This most recent documentary of Iran under U.S. led sanctions (produced by puppet ally of the United States, neo-imperialist Japan’s NHK) reveals how ineffective the sanctions are as “the country is flooded with foreign goods”.
Tag Archives: martial law
U.S. Food Crisis January 2016: “We were not ready to close 10 years ago, but we’re ready now.”
Incomplete list of announced United States food supply shutdowns for the month of January, 2016: Many food suppliers/distributors are consolidating operations and killing jobs due to the collapsing grocery store and restaurant industries, as well as rising costs of food production, spread of disease and extreme weather.
Alabama: Earth Fare shutdown two grocery stores; one in Montgomery and one in Hoover (Birmingham). In typical Orwellian double-speak company administrators said the shutdowns were necessary “…for continued expansion.” No word on how many people will become unemployed. In Selma, the Winn-Dixie grocery store shutting down in February, apparently due to low sales. Local loyal customers are pissed off, Gracie Bennett exclaimed “I don`t want to hear that! I won`t like that at all! It is just an inconvenience.” referring to the long drive she’ll have to make to go to the nearest grocery store.
Arkansas: Kroger shutdown one of four of their North Little Rock grocery stores blaming low sales. Good Food by Ferneau shutting down because the owner-chef is taking a job working for somebody else.
Arizona: In Hereford, after almost 30 years The Mesquite Tree restaurant shutdown.
California: In Santa Maria, Eldorado Berry Farms issued a “permanent” layoff WARN, 654 jobs lost by the end of April! Superior Farming issued a layoff WARN, 225 Santa Maria jobs lost by the end of June! In Camarillo, MAC Berry Farms issued a layoff WARN, 90 jobs lost by mid-July. In Oxnard, Coastal Green Vegetable Company issued a shutdown WARN, 88 jobs lost by mid-March. In Cambria, after less than one year restaurant-market Centrally Grown shutdown without warning, at least 16 jobs lost (back in December reports said the entire staff was fired, with no explanation). Food giant ConAgra issued a shutdown WARN for their Helm operation, 102 jobs lost by mid-March! Albertsons-Safeway eliminating an additional seven jobs at their Pleasanton office, in March. In Canoga Park, after only a few months ConfeXion Cupcakes shutdown without warning. News reports say it’s the first business in the new Village at Westfield Topanga plaza to shutdown, and other businesses are considering leaving as well. A co-owner of ConfeXion Cupcakes blames outrageous rent. In San Francisco, after 23 years the owners of El Majahual finally wised up and realized it’s better to own than rent, they’re moving to their new location ‘across the bay’. Also in San Francisco, popular Ames restaurant shutdown after ten years. The Walnut Creek Pyramid Alehouse shutdown, 49 jobs lost. Belcampo Meat Company shutting down one of their San Francisco butcher shops. The operators of the butcher shop chain said the Mission Street location could not maintain enough volume sales to justify its existence. Staying in San Francisco, the Gangway bar shutdown due to ignoramus owner failing to pay his employees at least minimum wage. In California the so called Tip Credit does not apply, food service workers must be paid minimum wage even though they’re paid tips by customers. According to the lawsuit the owner, who’s lived in California for decades, thought the Tip Credit rule was valid in California (I knew about that rule back in the 1980s, how can people who’ve lived in California longer than me be so stupid regarding The Golden State’s wage laws?). Still in San Francisco, after more than ten years the upscale Bourbon Steak shutting down in March, the owner said he decided not to renew the lease and is looking for a new home. In Irvine, the 24 years old IHOP restaurant in Parkview Center is shutting down, local news reports say no reason is being given, other than the lease is not being renewed. Another Irvine restaurant also not renewing its lease, Marie Callender’s shutting down. San Diego based award winning gourmet Donut Bar shutdown their Fountain Valley shop (apparently replaced by yet another donut shop). In Escondido, after 44 years Champion’s Family Restaurant shutdown. In Santa Ana, Pinkberry shutdown their City Place food shop. Carpinteria based burger joint Carl’s Jr. shutdown two Canadian restaurants in Toronto, about 40 jobs lost. Employees say they were not given a reason for the shutdowns, however, company administrators claim they will eventually open 30 new restaurants across the Great White North. Inside the hotel Montage Beverly Hills, restaurant Scarpetta shutting down sometime in Spring to be replaced with food service that can remain open all daylong. In Anaheim Hills, after at least 30 years popular Foxfire An American Chophouse shutting down at the start of February, to make room for a shopping plaza. In Los Altos, Main Street Cafe shutdown, apparently to eventually be replaced with yet another restaurant “concept”. In Cathedral City, after 40 years restaurant El Gallito shutting down. The co-owners admitted their sales have been declining for some time saying “We were not ready to close 10 years ago, but we’re ready now.”
Colorado: In Denver, after a little more than three years Park House-Peacemaker’s Cajun Kitchen shutdown, the facebook posting didn’t explain why. Albertsons-Safeway shutting down their Denver bakery, 95 jobs lost by the end of February. Denver based Chipotle Mexican Grill is shutdown all its restaurants across the United States in February, blamed ongoing and unexplained microbial infections in numerous restaurants. However, the shutdown is for one day only, basically a ‘come to Jesus meeting’ for employees about food safety (that’s right, blame the employees). Chipotle’s sales crashed 40% in 2015! Lafayette, the Crossroad’s Tavern shutdown by the greedy landlord. The landlord is the Flatirons Community Church. In Denver, after 48 years iconic Andre’s Confiserie Suisse dessert restaurant shutting down because the A-hole city jacked up the taxes: “The city basically doesn’t want us here anymore. We got priced out.”-Bruno Gegenszhatz, owner
Connecticut: After 17 years restaurant Inn at Newtown shutdown. In New Milford, after 24 years restaurant Salsa shutdown, the owner sold it so he could retire. In New Canaan, after six years popular Chicken Joe’s restaurant shutdown by astronomical rent. After 11 years Westport’s Bobby Q’s Bodacious BBQ & Grill shutting down by the end of March.
