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Sears & Kmart closing update, 08 January 2015: Yet another distribution center goes down! Selling fake jewelry?

January 8, 2015 Hutchins AAron

Sears Holdings continues with their distribution center culling. This time a distribution op in Georgia going down, in April, more than 150 jobs lost!

First a lawsuit essentially claiming that Sears-Kmart sold ‘stolen’ clothing, now a woman in Oregon says the diamond ring she bought at the Clackamas Town Center Sears is fake. She says that she’s discovered that a ring she bought in 2010 is not made of gold and the diamond is an industrial stone.

update 07 January 2015: Kmart distribution shutdown

Here’s the updated list of U.S. Sears/Kmart store closings that I’ve been compiling since the end of 2011:

Arizona: Scottsdale Sears/Great Indoors, Chandler Sears/Great Indoors.

Alabama: Gadsden Kmart (50 jobs lost), Mobile Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Auburn Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Anniston Kmart (no word yet on how many jobs lost), Birmingham Eastwood Kmart (70 jobs lost), Decatur Mall Sears (91 jobs lost), Fort Payne Kmart, Northport Kmart (68 jobs lost), Dothan Sears (68 jobs lost), Huntsville Kmart (73 jobs lost).

California: El Monte Sears (at least 40 jobs lost. Damien Arrula, El Monte’s economic development director, said the store manager had lied about what was going on: “The general manager of the store had just indicated to me that they were remodeling.”), two San Diego Sears (more than 80 jobs lost), Pleasant Hill Kmart (more than 50 jobs lost), Torrance Kmart, Fairfield Kmart (63 jobs lost), Lampert owned OSH taken over by Lowe’s home improvement in bankruptcy court, at least 17 of 99 stores to be closed down (935 jobs lost!), Rancho Cordova Kmart (97 jobs lost), San Clemente Kmart/Sears/Kmart on Camino de Estrella (58 jobs lost), placed on an official hit list in 2011 the Oceanside Kmart on College Boulevard finally being shut down, Banning Kmart (91 jobs lost) recently revealed that Sears Holdings is still paying rent on the abandoned property, Laguna Hills Mall Sears, San Diego Mid-City Kmart (73 jobs lost), Hemet Kmart (77 jobs lost), Oakland Sears repair center (75 jobs lost), San Mateo Kmart (82 jobs lost to an apartment building connected to public transportation), Hesperia Kmart building sold at a loss to a vulture capitalist REIT, no word on if the Kmart will be shutdown. Customers complain that the Kmart employees have a bad attitude, gee I wonder why? Yuba City Kmart (63 jobs lost), Rocklin Kmart (at least 63 jobs lost, the store had just posted “Now Hiring” signs), San Leandro Kmart (102 jobs lost), San Jose Mercury News says the El Centro Kmart to shutdown in January, the website Foursquare says the Covina Kmart is now shutdown (other sources say it will shutdown in December), Cupertino Sears and Auto Center (number of employees affected not made public, no WARN filed), somebody posted on yelp* that the Diamond Bar Kmart was shutting down in December (confirmed by Armijo Newspapers).

Colorado: Broomfield Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Glenwood Springs Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lone Tree Sears/Great Indoors, Longmont Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Pueblos’ South Side Kmart (52 jobs lost), Denver Kmart (number of jobs lost have not been made public at this time, but could be at least 40), Colorado Springs Kmart at Powers and Palmer Park boulevards (57 jobs lost), Fort Collins Sears (67 jobs lost).

Connecticut: Waterbury Big Kmart, Torrington Kmart (73 jobs lost), Enfield Sears Optical (no word on jobs lost).

Delaware: Dover Kmart (at least 72 jobs lost, some reports said 100), Seaford Sears (30 jobs lost), Claymont Kmart (87 jobs lost).

Florida: Fernandina Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Callaway Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Orange City Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Deland Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Stuart Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), West Palm Beach Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Port St. Lucie Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Crystal River Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), New Smyrna Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Saint Augustine Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Pompano Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Jacksonville Kmart on 5751 Beach Boulevard (71 jobs lost), second Kmart in Jacksonville on 4645 Blanding Boulevard (83 jobs lost), Ocoee Sears (102 jobs lost), Pensacola Kmart on Airport Boulevard closed in 2011, Pensacola Kmart on Mobile Highway closed in February 2013 (69 jobs lost), Pensacola Kmart on East 9 Mile Road will close in May (73 jobs lost), Hialeah Kmart (67 jobs lost), Bonita Springs Kmart (67 jobs lost), Mount Dora Kmart (100 jobs lost), Lake Mary Kmart, Panama City Beach Kmart (54 jobs lost), Winter Park Kmart (100 jobs lost), Niceville Kmart (59 jobs lost), Winter Haven Kmart (92 jobs lost), Palm Bay Kmart, Oakland Park Kmart (112 jobs lost), Clearwater Sears Auto Center (21 jobs lost), Zephyrhills Kmart (70 jobs lost), Winter Springs Kmart (69 jobs lost), Naples Kmart (72 jobs lost), New Port Richey Kmart (58 jobs lost), ‘redevelopment’ of Aventura Sears & Auto Center into an “open-air village” (unknown how many jobs affected).

Georgia: Macon Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Buford Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Douglasville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Atlanta Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Columbus Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Jonesboro Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Cartersville Kmart (74 jobs lost), Hiram Kmart (53 jobs lost), Marietta-East Cobb Kmart, Warner Robins Kmart (77 jobs lost), recently revealed Coweta County Kmart distribution center (164 jobs lost).

Guam: Sears Hometown Store.

Hawaii: Honolulu Sears (owned by GGP, 372 jobs lost! GGP spending $573-million chopping it up into smaller store spaces), Kauai Sears (41 jobs lost), Iwilei-Honolulu Kmart for lease (no confirmation of store closing).

Idaho: Lewiston Sears (at least 60 jobs lost), Rexburg Kmart (63 jobs lost), Chubbuck Pine Ridge Mall Sears going’ down in November (the remaining 28 jobs lost). Across the street, in Pocatello, the property where the Kmart is located has a “pad site available” sign, posted ever since the Kmart bankruptcy. The Kmart building takes up most of the ‘pad’. Latest news from inside sources say Sears Holdings will not comment on any plans to expand the small amount of Craftsman products already being sold at the Kmart, or shift the Kenmore products line, from the closing Chubbuck Sears to the Pocatello Kmart. In fact all plans for the Pokey Kmart are in a ‘holding pattern’.

Illinois: Alton Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Melrose Park Sears parts and repair center (50 jobs lost), Zion Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Oak Lawn Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), McHenry Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Peru Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lombard Sears/Great Indoors (at least 40 jobs lost), Fairview Heights Kmart (81 jobs lost), Freeport Kmart (45 jobs lost), Pontiac Kmart (more than 47 jobs lost), Homer Glen Kmart (82 jobs lost), Streator Kmart (45 jobs lost), Lombard Kmart (70 jobs lost), Naperville Kmart (98 jobs lost), Calumet Sears (164 jobs lost), two Sears stores in Grand Crossing area of Chicago (247 jobs lost!), Mount Vernon Sears (68 jobs lost), Moline Sears (at least 60 jobs lost), Homewood Kmart (185 jobs lost), Belvidere Kmart (91 jobs lost?) revealed is now a perpetual closing sale Kmart At A Discount store, Champaign’s Market Place Mall Sears (56 jobs lost), Sterling Kmart (60 jobs lost), Montgomery Kmart (81 jobs lost), Mattoon Sears (more than 40 jobs lost), Chicago Sears on North State Street (160 jobs lost), Chicago Sears Craftsman Experience store, Galesburg Sears (46 jobs lost), White Lake Township Kmart (42 jobs lost), Orland Park Sears Appliance, Collinsville Kmart (84 jobs lost), Crystal Lake Kmart (at least 77 jobs lost), Danville Sears store & Auto Center (63 jobs lost), Forsyth Sears store & Auto Center (45 jobs lost), Peoria Kmart (73 jobs lost), Forest Park Kmart (107 jobs lost), Chicago Sears on North and Harlem avenues, supposedly it’s being replaced (most likely at taxpayer expense) with a new building and it will become a Sears-Mariano’s store, Bloomington Kmart (79 jobs lost). 58 Chicago area stores up for lease or sale. By the way, Illinois elected officials gave Sears Holdings/Hoffman Estates a $150 million USD tax break to keep their headquarters in the state. The tax break was not tied to any promise not to close stores.

Indiana: Anderson Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Saint John Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Indianapolis Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Richmond Sears (49 jobs lost), South Anthony Kmart (70 jobs lost), Fort Wayne Kmart on South Anthony Boulevard (70 jobs lost), FairOaks Mall Kmart, Logansport Sears (43 jobs lost), Muncie Kmart (59 jobs lost), Fort Wayne Kmart on Coliseum Boulevard North (69 jobs lost), Decatur Kmart (49 jobs lost), Indianapolis Kmart on Madison Avenue (131 jobs lost), Indianapolis Kmart on Washington Street (139 jobs lost), Bedford Kmart (62 jobs lost), Indianapolis (Evansville) Sears & Auto Center at Washington Square Mall (91 jobs lost), Greenwood Kmart (78 jobs lost).

Iowa: Cedar Rapids Kmart on 16th Ave (at least 40 jobs lost), Davenport Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Burlington Kmart (50 jobs lost), Coralville Sears (94 jobs lost, this is a store sold to GGP earlier in the year), Cedar Rapids Kmart on Collins Road NE (56 jobs lost), Mason City Kmart (50 jobs lost), Clive Kmart (at least 49 jobs lost), Ames Kmart (44 jobs lost), Fort Dodge Sears (no job loss numbers made public, yet. The Auto Center was secretly shutdown in September).

