly results on past job cutting, so they are ramping up job cuts as part of their plan to “reinvent” the credit card company!  Grocery store 173 Food issued a WARN saying they will shutdown in April, at least 30 jobs lost.  Another NYC based company, AOL (formerly America OnLine) announced they will kill off 150 advertising jobs! Business Insider is also reporting that their sources say dozens of AOL employees have been voluntarily quitting since December: “Media and technology are drastically evolving to keep up with today’s consumer. The lines are becoming blurred, and as you well know, our industry is converging at a faster pace than anyone predicted.”-Bob Lord, president AOL

North Carolina: Mitt Romney’s wunderkind Staples shutdown their Greensboro store on Golden Gate Drive.  After 30 years family owned Prime Sirloin buffet shutdown: “The building is old and the money to keep up the 30-year old property, which we leased, was simply going to be too much for us to keep on operating. We decided it was time to make the decision and like ripping off a band aid, there wasn’t any good way to do this.”-Lisa Martin, general manager

Ohio: ShurTech laid off 20 people at its Avon HQ: “The company needed to make these employment adjustments due to retail changes and the high cost of doing business in areas such as freight.”-Patti Sack, media manager

Oregon: What automotive industry recovery?  Commercial Vehicle Group issued a WARN saying they are shutting down their interior parts factory, 117 jobs lost!

Pennsylvania: In Philipsburg, bowling alley Moshannon Valley Super Bowl shutdown after seven years, they were evicted for failure to pay their mortgage.

Puerto Rico: Sears Holdings announced they will shutdown their 25 years old Vega Baja Kmart in March, 206 jobs lost!  Switzerland based legal drugs pusher Novartis announced they will shutdown operations in Humacao over the next three years, 270 jobs lost!  The Federal Bank of New York blames it on the expiration of tax incentives.

Texas: In Garland, Valspar issued a WARN saying they will shutdown subsidiary Engineered Polymer Solutions between March and May, 54 jobs lost.   In Austin, video game maker Lightbox Interactive laid off an undisclosed number of people, and might even shutdown.  Evil Waco based Life Partners Holdings now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  They buy the rights to life insurance policies and then sell them to investors, that’s evil.  In other words, unAmerican corporate America, and their investors, love to bet on your death!  Oklahoma based Laredo Petroleum shutdown their Dallas office without warning, 75 jobs lost. Company administrators also claim $60 per barrel oil prices forced them to cut their operating budget in half, from $1-billion USD to about $525-million!  In Houston two mega oil service companies announced massive layoffs; Halliburton (already reported in one of my previous reports) and Baker Hughes.  Dumb-ass news media blames low oil prices but it’s really because Halliburton is taking over Baker Hughes!  At least 7-thousand Baker Hughes employees will be let go because of the $35-billion Halliburton takeover, not the oil prices!  Another Houston based oil company, Apache, announced it will kill off 250 jobs, after it hired on the former Baker Hughes CFO!

Virginia: In Old Town, after 64 years the Giant Food grocery store will shutdown. Company administrators say it’s because the town is too small to continue supporting it, and it’s not worth it to spend money on expanding it. News reports implied that there are too many Giant Food stores in the area around Old Town anyway.

Washington: A chapter 11 bankrupt busted company that loves to hit your smartphone with advertisements, Bellvue based Hipcricket, has been taken over by competitor SITO Mobile for $4.5 million.  As in all such cases you should expect layoffs, despite the fact that Hipcricket administrators said their sale to SITO would “protect human capital”, corporate weenies always say things like that.

Wisconsin: In Racine, two Vanity clothing stores shutdown, despite increased revenues for the North Dakota based company.

16-17-January-2015: U.S. oil company kills 9-thousand jobs, then pumps $1.7-billion into Russian oil! 

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shutdown. It doesn’t count people who get a severance for being laid off.

 

Business/Economics, Idaho

Albertsons Safeway closings update, 10 February 2015: “That store basically has not been profitable for quite some time…..That’s why we’re closing it.”

More shutdowns of Alberstons, Safeway, Vons, United Supermarkets, etc grocery stores being revealed, now that the Cerberus Albertsons hostile $9.2-billion USD takeover (some reports say $8-billion while others say it was $9.8-billion) of the country’s second largest grocery store owner, Safeway, was finalized at the end of January.

Both Safeway and Albertsons were originally founded in Idaho (Safeway in American Falls in 1915 & Albertsons in Boise in 1939).  Safeway moved its HQ to California and Albertsons was taken over by evil Cerberus.

There are reports that Safeway’s Waterfront Bistro brand will actually be expanded.  Waterfront Bistro is a grocery chain that focuses on seafood.

Cerberus Albertsons also took over United Supermarkets.