Delaware: Local news media discovered that all four Sussex County Donut Connection shops have been shutdown! The owners of the franchise claim they’ve “retired”, but a former employee said “Business really had slacked off.” Tax records show $26,320-USD are still owed and a lawsuit says $31,211 in rent and utilities have never been paid!
Georgia: Property developers forcing popular restaurant Alfredo’s to shutdown after 41 years, the restaurant owner bemoaned “What can you do? That’s progress. It’s all about the money.” In Garden City, Daylight Donuts shutdown due to problems with the building and low sales.
Florida: In Fort Myers the franchised Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery shutdown without warning, the manager said in the past 12 months sales crashed “we are simply a victim of not enough sales”. After two years The Juice Spot in the Brickell area of Miami shutting down. There are signs the owners, the LeBron James family, is hurting for cash as the basketball star sold his Miami mansion in August for $13.4-million USD. Bowling, movies, food joint Latitude 360 shutdown its Jacksonville location, no reason given. In Orlando, after five years burger & beer joint Oblivion Taproom shutdown. In Quincy, BFN Operations issued a WARN for their Zelenka Farms, 64 jobs lost by the end of March. Coca-Cola laid off 70 people at their Brandon finance office.
Hawaii: The Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company suddenly shutdown and laid off 645 people! Administrators blame low commodity prices for causing them to lose $30-million USD in 2015, which is enough to shut them down! It’s the last sugar farm in Hawaii! Kahului Trucking & Storage began laying off drivers as a result of the sudden shutdown of the sugar farm.
Idaho: It’s been revealed that as more people move into The Gem State (domestic and foreign migrants) residences are being landscaped with poisonous shrubs, and it’s killing off the elk. In the Ketchum-Hailey area at least 13 elk have been found dead. Autopsies revealed poisonous ornamental Japanese yew shrubs in their stomaches. In one case the locals who found the most recent poisoned elk followed the elk tracks in the snow back to a home landscaped with Japanese yews.
In Idaho County, according to local news reports two Texas billionaires bought-up 38-thousand acres of land and then shut it down to local residents for use in recreation and hunting! Residents are outraged as previous land owners allowed public access for recreation and hunting.
According to a new report called The Financial Condition of Idaho Agriculture: 2015, Idaho farmers saw an overall 9% drop in cash receipts (even with a 2% drop in operating costs) from 2014 to 2015, due to crashing food prices: “The low prices in 2014 bled over into last year. The shortages, the supply and demand factors bleed into the following year.”-Garth Taylor, University of Idaho agricultural economist
The good news is that prices for livestock went up, but the low crop prices were low enough to adversely affect state tax collections. To break it down with a few examples; milk prices resulted in revenues dropping by one third. Wheat down 17%. Hay down 12% and potatoes down just under 3%. Sugar beets and barley made revenue gains, with sugar beets bringing in a whopping 20% increase.
It’s been revealed that pesticides have contaminated farms in eastern Idaho. At least 809 hectares (2-thousand acres) are affected and must be cleaned up, at taxpayer expense of course (an estimated $250-thousand USD has been quoted as an initial payment!). The contamination was discovered when farmers reported mutations in their crops and animals. Investigators traced it to the massive use of Methyl Bromide back in 2006. The contamination affects potatoes, hay, alfalfa, wheat and barley. In 2006 paranoia erupted over the discovery of a nematode that destroys potato crops, state and federal agriculture ‘experts’ told farmers to use methyl bromide to kill the microbe. It was farmers who first reported the crop and livestock mutations, concluding that it must be the result of using the toxic chemical.
University of Idaho shutting down their Caine Veterinary Teaching Center. Apparently the university plans on teaching veterinarian skills directly through livestock owners, news reports say the university veterinarian faculty are being laid off.
Grocer Supervalu issued a WARN for three Boise stores (North Ancestor, South Denver Way and Parkcenter locations), at least 80 jobs lost by March. It might be connected to Supervalu’s plan to take its Save-A-Lot discount grocery ops ‘public’. Back in October Supervalu laid off 115 people at their East Baybrook Court, Boise location, in connection with the merger of Albertsons and Safeway. Also in Boise, after at least 25 years the Twin Dragon restaurant is shutting down by March. The owners are trying to sell it to help fund their retirement plans. Trader Joe’s is recalling cashews sold in Boise (as well as in 31 other locations across the U.S.). The nuts are suspected of being contaminated with salmonella.
To counter the growing trend of chain restaurants openly opposing guns, local Gem State eateries are offering discounts if you’re packin’ heat! Dueling Irons restaurant knocks off 15% from the price of your meal: “The open carry discount is being expanded to included ccw permits, and increasing to 15%.”-Dueling Irons facebook post
Gem State Right to Work (you over) ‘lawmakers’ are apparently realizing how bad the financial situation is for families and are creating a new law that will exempt ‘cottage food’ businesses (literally mom-n-pop food sellers working out of their home) from the same health codes that traditional retail establishments must obey.
Illinois: The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery shutdown in the Chicago Ridge Mall. Restaurant III Tomassos Italian Bistro in Springfield shutdown, blaming lack of development and lack of neighboring tenants for lack of customer traffic in the new Legacy Pointe complex. Also in Springfield, Brickhouse Pub & Grill Downtown and Julia’s Kitchen shutdown. In East Dundee, after only one year Blues BBQ & Grill now bankrupt busted and shutdown. The owners are hoping to re-open as soon as they settle with creditors. Oreo cookie maker Mondelez International shutting down its allergy free Schiller Park factory by Summer, about 130 jobs affected as work is being consolidated to a new factory in Indiana! Mondelez also told 277 Chicago workers they will become unemployed starting in March, as part of the company’s plans to move to Mexico! Jake’sTavern shutdown after 78 years in Galesburg, the current owner refused to say why.
