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U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 02 October 2014: “…persistent and increasingly difficult market conditions…have taken their toll.” No more ShopKo?

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

California: In Hayward, Khol’s revealed they are shutting down in January 2015, about 70 jobs lost.  In Monterey, McGraw Hill Education warned they are laying off 47 employees in December.

Florida: After 101 years (surviving the Great Depression and numerous recessions) the iconic Tobacco Road Bar being shutdown by the greedy property owner, who refuses to renew the lease.  In Fort Lauderdale, the franchise owner of The Melting Pot restaurant gave up and shut it down, 20 jobs lost. Administrators for The Melting Pot would only say that the franchise owner ran out of money.

Louisiana: Too Big to Jail Capital One shutdown two offices in Shreveport-Bossier, at least 19 jobs affected.

Maine: Tennessee based Verso Paper (which has operated since the Great Depression) warned they are shutting down their paper mill in December, at least 500 jobs lost!  The small town of Bucksport said the paper mill shutdown will kill off half their tax revenues!

Michigan: In Holland, Visteon took over the old Johnson Controls factory, and laid off 50 employees.

Nevada: In Las Vegas, the Haze Nightclub shutdown.

New York: NYC based clothing chain Aéropostale shutdown all its stores in Quebec, Canada! In 2013 Aéropostale shutdown a total of 27 of their stores in the Great White North.  In Greenport, Sunrise Coach Lines warned it might lose its public bus service contract in December, 49 jobs could be lost.  In Bronx, Display Producers warned it will shutdown in December, 91 jobs lost.  In Hawthorne, Quintiles Medical Education warned it is shutting down in December,  at least 27 jobs lost.  In Buffalo, medical supplies maker Ethox Medical warned it is being sold off sometime after December, 62 employees affected.

Pennsylvania:  Sharon Regional Health System eliminated about 87 jobs, some local news reports said the actual number is a secret.  Administrators directly blame Obama Care.

Texas: In El Paso, after only four years KiPPs Cheesesteak (described as a local fav) shutdown:“A combination of persistent and increasingly difficult market conditions and extraordinarily challenging personal circumstances have taken their toll.”-Kupper Gray, owner

Washington: Taxsucking Boeing revealed they are moving as many as 2-thousand Department of Defense related engineering jobs to locations outside The Evergreen State, between now and 2017.  Some engineers will be offered transfers and some could become employed in Boeing’s civilian aircraft ops, but many will become unemployed.

Washington DC: Taxsucking military equipment reseller Liquidity Services killed off 130 jobs!  Company administrators blame it on their new contract with the Department of Defense.

Wisconsin: ShopKo killed off 40 jobs at its Ashwaubenon corporate HQ.  Company administrators blame the bad economy for their “reorganization”.

01 October 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.

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 01 October 2014: “Challenges….have become insurmountable.” No more Office Depot? More Kmart deaths! Massive real estate shutdown?

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

California: What housing market recovery? Prometheus Real Estate Group warned it will layoff dozens of real estate agents across several cities by the end of December.  In Santa Anna, ITT Cannon warned of 41 layoffs in December.

Connecticut:  Office Depot shutting down stores in two cities; West Hartford and Wethersfield, in November.  OfficeMax closing a store in Waterbury.  It’s the result of the Office Depot-OfficeMax merger.  After the shutdowns Connecticut will have no more Office Depots, and only two OfficeMax stores in the entire state.  In Torrington, Sears Holdings announced they’re killing off another Kmart, 73 jobs lost.

Florida:  In Zephyrhills, Sears Holdings announced they’re killing off another Kmart, 70 jobs lost.

Georgia:  Atlanta based Weather Channel killing 40 jobs that were newly created in July.  Administrators called it a normal part of “restructuring”.

Kansas:  More proof the internet is not killing brick-n-mortar stores; Amazon shutting down their Coffeyville distribution center after Xmas.  Local news reports say hundreds of people will become unemployed in February.  Local news reports say Amazon is moving distribution centers closer to their main customers, apparently in metropolitan areas (so they can use drones to deliver the products?).

Maryland: In Northwest Baltimore, Sears Holdings announced they’re killing off another Kmart, 107 jobs lost!

Minnesota: Minneapolis based food maker General Mills announced they will kill off as many as 800 salaried jobs by February 2015! These are on top of the hundreds of jobs killed by their shutdown of a cereal factory and a yogurt factory. Administrators of General Mills, the largest cereal maker in the U.S., blame the suck-ass economy for their crashing sales.  After 51 years Bookcase of Wayzata shutdown: “Challenges that we have faced — especially over the last couple of years — have become insurmountable.  Changing shopping habits and the physical reality of the redevelopment and road construction that have been ongoing in downtown Wayzata for several years now have caused a dramatic drop in sales.”-Charlie Leonard, owner

Nevada: In Las Vegas, inside sources revealed that Downtown Project is killing 30 corporate jobs.  The Project is a joint venture between public and private sectors, in an attempt to revitalize East Fremont Street.  It sounds more like an excuse to sell off properties cheap.  Project administrators refuse comment on the reported layoffs.

New York:  Buffalo based “TV everywhere” Synacorp announced it will layoff 70 people.  In Rochester, Kodak laid off more employees, reports say at least 70 this time.  In NYC, food service provider to the United Nations Aramark warned it could shutdown by January 2015, due to loss of contract, 123 jobs lost!   The New York Times killing off 100 newsroom jobs!  That’s on top of those employees who don’t quit voluntarily: “The job losses are necessary to control our costs and to allow us to continue to invest in the digital future of The New York Times…”-official statement

Ohio:  United Rehabilitation Services shutdown its Berry Hearing Center.  Administrators blame increasing competition.

Texas: Oil equipment supply company Quality Lease & Rental (aka Rocaceia Energy Services) now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  In Dallas, oil industry law firm Godwin Lewis laid off 17 attorneys.  Administrators said it was the result of successfully defending Haliburton against the people of the United States!

26-30 September 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.

ebay shutting down after Xmas?

11 December 2014 (15:17 UTC-07 Tango)/18 Safar 1436/20 Azar 1393/20 Bing-Zi 4712

“There will be changes; there will be significant changes.”-Devin Wenig, current ebay president

Reports that iconic internet selling venue ebay is killing off 3-thousand jobs beginning right after xmas!