Reports say the U.S. Federal Trade Commission ordered Cerberus to sell off 168 stores, in the name of maintaining competition.  It was motivated by legal action by attorney’s for Safeway, and the state attorney generals of Washington and Nevada.

Cerberus has sold off 12 Safeway and Albertsons stores to Texas based RLS Supermarkets, who will change the names to Minyard Sun Fresh Market.  In Texas Safeway stores are called Tom Thumb.

Cerberus has sold 146 Vons and Albertsons stores to a Washington based company called Haggen. The affected stores are located in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.  Haggen administrators say the switchover to Haggen stores will take place during the next 120 days.

Arizona: In Lake Havasu, three Safeway and seven Albertsons are being switched over to Haggen.  I suspect that eventually some will be shutdown, it doesn’t make sense to have that many grocery stores of the same brand in one place.

California: Arcadia Vons Pavillion SuperStore to be shutdown on 18 March 2015, at least 168 jobs lost!  The 32 years old Hemet Vons shutdown on 28 December 2014, at least 55 jobs lost. Company administrators claimed it had nothing to do with the hostile takeover by Cerberus.  Marina Del Ray Albertsons, shutdown by 26 February 2015, at least 80 jobs lost.  Pleasanton Safeway HQ will layoff at least 26 people by 13 February 2015.   San Diego Albertsons, shutdown by 26 February 2015, at least 63 jobs lost.

Colorado: Colorado Springs Albertsons shutting down in March.  Cerberus administrators say it has nothing to do with their takeover of Safeway-Vons: “That store basically has not been profitable for quite some time, despite the best efforts of our company and associates there and the location…..That’s why we’re closing it.”

Oregon: In Lake Oswego, Albertsons being shutdown on 16 February.  Cerberus administrators made the exact same claim as in their Colorado Springs shutdown saying “The store has not been profitable for quite some time.”  This is interesting because according to local news reports there are only two grocery stores in the city!  In Lake Grove, the Albertsons being switch over to Haggen.  Safeway shutting down their Clackamas regional office, 91 jobs lost by March.

Texas: In East Dallas, an Albertsons was renamed Minyard Sun Fresh Market.  Reports said the grand opening was delayed due to problems switching over the cash register system.  A second East Dallas Alberstons is expected to make the changeover to Minyard Sun Fresh Market on 16 February.  Only one of the three East Dallas Albertsons will remain Albertsons.  One store manager said the changes are a direct result of the takeover of Safeway.  Interestingly I found a report that said Cerberus swore there would be no name changes after the takeover of Safeway, but they failed to explain the sale of 12 stores to RLS Supermarkets.

Washington: In Kirkland, reports that Goodwill thrift store is taking over the now vacant Albertsons store.

Cerberus sells-off California & Idaho based grocery stores! 

Business/Economics, Idaho

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 13 – 14 January 2015: NASCAR Hall of Fame to be closed? Obamacare targeted killing of thousands of non-profit jobs! More proof oil job losses are not due to oil prices!

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

According to the National Association of Counties, only 65 out of 3143 counties across the United States have “fully” ‘recovered’ since 2008!!!

Alabama: Obama Care forcing the only mental hospital in the Tennessee Valley to shutdown?  North Alabama Regional Hospital will shutdown by June, 149 jobs lost!  After 25 years Applebee’s shutting down their Brookwood Village restaurant on 01 February 2015. The Texas based property owner refused to renew the lease with the restaurant.

California: In El Darado Hills, Green Valley Nursery & Landscape shutdown.  The owners blamed the greedy landlord saying “Lease expired and we must sell all our plants and trees immediately.”  In Palo Alto, Tibco Software laid off 80 people without warning.  It could be connected to their $4.3-billion USD sale to evil Vista Equity Partners.  In Santa Clara, Broadcom issued a WARN saying 60 people will become jobless in March.  In Los Angeles, Kroger issued a WARN saying another one of their Ralph’s grocery stores will shutdown, 70 jobs lost in March.  In Santa Barbara, after six years the Bizerk Costume Store shutdown, the owners blamed the greedy landlord, LYNX,  for giving them a 30 day eviction notice (instead of the required 60). Local news sources say LYNX administrators refused to say why they kicked out their tenant.  Bizerk co-owner says its all about jacking up the rent: “At the rates that are being charged on State Street, I think it’s very possible that a lot of chain store business might be taking a loss. I know someone who is a manager at Abercrombie & Fitch on State Street who said they lose $200-thousand a year…..!”-David Sampanis

Colorado: God refuses to stop Obama Care from forcing ‘his’ Arapahoe County based non-profit Catholic Health Initiative from laying off 15-hundred people across the United States!  A study says a new proposed law could kill 1-thousand oil jobs in The Centennial State.  The proposed law would prevent new petroleum wells from being drilled within 2-thousand feet (609 meters) of residences.   Anybody like flaming water coming out of their faucets, even if it means jobs?