Kansas: Lawrence Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Merriam Kmart-then Sears-then Kmart (jobs lost unknown), Wichita Sears store & Auto Center (103 jobs lost), Manhattan Sears & Auto Center (number of jobs lost were never revealed).

Kentucky: Middlesboro Sears (in September 2012 the Sears store re-opened under independent ownership, official grand re-opening scheduled for November), Winchester Kmart (back in May, Rankin Paynter bought out what was left of the inventory and gave it to charity), Hazard Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lexington Fayette Mall Sears (114 jobs lost!), Newport Kmart (81 jobs lost), Cannonsburg Sears and Sears Auto Center (no employee info given), Louisville Dixie Highway Kmart/Sears/Kmart, Madisonville Kmart (39 jobs lost), Owensboro Sears store & Auto Center (52 jobs lost).

Louisiana: Slidell Sears (77 job lost), Gretna Kmart (94 jobs lost), Metairie Kmart secretly sold off, no word if it will be shutdown.

Maine: Lewiston Sears (60 to 70 jobs lost), Presque Isle Aroostook Centre Mall Sears (63 jobs lost).

Maryland: Ellicott Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Gaithersburg Sears/Great Indoors, Landover Sears rebuild & call center (115 jobs lost), Baltimore Kmart on Wabash Avenue (107 jobs lost).

Massachusetts: North Reading Sears Hardware store closed, lease not renewed, Milford Kmart (80 jobs lost),
Kingston Kmart (73 jobs lost).

Michigan: Novi Sears/Great Indoors, Brighton Sears Grand/Essentials, Harper Woods Sears Full line, Monroe Sears Full line, Adrian Sears Full line, Washington Township Kmart, Chesterfield Kmart, Woodhaven Kmart, Saginaw Kmart on Bay Road, Flint Kmart on Dort Highway (46 jobs lost), Gaylord Kmart (48 jobs lost), Sterling Kmart (58 jobs lost), Bloomfield Township Kmart and Sears, Bad Axe Kmart (61 jobs lost), Ypsilanti Township Kmart (83 jobs lost), Petoskey Kmart (45 jobs lost), Saint John’s Kmart (48 jobs lost), White Lake Township “Store of the Future” Kmart (42 jobs lost), Grand Blanc Kmart (49 jobs lost), Lapeer Kmart (56 jobs lost), Southgate Kmart (155 jobs lost), Detroit’s Telegraph Road Kmart (115 jobs lost), Waterford Township Sears (no word on how many jobs lost), Rochester Hills Kmart (77 jobs lost), ‘perfect Kmart town’ of Port Huron Kmart (188 jobs lost), Flint Kmart on Miller Road (81 jobs lost), Burton Kmart (85 jobs lost), Madison Heights Kmart (179 jobs lost), it’s now obvious the last remaining Saginaw Kmart will remain shutdown after its roof collapsed during a snowstorm back in January 2014, Ann Arbor Kmart (59 jobs lost), Iron Mountain Kmart (54 jobs lost), Bangor Township Sears aka Bay City Mall Sears, the Auto Center was already secretly shutdown some time ago (at least 47 jobs lost), Big Rapids Kmart (about 50 jobs lost).

Minnesota: Willmar Kmart, Duluth Kmart, New Hope Kmart, White Bear Lake Kmart, Bemidji Kmart, Monticello Kmart, GGP owned Sears Auto Center in the Apache Mall closed (10 jobs lost), the entire Sears store in the Apache Mall being sold off, Fergus Falls Kmart (40 jobs lost), Fergus Falls Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Alexandria Kmart (46 jobs lost), Grand Rapids Kmart (61 jobs lost), Seritage is selling off three Sears Auto Centers in Minnetonka, Brooklyn Center and Saint Paul, Marshall Kmart (57 jobs lost), Oakdale Kmart (77 hourly wage employees losing their jobs, unknown how many salaried employees will become unemployed), Winona Kmart (67 jobs lost), Minneapolis city officials trying to shutdown profit making Nicollet Avenue Kmart, to make way for a new road. Anoka Kmart (47 jobs lost), Blaine Kmart (60 jobs lost), Burnsville Kmart (62 jobs lost), Waite Park Kmart (57 jobs lost).

Mississippi: Jackson Sears Full line, McComb Sears Full line, Columbus Sears Full line, Gautier Sears (71 jobs lost), Waveland Gulfport Kmart (32 jobs lost), Pass Road Gulfport Kmart (52 jobs lost), Pascagoula Sears at the Singing River Mall, Olive Branch distribution center (unknown how many jobs lost).

Missouri: Lee’s Summit Sears Grand/Essentials, Saint Louis Sears Full line, High Ridge Kmart (59 jobs lost), Ellisville Kmart (55 jobs lost), Springfield Kmart on South Campbell Avenue (60 jobs lost), South Belt Kmart (64 jobs lost), Florissant Kmart (100 jobs lost).

Montana: Missoula Kmart (50 jobs lost), Great Falls Kmart (closed “until further notice” due to fire, 63 jobs on hold), Great Falls Sears store & Auto Center (65 jobs lost) due to great sales (ironically) the shutdown date has been moved from 07 December 2014 to 23 November, Bozeman Kmart (37 jobs lost).

Nebraska: Grand Island Kmart (55 jobs lost), Omaha Kmart near West Maple Road (50 jobs lost).

Nevada: Sparks Kmart distribution center (100 jobs lost).

New Hampshire: Nashau Sears Grand/Essentials, Keene Sears Grand/Essentials, Portsmouth Kmart (30 jobs lost), Claremont Kmart (59 jobs lost).

New Jersey: Lawnside Kmart (about 80 jobs lost), Howell Kmart (57 jobs lost), Berlin Kmart, Dover Kmart (92 jobs lost), Randolf Kmart (91 jobs lost), Paramus Kmart (74 jobs lost).

New Mexico: Las Cruces Kmart (58 jobs lost), Albuquerque Kmart on Central SW (80 jobs lost), Rio Rancho Kmart (59 jobs lost).

New York: Depew (Lancaster?) Kmart (68 jobs lost), Colonie Kmart (72 jobs lost), Fulton Kmart (51 jobs lost), Clifton Park Kmart (74 jobs lost), Latham Kmart (61 jobs lost), East Greenbush-Rensselaer Kmart (70 jobs lost), Tonawanda Sears Appliance and Hardware, Bronx Sears (91 jobs lost), BBN reader reported that the Ithaca Sears and Auto Center shutdown and one month later it’s been officially confirmed (at least 37 jobs lost), DeWitt Kmart (92 jobs lost), Auburn Sears (51 jobs lost), Massena Sears and Auto Center (51 jobs lost).

North Carolina: Cary Kmart (71 jobs lost), High Point Sears, Moorehead Sears, Rocky Mount Sears, Statesville Sears, Durham Kmart (79 jobs lost), Asheville Kmart (53 jobs lost), West Smithfield Kmart (59 jobs lost), Winston-Salem Kmart (69 jobs lost), Hendersonville Kmart (58 jobs lost), South Ashville Kmart on Hendersonville Road, Raleigh Kmart (88 jobs lost), Garner Kmart, Cleveland County mall Sears (56 jobs lost), Charlotte Kmart (89 jobs lost), Conover Kmart (74 jobs lost), Raleigh Kmart on Capital Boulevard (53 jobs lost), High Point Kmart (71 jobs lost), Boone Kmart (41 jobs lost), Greensboro Kmart (96 jobs lost), Gastonia Sears store & Auto Center (65 jobs lost), Kinston Kmart (64 jobs lost), Cary Sears (66 jobs lost), Greensboro Kmart distribution center (130 jobs lost).

North Dakota: Jamestown Kmart (45 jobs lost), Dickinson Kmart (41 jobs lost, despite a “Now Hiring” sign on the front of the store).

Ohio: Chagrin Falls Kmart, Springfield Kmart, two Toledo Kmarts, Medina Kmart, Columbus Kmart, Columbus Sears/Great Indoors, Zanesville Sears (67 jobs lost), Trotwood Kmart (71 jobs lost), Austintown Sears auto parts and service on Interstate Boulevard, London Kmart (no word on number of jobs lost), Trotwood Sears (67 jobs lost), Westlake Kmart/Sears (at least 57 jobs lost), Xenia Kmart (at least 57 jobs lost), Norwalk Kmart (52 jobs lost), Blue Ash Kmart (77 jobs lost), Northwood Sears at Woodville Mall (36 jobs lost), Conneaut Kmart (43 jobs lost), Anderson Township Kmart (71 jobs lost), Brooklyn Kmart (200 jobs lost), Columbus Lockbourne Industrial Parkway Sears distribution center (200 jobs lost), also in Columbus, Sears Product Rebuild-Call Center (112 jobs lost), Marion Sears Auto Center (at least nine jobs lost), Springfield Kmart #3767 (68 jobs lost), Fairborn Kmart (66 jobs lost), Solon Sears & Auto Center (at least 53 jobs lost). Also, Van Wert Sears franchise bought out by Kirk Berryman, owner of Computer & Networking Technologies (CNT), who plans on moving the store to a new location.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Sears (98 jobs lost, GGP owned, GGP wants a $2 million sales tax rebate, claiming it’s needed to offset capital investments needed to bring the space up to the standards for potential new tenants), Shawnee Sears (31 jobs lost), Sand Springs Kmart (52 jobs lost), Muskogee Sears (60 jobs lost), Enid Sears and Auto Center (at least 38 jobs lost).

Oregon: Roseburg Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Tualatin Kmart Center (new property owner from California is tearing everything down for new shopping center, so far no indication the Kmart will be part of the new shopping center), Milwaukie Kmart (61 jobs lost), Coos Bay Kmart (25 jobs lost), Bend Sears (48 jobs lost), Klamath Falls Kmart (64 jobs lost), Albany Kmart (64 jobs lost), Portland Sears Homes Services (no notice), Albany Sears (57 jobs lost), in October a BBN reader warned that Oregon City Kmart was being quietly shutdown, confirmed on 06 November 2014 by Sears Holdings (70 jobs lost).