(by the way, the new ‘official’ corporate way to spell ebay is all lower case)

ebay Administrators say it’s part of their plan to spinoff PayPal as a separate company.  But could it be the fact that sales have been crashing?  When sibling companies are spunoff it’s a sign that at least one of them is in trouble (like Lands’ End from Sears).

ebay administrators admitted that their sales-auctions are so low that they account for less than a third of the money transactions on PayPal!   There are also rumors that once PayPal is spunoff from ebay that ebay will be carved up and sold off.

ebay has already laid off dozens of employees with its Magento software unit, and 100 people were let go at ebay’s StubHub ticket seller.  In 2012, PayPal laid off more than 300 employees!

ebay is so desperate they are now working with traditional brick-n-mortar stores as a clearing house operation.

Toy R Us shutting down after Xmas?

Toy R Us shutting down after Xmas?

10 December 2014 (15:01 UTC-07 Tango)/17 Safar 1436/19 Azar 1393/19 Bing-Zi 4712

Alabama: In Homewood, Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital controlled Babies “R” Us shutting down in September. The property was sold off.

Florida: In Brandon, the Babies “R” Us store shutdown.  Individual reports that the Fort Lauderdale Toys “R” Us was quietly shutdown, and the building torn down by a greedy property developer.

Maryland: Rockville Toys “R” Us shutdown in January 2014.

Nevada: After only two years of operations the McCarran (near Sparks and Reno) Toys “R” Us internet commerce distribution center was shutdown in June 2014 (at least 120 jobs lost, some reports said 320).

New Jersey: Wayne based Mitt Romney/Bain Capitol controlled Toys “R” Us admitted it killed at least 500 jobs between 2013 and 2014! 100 Wayne HQ jobs were eliminated (some reports said it was 200 jobs)! Company administrators blame a $1-billion USD decrease in sales in 2013!  A report by The Record said they were shutting down 100 stores, but company administrators hypocritically swore they were not going to shutdown stores, adamantly stating that Toys R Us “…cannot be grouped with what other retailers are doing.”

Ohio: North Toledo Toys “R” Us shutdown in July, 2014 (30 jobs lost).  The 23 years old Youngstown Toys R Us warehouse shutdown in August 2014 (at least 70 jobs lost)

Tennessee: The Bellevue (Nashville) Toys “R” Us to shutdown in January 2015, will be replaced by Goodwill second hand junk store.

In the British empire country of United Kingdom, Toys “R” Us shutdown their Altrincham Retail Park store in February 2014.  Also, it was revealed the Toys “R” Us at Stevenage’s Roaring Meg Retail Park was being pushed out in favor of a department store. Retail Park (mall) operators said they were trying to come up with a plan to relocate the Toys “R” Us, but the lease had expired.   British news media say Toys “R” Us administrators refuse to comment.

Toys “R” Us has closed hundreds of stores and laid off thousands of people since 2002.

Shutdowns will continue until profits improve!

Sears & Kmart closing update, 10 December 2014: Mississippi Sears warehouse found mysteriously shutdown & up for rent! Why are so many news outlets misleading about the 235 store shutdowns?

News reports (about a closing Tennessee Toys R Us) revealed that mall owners are working with Sears Holdings to end the lease contract, early, for the Bellevue Sears store.

News reports say customers of the closing Cary, North Carolina, Sears were sent a message giving the exact date of the shutdown.  However, the message was sent by the Sears Holdings spinoff Lands End: “Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ll be closing that location on Jan. 18, 2015 – but you can always find your favorite styles at landsend.com”

According to The Daily News, a Sears distribution center in Mississippi was secretly shutdown and is now available for lease.

By the way, why do some news outlets say Sears Holdings is planning an additional 235 store closings?  That’s not what Sears Holdings said.  If you read my 04 December update I quoted directly from their 3rd quarter 2014 report in which they said they had already closed or announced they were closing 235 stores. In other words the 235 number is past tense, it already happened in 2014, it’s not what’s coming for 2015!  I think what’s coming for 2015-16 is total shutdown.

update 04 December 2014

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).

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 on Gratiot will remain shutdown after its roof collapsed during a snowstorm back in January, 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, recently discovered 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).

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).

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), recently revealed 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.

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 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), recently revealed 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)

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 26 – 30 September 2014: More Kmart shutdowns! No more Payless? More coal mine shutdowns! Obama regime grounds Air National Guard?

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

More proof the internet is not killing brick-n-mortar stores: Online gaming company Nerd Kingdom laid off an undisclosed number of employees (some reports called it “massive”) and jacked up the cost of playing their video games.

California:  Allergan warned that Obama Care is forcing them to kill off 545 specialized healthcare employees in November, and shutdown one of their healthcare operations in Goleta!  In Palm Springs, Obama Care forcing Crothall Healthcare to shutdown in November, 91 jobs lost.  Iconic Technicolor is warning employees of layoffs.  Reports say the layoffs will be less than 50, when they happen.  In Bakersfield, after 59 years family run Skateland roller rink shutdown.  The owners said their adult children don’t believe the economy is good enough to take over the family business.  What automotive industry recovery?  Maker of car batteries Exide Technologies warned it will kill off 61 jobs at their Los Angeles ops in October.  The battery maker and recycler is also under federal investigation for emissions violations.  In Fullerton, MBM Foodservice warned it will shutdown in December, 76 jobs lost.  In Twentynine Palms, taxsucking Alaska based Tatitlek warned it layoff 125 people in November!  In Rancho Cucamonga, Super Glue/Pacer Technology warned they will layoff 65 people in November.

Connecticut: Electronics retailer Best Buy revealed they’re shutting down their Westfield Meriden Mall store at the beginning of November, 60 jobs lost.

Florida:  Obama Care forces University of Florida Health to sell off its Medicaid focused First Coast Advantage healthcare operations.  At least 63 healthcare jobs lost in November.

Georgia: Artificial sweetener maker NutraSweet finally killed off their Augusta factory, 200 jobs lost: “Low cost imports now dominate the aspartame market, making it impossible for us to sustain a profitable business while maintaining our unmatched standard of quality.”-William DeFer, ceo

Illinois: In Palos Hills, after 77 years family owned Riley’s Trick Shop joke store shutdown.  The heirs decided that the economy was so bad it wasn’t worth it to take over from their parents.

Iowa: In Williamsburg, agricultural machinery manufacturer Kinze laid off 21 employees.  Company administrators blame declining sales  to the farming industry.  In Ames, Sears Holdings announced they will shutdown the Kmart in December, at least 44 jobs lost.