Florida: In Miami, Obama Care forcing Crothall Healthcare to layoff 54 employees.  Obama Care forcing non-profit healthcare provider Florida Blue to eliminate 150 jobs!

Georgia: In Augusta, a Big Lots rip off store on Wrightsboro Road shutdown.  Local news reports say company reps refuse to give a reason.   Could it be that there are already several Big Lots in Augusta?  In Atlanta, special effects motion capture company Giant Studios shutdown and sold off their motion capture rights to Lightstorm Entertainment.  Some Giant Studios employees will transfer to Lightstorm’s California offices.

Hawaii: Retail store specializing in anything ‘Hawaiian’ Hilo Hattie shutdown their Kihei store and their Kona store.  Company administrators say they are going to try a new concept of entertainment style retail operations.

Idaho: According to National Association of Counties most recent data eastern Idaho’s Bannock County has failed to make any recovery in the areas of Jobs, Unemployment, GDP or Home Prices since 2008!  Never mind that Bannock County is still assessing the value of homes at tens of thousands of dollars above what they will actually sell for!

Illinois: Chicago based United Airlines revealed it might eliminate 2-thousand jobs despite lower fuel costs!  Administrators want to replace in-house employees with cheap-o contractors.

Indiana: Horse racing gambling company Centaur Gaming announced it is shutting down its off-track Merrillville betting site in March, at least 33 jobs lost.  It’s blamed on the lack of people willing to gamble, the bad economy has resulted in a 50% decline in betting!   Aluminum casting and machining company Harvey Industries revealed they laid off more than 143 people without notice, back in December!  Company administrators would only say “Due to unforeseen business circumstances, we were unable to provide this notice at least sixty (60) days before the layoffs took effect.”

Kentucky: In Louisville, after 18 years Wild and Wooly Video store shutdown, the owner blamed crashing sales ever since 2008.

Nevada: More proof casinos aren’t recession proof; Las Vegas based Caesars Entertainment now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.

New Jersey: Pop corn maker Dale and Thomas Growers announced they will layoff 56 people in March, saying they are “transitioning to a co-manufacturing arrangement in Indiana”.  In Manville, God refuses to stop the Diocese of Metuchen from shutting down ‘his’ Christ the King School.  It’s the 11th ‘christian’ school to be shutdown by the Diocese of Metuchen, since 2009.  It’s blamed on raptured, I mean DSS (what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome).

New Mexico: After eight years free magazine Local iQ ceased publication.

New York: In NYC, restaurant The Palm issued a WARN saying they will shutdown (supposedly for remodeling) in April, 43 jobs lost.  Eastman Kodak continues its slow death layoffs, this time at least 16 people will be let go by April.  In Bayport, Wenner Bakery Products issued a WARN saying they’ll shutdown their Parbake Facility by May, 49 jobs lost.

North Carolina: Wishart Norris Henninger & Pittman law firm finally revealed that they shutdown back in December, blaming a dispute with new management.  The city of Charlotte has admitted it can’t pay off $17.8-million owed to Too Big to Jail Bank of America and Wells Fargo for floating the money losing  NASCAR Hall of Fame!  City administrators admit the loan payments are so big that they can’t even “break even”, and are begging the banks to ‘write down’ the loans, kinda like Greece wants to do with the European Union.

Ohio: In Belmont County, after only three years the local Electronic Recycling Services shutdown without warning.  Apparently the property is being sold off and electronic recycling operations in the county are being consolidated.

Oregon: Georgia Pacific is laying off 40 people, as part of their three years plan to eliminate at least 100 jobs from their Halsey paper mill.

Pennsylvania: After 25 years Booty’s Place restaurant shutdown in the Church Hill Mall, the owner would only say “No comment.”   In Ashely, after 34 years Clark’s Irish Import and Flower Shop shutdown.  The owners blame crashing sales ever since 2008, in other words they haven’t seen any ‘recovery’.

Tennessee: In Somerville, God refuses to stop Obama Care from forcing ‘his’ Methodist Healthcare from shutting down by March.

Texas: The Wall Street Journal warns that Fort Worth based iconic RadioShack is about to go bankrupt busted and will be sold off.  Obama Care forced Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) to kill off 260 jobs!  Administrators blamed Obama Care for causing them to lose $70-million!  Houston based infamous Halliburton began another round of layoffs, but don’t blame falling oil prices, it’s because of their takeover of rival Baker Hughes.  In December Halliburton said they would eliminate 1-thousand jobs!

Wisconsin: The South Shore YMCA in Cudahy shutdown.  The greater YMCA of Metro Milwaukee blames it on massive debts.  In Wisconsin Rapids, after 43 years The Gift Tree shutdown.

09-12-January-2015: Obamacare insurance exchange fails, shutsdown!

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shutdown. It doesn’t count people who get a severance for being laid off.