Pennsylvania: Upper Darby Sears Full line, Pottstown Sears Full line, Pittsburgh Kmart, Wilkins Sears, Warminster Kmart (85 jobs lost), Shippensburg Kmart (46 jobs lost), Moon Kmart (143 jobs lost), Bethlehem Township Kmart (62 jobs lost), Philadelphia Gallery Mall Kmart (120 jobs lost), Philadelphia Kmart on Orthodox Street and Castor Avenue (169 jobs lost), Levittown/Middle Township Kmart (87 jobs lost), Waynesboro Kmart (43 jobs lost), Sanatoga-Lower Pottsgrove Kmart (65 jobs lost, the store was also advertising for new hires!), West Mifflin Sears store & Auto Center (88 jobs lost), Rochester Kmart (78 jobs lost), Frazer (Pittsburg Mills Mall) Sears and Auto Center (97 jobs lost), Bloomsburg Sears (57 jobs lost), Frackville Sears and Auto Center (84 jobs lost), North Cornwall Township Sears (51 jobs lost), King of Prussia Sears and Auto Center (no word on number of jobs lost), Lebanon Sears (51 jobs lost), Scotland Chambersburg Mall Sears and Auto Center (62 jobs lost).

South Carolina: Sumter Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Orangeburg Sears (57 jobs lost), Columbia Kmart on Fort Jackson Boulevard in 2012, Columbia Kmart on Bush River Road in 2009, Columbia Kmart on St Andrews Road (66 jobs lost), Irmo Kmart (no info on how many jobs lost), both Greenville Kmarts (140 jobs lost between the two), Mount Pleasant Kmart (43 jobs lost), Harbison Sears & Sears Auto Center in the Columbiana Centre mall (97 jobs lost), Aiken Sears & Sears Auto Center (at least 54 jobs lost), Inlet Square Mall Kmart (50 jobs lost), West Ashely Kmart (69 jobs lost), Myrtle Beach Kmart (59 jobs lost), Easley Kmart (62 jobs lost).

Tennessee: Antioch Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Cleveland Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Oak Ridge Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Hendersonville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Morristown Sears (about 70 jobs lost), Clinton South Kmart, Franklin Cool Springs Galleria Sears (92 jobs lost), Memphis Hickory Ridge mall Sears (job loss data not revealed), 48 years old Nashville Kmart on Nolensville Pike to close by January 2014 (57 jobs lost), Franklin Kmart (33 jobs lost), Dickson Kmart (65 jobs lost), talks in progress to end lease for Bellevue (Nashville) Center Mall Sears.

Texas: Two Sears parts and repair centers closing in The Woodlands (117 jobs lost), rebuild center in Garland (58 jobs lost), Farmers Branch Sears/Great Indoors, Houston Sears Great/Indoors, Dallas Sears home appliance parts distribution center (77 jobs lost).

Utah: Murray Sears (for some reason Mormon controlled news media in Utah never reported the closure, but they reported that the building was demolished), Orem Kmart (no details reported), Woods Cross Kmart (54 jobs lost).

Vermont: Rutland Sears store & Auto Center (65 jobs lost).

Virginia: Norfolk Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Midlothian Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Richmond Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lynchburg Sears (84 jobs lost), Fairfax Kmart (no word on how many jobs lost), Christiansburg Sears (59 jobs lost), Norfolk Kmart on East Little Creek Road (77 jobs lost), Manassas Kmart (71 jobs lost), Stafford Sears Hometown, Newport News-Denbigh Kmart (at least 50 jobs lost), Wise Kmart (58 jobs lost), Harrisonburg Kmart (79 jobs lost), Wincester Kmart (91 jobs lost), Dale City Kmart (69 jobs lost), Chesapeake Sears and Auto Center (82 jobs lost), Front Royal Kmart (88 jobs lost).

Washington: Walla Walla Sears Full line (in August 2012, it was reported that an independent owner of Sears Hometown stores will open a store in Walla Walla), Lacey Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Kelso Sears (47 jobs lost), Lakewood Kmart (59 jobs lost), Bellingham Sears (92 jobs lost), Seattle Kmart (85 jobs lost), East Wenatchee Sears (59 jobs lost), Puyallup Kmart (51 jobs lost), Oak Harbor Kmart (68 jobs lost), Sodo Sears and Sears Auto Center (79 jobs lost), Everett Kmart (65 jobs lost), Marysville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost).

West Virginia: Oak Hill Kmart (59 jobs lost), Morgantown Kmart (100 jobs lost), Bluefield Sears store & Auto Center (64 jobs lost).

Wisconsin: West Baraboo Sears (at least 40 jobs lost, local village officials say the store generated 3% of local tax collections), Rice Lake Kmart (about 71 jobs lost), Brookfield Kmart (56 jobs lost), Racine’s Regency Mall Sears (52 jobs lost), Fort Atkinson Kmart (51 jobs lost), Greenfield Kmart (107 jobs lost), Portage Kmart (78 jobs lost) and Hales Corner (129 jobs lost), Chippewa Falls Kmart (79 jobs lost), Menomonie Kmart (at least 50 jobs lost), Ashwaubenon Kmart recently revealed now owned by Green Bay Packers, will be torn down (80 jobs lost), Shawano Kmart (55 jobs lost), Fond du Lac Sears (42 jobs lost), Glendale Sears store & Auto Center (86 jobs lost), Janesville Kmart (70 jobs lost), Glendale Sears Rebuild center (67 jobs lost), Sheboygan Sears & Auto Center (at least 31 jobs lost), Eau Claire Kmart (93 jobs lost), Plymouth Kmart (59 jobs lost before Xmas), Sheboygan Sears Rebuild Center (30 jobs lost).

On top of that, Sears Holdings sold stores to General Growth Properties (GGP), of which it has been reported that most of those stores will be closed.

Here’s the list of 11 Sears stores now owned by GGP:

Iowa: Coral Ridge Mall (it’s official the Sears is closing, see above), and Mall of the Bluffs

Texas: The Woodlands Mall (this does not involve the two repair centers being closed by Sears)

Florida: West Oaks Mall

Utah: Fashion Place, and Provo Towne Centre (note the evil British empire way of spelling town & center. Due to a favorable lease agreement the GGP owned Provo Sears will continue to stay open under Sears Holdings management)

Oklahoma: Quail Springs Mall (it’s official, the Sears closed, see above)

Hawaii: Ala Moana Center (closed, see above)

Washington: Bellis Fair Mall (Bellingham store, see above)

Minnesota: Apache Mall (see update above, GGP will close Sears store by 2014)

Illinois: Market Place Shopping Center (see update above, GGP closing store)

Business/Economics

U.S. clothing store Wet Seal killing off 3-thousand 7-hundred jobs! Employees now rebelling?

January 7, 2015 Hutchins AAron

07 January 2015 (14:01 UTC-07 Tango)/16 Rab al’Awwal 1436/17 Dey 1393/17 Yi-Chou 4712

California based Wet Seal said Happy New Year by unleashing their “Store Project” op which will shutdown 338 stores and render about 37-hundred (3,695 according to the press release, that about half its employees) people jobless in 2015!

Store managers have already received specially marked boxes in which store iPods, phones, card scanners and cash machines are to be packed in and shipped off to Wet Seal HQ. Store employees report these ‘Store Project’ packages were received with no mention that their store was being shutdown.

Some employees said corporate administrators told them to expect “remodeling” of their stores, but it turns out they’re being shutdown forever. Other employees who questioned the security of their jobs said they were told there was no need for them to look for a new job, now they’re unemployed!

It was store employees who went public with the massive shutdown and job destruction last week, and it was finally confirmed with company administrators today. Administrators said only 173 Wet Seal stores will remain open.

Laid off employees are not getting any type of severance and will lose their accrued paid vacation and sick leave! There are reports out of Washington state that Wet Seal employees were fired for protesting the ‘Store Project’ operation.

The following incomplete list includes stores that were shutdown in the past week:

California: Clovis Crossing Regional Shopping Center, Packwood Creek West Shopping Center. News reports said there was no comment from the Neither Fashion Fair store.

Florida: DeSoto Square Mall, Sarasota Square Mall, Regency Square Mall, reports said nobody answered the Wet Seal phone at The Avenues Mall.

Minnesota: Rosedale, Southdale, Maplewood Mall, Burnsville Center, Crossroads Center , Miller Hill Mall, Apache Mall.

Missouri: Both West County Mall stores, Saint Louis Galleria, Chesterfield Mall, Mid Rivers Mall, Saint Louis Premium Outlets.

Nebraska: Gateway Mall.

New Jersey: Hamilton Mall, Rockaway Townsquare, Livingston Mall and Garden State Plaza. Reports say nobody was answering the phones at the Menlo Park Mall and Quakerbridge Mall stores.

North Carolina: Four Seasons Town Centre, Northgate Mall.

Ohio: Great Northern Mall, Great Lakes Mall, Richmond Town Square, Belden Village, Beachwood Place, Chapel Hill Mall, SouthPark Mall, Summit Mall, Eastwood Mall and Southern Park Mall. Only one Wet Seal store will remain open in Ohio.

Pennsylvania: South Hills Village, Monroeville Mall, Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, Westmoreland Mall, Waterfront, Ross Park Mall.

Washington: Ballston, Bowie Town Center, Lake Forest Mall, Saint Charles Town Center and Manassas Mall.

Wisconsin: Brookfield Square, Southridge Mall, Valley View Mall, East Town Plaza, Bay Park Square.