Kansas: Payless ShoeSource killed more jobs at their Topeka HQ, this time company administrators refused to give a number.  In 2013 Payless eliminated more than 100 jobs.  Payless has been in trouble ever since it took over Stride Rite in 2007.  Payless has been operating under the name of Collective Brands since then, but in 2012 Collective Brands was taken over by vulture capitalists Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital, who have been carving Collective Brands up and selling it off piece by piece.   And the federal government causing the Kansas Air National Guard to kill off 210 part time and full time jobs!  The 127th Command and Control Squadron and the 184th Munitions Squadron were eliminated, and the 177th Information Aggressor Squadron will suffer cuts.

Massachusetts:  California based CISCO revealed how many people will become unemployed at their Boxborough operation; at least 182!  After just eight months The Rug Department store shutdown one of its two stores.  The bankrupt owners are selling it off.

Michigan: More proof there is no automotive industry recovery; Detroit based auto parts supplier Bridgewater Interiors announced it is killing off 249 jobs in December!  Company administrators blame it on the ending of contracts with the big new car makers.  What housing market recovery?  Building products maker Masco (not to be confused with the medical association of the same name) announced it will kill off 160 HQ jobs!  In 2000 Masco had 600 HQ employees, but at the time of this latest job killing announcement they were down to 400 employees.  In Saginaw, after nearly 40 years the Ponderosa Steakhouse shutdown without notice, or reason given.

Minnesota: In Apple Valley, the administrators of the Minnesota Zoo admitted they’re losing their financial ass, due to crashing visitation, and as such will layoff an undisclosed number of employees.  The zoo is already under a hiring freeze.

Mississippi: Iconic musical instrument and amplifier maker Peavy Electronics warned it must “downsize” it’s Meridian factory, about 100 jobs lost!

New Jersey:  In Randolph, Sears Holdings announced they will shutdown the Kmart in December, 90 jobs lost.

New York: In Buffalo, Fenner Precision warned they will shutdown their polyurethane factory in December, 60 jobs lost.  In Amherst, Mitt Romney wunderkind Staples warned it will shutdown by February 2015.  In NYC, GSM Retail store warned it will shutdown after Xmas, 79 jobs lost.  Maritime restaurant and hotel manager warned it will shutdown in January 2015, at least 153 jobs lost!  They lost their contract to run a hotel.

Ohio:  What housing market recovery? Assurant, which is mainly a health insurance company, warned it is killing off 75 Specialty Property jobs in Springfield.  The Assurant Special Property unit deals with mortgages, and apparently the job losses are the result of Assurant losing a client.  In Chillicothe, Horizon Telecom announced the layoff of 21 employees.  Company administrators say the bad economy is forcing them to “restructure”.   Sears Holdings announced they will shutdown Kmarts in Fairborn and Springfield, 131 jobs lost!

Oklahoma: Texas based oil exploration company HighMount Exploration and Production warned it will shutdown its Oklahoma City office in November, 97 jobs lost (on top of the 11 laid off during the summer).

South Carolina:  In Greenwood, Texas based Mundy Maintenance announced it will layoff 136 people in October!  Company administrators say they lost a major contract.

Tennessee:  God can’t stop pro-insurance industry Obama Care from forcing Baptist Memorial Health Care from killing 112 healthcare related jobs!  The Memphis based hospital system runs 14 hospitals in several states.   Administrators reported that as of June 2014 Obama Care caused them to lose $124-million USD!

West Virginia: Alpha Natural Resources confirmed it shutdown two coal mines; Independence Coal’s Twilight (Progress) mine and Pioneer Fuels’ Ewing Fork (Pax) mine, 193 jobs lost!   According to WARN filings as many as 11-hundred people at 11 mines are under threat of becoming unemployed!

Wisconsin: In Green Bay, The Urban Frog restaurant warned it might shutdown, due to the death of the owner.

24-25 September 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.

To Destroy U.S. Dollar: 5th annual Anti-United States economic forum underway in Cuba! Blame the British empire?

08 December 2014 (13:58 UTC-07 Tango)/15 Safar 1436/17 Azar 1393/17 Bing-Zi 4712

After decades of deal making, in 2002 Cuba held the first Caribbean anti-U.S. economic forum, attended by 14 other Caribbean countries.  It’s called CARICOM, an amalgamation of Caribbean Community and Common Market, and can be traced back to the British empire’s West Indies Federation.

This week the 5th annual anti-U.S. CARICOM meeting is underway in Havana.  Cuban officials credit the economic union for helping them to avoid never ending U.S. economic sanctions.

According to Cuban news sources, CARICOM really got rolling in 1972 when Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago joined Cuba “…in an open challenge to the embargo that the U.S. had imposed on the island.”

Despite originally being an anti-U.S. economic movement, today Cuban President Raul Castro told CARICOM members the new agenda is “…to unite in order to face together the effects of climate change and natural disasters and to co-ordinate our approach to the post [United Nations] 2015 Development Agenda.”

All signs point to Cuba’s successful avoidance of the puny U.S. sanctions:  The New York Times reports that the number of U.S. citizens traveling illegally to Cuba has increased, and the number of legal trips is on the rise as well; in 2012 the number of legal trips by U.S. citizens doubled compared to 2008.

New airline flights have been authorized from New York’s JFK Airport to Havana, Cuba.   The Cuban National Bureau of Statistics and Information reported an 11.5% increase in tourists during October 2014, as compared to October 2013.  From January to October 2014 almost 2.5-million tourist visited Cuba.  The British empire’s Canada is the number one source of tourists, followed by Germany, the British empire’s United Kingdom, Italy, France and Mexico.

The British empire’s United Kingdom Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll recently paid a ‘courtesy’ visit with the Cuban navy.

In a gesture of goodwill, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam gave Cuba five thousand tons of rice, along with the equivalent of $40-million USD in farm aid.  Vietnamese administrators stated it was their way of thanking Cuba for the military help fighting the United States occupation of Vietnam from 1965 to 1975.

According to the AZCUBA Entrepreneurial Group, Cuba’s 2013-14 sugar harvest was up by 4%, and the 2014-15 sugar harvest is showing an increase of at least 15%.

Cuba’s Ministry of the Economy admitted that GDP for 2014 was below expectations, at 1.3%, but said signs are good for a 2015 GDP of 4%.   The main reason is fast growing outside investments coming into Cuba; for 2014 there was just over $1.5-billion, but for 2015 investments are already estimated at $7.1-billion.