Indiana: Two shops shutdown in the Southlake Mall; Tilted Kilt and Jamba Juice. The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery shutdown without warning, in fact it was shutdown during the lunch hour! Essentially the franchise owner baled under the excuse of sudden retirement. News reports say the mall’s Jamba Juice also shutdown without warning or explanation. Bowling, movies, food joint Latitude 360 shutdown its Indianapolis location, no reason given. In Irvington, after 17 years Dufour’s restaurant-bakery shutting down, the owner admitted “As I’ve aged, this business gets harder. My insides feel 18, but my outsides don’t.”
Iowa: In Ames, after 30 years restaurant Valentino’s shutdown, the owners saying “Recent circumstances beyond our control, coupled with changing demographics in our current location and declining sales made this very difficult decision necessary.” A pizza joint known for helping homeless people, Rock Power Pizza, shutting down due to escalating operating expenses and de-escalating sales/donations: “It’s going to affect hundreds and hundreds of people, and we don’t know where that’s going to take it. That’s the part that really tears me up.”-Derrick Walton, owner who says he was once homeless
Maine: Chipotle Mexican Grill killing off Hutamaki. The paper product maker said it had to layoff 30 employees due to crashing packaging orders from the troubled chain restaurant.
Kansas: In Saint John, Dillions Market shutdown. Dillions was the town’s only grocery store meaning residents will have to travel 20 miles to buy food!
Maryland: Florida based Acosta Sales & Marketing eliminating 93 jobs at it’s Hanover food service ops, WARNing that more layoffs are in the works over the next three months! After 18 years restaurant Donna’s shutdown, the owners admitted they were losing money and could not renew the lease.
Massachusetts: In Longmeadow, after more than 40 years the Hu Ke Lau restaurant (on Williams Street) shutting down next week. Local news sources could not get a reason. In Cambridge, after 30 years East Coast Grill shutting down by the end of the month. No reason was presented. In Clinton, after 87 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) the Old Timer restaurant shutdown. It’s been for sale ever since a co-owner died in 2013, obviously nobody wants to buy it.
Michigan: In Bloomfield Hills, after more than 40 years Hogan’s restaurant shutting down at the end of the month. The owner admitted his old golf themed eatery can’t compete with the new “really trendy” restaurants. Proof Americans are going hungry, non-profit Feeding America is shutting down two food warehouses because they’re too small, administrators say they need bigger locations to meet the huge demand: “…the need has grown over the last decade…We know we have the ability to fully meet the need…To put it simply, we’ve outgrown these facilities.”-Ken Estelle, Feeding America West Michigan CEO
Minnesota: In Minneapolis, after two years Brasserie Zentral shutting down, a co-owner saying “This industry has always been hard. But right now, it has never been harder.” In Saint Paul, after ten years the Highland Park Chatterbox Pub (deep fried cheeseburgers) suddenly shutdown, the owners say they were not able to find a needed third business partner and will now focus on their two smaller restaurants.
Missouri: In Clayton, after five years Coastal Bistro & Bar shutdown, no comment from owners. In Chesterfield, Miller’s Crossing Pub & Grill shutdown with no warning or explanation. In Krikwood, after five years Petra Restaurant shutdown, no further info. In Amazonia, after 45 years Hunt Orchards shutting down. The current operators say they’re too old to carry on and hope somebody will lease the orchard, otherwise the property owner will sell to commercial developers. Georgia based Printpack shutting down its Hazelwood food packaging factory, 115 jobs lost starting in March! Local news reports say the Hazelwood Printpack factory employed at least 3-hundred people at its peak in the late 1990s. Administrators did not say why they were shutting it down. Evil Saint Louis based chemical & GMO food maker Monsanto continues to kill jobs, this time 1-thousand people added to the previously announced 2-thousand 6-hundred job eliminations to take place later this year! Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood shutdown their 30 years old downtown Saint Louis location, claiming it will help them focus on “franchise expansion”. Also in Saint Louis, after almost 20 years Harry’s Bar & Restaurant shut down. It’s starting to sound like city re-development projects are killing off local businesses: “It’s the economy, the highway closing, Ballpark Village. Downtown is just a dead area right now….nobody is talking about it. Iconic places are going out of business, and nobody cares. Ballpark Village was the nail in the coffin. It shut down Washington Avenue and took 70% of our business.”-Tim Pieri, co-owner
And owners of Mile 277 join other Saint Louis restauranteurs in blaming the A-hole re-development projects and greedy landlords: “The development of other venues such as Ballpark Village along with numerous lease terms has significantly impacted the operations of Mile 277. The combination of these factors has resulted in significant losses of revenue and profits. Mile 277 cannot continue to sustain these losses.”
Nebraska: Grocery seller SpartanNash announced the shutdown of three Omaha area stores, under the brands Bag-n-Save and No Frills, hundreds of jobs lost! It could be because Michigan based SpartanNash is spending $14-million USD to renovate eight other stores into their new Family Fare brand. Food giant ConAgra eliminating more jobs due to an ‘expected’ drop in sales. News reports say several hundreds of ConAgra employees in Omaha will lose there jobs to cheaper contractors as ConAgra attempts to cut operating costs! The reports are based on a video leaked last week, but what’s really interesting is that ConAgra execs are also killing 40 sales positions (maybe that’s why they expect sales to go down?).