Aeropostale closing 250 clothing stores

Business/Economics

JCPenney closing update 07 January 2015: About 2-thousand+ jobs lost! New stores shutdowns added to my list

January 7, 2015 Hutchins AAron

JCPenney has announced at least seven more store shutdowns, two in South Carolina, three in Ohio, at least one in Illinois and in New York for 2015. The South Carolina stores will be shutdown at the beginning of March. The Illinois, New York and two of the Ohio stores will close in April. A third Ohio store will close in May.

One report says about 2-thousand 2-hundred jobs will be affected!

JCPenney closing more stores than first reported

Locations in bold type are latest store closure announcements.

Alabama: Selma Mall JCPenney.

California: Rancho Cucamonga Arrow Plaza JCPenney. Cupertino Vallco Shopping Mall JCPenney, the mall was sold to a property developer and JCPenney administrators said it’s not worth it to keep the store open, 170 jobs lost!

Colorado: Colorado Springs Chapel Hills Mall JCPenney.

Connecticut: Meriden Square (Westfield Meriden Mall) JCPenney.

Florida: Leesburg Lake Square Mall JCPenney. Port Richey Port View Square JCPenney.

Georgia: Morrow JCPenney will be shutdown between now and 1st quarter 2015. Duluth JCPenney Home Store will be shutdown between now and 1st quarter 2015. Dalton and Lagrange stores shutdown by April 2015.

Iowa: Muscantine Mall JCPenney. Des Moines JCPenney will be shutdown between now and 1st quarter 2015. Mason, Waterloo and West Burlington stores closing in April.

Illinois: Bloomingdale Stratford Square Mall JCPenney. Forsyth Hickory Point Mall. West Dundee JCPenney will be shutdown between now and 1st quarter 2015, recently revealed Quincy Mall store (about 50 jobs lost), Dekalb store in April.

Indiana: Marion Five Points Mall JCPenney. Warsaw Marketplace shopping Center JCPenney. Michigan store in April.

Maryland: The Centre at Salisbury JCPenney.

Massachusetts: Hanover and Taunton stores.

Michigan: Marquette Westwood Mall JCPenney. Adrian store.

Minnesota: Worthington Northland Mall JCPenney.

Mississippi: Gautier Singing River Mall JCPenney. Natchez Mall JCPenney.

Montana: Butte Plaza Shopping Center JCPenney. Cut Bank JCPenney.

North Carolina: Kinston Vernon Park Mall JCPenney. High Point JCPenney will be shutdown between now and 1st quarter 2015. Asheboro, Elizabeth, Statesville and Wilson stores.

New Jersey: Burlington Center JCPenney. Phillipsburg Mall JCPenney. Vineland Cumberland Mall store.

New York: Recently revealed Hudson Valley Mall store (74 jobs lost).

Ohio: Wooster Wayne Towne Plaza JCPenney, recently revealed Springfield store (90 jobs lost), recently revealed Greenville store (55 jobs lost), recently revealed Columbus Eastland Mall store (80 jobs lost).

Oregon: North Bend.

Pennsylvania: Exton Square mall JCPenney. Hazel Township Laurel Mall JCPenney. Washington Mall JCPenney. Chambersburg, Hummels Warf, Media, State College and York stores.

Rhode Island: Providence.

South Carolina: Recently revealed Inlet Square Mall store (65 jobs lost), recently revealed Murrels Inlet Aiken Mall store (34 jobs lost).

South Dakota: Aberdeen Lakewood Mall.

Tennessee: Chattanooga Northgate Mall JCPenney.

Texas: Brenham Market Square Mall.

Vermont: Diamond Run Mall and Saint Albans Shopping Center.

Virginia: Bristol Mall JCPenney. Norfolk Military Circle Mall JCPenney. Culpepper JCPenney will be shutdown between now and 1st quarter 2015. Manassas and Williamsburg stores.

Wisconsin: Fond du Lac Forest Mall JCPenney. Janesville Mall JCPenney. Rhinelander Lincoln Plaza Center JCPenney. Rice Lake Cedar Mall JCPenney. Wausau Mall JCPenney. Racine Regency Mall JCPenney, the store was sold for $2.2-million USD (that’s less than what JCPenney had been asking for), to a property developer-speculator, and will shutdown during the 1st quarter of 2015, at least 80 jobs lost. Oshkosh, Racine and Shawano stores.

Washington: The Bellevue Square JCPenney shutdown their 55 years old store, 141 jobs lost! This, despite the fact that the owners of the mall are spending $1.2-billion to bring in more shoppers!

Business/Economics

Sears & Kmart closing update, 07 January 2015: Kmart center shutdown! Sears admits stock market shenanigans!

January 7, 2015 Hutchins AAron

Sears Holdings announced that a North Carolina Kmart merchandise distribution center will shutdown in April, more than 100 jobs lost!

Sears Holdings has admitted to the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission) that one of its top stockholders used insider info to sell his stocks on 24 December 2014. The illegal deal made the stockholder $425,360 USD! Stock market watchers say that on the day the deed was done the price of Sears Holdings shares varied from $32 to $32.74, the illegal deal was made when the price hit $32.72 per share.

update 06 January 2015: Sears distribution shutdown

Here’s the updated list of U.S. Sears/Kmart store closings that I’ve been compiling since the end of 2011:

Arizona: Scottsdale Sears/Great Indoors, Chandler Sears/Great Indoors.

Connecticut: Waterbury Big Kmart, Torrington Kmart (73 jobs lost), Enfield Sears Optical (no word on jobs lost).

Delaware: Dover Kmart (at least 72 jobs lost, some reports said 100), Seaford Sears (30 jobs lost), Claymont Kmart (87 jobs lost).

Georgia: Macon Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Buford Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Douglasville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Atlanta Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Columbus Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Jonesboro Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Cartersville Kmart (74 jobs lost), Hiram Kmart (53 jobs lost), Marietta-East Cobb Kmart, Warner Robins Kmart (77 jobs lost).

Guam: Sears Hometown Store.

Louisiana: Slidell Sears (77 job lost), Gretna Kmart (94 jobs lost), Metairie Kmart secretly sold off, no word if it will be shutdown.

Maine: Lewiston Sears (60 to 70 jobs lost), Presque Isle Aroostook Centre Mall Sears (63 jobs lost).

Maryland: Ellicott Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Gaithersburg Sears/Great Indoors, Landover Sears rebuild & call center (115 jobs lost), Baltimore Kmart on Wabash Avenue (107 jobs lost).

Massachusetts: North Reading Sears Hardware store closed, lease not renewed, Milford Kmart (80 jobs lost),
Kingston Kmart (73 jobs lost).

Nebraska: Grand Island Kmart (55 jobs lost), Omaha Kmart near West Maple Road (50 jobs lost).

Nevada: Sparks Kmart distribution center (100 jobs lost).

New Hampshire: Nashau Sears Grand/Essentials, Keene Sears Grand/Essentials, Portsmouth Kmart (30 jobs lost), Claremont Kmart (59 jobs lost).

New Jersey: Lawnside Kmart (about 80 jobs lost), Howell Kmart (57 jobs lost), Berlin Kmart, Dover Kmart (92 jobs lost), Randolf Kmart (91 jobs lost), Paramus Kmart (74 jobs lost).

New Mexico: Las Cruces Kmart (58 jobs lost), Albuquerque Kmart on Central SW (80 jobs lost), Rio Rancho Kmart (59 jobs lost).

North Carolina: Cary Kmart (71 jobs lost), High Point Sears, Moorehead Sears, Rocky Mount Sears, Statesville Sears, Durham Kmart (79 jobs lost), Asheville Kmart (53 jobs lost), West Smithfield Kmart (59 jobs lost), Winston-Salem Kmart (69 jobs lost), Hendersonville Kmart (58 jobs lost), South Ashville Kmart on Hendersonville Road, Raleigh Kmart (88 jobs lost), Garner Kmart, Cleveland County mall Sears (56 jobs lost), Charlotte Kmart (89 jobs lost), Conover Kmart (74 jobs lost), Raleigh Kmart on Capital Boulevard (53 jobs lost), High Point Kmart (71 jobs lost), Boone Kmart (41 jobs lost), Greensboro Kmart (96 jobs lost), Gastonia Sears store & Auto Center (65 jobs lost), Kinston Kmart (64 jobs lost), Cary Sears (66 jobs lost), recently revealed Greensboro Kmart distribution center (130 jobs lost).

North Dakota: Jamestown Kmart (45 jobs lost), Dickinson Kmart (41 jobs lost, despite a “Now Hiring” sign on the front of the store).

Vermont: Rutland Sears store & Auto Center (65 jobs lost).

West Virginia: Oak Hill Kmart (59 jobs lost), Morgantown Kmart (100 jobs lost), Bluefield Sears store & Auto Center (64 jobs lost).

On top of that, Sears Holdings sold stores to General Growth Properties (GGP), of which it has been reported that most of those stores will be closed.

Here’s the list of 11 Sears stores now owned by GGP:

Iowa: Coral Ridge Mall (it’s official the Sears is closing, see above), and Mall of the Bluffs

Texas: The Woodlands Mall (this does not involve the two repair centers being closed by Sears)

Florida: West Oaks Mall

Oklahoma: Quail Springs Mall (it’s official, the Sears closed, see above)

Hawaii: Ala Moana Center (closed, see above)

Washington: Bellis Fair Mall (Bellingham store, see above)

Minnesota: Apache Mall (see update above, GGP will close Sears store by 2014)

Illinois: Market Place Shopping Center (see update above, GGP closing store)

Business/Economics

Sears & Kmart closing update, 06 January 2015: Appliance center shutdowns!

January 6, 2015 Hutchins AAron

According to a WARN Sears is shutting down a Texas home appliance parts distribution center in February 2015. Sears administrators claim the shutdown will actually improve shipments!