Cuba is now a major supplier of medicines and medical personnel to more than 50 countries.   Cuban health administrators like to point out their successful treatment of cancer is different from how the U.S. does it: “For cancer treatment, we increase the use of stimulants and vaccines to awaken the body’s own defence and make that be the main weapon to fight the tumour without resorting to a large extent, to chemotherapy, radiation and large surgeries.”-Gustavo Sierra Gonzalez,  BioCubaFarma

Sears…Blames U.S. dollar for bad economy!

another U.S. ‘ally’ abandons U.S. dollar

The Dumbing Down of the United States: Into the New Dark Ages as students ‘disappear’ and Obamacare ‘kills’, 1st six months of 2014!

Incomplete list of publicly announced education layoffs & school shutdowns from January to June 2014:

Alabama: Hoover City Schools laid off nine employees. School officials said that despite a growing student population, local taxes began declining suddenly in 2009-10 (isn’t that when the ‘recession’ officially ended?) and it doesn’t help that Obama Care has drastically increased the costs of employee benefits.  In Birmingham, God refused to stop the Parkway Christian Academy from shutting down. This time it’s blamed on church members not paying their dues, as a result the church has to sell the school!  The John Essex School shutting down before the 2014-15 school year. Student population has dropped to less than 100. School officials say families are getting the hell out of the country: “The enrollment just kept dwindling. This is the trend….Families are moving away and the families aren’t as big as they used to be.”-Luke Hallmark

Alaska: University of Fairbanks warned of 100 job cuts! It’s blamed on crashing taxpayer funding and increasing healthcare costs for employees due to Obama Care.

Arizona: The Blue Ridge Unified School District warned of layoffs.  Sunnyside Unified School District eliminated seven full time librarians. Six librarians now forced to work at two different school libraries.  Coconino Community College District killed 15 jobs. This leaves only two full time positions for the college.  University of Phoenix (Apollo Education Group) laid off less than 50 employees. Company officials say it’s part of their restructuring.

California:  Coachella Valley Unified School District killed 96 positions, on top of the previous 51 employees let go. School district officials admitted they are trying to avoid bankruptcy, however, employees and taxpayers are confused because the district was able to give students 18-thousand iPads last year. On top of that the Golden State government is supposed to be giving schools extra money for the school year. Local news reports said district officials made the layoff decision without public discussion.   Galt Joint Union High School District says it must layoff five employees, due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS).  BEST (Barstow Employment Specialized Training) Opportunities killed 98 jobs, guess their job training wasn’t good enough.  CDIHS/OMI Head Start laying off 76 people in July.

Colorado: Colorado State University-Pueblo laid off 22 employees. 19 vacant positions have been eliminated.  Durango School District laid off 24 people. School officials say that despite increasing student enrollment the state has drastically cut funding.

Connecticut: God refusing to stop the Christian Ledyard Center Nursery School from shutting down. It’s blamed on a steady but snowballing decline in students. This school year they have only 40 students, after years of having hundreds! I asked this before, where are all the grade school and college students going? Is there some kind-o-cover up regarding a massive population decline in the U.S.? In Lemont, God refused to stop the all Christian girls (hey isn’t that discrimination against boys?) Mount Assisi Academy from shutting down. Same reason, what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS).  Is it the rapture?

Florida: Manatee County Schools laid off 12 employees. God refused to stop the shutdown of Wellington Christian School, 50 jobs lost. The Christian parents are pissed saying “Terrible. Out of the blue. Nothing. Just an e-mail to everybody. It was very upsetting.” Another parent says they just busted their butts raising donations to save the school, and now they want that money back, saying “Sure, well, I don’t know about that honestly in terms of the last few days, but if the money was designated to save our high school that money should be returned to our families!”  However, greedy church officials now say that money is staying with the church! The ‘interim’ pastor says he wants to sell off the school property!  Broward County School District shutting down three charter schools (including The Obama Academy for Boys). This is on top of the 12 charter schools the district has already killed! This time school officials say the charter schools being closed broke their contracts, by not operating at the locations stipulated in the contracts, and, they failed to get permits (they were apparently permitted as day care centers, not schools).  Duval County Head Start more than 300 jobs affected due to loss of funding! The education program is now forced to rely on cheap contractors.

Georgia: Jackson County School District wants to kill 42 jobs. District officials say reduced taxpayer funding and increased Obama Care insurance costs have created a $4.6-million USD shortfall!  Muscogee County School District eliminated 113 jobs (69 occupied positions and 44 vacant positions)! It’s due to funding problems, but 19 teachers were fired specifically for poor performance.

Illinois:  Bushnell-Prairie City School District laid at least 16 employees, ended two sports programs and ended elementary summer school for the 2014-15 school year. It’s blamed on massive funding cuts at the states level.   Dunlap School District laid off 17 employees. It was revealed the district is in the hole $2.1-million. Employees are pissed because last year the district led everybody to believe the district was in good shape.  The Prairie State Superintendent of Schools warned 13-thousand 4-hundred teachers could become unemployed!  In Galeberg, after 35 years the Carl Sandburg College Children’s School shutdown in June: “…the college simply no longer offers the accompanying programs and no longer has the resources available to continue to support it financially given the reduced funding we’ve received from the state in recent years.”

Chicago Public Schools laid off 1150 employees! School administrators claim the number of layoffs are the lowest in the past five years! The job killing is blamed on the ever increasing  Disappearing Students Syndrome and a new per-pupil funding formula.  Belleville School District laid off 12 teachers, as a “precaution”. School administrators say the state and federal governments have not been paying what they are supposed to pay under school funding laws. As an example; the state of Illinois still owes the school district $2.1-million! Taxpayers need to get pissed and ask their elected officials “why?”   Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 laid off four of their ten art teachers.  Peoria School District 150 killing 200 jobs! District officials blamed crashing funding from federal and state tax revenues, and even crashing local property tax revenues. In other words, the economy sucks ass!  Rockford School District shutting down nine schools, and tearing them down to created “green space”! It’s not clear why, even a local news source stated “parents expressed extreme curiosity in the district’s plans”.