Nevada: Whole food store Reno Provisions suddenly shutdown. Reports say the store struggled with problems like lack of revenues, e-coli outbreaks and now a new lawsuit.
New Hampshire: In Dover, the Uno Pizzeria & Grill joint shutdown, even though days prior local news media were told by managers the shutdown was just a “rumor”. Corporate administrators in Boston Weak, Massachusetts, refused to talk to local news media.
New Jersey: In Westfield, Robert Treat Delicatessen shutdown, the owners blamed their ongoing personal health problems. After 37 years the Cherry Hill Coastline Bar and Grill now bankrupt busted and shutdown. In Atlantic City, 89 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Tony’s Baltimore Grill pizza joint now bankrupt busted. The operators haven’t been able to pay their debts and blame it on the high cost of unionized labor. In Freehold, Top Tomato grocery store shutdown, a manager of another Top Tomato store told local news media that relative to sales volume the Freehold store is “too big for them”. However, on Facebook the owner of the Top Tomate chain straight up blamed the greedy landlord: “…due to circumstances with our landlord that could not be resolved and were out of our control, we were forced to close our Freehold sister store.”
New Mexico: Coca-Cola shutting down its Portales bottling factory, 59 jobs lost to consolidation. Coca-Cola’s warehouse in Clovis is also being shutdown. Winter Storm Goliath killed thousands of dairy cows in the Clovis area. At one point dairy production was down to just 10% of capacity. Kroger shutdown their Smith’s Food and Drug Store in Socorro, 66 job lost.
New York: Maines Food & Party Warehouse shutting down their Ithaca and Greece grocery stores by February, no public explanation given. In NYC, after 40 years kitchen supplier Broadway Panhandler shutting down. The owner tried to sell the business but nobody wanted to buy it. In Saugerties the McDonald’s junk food joint on 8 Manor Lane shutdown, the owner saying “It’s a business decisions…”, revealing that even when the restaurant was “making money” it was considered “under-performing”! Honest Weight, one of the last food co-op grocery stores in The Empire State, is warning that state employment regulations will force them to shutdown. In Nyack, popular Hartell’s Deli shutdown. Hartell’s has operated in Nyack since the 1970s, no word on why they shutdown. In Haverstraw, after nearly 70 years 20 acre restaurant Platzl Brauhaus shutdown because it was sold-off. Cumberland Packing shutting down its artificial sweetener (Sweet-n-Low) factory in Brooklyn, 3-hundred jobs lost by the end of the year! Angry Wade’s bar shutting down after the greedy landlord jacked the rent to $16-thousand USD per month! Netherlands based food wholesaler Ahold shutting down its Lancaster and Cheektowaga warehouse operations, 602 jobs lost by August! Ahold joins the mass exodus from The Empire State and is consolidating warehousing to Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. In Freeport, the Stop&Shop grocery store shutting down in February, residents say it will leave them with only one grocery store in their city. Stop&Shop is one of several grocery chain stores owned by Netherlands based Ahold. In Manhattan’s Upper East Side, restaurant David Burke Fishtail shutdown due to the greedy landlord. News reports say it’s the third David Burke restaurant to shutdown in less than a year. In NYC, Restaurant Associates lost their food service contract with Germany based Deutsche Bank, 59 jobs lost by April. That Can Not Be Named refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘its’ 51+ years old kosher bakery Monsey Kosher Bake Shop (aka Frank’s Family Bakery). Yehuda Frank began crying when he told local news media that “circumstances made that we close”. Those “circumstances” include the health and age of the owners.
North Carolina: In Raleigh, after less than ten years restaurant The Borough shutting down, the owner saying she has to sell it. In Raleigh, The Oxford pub shutdown. Morrison Healthcare continues to kill jobs after losing a food service contract with Carolinas HealthCare Systems, local news reports say layoffs will now hit 350! In Greenville, Fitgerald’s restaurant shutdown without warning less than two years after opening. Local news media report that the building now has a sign that says “Do not enter, no one”. Grace’s Café, an eatery at Duke University, is shutting down at the end of the semester. The operator said sales are not enough to pay for needed renovations to the kitchen.
North Dakota: Farm vehicle maker CNH (Case New Holland) hitting Fargo with even more layoffs, this time 70 people becoming unemployed. Local news reports say that since 2014 CNH has eliminated 260 jobs in Fargo.
Ohio: After 47 years Buehler’s Fresh Foods shutting down their Delaware store in February, 131 jobs lost! In Mansfield, after 29 years Lee’s Ancient Wok shutdown, the owners want to retire but their adult son has no plans to continue working the popular restaurant. With no warning Columbus based chain restaurant Max & Erma’s shutdown 13 operations in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, hundreds now jobless! Corporate administrators said they have to “streamline” operations due to the economy. Overwhelmingly employees say they’re shocked that their employer could shutdown overnight, (I’ve been there experienced that several times, so welcome to reality. Now try living with so many of your peers not believing that your former employer could lay you off with no warning, your employed peers always think you did something wrong! It’s amazing what the working class takes for granted, oh the power of false belief). The only Krispy Kreme donut shop in the Dayton area shutdown, 20 jobs lost. No explanation. In Columbus, after 29 years Patrick J’s Food + Drink shutdown, apparently the owner could end up in prison for 20 years after pleading guilty to charges of ‘interference with commerce by threats’.
Oklahoma: In Utica, after more than 70 years Petty’s Fine Foods shutting down in February, 50 jobs lost.
Oregon: In Portland, after 114 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) grocery store Strohecker’s shutdown. Local news reports say no reason was made public (the corporate owners, Lamb’s Markets, refused to talk). Indications are that the store’s pharmacy operations will continue in a different location. What’s that about Goodwill creating jobs? In Salem, it was revealed that seven years old Thai Beer Restaurant was forced to shutdown when the property owner sold-out to Goodwill Industries. The Terrace Cafe in Valley River Center shutting down after 36 years of serving up yummy food, because the mall management refuses to renew the lease. The restaurant owner said no reason was offered and “I was not prepared to have been told that no more leases would be given to me.”