One year after a snowstorm collapsed the roof of the last Saginaw, Michigan, Kmart it remains shutdown. Sears Holdings administrators have yet to say anything, their last official statement was that “The Kmart in Saginaw Township (5105 Gratiot Road) will be closed until further notice.”

update 31 December 2014: Selling stolen merchandise?

Here’s the updated list of U.S. Sears/Kmart store closings that I’ve been compiling since the end of 2011:

Arizona: Scottsdale Sears/Great Indoors, Chandler Sears/Great Indoors.

Connecticut: Waterbury Big Kmart, Torrington Kmart (73 jobs lost), Enfield Sears Optical (no word on jobs lost).

Delaware: Dover Kmart (at least 72 jobs lost, some reports said 100), Seaford Sears (30 jobs lost), Claymont Kmart (87 jobs lost).

Guam: Sears Hometown Store.

Louisiana: Slidell Sears (77 job lost), Gretna Kmart (94 jobs lost), Metairie Kmart secretly sold off, no word if it will be shutdown.

Maine: Lewiston Sears (60 to 70 jobs lost), Presque Isle Aroostook Centre Mall Sears (63 jobs lost).

Maryland: Ellicott Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Gaithersburg Sears/Great Indoors, Landover Sears rebuild & call center (115 jobs lost), Baltimore Kmart on Wabash Avenue (107 jobs lost).

Massachusetts: North Reading Sears Hardware store closed, lease not renewed, Milford Kmart (80 jobs lost),
Kingston Kmart (73 jobs lost).

Michigan: Novi Sears/Great Indoors, Brighton Sears Grand/Essentials, Harper Woods Sears Full line, Monroe Sears Full line, Adrian Sears Full line, Washington Township Kmart, Chesterfield Kmart, Woodhaven Kmart, Saginaw Kmart on Bay Road, Flint Kmart on Dort Highway (46 jobs lost), Gaylord Kmart (48 jobs lost), Sterling Kmart (58 jobs lost), Bloomfield Township Kmart and Sears, Bad Axe Kmart (61 jobs lost), Ypsilanti Township Kmart (83 jobs lost), Petoskey Kmart (45 jobs lost), Saint John’s Kmart (48 jobs lost), White Lake Township “Store of the Future” Kmart (42 jobs lost), Grand Blanc Kmart (49 jobs lost), Lapeer Kmart (56 jobs lost), Southgate Kmart (155 jobs lost), Detroit’s Telegraph Road Kmart (115 jobs lost), Waterford Township Sears (no word on how many jobs lost), Rochester Hills Kmart (77 jobs lost), ‘perfect Kmart town’ of Port Huron Kmart (188 jobs lost), Flint Kmart on Miller Road (81 jobs lost), Burton Kmart (85 jobs lost), Madison Heights Kmart (179 jobs lost), it’s now obvious the last remaining Saginaw Kmart will remain shutdown after its roof collapsed during a snowstorm back in January 2014, Ann Arbor Kmart (59 jobs lost), Iron Mountain Kmart (54 jobs lost), Bangor Township Sears aka Bay City Mall Sears, the Auto Center was already secretly shutdown some time ago (at least 47 jobs lost), Big Rapids Kmart (about 50 jobs lost).

Mississippi: Jackson Sears Full line, McComb Sears Full line, Columbus Sears Full line, Gautier Sears (71 jobs lost), Waveland Gulfport Kmart (32 jobs lost), Pass Road Gulfport Kmart (52 jobs lost), Pascagoula Sears at the Singing River Mall, recently discovered Olive Branch distribution center (unknown how many jobs lost).

Nebraska: Grand Island Kmart (55 jobs lost), Omaha Kmart near West Maple Road (50 jobs lost).

Nevada: Sparks Kmart distribution center (100 jobs lost).

New Hampshire: Nashau Sears Grand/Essentials, Keene Sears Grand/Essentials, Portsmouth Kmart (30 jobs lost), Claremont Kmart (59 jobs lost).

New Jersey: Lawnside Kmart (about 80 jobs lost), Howell Kmart (57 jobs lost), Berlin Kmart, Dover Kmart (92 jobs lost), Randolf Kmart (91 jobs lost), Paramus Kmart (74 jobs lost).

New Mexico: Las Cruces Kmart (58 jobs lost), Albuquerque Kmart on Central SW (80 jobs lost), Rio Rancho Kmart (59 jobs lost).

North Dakota: Jamestown Kmart (45 jobs lost), Dickinson Kmart (41 jobs lost, despite a “Now Hiring” sign on the front of the store).

Texas: Two Sears parts and repair centers closing in The Woodlands (117 jobs lost), rebuild center in Garland (58 jobs lost), Farmers Branch Sears/Great Indoors, Houston Sears Great/Indoors, recently revealed Dallas Sears parts distribution center (77 jobs lost).

Vermont: Rutland Sears store & Auto Center (65 jobs lost).

West Virginia: Oak Hill Kmart (59 jobs lost), Morgantown Kmart (100 jobs lost), Bluefield Sears store & Auto Center (64 jobs lost).

On top of that, Sears Holdings sold stores to General Growth Properties (GGP), of which it has been reported that most of those stores will be closed.

Here’s the list of 11 Sears stores now owned by GGP:

Iowa: Coral Ridge Mall (it’s official the Sears is closing, see above), and Mall of the Bluffs

Texas: The Woodlands Mall (this does not involve the two repair centers being closed by Sears)

Florida: West Oaks Mall

Oklahoma: Quail Springs Mall (it’s official, the Sears closed, see above)

Hawaii: Ala Moana Center (closed, see above)

Washington: Bellis Fair Mall (Bellingham store, see above)

Minnesota: Apache Mall (see update above, GGP will close Sears store by 2014)

Illinois: Market Place Shopping Center (see update above, GGP closing store)

International

World War 3 Afghanistan, 22 – 26 December 2014: Iran bans Afghans! U.S. NATO fails to support Afghan troops in battle with Pakistan! U.S. airstrikes kill more civilians who were defending their own homes! Japan forces taxpayers to give Afghanistan $20-million, with no strings attached!

January 5, 2015 Hutchins AAron

Balkh Province: In Mazar-e-Sharif City, five people were arrested and accused of planting landmines and operating an illegal cell phone service.

Farah Province: In Sayed Luqman Guhrik District, five teenagers were killed by a landmine. Police say the landmine had a wire attached to it and one of the teens pulled on it.

Faryab Province: In Sherin Tagab District, for currently unknown reasons a woman and her adult daughter were assassinated, and a child wounded, during an home invasion. Speculation is that the woman had just gotten divorced and her adult daughter declared she would never get pregnant. Believe it, or not, these have turned out to be motivations for assassination in similar cases.

Kabul Province: The release of a classified document shows that over the past three years the Afghan National Security Forces have arrested 13,634 people and charged them with being terrorists or for committing “political crimes”.

Kunduz Province: A magnetic bomb on a police vehicle went off as it passed in front of the Maiwand Bank. One person killed, six wounded.

Kunar Province: In Dangam District, police claim Pakistani insurgents looted 50 homes. This follows a massive battle between Afghan National Army (ANA) and Pakistani insurgents. ANA administrators admit they’ve suffered heavy casualties but blamed that on a lack of air support by the U.S. led NATO. The battles started 14 days ago and initially the ANA did not get any CAS (close air support). So far more than 250 people have been killed or wounded. More ANA troops are being sent in, and air power has finally been established. The delay in support from U.S.-NATO could be the result of a meeting between U.S. generals and Pakistani generals: “Earlier today, U.S. Army Gen. John F. Campbell, Commander International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, accompanied Afghanistan Army Chief Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi to visit Pakistani Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif in Islamabad, Pakistan. The meeting focused on coordinating Pakistan-Afghanistan military and counter-terrorism operations on both sides of the border.”-ISAF, 23 December 2014

Laghman Province: In Alingar District, government administrators claim two Mujahideen killed by their own landmine.

Logar Province: In Baraki Barak District, at least five people killed by U.S. airstrikes. U.S.-NATO administrators claim there were ongoing battles, however, the governor of the province says at least three of the victims were simply defending their homes from marauding Kuchi nomads. The ‘battles’ were actually between villagers and the nomads.

Nangarhar Province: In Pechigram District, police claim six Mujahideen were killed by their own landmines. In Khogyani District, police say a U.S. led NATO drone strike killed two people and wounded two others. On top of that, police killed a man driving a Mazda pickup truck. They claim the truck was packed with explosives. An unnamed administrator at the 50 years old Nangarhar University revealed this about the student body: “A large number of students at Nangarhar University work for Taliban and other terrorist groups. Just last year, more than 10 students were killed in the battle with Afghan security forces. Many others are still in jail. The university officials are fully aware of this challenge but are unable to cope with.”

Japan is giving Afghanistan $20-million USD, with no strings attached. It’s called a non-project grant and can be used for anything. In this case the money comes as the afghan government recently asked the international community for a bailout loan of half a billion U.S. dollars! Japanese administrators say the money should be used to help Afghanistan overcome the ’emergency governmental logistics’ of being broke.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of Russia, warned that the U.S., EU and Saudi created Islamic State is trying to take over Afghanistan.

In Syria, dozens of Afghans have been killed while fighting against the U.S., EU and Saudi created Islamic State. One Afghan has been captured by Islamic State.

The Al Arabiya news agency reported Iran has banned Afghans from living in nine Iranian provinces, but gave no reasons why.

More than 100 militia-personnel of the Army National Guard’s 876th Engineer Company (Georgia U.S.A.) returned from Afghanistan.

At least 130 militia-personnel of the Army National Guard’s 747th Military police company and the 211 Military Police Detachment (Massachusetts U.S.A., you know, Boston Strong where they love a police state) returned from GTMO (GuanTanaMO Bay, Cuba).