Iowa: Wesleyan College warned of layoffs. At least 45 people will lose their jobs. 16 programs are being shutdown, affecting at least 50 students who thought they were close to graduating. College administrators blame what I call DSS and lack of money!  In Galesburg, Cooke Elementary school being shutdown. School district officials say student enrollment is so low the school can barley maintain 15 students per class, making it a waste of money to keep the school open. It also doesn’t help that the district is in the hole by $4.4-million!  Iowa City Community School District eliminated 36 teacher and administrator positions. 47 teachers are expected to retire and those positions will not be filled, but school district officials said some layoffs might still be necessary. It’s blamed on state mandated education spending cuts.  West Des Moines’ Johnston Community School District voted to shutdown an elementary school and possibly kill 14 jobs. Administrators say they must shutdown an elementary school, then turn a Junior High into an elementary school, plus raise property taxes/fees in order to build a new High School. (Hey they pulled that crap here in Chubbuck/Pocatello, Idaho, and it was nothing but a big mess and a scam for local taxpayers!)  West Des Moines says they must shutdown the Phenix Early Childhood Center in order to deal with education funding cuts. 180 students and 12 teachers affected!

Kansas: God can’t stop Christian non-profit Ottawa University from laying off 18 employees. School officials say the layoffs are “a preventive measure” against the growing number of disappearing (raptured?) students.

Kentucky: University of Louisville warned of massive layoffs. It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS). School officials revealed that due to declining enrollments they’ve cut $114-million out of their operating budget over the past ten years! Now the Governor wants to slash state funding of higher education by 2.5%.  Fort Knox to shutdown four schools; Kingsolver Elementary, Mudge Elementary, Pierce Elementary and Walker Intermediate School. That’s half their schools! 130 jobs will be lost! It’s blamed on the de-activation of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade.  Georgetown College laying off an undisclosed number of employees and eliminating French, German, Computer Science, and Music majors. They say it’s part of their two year “strategic” plan to adjust to Obama Care, which drastically increases the cost of employee retirement and health insurance benefits.  In Louisville, Jefferson County Public Schools officials blames disappointing student performance for why Myers Middle School (Junior High) must be closed. Students consistently rank in the bottom 1% for the whole state!  Northern Kentucky University laid off 20 employees, blaming “financial challenges”.

Louisiana: The University of New Orleans announced they will kill an undisclosed number of their 84 degree programs, which will result in layoffs. The university laid off 28 people back in February. Since 2012 more than 110 employees have been laid off, and they shutdown their child daycare! It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome, for example; in 2003 the university had more than 17-thousand students, in 2013 they had only 9323, an almost 50% reduction over ten years! Louisiana Delta Community College wants to layoff 28 employees. The college has been forced to cut its operating budget by millions of dollars for the past several school years.    Loyola University killed more than 24 jobs.  In Baton Rouge, The Career Academy charter school forced to shutdown, despite their five year contract with East Baton Rouge Parish School System. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System claims they need the property.

Maine: The York School District killed nine jobs. The University of Maine wants to kill 165 to 255 jobs! Administrators say it will have to be, if the state government goes through with draconian budget cuts.  University of Southern Maine shutdown Dickey Wood Hall. It’s blamed on DSS. The Hall was designed to accommodate 360 students, but this past spring there were only 40 living in the dorm!

Maryland:  University of Maryland University College warned of 70 layoffs. It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) and increased Obama Care costs for employees.  Loyola University eliminated 37 jobs.

Massachusetts: Wareham School District warned of massive restructuring and layoffs. The District is short $2.4-million!  In Worchester, God refused to stop the killing of 15 jobs at the Catholic Assumption College. School officials said the layoffs were the only way they could keep from raising tuition. Parents have told school officials the number one reason why student enrollment is declining is because of the skyrocketing costs of higher education (or is it the Rapture?).   Amherst Regional School Committee eliminated 12 jobs, blamed “mainly to declining enrollment”.   After only 11 years, Center for Digital Imaging Arts now chapter 7 bankrupt busted. Chapter 7 bankruptcy indicates they are toast and will be liqudated.  In Norwood, That Which Cannot Be Named refused to stop the shutdown of the Jewish elementary school Kehillah Schechter Academy. It’s blamed on disappearing Jewish students (it also doesn’t help that the school is millions of dollars in debt).

Michigan: Lansing Public School District warned it might have to shutdown Eastern High School. It’s blamed on decreasing students and increasing employee costs caused by Obama Care health insurance and retirement increases. To add to that, The Lansing Public School District privatizing their school bus system, trying to cut more than $700-thousand from their budget. School bus drivers make about $12 per hour, part time, so just imagine what kind of contracted drivers they’re going to get for minimum wage. School bus driver Keisha Boose is pissed, saying  “I feel like I have been a loyal employee and the Lansing School District does not have my back!”   After first announcing (in March) they would not privatize their school bus system, Battle Creek Public Schools privatized their school bus system! 41 jobs affected.  The Charlotte Public Schools could shutdown the Charlotte Performing Arts Center. Administrators revealed the taxpayer funded Arts Center has been losing tens of thousands of dollars since 2010. Detroit Public Schools (DPS) warned they might shutdown 26 schools! Apparently DPS is in the hole by $120-million!  Eastern Michigan University is laying off 10 of its 11 full time lecturers! It’s blamed on what I call DSS, which is making budget problems even worse.  The troubled and possibly thieving Saginaw School District warned of school shutdowns in order to save money. The District is already being sued by one of its own board members, is already in the hole by $6.1-million, and last year it was forced by state officials to take over and shutdown the Buena Vista School District. And even though Buena Vista School District is dead, the local residents are still forking over local school taxes to pay off $6-million in district debt!  Flint School District is considering getting rid of all 41 administrators!  It all depends on the actual student population, Flint has been hemorrhaging students. So far four school have been closed and hundreds of jobs lost!  Pontiac Education Association laid off 63 teachers. It’s being blamed on the disappearance of 300 students for the 2014-15 school year! (and don’t forget the increased benefit costs caused by Obama Care). Pontiac schools are in so much financial trouble they are now being overseen by Oakland Intermediate School District.  The Ferndale Public Schools warned they must eliminate 30 jobs.  Administrators say they will go into the 2014-15 school year missing 300 students!