Pennsylvania: After more than three years Marty’s Market shutdown without warning, the owners saying only “We have had to make the extremely difficult decision to close…” In Allentown, after only six months Shula’s Steak House shutdown without warning, it might have something to do with a lawsuit in which the Florida based restaurant chain settled claims that it failed to make rent payments. In Queen Village, after eight years Cafe Fulya shutdown. In Bridgeville, after 30 years restaurant Tambellini’s shutdown. The building was sold. In State College, Callao Cafe shutting down due to the owner’s health problems. In Flourtown, after 65 years eatery Cisco’s shutdown. In Philadelphia, Marabella Meatball restaurant shutdown. Bring Your Own Beverage restaurant Blue Cat shutdown because sales sucked: “I was burned out. Business was OK, but it was not worth it, I was shopping by myself, cooking everything. There’s no lunch business up there….”-Guy Shapiro, co-owner
South Carolina: In Myrtle Beach, “high end” cookware seller Williams-Sonoma (on Howard Avenue) shutdown.
Tennessee: In West Nashville, The Stone Fox shutdown, 30 jobs lost. After four years of success the restaurant-live music joint is apparently being replaced with something else. In Gatlinburg, Davy Crockett’s Tennessee Whiskey shutdown without warning or explanation. After spending money to paint their eatery in the colors of East Tennessee State University the owners of Alley Kat Sandwich Shop shutdown. Jerky maker Oberto shutting down its two years old Nashville meat factory despite promising to create 310 jobs and getting almost $2-million in taxpayer funds and grants (not tax breaks, outright cash!). State ‘lawmakers’ swear they’ll go after the jerky maker for a refund of the tax funding. The Nashville factory never got above 82 employees, despite Oberto’s promise (see more below in -Washington-). Here’s what Karl Dean, the now former mayor of Nashville, said back in 2012: “Oberto’s decision to locate a plant in Nashville speaks to the vitality of our city and the talent of our workforce. I’m especially pleased that Oberto will be bringing an existing facility back to life. Filling vacant buildings in and around our urban core is important to the strength and future of our city.”
Texas: Texas Association of Dairymen upped the number of dairy cows killed by Winter Storm Goliath to 5% (one report says at least 40-thousand killed!). The estimate counts only mature cows. Now if you think beef prices are high enough, add this to the mix; one beef rancher says he lost 350 beef cows to Goliath, and he says there are at least 30 other ranchers in the area with similar losses! In Dallas, after 40 years the original Black-eyed Pea restaurant was suddenly shutdown due to the company going bankrupt. At least 15 Black-eyed Pea restaurants have been shutdown in Texas. The bankruptcy will affect restaurants in the state of Colorado as well. Also in Dallas, after 45 years Herrera’s Tex Mex shutdown because the landlords want to re-purpose the property.
Utah: Wild West themed Porter’s Place shutting down its Lehi restaurant because city administrators are running the operator outta town. The city owns the building and they want to tear it down. The owner of Porter’s Place say he hopes to open a new restaurant in the city of Nephi.
Virginia: In Roanoke, restaurant Stefano’s on the Market shutdown, the owner wants more time with his family. Richmond’s four years old Carytown Dixie Donuts shutdown. In Pulaski, Food Lion shutting down its Memorial Drive grocery store by February because it’s not worth it to renew the lease. In Lexington, Healthy Foods Market & Cafe shutdown, the owners blame increased competition for their decreased sales. In Alexandria, Old Time Coffee, Tea and Spice shutting down in February because the landlord is jacking up the rent. The 1950s style K&B Drive Inn south of Eveleth shutdown without warning. After 93 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Falkowski’s Market shutting down, Mike Falkowski blames “The tough Range economy is hurting our business. Can’t keep operating losing money every month. Just couldn’t survive.”
Washington: Kent based mass produced jerky maker Oberto announced it will shutdown its two years old meat factory in Tennessee (well, the factory is two years old, I don’t know about the meat) and sell-off a meat factory in Oregon! The suck-ass economy is forcing Oberto to consolidate jerky treat making to its Washington ops. Seattle based Starbucks announced it will shutdown several two years old Teavana ‘tea bars’ in New York and California. Regional grocer (and bankrupt no thanks to being tricked by Albertson-Safeway) Haggen issued a shutdown WARN for their Puyallup store, 87 jobs lost at the beginning of March.
Washington DC: Once touted by politicians like Obama, the 10 years old Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint on Wisconsin Avenue shutdown. There was no explanation, just a note taped to the door.
Wisconsin: After 50 years elitist Feiler’s Restaurant shutdown. In Milwaukee, after only two years Simmer Cafe shutdown. The owners blamed it on their expensive attempt to start another cafe in the Mayfair Mall. Low farm sales continue to force CNH (Case-New Holland) to eliminate even more factory jobs. 105 Mount Pleasant employees became unemployed!
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Global Food Crisis: No more Salmon from South America?
ObamaCare job destruction, January 2016: “This is health care today. This is an ongoing thing.”
Incomplete list of healthcare related layoffs and shutdowns, January 2016.