The official end of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan could lead to a war between the U.S. Army and the National Guard (state militias)?

17-21 december 2014

U.S.

World War 3: End of Mission in Afghanistan signals beginning of U.S. Civil War?

January 5, 2015 Hutchins AAron

05 January 2015 (10:38 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Rab al’Awwal 1436/15 Dey 1393/15 Yi-Chou 4712

“…Overlooked by the proponents of this plan are the implications for our country’s system of checks and balances, and ultimately the liberty of our citizens.

The Army’s layered rhetoric, designed to dupe Congress and the American people into believing its plan is best, consistently echoes a dangerous and loaded argument — the idea that state governors have no need for Apache helicopters.

If we accept that argument, we embark further down a slippery slope and there will be little to stop the Pentagon from taking all National Guard war-fighting equipment in the future. What will be next? Tanks, fighter aircraft, air tankers or field artillery? What about our M-4 and M-16 rifles?

The Army’s hasty declaration that the Guard does not need combat capability for state missions conveniently ignores the many reasons it’s here in the first place.

It’s the National Guard that defends the homeland. The Guard ensures the sovereignty of our airspace through fighter-alert missions throughout the country. The Guard is our initial crisis-response force for everything from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. And as a vital component of the ‘Total Army,’ the Guard fights and wins our nation’s wars overseas alongside active-duty service partners.

The most important reason is deeply rooted in the Constitution. Many of America’s Founding Fathers, studying the precedents set by the British and Roman empires, believed the greatest threat to liberty was a large standing army that they viewed as an unchecked power dangerous to a free republic.

They therefore gave Congress — the branch of government most representative of the American people — the power to raise and support armies in times of need. They also gave Congress the power to provide for the calling forth of the colonial militia, the predecessor to the National Guard, to suppress insurrections and repel invasions.

This division of power meant that power was checked and helped limit the blunders of a large centralized government by dispersing power to citizens through their state governments.

It stands to reason that the size of the Army’s active component should contract in times of peace. After Sept. 11, 2001, the Army swelled from 480,000 to 570,000 at the peak of the war while the other services maintained relatively consistent manpower levels. Today, the Army’s short-term solution has long-term consequences, as it wants to plunder combat-arms equipment and resources from its reserve component because presumably it’s difficult for them to accept postwar downsizing.

The real solution to the Apache debate is one that falls in line with the Constitution and provides adequate forces amid historic cuts to the defense budget. The Army must reverse its plan and divert soldiers and equipment from the active component to the National Guard, where they can be maintained at a fraction of the cost. America can keep its highly trained, combat-capable soldiers right here, where they are always ready, always there.

States do need Apache helicopters, and virtually every other capability found in the National Guard, because the people of a free republic need their states to have them.”

Air National Guard Major General Michael T. McGuire, Adjutant General for Arizona National Guard

International

World War 3: Greek oil tankers bombed after Germany says ‘get the hell outta the EU!’ United Kingdom to vote on rejecting EU membership!

January 5, 2015 Hutchins AAron

05 January 2015 (09:04 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Rab al’Awwal 1436/15 Dey 1393/15 Yi-Chou 4712

Just days after Germany’s leader essentially told Greece to get out of the European Union, the Libyan air force has bombed a Greek oil tanker in the port of Derna, at least two members of the tanker ship have been killed. Libyan administrators speculate that the Greeks have been buying oil from pro-Islamic State insurgents, those insurgents control the port (some say the Greeks are actually selling refined fuel to Islamic State).

The Libyan attack on the Greek tanker (owned by Aegean Shipping Enterprises Company) comes at the same time the Libyan parliament issued a statement telling the European Union to get out of north Africa: “Foreign military intervention in Libya is rejected. If we need any military intervention, we will ask our Arab brothers.”-Aqila Issa, speaker of parliament

Over the weekend German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly said that if right wingers win the upcoming Greek elections then she would have no problem with Greece leaving the European Union (EU). Since then other EU members have been scrambling to denounce Merkel’s supposed statements saying EU membership is “irrevocable” and adding an ominous warning for Greek rebellion: “…we will deal with that once the Greek voters have cast their verdict.”-Annika Breidthardt, EU spokeswoman

To add to the EU debacle, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he is pushing for a referendum on whether to remain in the EU or not. If Cameron gets re-‘elected’ this May he says he’ll hold an anti-EU referendum in 2017.

U.S.

The Dumbing Down of the United States: Last six months of 2014. Into the New Dark Ages as students ‘disappear’ and Obamacare ‘kills’

January 4, 2015 Hutchins AAron

Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS): A phrase created by me to describe a phenomenon taking place across the United States, affecting both privately and publicly funded schools, from Kindergarten all the way through University levels.

Incomplete list of publicly announced education layoffs & school shutdowns from July to December 2014:

Alabama: After 15 years Sci-Quest Hands on Science Center is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Administrators blame location for their $1-million in debts, but claim their new location is “doing really well”.

Alaska: Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) forcing University of Alaska to shutdown the Bill Ray Center and Auke Bay bookstore, as well as kill at least 40 jobs. University officials say they’ve lost $1.4-million USD in funding this school year and are expecting to lose $2-million next school year, despite jacking up the cost to go to school. But wait, there’s more! Maybe it was the only way they could pay out the $320-thousand bonus to the university president!

Arizona: In Glendale, the Thunderbird School of Global Management warned of layoffs as they are forced to merge with Arizona State University, due to the bad economy. At one time the school had 300 employees, but is down to 184. Obama Care forced University of Arizona Health Network to sell itself to Phoenix based Banner Health. Now there are reports this is a portent for things to come in the U.S. medical school sector. The Association of American Medical Colleges warns that Obama Care’s reduced insurance reimbursements is the final straw that will force medical schools to sell themselves to private medical corporations, or greatly reduce their services to the public, either way it means massive healthcare job cuts.

California: Irvine based for profit Corinthian Colleges (CCi). They’ve announced they will begin shutting down, selling off or reducing classes at 97 campuses across the U.S.! It’s part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Education. The college is under investigation by state and federal officials, for ripping off students and violating federal education laws. Everest College, Heald College and Wyotech campuses are part of the shutdown. Bellflower Unified School District laid off all ten bus drivers. The reasons are convoluted, ranging from lack of funding to driver misbehavior. The Calaveras Unified School District announced they must kill an estimated 50 jobs. They blame years of Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) for creating a $2-million shortfall! In Sacramento, Anthem College shutdown, it’s due to Anthem Educations’ bankruptcy which is linked to federal law violations. In Monterey, McGraw Hill Education warned they are laying off 47 employees in December. In Upland, school bus contractor First Student issued a WARN saying they will cease operations by the end of December, 156 jobs lost! In San Diego, Ashford University/Bridgepoint Education issued a WARN saying 160 people will become jobless in January 2015! However, local ABC10News said an inside source reported that 167 people were already let go!

Florida: For profit Full Sail University laid off 50 employees. In Cape Coral, after 50 years Lisa Lynn Dance World shutdown, the owner blames the suck-ass economy for disappearing students: “Because of the economy, the enrollment dropped and the money wasn’t there.”-Rita Rose Meyer

Georgia: In Atlanta, after 50 years snooty upscale private for profit Bauder College announced it is shutting down in 2015! It’s blamed on massive disappearing students. In 2009 the college had 12-hundred students, it’s now less than 420! College officials said by the start of the 2015-16 school year they’ll be down to 75! You see, the U.S. economy is so bad even wealthy people can’t afford to pay for college! Troubled Paine College warning of layoffs. The school is facing accreditation violation charges and DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The college is short at least $2.4-million, and they blame state and federal governments: “These tough economic times are posing unprecedented challenges for colleges and universities like Paine College that have seen changes in federal aid, which include Parent Plus loans, Pell Grants and some state funding.”-George C. Bradley, president

Illinois: Oakton Community College warned it will layoff 80 teachers before the 2015-16 school year. Apparently the teachers are retired and a potential new state law says retired teachers can no longer be hired by state funded schools. God refused to stop Benedictine University from ending its undergraduate program and killing as many as 100 jobs! In Rockford, the College of Medicine shutdown their psychiatric clinic at the end of September, 2-thousand patients affected! Clinic officials blame never ending funding cuts, thank you Obama Care! In Murphysboro, after 37 years God refuses to stop the shutdown of Murphysboro Christian Academy. Officials with the privately funded school say Christian students are disappearing (raptured?). One year after shutting down 50 schools, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has now put them up for auction! The district is still shutting down schools due to massive DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). It turns out that it still costs taxpayers millions of dollars to maintain school buildings that are not in use. CPS also killed off 476 contracted janitor jobs! The Obama regime mayor, Rahm Emanuel, refused to discuss the issue with local news media and referred them to the CPS, who were conveniently not available to explain the sudden job killing spree. God must hate the Chicago area; seven Christian schools being shuttered and six others being consolidated! At least 200 jobs lost! The schools being shutdown are Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, Saint Peter in Skokie, Saint Hyacinth Basilica, Saint Ladislaus, Saint Turibius, Saint Rene Goupil, and Saint Lawrence O’Toole in Matteson. It’s blamed on massive DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome), since 1965 Christian student enrollment in Cook and Lake counties has crashed by 284-thousand!