Minnesota:  The Minnesota School of Business shutdown their Shakopee branch, blaming disappearing students: “…in the past few years the number of students taking classes at the Shakopee campus has decreased dramatically.”-note taped to door at the Shakopee branch

The Willmar School District laid off 87 teachers and administrators. They hope it will be temporary. Minnesota State University Moorhead laid off 20 employees, and forced 21 employees to retire early, due to being short $5-million! University officials warned that if things don’t get better they will be short $8-million by 2016!  The Elmore Academy and the Wildcat Cafe shutdown to assess “programmatic needs”.   After only nine years the only two Christian Camden Music Schools shutdown. God didn’t stop the ‘great recession’ from killing off the schools: “The revenues were not sufficient for me to sustain it.”-Janet Zahn, founder

Mississippi: In McComb, God refused to stop the shutdown of Saint Alphonsus Catholic School, 22 jobs lost. It’s blamed on a the steady disappearance of students over the past seven years (Rapture?).

Missouri: In Ozora, God refuses to stop 115 years old Sacred Heart Catholic School from shutting down. Only 15 students enrolled for the 2014-15 school year!  Blame their DSS on the Rapture?  Troubled Saint Joseph School District killed more jobs, this time six employees were laid off.  School board officials blame it on disappearing students. However, the school district is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI wants to know why the administrators secretly gave themselves $200-thousand in bonuses!

New Hampshire: In Goffstown, after 96 years (and surviving the Great Depression) God refused to stop the shutdown of Villa Augustina School. It’s blamed on disappearing Catholic students. In 2008-09 the Catholic parents tried to save the school by buying it from the Catholic church. However, the students just wouldn’t show up (maybe they’re all in heaven now. Oh no, the rapture?): “A community embracing Christian Values, Academic Excellence, and Loving Service consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church and the charism of St. Claudine Thevenet.”-school mission statement

New Jersey:  Port Jervis School District warned of job cuts for the 2014-15 school year, blaming state and federal funding cuts and Obama Care insurance increases for district employees.   In Pennsauken Township, God can’t stop Saint Steven’s Christian school from shutting down. Church leaders blame it on what I call DSS (is it the Rapture?).  The Newark School system warned it will kill 30% of their 32-hundred teaching jobs over the next three years!  Administrators blame crashing revenues which are caused by what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome.  It turns out the Salem County One-Stop Career Center is a dead end for six employees who got laid off. It’s blamed on the loss of a community college grant.

New Mexico: Western New Mexico University warned of layoffs and tuition increases, due to what I call DSS.

New York:  Rochester City School District warned of massive layoffs due to the loss of 900 students for the 2014-15 school year!  The Hempstead School District killed 59 education jobs, in a secret vote. The teachers union went to local news media to report that 47 teachers, 10 teacher assistants and two administrators had received layoff notices. In May school officials declared many teaching positions were going to be “excessed”, which basically means there’s not enough money to cover them all.  Wilson Central School District laid off two employees. Rome City School District warned 60 teachers of layoff, and is asking another 40 to retire early. Lockport City School District laid off five employees and eliminated six vacant positions.  Glens Falls City School District killing 25 jobs, and reducing the hours for ten employees. The district blames it on declining tax revenues from the state and federal level, and will now push local school taxes/fees to their legal limit. Trumansburg Central School District might layoff seven employees.  Utica City School District killing 94 jobs. The district is in the hole by $6.4-million, and this is despite the fact that the district is one of the rare few that actually has increasing student enrollment!  Canisius College warned it will layoff an undisclosed number of employees, blaming years of what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) and increasing benefit costs caused by Obama Care.   After spending $23-thousand dollars to find out why the Guilderland schools are losing students, the shutdown of Altamont Elementary School is now being discussed. The study blamed “Declining community population”, “Declining job market” and “underemployment”, “44% less growth in property values”, as well as blaming the federal government for “Unfunded mandates” and Obama Care for “Increasing health insurance and employee pension costs”!  South Colonie Central Schools jacking up property taxes and eliminating 35 jobs. Upset parents don’t understand that Obama Care is jacking up insurance costs astronomically for schools. Administrators are hoping the federal and state government will kick in some extra money to help pay for their financial rape.  Queensbury Union Free School District warned of job cuts, blaming continued reduction in funding, and of course they want the cash strapped local property owners to fork over more money. Saranac Lake Central School District wants to layoff at least 20 employees.  Trenton School District to layoff 77 employees. Administrators blamed part of their $10.5-million shortfall on charter schools. Buffalo School District warned of layoffs for the 2014-15 school year, as many as 390 jobs could be culled! They’re short nearly $50-million. Teachers in the district are pissed because in the past they’ve taken huge pay cuts, by as much as $15-thousand per teacher! Utica City School District wants to kill 90 jobs, due to a shortfall of $6.4-million, and that’s with an increase in student population and taxes. Local property owners are pissed because the district (along with the city) has been jacking up their taxes, and apparently it’s still not enough! However, one district official revealed that 61% of elitist property owners are exempted from paying taxes! The other 39% are burdened with funding local government. Sounds like a f*cked up place to live.   For the first time ever, Cazenovia School District had to kill jobs. 16 positions eliminated due to disappearing students (20% decline over the past 10 years). In Getzville, bus service First Student shutdown, killing 80 jobs. In Brooklyn, after 52 years God refused to stop the shutdown of Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School. Administrators blamed it on a 75% drop in student enrollment (is it the Christian Rapture?)!  After 151 years (and surviving the Great Depression as well as dozens of recessions) snooty upscale prep school Adelphi Academy now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Administrators blame it on disappearing students. Court documents show current K through 12 enrollment at only 100!  Tufaro Transit laid off 46 school bus employees due to loss of contract. School Days also warned of 45 school bus employee layoffs due to loss of contract.  In Long Island, All American School Bus shutdown, 990 jobs lost! The Schenectady City School District chief, Larry Spring, warned “We’re going to have staff layoffs, we’re going to have program cuts, absolutely.” The district is short $10-million! Employees were also laid off last school year.  In Amherst, Medaille College shutdown: “The market environment has changed so much that the most obvious thing to do is return to the mother campus and adjust accordingly.”-Richard Jurasek , president

North Carolina: Elizabeth City State University laid off 34 employees. The interim chancellor says the university must cut costs by $3.7-million per year!  ECSU eliminated 46 positions last school year. School officials say disappearing students caused the university to lose $4.2-million in the 2013-14 school year!  In Wilmington, after 32 years Teacher’s Aid shutdown. The owner of the education supply store blamed the past five years of declining sales.  North Carolina Central University eliminated 55 positions. University of North Carolina at Greensboro warns it might have to destroy 120 jobs and 600 classes in July! It already killed 390 classes for the 2013-14 school year! It’s blamed on increasing disappearing students, 2014-15 school year enrollment is already down by 2.6%. It’s also blamed on decreasing taxpayer funding and increased costs, like increased employee health insurance cost due to Obama Care.