California: Health insurance company Blue Shield of California eliminating at least 99 jobs at their Lodi call center, apparently forcing people to buy ObamaCare insurance is generating enough captive audience profits. In Long Beach, Molina Hospital Management eliminating 385 jobs by the end of February! In Torrance, “premier Women’s Health laboratory” Pathology eliminating 388 jobs by the end of March! It’s directly connected to December’s takeover of Pathology by a company called LabCorp. What did you get when you got laid off? It’s been revealed that Newark based StemCells Incorporated gave its recently ‘resigned’ CEO a $1-million USD severance package! Germany based medical plastics maker Balda C. Brewer shutdown its relatively new Irvine factory, 193 jobs lost in February! American Medical Response shutdown their Modesto billing center, in total 330 jobs were eliminated! After losing a federal level lawsuit the Alameda County Jail system laid off 49 nurses at the end of December, the current nursing staff says conditions at the massive county jail system are “…a mad house right now. It’s crazy, it’s really difficult. We’re severely understaffed and we’re basically working with a skeleton crew. The nursing staff that are there currently are worn out.”-Melissa Brown, licensed vocational nurse at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
Connecticut: Affinity Health Care Management bankrupt busted just five years after their last bankruptcy, but this time it’s because Medicaid payments are being held back by the state Department of Social Services! Court documents stated that if the failed state ObamaCare loving government continues not to reimburse Medicaid services then Affinity Health Care Management will cease to exist!
Florida: In Coral Gables, Preferred Medical Plan laid off 35 employees. In Orlando, Nephron Pharmaceuticals issued a mass layoff WARN, 250 people becoming unemployed by April! (is it because Jeb Bush made a campaign stop there?) Orlando based Total Sleep Management now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Administrators blame ObamaCare: “The sleep industry ran into trouble around 2013. Pre-authorizations became a requirement for most private insurers. We lost about 40% of our revenue.”
Idaho: A sure sign that healthcare costs are going up, the state Department of Health and Welfare is requesting a $26.3-million USD budget increase! Administrators are now saying the previous 3.9% increase is not enough to fund the new mandate (Primary Care Access Program) to cover the 78-thousand Idahoans who fall into the Right to Work (you over) ObamaCare gap! Mental healthcare provider Optum has revealed it’s sitting on $5-million USD in unspent Idaho Medicaid funding! This is significant because Optum’s parent company United Health claims it lost $1-billion in 2015 (see Minnesota below)! It’s been revealed by the state Office of Performance Evaluations that Psychosocial Rehabilitation Counselor (aka PSR or Psycho Social Rehabilitation workers) jacked up costs to Idaho Medicaid nine times over a ten years period. In 2001 PSR costs were $8-million USD, by 2012 costs hit $76-million! In 2013 the state tried to counter by pushing for more “managed” inpatient care, however that is backfiring because many providers are confused by the regulations which are causing problems with care.
More Gem State Right to Work (you over) ObamaCare bull-shit; “Ferch, a Boise chiropractor, had received notice from Regence BlueShield of Idaho that the health insurance company was cutting back its payments for ‘adjustments’ — his most common procedure — to 1990s levels. Ferch and a handful of fellow chiropractors met with the medical director for Regence. Ferch asked whether the medical director’s salary was the same as it had been in the 1990s. The room went silent……
….In Idaho, mutual insurance companies also differ from federal tax-exempt nonprofits in that they do not tell the public what they pay their leaders. Idaho law forbids regulators from divulging that information.”–SeattlePI
Illinois: In Streator, God couldn’t stop ObamaCare from forcing ‘his’ Saint Mary’s Hospital from laying off 1-hundred employees! Another 2-hundred employees affected as the hospital shifts to out-patient care services! The Affordable Care Act does not pay enough to cover the costs of inpatient care. In Orland Park, Palos Community Hospital shutting down their Palos Health & Fitness center in May. In a round-a-bout way administrators said ObamaCare was forcing them to “prioritize” their services. God refusing to stop ‘his’ Lutheran Social Services (LSSI) from shutting down 30 offices across the state, and laying off 750 people! LSSI is the largest social services operator in the state and blames moronic state ‘lawmakers’ for failing to come up with a budget, resulting in non-profit LSSI being owed $6-million USD: “After 7 months, we no longer can provide services for which we aren’t being paid.”-Mark Stutrud, President and CEO
Maryland: Shenanigans with taxpayer money, this time employees at the state run Springfield Hospital Center are questioning why they’re being laid off when the hospital supposedly has a surplus of money! At least 57 people will lose their jobs under the govna’s proposal to privatize the mental hospital, supposedly to save money. However, state Senate President Thomas V. Miller revealed that the Springfield Hospital Center is actually projected to have a surplus of more than $400-million USD!!!
Massachusetts: DePuy Synthes warned it might be forced to conduct mass layoffs at its Raynham medical device factory in connection to the massive Johnson & Johnson’s layoffs. Raynham city administrators are pissed because they gave DePuy massive tax breaks to prevent them from moving the factory to Indiana. Nashoba Valley Medical Center began reducing nursing jobs as they reduce Emergency Room operations (under ObamaCare).
Minnesota: New Jersey based medical tech company C.R. Bard shutting down their Stewartville factory. Since C.R. Bard took over the plant in 2013 at least 247 jobs gone, some to Mexico! Minnetonka based United Health blames ObamaCare for causing it to lose $1-billion USD, massive job cuts coming! United Health is considering getting the hell outta the Affordable Care Act exchange system!
New Jersey: New Brunswick based Johnson & Johnson announced it is eliminating 3-thousand medical device jobs over the next two years! ObamaCare taxes, the bad economy, and plans to take over medical device maker rivals are forcing them to cut $1-billion USD in costs!
New York: Orleans Community Health announced layoffs for Medina Memorial Hospital because ObamaCare forced it to become a ‘Critical Access Hospital’ treating less patients, meaning less employees. In Smithtown and Riverhead, Developmental Disabilities shutting down its OPTI-HEALTHCARE operations, 46 jobs lost by the end of April. A Fortune article says NYC based drugs pusher Pfizer jacked up prices (again?) on 105 drugs by as much as 20%!