Louisiana: God must really hate The Pelican State, three Christian schools shutting down in 2015: Holy Ghost in New Orleans, Our Lady of Grace in Reserve and Saint Agnes in Jefferson! Church administrators blame raptured, I mean what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). Enrollment at each school is now under 200. In Marrero, the Christian God refused to stop the Reverend Mansfield Thompson Educational Foundation from shutting down their Faith Christian Academy. But this shutdown is about evil Christian leaders caught stealing money. At the end of 2013 a state investigation revealed Reverend Mansfield Thompson Educational Foundation was probably absconding with the money paid by struggling Christian parents: “At this point, I just want my money back. I paid $400 for registration and I’m getting the run around with that. I just want my money back!”-Ramira Williams

Maine: The University of Southern Maine continues to kill off jobs, this time 61 people now unemployed and five programs canceled. They continue to blame a 30% crash in student enrollment! In Bangor, God refuses to stop the Christian Life Academy Daycare from shutting down. The church pastor blames crashing donations: “We have cut everywhere we can cut, we are heartbroken that the daycare has to close too.”-Russ Hewett

Massachusetts: The Boston School Department suddenly killed 126 jobs! The school district is trying to save $9.5-million! For years critics accused the Boston Strong school system of being outta shape and overweight with redundant administrative jobs. Brockton School Committee laid off 47 crossing guard positions. This comes after a local newspaper investigated reports that janitors were being paid as much as $50 per hour in overtime to double as crossing guards! And despite all that overtime pay, an 11th child was hit by a vehicle while crossing a street to go to school! Gateway Schools threatening reduce parent-teacher days or seven teachers will get laid off! School administrators are struggling with how to deal with funding cuts of about $200-million! Westfield State University shutdown its Downtown Art Gallery. Apparently the university was responsible for promoting local arts but now is unable to, the city of Westfield is supposedly taking on the responsibility.

Michigan: Rochester Community Schools warned of layoffs after an unexpected crash in student enrollment. Administrators say the district lost 154 students, more than was expected! They blame it on the area’s major employer Chrysler. Administrators at Spring Arbor University are blaming what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome) on their planned elimination of jobs. As a private Christian college they are not required to reveal just how many Christians will become jobless. The Flint School District laid off 36 non-teaching employees, but then turned around and hired on 10 people to salaried positions, all making more than $67-thousand per year! Thomas M. Cooley Law School warned of major employee and program cuts, due to disappearing students. They reported a 40% drop in enrollment from 2010 to 2013! The Grand Rapids Public Schools announced they must kill 90 jobs due to the fact that 400 students disappeared! In East Lansing the largest teachers union in the state, Michigan Education Association, revealed that half of its members actually made less money in 2013. Incompetent union officials admit they don’t know why. Yet while half of their members made less money, somehow the amount of assets held by the Michigan Education Association actually went up! In Hudsonville, God refuses to stop the shutdown of Freedom Christian Schools (aka Freedom Baptist Schools). The shutdown was a surprise as school officials even extended the contracts of teachers before the announcement. The school’s website has been removed. School officials blame raptured students saying this school year’s enrollment is worse than last year’s. At one point the privately funded school had 375 students, but since 2010 they’ve lost at least 65 students (privately funded schools are more affected by student loss than are taxpayer funded schools). In Dearborn, the U.S. Department of Education has approved the sale of Everett Institute. It’s part of the massive collapse of the Corinthian Colleges. An undisclosed number of bus drivers lost their jobs when Lakeview School District drastically reduced bus service. The Threshold Academy lost its charter, affecting more than 150 students. The elementary school principal blamed economic instability for what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). A young student confronted the principal saying “Why do they want to break people’s hearts?” The school’s motto was “Small School – Big Heart”. Detroit Public Schools are so desperate they’re now in the business of selling used cars! Specifically, the school system auctioned off 18 surplus police cars. I couldn’t find any reports on how the school district got a hold of the former cop cars. The Michigan League for Public Policy reports that overall wages have crashed 10% since 1979. When you break it down by sex and education, low wage earning men saw a whopping 31.2% decline in pay, while adults with no high school diploma saw a 46.3% crash in earnings!

Minnesota: Rochester Public Schools announced that 17 tech employees will become jobless by January 2015. But here’s an odd thing, the school district also said there will be 19 new job openings in the same department! The laid off employees are basically being forced to re-apply for employment, and if they get re-hired it’ll probably be for less pay. That’s the wisdom of our education system. Northland Community and Technical College eliminated eight jobs and cut two programs, blaming a $1-million shortfall on everything including DSS.

Mississippi: After 130 years (surviving the Great Depression & numerous recessions) God has decided to rapture all the good Christian students (or as I call it, Disappearing Student Syndrome, DSS) and shutdown the Christian Chamberlain-Hunt Academy! The state Department of Education laid off 30 employees without notice, including the boss of the Office of School Improvement. Mississippi DoE spokewoman Patrice Guilfoyle said “This is the first phase, there could potentially be additional phases.”

Missouri: Florida based for profit Anthem Education warned of massive layoffs and the shutdown of its Missouri medical technician campuses if they cannot find new debt financing, or a new owner with lot-o-money! College officials blamed it on a surprise “rapidly deteriorating financial condition”. There was no explanation.

Nevada: In Reno, Morrison University warned it will shutdown after the 2014-15 school year! It’s due to the allegedly criminal actions of the owner, Anthem Education. To make things worse for the students, they were told the university’s transfer credits are no longer recognized! University Medical Center began a second round of Obama Care healthcare layoffs, this time 200 healthcare workers put out on the streets!

New Hampshire: Franklin Pierce University eliminated 12 positions. Earlier this year the university eliminated academic programs. Grade school education assessor Measured Progress actually regressing when it comes to jobs; 40 people laid off. Company administrators blame the bad economy.

New Jersey: After 86 years Garden State based Becker’s School Supplies shutting down six of its seven stores in Pennsylvania and Delaware! Apparently the school supplies company is shifting to internet sales only. Troubled for profit higher education company Anthem Institute shutting down all four locations in the Garden State, 163 jobs lost! Brookdale Community College administrators say crashing enrollment is causing them to be short $8.5-million for the upcoming 2015-16 school year and warned of 210 layoffs: “These are tough times and the organizational structure we have now is not sustainable; the board is aware of this harsh fact. Our current models are no longer effective in serving today’s students, and we must catch up with the advances that have been made in educational technology.”-Maureen Murphy, president

New Mexico: Santa Fe Community College revealed they’re short $5-million! The temporary president of the school blames prior administrations for grossly overestimating revenues and handing out raises when the revenues could not support pay increases. Now the school must cut back.

New York: For profit Utica School of Commerce stopping almost all classes at its Oneonta campus in Spring 2015! At least nine jobs lost due to DSS. Clinton Community College warned of layoffs due to DSS. In Brooklyn, The Guild for Exceptional Children issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their preschool in January 2015, at least 81 jobs lost. In Brewster, Minnesota based education testing company Questar Assessment shutdown and laid off 39 employees in November. The Buffalo School District killed 63 teaching jobs, some of the teachers had just made tenure. News reports said many of the teachers taught classes for homeless children. They’ve consolidated school #115 with school #97, and they’ve eliminated an entire 9th grade class. One school board member actually blamed the U.S. education system saying “It’s a system that’s beating us.” Another board member added “Beating our kids.” That Which Cannot be Named refuses to stop the selloff of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Yeshiva University Substance Abuse Treatment program at three Bronx locations, 189 jobs now in limbo! In Hawthorne, Quintiles Medical Education warned it is shutting down in December, at least 27 jobs lost.

North Carolina: Randolph County Schools laid off 30 employees. Troubled charter school Concrete Roses STEM Academy shutdown without notice. State education administrators blame what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The school was taxpayer funded for 300 students, but only 126 showed up!

Ohio: Hocking College laid off 36 employees and warned of mandatory furloughs for others, blaming DSS. In 2010 the college had 6,599 students, in 2013 there were 4,094 students and for the 2014-15 year they’re down to 3,474; almost a 50% drop in enrollment since 2010! New Albany School District beginning massive layoffs and jacking up ‘pay to play’ fees after 56% of local taxpayers rejected yet another levy, indicating that they could no longer afford to float failing public education since their own incomes are crashing. In Columbus, God refuses to stop Christian charter school FCI Academy from killing 17 jobs. The Christian school is in the hole at least $70-thousand, due to raptured(?) students. Several years ago the grade school had 600 students, this school year they’re down to 340. In Youngstown, the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership (MYCAP) warned it will kill 10 jobs with its Head Start education program. They blame the federal government for cutting off their federal food service funding. MYCAP is also going away and Development Institute of Denver will take over the Head Start program temporarily. Strongsville Schools announced they will layoff at least 25 teachers over five years. Administrators blame DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The district has lost 1,724 students since 2004! Oberlin College told three HVAC engineers to take a big cut in pay and become janitors or become unemployed! College administrators called it a “opportunity for voluntary layoff”. It’s blamed on the the college’s switch from coal heating to natural gas.

Pennsylvania: Mercyhurst University laid off 14 administrators and demoted six full time employees to part time. Other employees are taking pay cuts, it’s blamed on crashing enrollment. State education officials warned of massive layoffs at five Universities: Clarion, Edinboro, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg and Mansfield. According to state officials their university system has been experiencing Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS), and get this, they expect to lose another 1-thousand students by the end of this school year! At least 44 university employees were laid off last year. The School District of Philadelphia shutdown the Walter Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School. Also, the superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia is demanding new taxes be imposed on the already struggling population. William R. Hite Jr. says if new taxes, specifically a new cigarette tax, are not created by August then he will be forced to layoff 13-hundred employees! Keep in mind that is on top of the 342 school district jobs already killed off! The Philly school district is now $93-million in debt, no thanks in part to the massive increase in employee health and retirement cost increases caused by Obama Care! God refuses to stop Christian Geneva College from laying off at least 25 employees, due to what I call the rapture, I mean DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). And who said the internet is to blame? The Christian college is eliminating its internet ministries courses for the 2015-16 school year! School officials also revealed that the economy is so bad that “nearly 100%” of their Christian students qualify for some type of financial assistance. Woodland Hills School District warned it could shutdown three elementary schools and sell off an administrative building due to DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome), at least a 31% decline over the past ten years! California University is blaming DSS for eliminating 30 jobs. The university lost 3.2% of its student body at the beginning of the new school year. Cheyney University (originally created to target ‘black’ Americans) laid off at least six instructors and will eliminate programs. University administrators blame crashing revenue. Interestingly, the university lists several administrative positions as being available, but adds “Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to your phone calls about vacancies or about the status of a recruitment and your application.”