Ohio: Mansfield School Committee eliminated 149 positions and raised up front school fees for parents! It’s blamed on declining tax revenues and increased insurance costs caused by Obama Care.  The Columbus City School District warned it will have to close seven schools, in order to cut $50-million from next school year’s budget!  Central State University laid off 17 employees, and plans on reducing pay for everybody else.  Marietta College killed 20 jobs.  Parma City School District warned of layoffs as they and the teachers union battle it out in arbitration. If U.S. teachers are so important why is the United States now among the dumbest countries in the world?  After only two years in operations, Believe to Achieve Academy shutdown two schools, 63 jobs lost.  Ohio State University eliminated 13 jobs. Administrators said it’s either the layoffs or jacking up tuition.  In Toledo, Community Development Institute-Head Start killing 280 jobs in July! The 2014-15 Head Start contract went to another contractor.

Oregon: Southern Oregon University eliminating 80 jobs by 2018. It’s blamed on what I call DSS: “We have to be as lean as possible. We’re trying to save enough so we can reinvest.”-Mary Cullinan, SOU president

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia School District warned of 1-thousand layoffs in September! It’s blamed on massive funding cuts and massive insurance cost increases caused by Obama Care. Administrators said the combination causes them to be short $440-million for 2014-15 school year! They begged city, county and state officials to raise taxes in order to fund the district’s budget shortfall: “We cannot have another year where we’re cutting. We have to get stable…so we can fight for the future instead of worrying about every single year….We can’t go any further! We’ll be in the mud at the bottom of the hill, and it’s a very steep hill!”-Bill Green, School Reform Commission Chairman

Pittsburgh based Education Management Corporation (EDMC) laid off 80 HQ employees, and more are expected. The for-profit higher education system (half owned by Goldman-Sachs) operates in the U.S. and Canada through Argosy University, The Art Institutes (200 employees laid off earlier this year!), Brown Mackie College and South University. EMDC has been losing money for the past three years due to disappearing students (enrollment dropped almost 10% just from last year). EMDC is also facing U.S. federal charges for paying recruiters based on student headcount, which is a violation of U.S. education laws. The Allentown School District laid off 101 employees, including teachers! The district has already killed 350 jobs over the past four years! It’s blamed on what I call DSS, and Obama Care increases insurance and retirement costs for the school district by $4.3-million! Chartiers-Houston School District warned of layoffs, and they blamed the state for withholding payments on recent construction and renovations, and the federal government for increasing health care and retirement costs (Obama Care). Administrators say the result is that they are now $1-million in the hole!  The Easton Area School District to layoff 56 employees. Officials need to make up a $5-million shortfall in the 2014-15 budget!  West York Area School District killed 29 jobs, on top of the 40 positions eliminated through attrition. Taxpayers question the job cuts because the school district is spending money on building renovations.   The Southern Lehigh School Board tearing down the Lower Milford Elementary School. Lower Milford parents are pissed, saying the K-5 school is not only the only school in the area, but doubles as a community center! School board officials say they cannot afford the $15-million needed to renovate the school.   Bethlehem Area School District eliminating 22 teacher positions, despite local tax increases. Apparently Pennsylvania school districts cannot layoff employees due to economic reasons, so the district is blaming the ongoing trend of disappearing students. Administrators also pointed out that even at maximum local taxes they still won’t have enough money to pay all the bills! Camden City School District eliminating 575 jobs! Administrators blamed it on disappearing students and on prior administrators “overspending” taxpayer funding.  In Bridgeville, God refused to stop the closing of Holy Child Catholic School, church officials blame it on disappearing (Raptured?) Christians!  The Correy Area School District shut down two elementary schools. Superintendent William Nichols blames it on what I call the mysterious DSS: “The board built two buildings here in the past six or seven years that house all of the elementary students and that becomes possible because we have a declining enrollment of 35%…”

Tennessee: God refused to stop for profit Christian Victory University (Crichton College) from shutting down! A wealthy California Christian investor says his family has lost millions trying to float the university for the past five years! The problem is declining enrollment due to Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS), and the fact that the majority of enrolled students are there on scholarships.

Texas: Rio Hondo School District killed 23 jobs. It’s blamed on funding cuts which are blamed on what I call DSS.  Copperas Cove Independent School District killing 75 jobs. The district no longer qualifies for the federal Heavy Impact Aid, which equates to a $12-million loss. The aid is for schools located near federal installations like military bases. However, 35% of the student population must meet certain qualifications, and apparently declining enrollment has resulted in not enough students to meet that 35% requirement.  The El Paso Independent School District warned it could be killing 172 teaching positions! It’s blamed on rising insurance and retirement costs caused by Obama Care, and the DSS of 33-hundred students over the past four years!

Vermont: The Vermont Technical College eliminating six positions due to increased costs caused by Obama Care, and three years of DSS.   Norwich University announced it will kill an undisclosed number of jobs, blaming DSS.  Burlington School District plans to layoff 23 employees for the 2014-15 school year.

Virginia: Patrick Henry Community College laid off 22 employees. Since 2013 the college has experienced declining enrollment, lower tuition revenues, increased costs and decreases in taxpayer funding.

Washington DC: Howard University laid off 200 employees! The jobs are being outsourced. University employees protested, but of course they were ignored.

Wisconsin: Delavan-Darien School District eliminated 18 positions, mainly teachers.   God refuses to stop Marquette University from killing 25 jobs. The Catholic university says it’s necessary to keep tuition affordable, but never mind that they raised the tuition the month prior (you see you can’t trust Christians)!  Blackhawk Technical College laid off 11 employees. It’s blamed on reduced tax funding.  In De Pere, Wisconsin International School shutdown without notice! Local news reports stated that teachers had not been paid! Administrators with the privately run grade school stated “The Wisconsin International School has closed due to declining enrollment and mounting financial pressures.” 

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.

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 24 – 25 September 2014: Massive Kmart shutdowns! No more PetsMart? Obamacare forces retired Christians into Jewish nursing homes?

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

Becker’s Hospital Review revealed that by the end of 2013 eighteen U.S. hospitals shutdown as a direct result of problems caused by the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care).