Ohio: The Ohio Health Nelsonville Medical and Emergency Services facility shutdown their emergency room operations earlier than expected. Administrators blame ObamaCare for forcing 80% of customers to go to urgent care operations instead. Lakewood Hospital ending inpatient service in February, eventually the hospital will be replaced with a smaller clinic operation. After four years virtual telemedicine health provider connector HealthSpot now chapter 7 bankrupt busted and being liquidated. The plan was to set up remote kiosks in which people could access medical coverage help under this ObamaCare regime. However, despite raising $48-million USD and building 191 kiosks, 137 of those kiosks are still sitting in storage unused! The other 54 kiosks that were set up in retail locations, like RiteAid, are not in use. In Blue Ash, medical device maker Ethicon could layoff all 824 employees in connection to the massive Johnson & Johnson’s layoffs! (local news reports say at one point Ethicon employed 1,200+ people in Blue Ash) In Liberty, Campus Health Care nursing home suddenly shutdown after its Tennessee based owner went bankrupt. Residents are being rescued from the nursing home that local news media discovered was considered “the worst of the worst” by federal regulators!
Oregon: Medical device maker Greatbatch eliminated at least 140 jobs in Beaverton, as the company moves production to Mexico (probably to avoid the new ObamaCare medical device tax)!
Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley Health Network warning that it must shutdown five offices across two counties! LVHN rep Brian Downs said they didn’t know when the shutdowns would take place, or how many people will lose their jobs, but warned “This is health care today. This is an ongoing thing.” Emmaus based publisher of health magazines Rodale eliminated 40 jobs in an effort to “focus on growing the business”.
South Carolina: Barnwell County’s only hospital shutdown! The 140 employees of Southern Palmetto Hospital said they were notified in an emergency meeting on a Tuesday that they were losing their jobs that Thursday! The emergency meeting was called by the Director of Nursing, local news says hospital administrators refuse to talk to them and county administrators swear they know nothing about it.
Washington: Reports say Vancouver based non-profit healthcare provider PeaceHealth laid off at least 150 employees across Alaska, Washington and Oregon, in an attempt to remain financially viable under ObamaCare.
ObamaCare job destruction, 4th quarter 2015: “The straw that broke the camel’s back…the Affordable Care Act…”
Dumbing Down the United States, January 2016: “…in the end, you have to say ‘it’s not working.’”
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, January 2016:
Arizona: Phoenix based rip off artist Apollo Education Group (owner of University of Phoenix,Western International University, Axia College, and College for Financial Planning) eliminated 70 jobs, as part of their plan to “re-engineer” the for-profit education operation due to crashing revenues. (possible due to the federal Department of Education accusing Apollo Education of lying about job placement rates)
California: In Berkeley, after 33 years Black Oak Books shutting down, the owner lamenting “I wish I could have kept it open, but, in the end, you have to say ‘it’s not working.’” It must be noted that current owner Gary Cornell has been subsidizing the rent payments out of his pocket, store revenues are not high enough, and he said the city’s minimum wage increases are the final straw. University of California Berkeley’s Campus Shared Services quietly laid off 28 people, back in December. Local Teamsters Union members are now making sure the public knows about the layoffs. After 65 years privately funded Pinecrest Schools shutting down all their San Fernando Valley campuses (Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Canyon Country and Simi Valley) at the end of this school year! Administrators blame increased operating costs and increased competition from publicly funded charter schools.
Colorado: Westwood College suddenly halted enrollments and announced it will shutdown its Denver campuses by the end of March! Administrators blame crashing enrollments, but it could also have to do with the fact the state sued Westwood, accusing it of making false claims about students being able to find jobs after they graduate.
Connecticut: Post University eliminated 15 jobs and reclassified another 15. One teacher said her ‘reclassification’ included a 53% cut in pay! God refuses to stop the shutdown of two of ‘his’ schools; Saint Vincent De Paul in East Haven and Saint Gabriel in Milford. The schools managed to survive The Great Depression and numerous recessions, but for some reason they can’t survive what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. Saint Vincent is reportedly down to just 89 students.
Delaware: More job killing by DuPont, this time 2-hundred highly educated people (many with doctorates) at the Central Research and Development division at the Experimental Station in Wilmington now unemployed: “As part of this restructuring, we are redesigning the existing Central Research & Development operating model to assess and seed new, transformational science-based ventures as the next step in the evolution of corporately funded R&D for DuPont.”
Florida: The Venice public library shutting down by the end of the month due to unsanitary conditions that never go away despite numerous attempts to repair the building. The National Deaf Academy shutting down between March and April after being hit with lawsuits alleging child abuse (administrators refused to give an official reason).
Idaho: The University of Idaho’s McClure Center for Public Policy Research discovered that one third of Idaho high school grads surveyed see no reason to ‘Go-On’ to college or university because the job market doesn’t justify the cost of higher education. The study also discovered that while 53% of females go on to higher education only 38% of Idaho males ‘Go-On’. That means Idaho’s ‘Go-On’ gender gap rate is higher than the national average. University of Idaho shutting down their Caine Veterinary Teaching Center. Apparently the university plans on teaching veterinarian skills directly through livestock owners, news reports say the university veterinarian faculty are being laid off. Even God couldn’t stop a Christian student from ripping off the Mormon Brigham Young University-Idaho of $6-thousand 2-hundred, using a university credit card. Of course that ‘christian’ student wasn’t very smart because you can trace credit card transactions, and that’s how he got caught. A new study is blaming low Gem State high school graduation rates on internet classes! The state Board of Education reported that ‘virtual schools’ can barely graduate 20% of their online students!