Tennessee: Union University laid off five staff employees, blaming it on a drop of 270 students from 2013 to 2014! In Kingsport, after 27 years non-profit Rascals Teen Center shutdown: “We just got to where we couldn’t really continue. Things had to change. We tried to work through the change, tried to do some things, but we got to where we couldn’t continue on…..No matter how much we advertised on the radio, the newspaper and Facebook, it’s like we still couldn’t contact everybody….I don’t know what happened.”-Amy McAtee, executive director

Texas: God refused to stop Southern Methodist University (home of the George W. Bush Presidential Library) from cutting programs and killing jobs. The Christian university has spent tens of millions on new dorm buildings despite DSS. Wiley College laid off 16 employees and furloughed others due to DSS and crashing donations. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Anthem College shutting down its campus on Beltline Road, 30 jobs lost. Also, the Texas Education Agency threatened to shutdown the Prime Prep Academy. The school, founded by a former Dallas Cowboys star, is accused of failing to comply with state laws. Across the state, it’s been revealed that 14 charter schools will be shutdown next school year! State administrators claim the schools are not meeting financial or academic standards, however, some school administrators have presented documents challenging the state’s claims.

Vermont: Vermont Technical College warned of layoffs due partly to the loss of 160 students over the past three years. The State College system warned that budget cuts wanted by the governor will result in job losses. The governor wants to cut $1-million in funding. It’s been revealed that in May of 2014, Johnson State College laid off five employees and blamed it on DSS.

Virginia: Buchanan County Public School Board shutdown Russell Prater Elementary School. It’s blamed on $2.1-million in debt.

Washington DC: The Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art & Design laid off about 150 employees in August! Apparently the schools will eventually shutdown threatening another 300 jobs! It’s blamed on their merger with National Gallery of Art and the George Washington University.

Wisconsin: ‘Professional’ education service Lorman Education Services killed 42 jobs in October. Company officials blame it on DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The privately funded education company has been laying off employees since 2009. Internet based Anthem College shutdown its Brookfield operation in September, 30 jobs lost. After shutting down without notice in June, the Wisconsin International School is now officially bankrupt busted. This means all those parents that paid their child’s tuition in full will not get a refund. Officials with the private school blame their sudden shutdown on an unexpected 30% drop in enrollment (more disappearing students), as well as a 30% drop in cash revenues and skyrocketing expenses due to things like utilities and healthcare cost increases (so much for Obama Care)! At one point the school boasted 800 students, but this year they could attract only 120! Parents are pissed because they were also required to take part in raising money for the school, and they want to know what happened to it: “That’s a big slap in the face to all the efforts we’ve put in! At no time were we ever told ‘Hey, we have a problem’ or that more money needed to be raised. Volunteering at the school was mandatory and parents were invested in the school. If they had said something, I am sure parents and families would have opened their pockets.”-Nicole Donart-Manty

1st six months of 2014!

Business/Economics

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 04 November 2014: “…early retirement, attrition, and termination, whatever it takes.” Chicken shit Ford fires employees using automation! IBM kills off 50-thousand plus jobs!

January 4, 2015 Hutchins AAron

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

Arizona: In Tempe, after almost 60 years restaurant Monti’s La Casa Vieja shutdown. The owner blamed increasing operating costs.

California: Warner Brothers administrators notified state employment administrators that they will kill off 1-thousand movie & TV industry jobs beginning in January 2015! In San Diego, troubled Bridgepoint Education killing 167 jobs, more than the previously announced 91 jobs! This on top of the 117 jobs already killed this year! A local TV news station said the job culling was revealed by employees. In Sacramento, 19 years old non-profit HIV-AIDS testing center Breaking Barriers shutdown. Administrators blame the bad economy: “When the economic downturn happened it hit us hard a lot of grants were scaled back and canceled.”-Sandre’ Nelson

Georgia: The city of Albany warned of more layoffs, on top of the 50 jobs already killed off. The interim city manager seems to be frothing at the mouth to kill jobs: “We gotta reduce some stuff, early retirement, attrition, and termination, whatever it takes. I’ll spend money on technology before I’ll spend money on additional people any day of the week.”-Tom Berry

Illinois: In Geneva, after more than 60 years Giesche Shoes shutdown. It was also revealed that the more than 150 years old McChesney & Miller grocery store shutdown last week. In Roscoe Village, after 17 years the owners of the Hungry Brain said they will shutdown in December. Reports imply it’s part of a trend of many local joints being shutdown by greedy landlords who want more rent money. What automotive industry recovery? In Chicago, it was revealed that 1-hundred Ford employees were fired on Halloween. Ford administrators said they notified the employees via automated ‘robocalls’, yet many employees said they thought the electronic message was somebody’s Halloween joke.

Indiana: Columbus Regional Health announced that ObamaCare was forcing them to eliminate 219 jobs! Administrators say ObamaCare has caused them to loose about $17-million in 2014!

Iowa: Retailer Target announced they’re shutting down their Clinton store in February 2015, about 79 jobs lost. Administrators said the store wasn’t making enough money: “The decision to close the store is based solely on the financials.”-Evan Lapiska

Kansas: In Salina, after 35 years The Quilting Bee fabric store shutdown. After 91 years (surviving the Great Depression and numerous recessions) Jilka Furniture announced it will shutdown in December: “With the many changes taking place in the furniture industry, we felt it was a wise decision to close our store.”-Bud and Loretta Jilka

Missouri: In Springfield, Kroger announced it will shutdown four Dillons grocery stores in January 2015, supposedly they’re being sold off to competitor Price Cutter (an employee owned op like WinCo). However, administrators with Price Cutter were actually upset at the news and said they never made Kroger an offer to buy the Dillons stores, in fact it was Kroger who came begging to Price Cutter. Price Cutter agreed to a lease, not an outright purchase: “Dillions announcement to exit all four Springfield locations in January, 2015 is disappointing news….Dillions approached us of their intent to vacate the Springfield market….Price Cutter has entered into a real estate agreement to lease all four of the Dillions locations.”-Erick Taylor, Price Cutter president

New Jersey: Brookdale Community College (supposedly the Garden State’s top two year degree school) warned of layoffs due to DSS (what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome). Administrators say crashing enrollment is causing them to be short $8.5-million for the upcoming 2015-16 school year!

New York: Endicott based IBM (International Business Machines) revealed they are laying off one third of their international workforce, at least doubling previously announced job cuts. Reports say in India alone 50-thousand IBM employees will become jobless! In NYC, The Food Emporium issued a WARN saying they’re shutting down their #36-767 in January 2015, about 60 jobs lost. In Avon, Jacobson Warehouse issued a WARN saying they’re shutting down in January 2015, about 11 jobs lost. Windmill Distributing issued a WARN saying they’re shutting down their beverage distribution ops in Brooklyn and Montgomery in January 2015, at least 736 jobs lost!

North Dakota: Reports that Case-International Harvester is eliminating 40 jobs in Fargo.

Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh based United States Steel (USS) announced it will layoff 56 Canadians at its Hamilton operations. USS administrators say there is a glut of steel on the market which is causing the price to crash, so they’re shutting down production. After only two years Station Street Hot Dogs shutdown. The owners decided not to renew their lease, claiming other projects were getting in the way. Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) revealed its plans to eliminate 450 jobs: “Our transition plans are on schedule and we have made substantial progress developing the plans to achieve at least $155 million in Talen Energy annual run-rate synergies. The full extent of the identified annualized synergies is expected to be realized beginning in mid-2016.”-press release

Texas: Oil rig support services operator Hercules Offshore is eliminating 342 jobs! Company administrators blame declining demand for oil for their loss of $88.6-million during their 3rd quarter 2014! Retailer Target announced they’re shutting down their 16 years old Austin store in January 2015, about 83 jobs lost.

Washington: In Seattle, the owners of Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar announced they will shutdown in January 2015.

Wisconsin: It was revealed that retailer JCPenney sold off its Regency Mall store and it will be shutdown, 80 jobs lost. Administrators said the store wasn’t making enough money.

01-03-November-2014

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.

Blind Bat News

Tag Archives: banks

Sears & Kmart closing update, 08 January 2015: Yet another distribution center goes down! Selling fake jewelry?

U.S. clothing store Wet Seal killing off 3-thousand 7-hundred jobs! Employees now rebelling?

JCPenney closing update 07 January 2015: About 2-thousand+ jobs lost! New stores shutdowns added to my list

Sears & Kmart closing update, 07 January 2015: Kmart center shutdown! Sears admits stock market shenanigans!

Sears & Kmart closing update, 06 January 2015: Appliance center shutdowns!

World War 3 Afghanistan, 22 – 26 December 2014: Iran bans Afghans! U.S. NATO fails to support Afghan troops in battle with Pakistan! U.S. airstrikes kill more civilians who were defending their own homes! Japan forces taxpayers to give Afghanistan $20-million, with no strings attached!

World War 3: End of Mission in Afghanistan signals beginning of U.S. Civil War?

World War 3: Greek oil tankers bombed after Germany says ‘get the hell outta the EU!’ United Kingdom to vote on rejecting EU membership!

The Dumbing Down of the United States: Last six months of 2014. Into the New Dark Ages as students ‘disappear’ and Obamacare ‘kills’

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 04 November 2014: “…early retirement, attrition, and termination, whatever it takes.” Chicken shit Ford fires employees using automation! IBM kills off 50-thousand plus jobs!

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