Arizona: PetsMart administrators laid off 176 people from its Phoenix HQ!  News reports say the layoffs were the result of pressure from greedy A-hole investors!

California:  San Jose based Adobe Systems announced it is shutting down its research & development ops in China, 300 jobs lost.  Company administrators blame the government of China.  International skateboarding shop FTC shutdown its Sacramento store.  Apparently sales couldn’t cover the costs to operate their nine years old Sacramento store.  In Irvine, Astronics Test Systems warned it will layoff 53 employees in November.  In Covina, Sears Holdings warned it will shutdown Kmart 4281 in November, 92 jobs lost.  In San Leandro, Sears Holdings warned it will shutdown Kmart 3276 in November, 102 jobs lost!  In Redding, Tri Counties Bank warned it will layoff 74 people in October.

Florida: In Tampa, a company that was supposed to be promoting the International Indian Film Academy, Go Bollywood, is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  The events promoter has only $50-thousand USD to its name, but is at least $50-million in debt! In Lake Mary, Digital Risk killed off 33 finance and insurance jobs. It’s part of the “Risk, Compliance and Transaction Management Solutions” company’s plans to kill off a total of 745 jobs in 2014!  In Saint Petersburg, Obama Care forcing the nearly 40 years old Edward White Hospital to shutdown in November, 363 jobs affected!  Hospital administrators blame the federal government for slashing funding, and pro-insurance industry Obama Care for causing a drop in customers.

Illinois:  In Alton, a Dairy Queen shutdown. The franchise owners said sales were so bad it wasn’t worth it to renew their franchise license.

Indiana:  Sears Holdings double punches The Hoosier State as it announced the shutdown of two Kmart stores; one in Fort Wayne and one in Decatur.  At least 118 people will become unemployed in December!

Maine: 110+ years old (surviving the Great Depression and numerous recessions) Great Northern Paper (GNP) now chapter 7 bankrupt busted, after shutting down operations.  Chapter 7 usually means the company is officially dead.  Company administrators tried to catch the interest of new investors, but apparently nobody wants to invest in paper making companies.

Maryland: In Hagerstown, Sheetz Fresh Food Made to Order shutdown.

Massachusetts: In Leominster, Obama Care forced HealthAlliance Hospital to kill off 18 jobs.  Crashing patient referrals caused by Obama Care, and a referring hospital, forced Radius Specialty Hospital to warn that it must shutdown two rehabilitation facilities, 350 healthcare jobs lost!

Michigan: Sears Holdings announced the killing of 610 jobs in December, as they shutdown five Kmart stores (Burton, Flint, Madison Heights, Port Huron and Rochester)!

Nevada: In Sparks, space tech company Sierra Nevada laid off 100 employees “As a result of not being selected by NASA, SNC needed to conduct a limited staff reduction of our Dream Chaser team of the personnel that have come on board in anticipation of the growth a win would have provided.”

New Jersey: Drug pusher Regado Biosciences laid off 20 employees, due to the failure of its latest anticoagulant.  Due to the massive loss of tax revenues from four huge casinos that shutdown (about ten thousand people laid off as a result!) Atlantic City warned of massive layoffs itself.  City administrators say they must demand unionized workers take a huge reduction in pay, as well.  Standard & Poor’s downgraded Atlantic City’s credit rating to BBB-plus.

New Mexico: Sears Holdings announced the Rio Rancho Kmart will be shutdown in December (59 jobs lost), leaving only one Kmart store in the city of  Albuquerque, which once had three Kmart stores.

New York: In Binghamton, anti-2nd Amendment Pepsi warned it will shutdown their bottling factory in November, 74 jobs lost.  In the same city dairy distributor HP Hood also warned they will shutdown in November, 32 jobs lost.  In Wolcott, Electromark-Brady Corporation warned it will shutdown by December, 84 jobs lost.  God refuses to stop Obama Care(?) from shutting down the Convent of Mary the Queen nursing home.  Christian leaders say they will shut it down by June 2015 (healthcare layoffs will begin in December), and shift many of the residents to a Jewish nursing home.

North Carolina: In Gastonia, God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Christian bookstore Mary’s Garden Catholic Books and Gifts.  The owners said sales crashed in 2008, and never recovered.  They take it as a sign from God, to get out while the gettin’s good.

Ohio:  United Airlines killing 100 more jobs!  This time at Port Columbus International airport.  The unionized jobs are being replaced with cheap-ass contract workers.  News reports say the contract workers will be paid just barely more than minimum wage, and probably at part time with no benefits (thank you Obama Care!).

South Carolina: In Mrytle Beach, the North Kings Highway Kmart shutting down in December, 59 jobs lost.

Tennessee:  In Dickson, Sears Holdings announced they will shutdown the Kmart in November, 65 jobs lost.

Washington:  One Reel announced that revenues from this year’s music and arts festival were so bad that “In an ongoing effort to adapt to ever-changing circumstances and evolve Bumbershoot to best serve Seattle, One Reel is temporarily reducing its staff to core personnel for Q4.”

Wisconsin: The Janesville Kmart being shutdown in December, 70 jobs lost.

21-23 September 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.

 

Aeropostale closing 250 clothing stores just in time for the New Year! Shutdowns will continue until profits improve!

05 December 2014 (12:10 UTC-07 Tango)/12 Safar 1436/14 Azar 1393/15 Bing-Zi 4712

Trendy rich teenager’s clothing store Aéropostale has just upped the ante on their 2014 store shutdown list, bringing the total to 250!

Back in April 2014, administrators with Aéropostale announced they would shutdown about 125 of their P.S. from Aéropostale children’s clothing stores across North America.  Administrators also said they were closing 50 of their regular Aéropostale stores.  But now it’s been revealed that another 75 stores will be shuttered between now and the end of January 2015.  More than 300 store and corporate office jobs lost!

On top of that, Aéropostale said they will continue shutting down stores throughout 2015!   The clothing retailer said it lost $52-million USD during its 3rd quarter 2014, and said it expects even bigger losses during the traditional holiday shopping season!

Which stores are being closed?  Two clues are that during this holiday shopping season any store that’s slated for shutdown will not be offering the usual end of year discounts, and their inventory will not be restocked.

restaurant chain bleeding stores & jobs

JCPenney closing more stores than first announced!

No more Wendy’s, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Hormel or Dinty Moore?