Illinois: Chicago Public Schools announced yet more mass layoffs, 227 non-teaching jobs being eliminated! God refuses to stop the shutdown of three of ‘his’ Christian schools; Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, Saint Peter elementary and Seton Academy. It’s blamed on The Rapture, I mean what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Oak Park Saint Edmund Catholic School, due to crashing enrollments. In Evanston, after 35 years Howard’s Books shutting down by the end of February. The owner say it “makes sense” to shutdown because “The chains hurt the independents, and then Amazon comes along and hurts the chains.” The Western Illinois University laid off 30 people due to the failed state ‘lawmakers’ failing to come up with a budget.
Indiana: Bargain Books shutting down its Mishawaka store. Company administrators admitted their profit margin is much higher with their internet sales than with brick-n-mortar ops.
Iowa: British empire based education publisher Pearson suddenly began laying off employees in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area, as part of their plans to eliminate 4-thousand jobs globally! Perhaps U.S. textbooks being published by the mortal enemy of the United States is one reason for the dumbing down of the U.S.? After all British English is not the same as U.S. English (grammatically or with the spelling and pronunciation of words).
Kentucky: People suffering from the coal industry shutdowns revealed it costing former employees a lot of money to re-train: “If they switch everything from coal to gas, that retraining program that they’re doing now is going to take five to six years of training. Woth Eastern Kentucky Power down there, if they switch everything to gas…if they change all that then everybody is going to have to through more school after they already went through their apprenticeship and pay their $600 for their book and pay for that gas going to that school.“-Dakota Cones, interviewed by WOWK
Maryland: The Baltimore School Board approved the shutdown of four schools; Westside Elementary School, Maritime Industries Academy High School, Baltimore Community High School and the Maryland Academy of Technology & Health Sciences. The school board is considering shutting down a fifth school as well. The shutdowns are blamed on poor academic performance and what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. Baltimore County Public Schools shutdown Deep Creek junior high school due to lack of heating.
Michigan: In Lansing, God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 150 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Trinity Lutheran School from shutting down. Parents criticized the church leaders saying they never considered outside sources of funding and the decision to shutdown came without warning. Beecher School District needs to cut costs and will do so with layoffs, pay cuts and even contracting out jobs that are currently in-house. Local news reports say the school district has less than 1-thousand students.
Missouri: Better Learning Communities Academy being shutdown due to low academic achievement and money problems. University of Missouri Saint Louis warned of mass layoffs in order to deal with a $15-million USD shortfall ($2-million more than reported two months ago), no layoff numbers given, yet.
Montana: University of Montana has begun mass layoffs, eventually 192 full-time jobs will be eliminated!
New Hampshire: God’s River University is so desperate for students they are now offering a guarantee of employment upon graduation! If the student can’t get a job after six months of graduating from a bachelors program (undergraduate) then the university will pay for their masters program (graduate)!
New Jersey: God refuses to stop the shutdown of his Mother Teresa Catholic School, in June. Enrollment is down below 1-hundred students.
New York: The Federal Reserve Bank’s New York office posted the results of their investigation into the viability of college/university educations. They found that of those people who graduated between 2009-13 about 45% were working jobs that do not require higher education (typically low paying)!
North Carolina: The Books-A-Million Bookland in the Signal Hill Mall shutdown. Haywood County in big trouble, they’ve reduced their operating budget by $2.4-million USD and will have to shutdown at least one school, conduct layoffs and reduce pay for remaining employees! It’s blamed on the loss of state school funding (due in part to crashing enrollment) and half a million dollars in tax collections being diverted to other counties that are in bigger trouble than Haywood!
Ohio: Digital Works shutdown their high-tech skills training programs in Logan, Lynchburg, Middleport, Portsmouth and West Union. The training program was started in 2013 with taxpayer funding, that taxpayer funding ended in 2015.
Oregon: In Hillsboro, Jacobsen’s Books & More shutting down because the owner is tired of being told by looky-loos “I’ll just go buy it on-line.” For the second time in one week, Aequitas Capital Management announced layoffs. This time 1-hundred people, almost all the remaining employees, will be laid off! Company bosses blame significant financial problems after it was revealed the loan agency was involved in questionable student loans.
Dumbing Down the United States, 4th Quarter 2015
Governor kills state jobs claiming lack of money, then Senator reveals $400-million+ cash surplus! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 29 January 2016
Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
Arizona: Phoenix based rip off artist Apollo Education Group (owner of University of Phoenix,Western International University, Axia College, and College for Financial Planning) eliminated 70 jobs, as part of their plan to “re-engineer” the for-profit education operation due to crashing revenues. (possible due to the federal Department of Education accusing Apollo Education of lying about job placement rates)
Colorado: Westwood College suddenly halted enrollments and announced it will shutdown its Denver campuses by the end of March! Administrators blame crashing enrollments, but it could also have to do with the fact the state sued Westwood, accusing it of making false claims about students being able to find jobs after they graduate.
Georgia: Illinois base heavy vehicle maker Caterpillar eliminating 2-hundred jobs as it shuts down its Thomasville fuel factory! (see Illinois below)
Idaho: A new study shows that proposed new state tax rules actually puts money into the wallets of the rich! HB380 could result in an average tax reduction of $815 USD per 1-percenter and only a piddly $7 reduction for poorest of idahoans! This comes as the state Department of Health and Welfare revealed that a minimum of 21.1% of Idahoans received some sort of taxpayer funded assistance for every month of 2015. What Health and Welfare administrators didn’t reveal is that is a record number of Idahoans needing taxpayer funded help! According to Watchdog.org 2013 and 2014 were also record years, and 2016 is projected to set a record as well!
Illinois: In Streator, God couldn’t stop ObamaCare from forcing ‘his’ Saint Mary’s Hospital from laying off 1-hundred employees this month! Another 2-hundred employees affected as the hospital shifts to out-patient care services! The Affordable Care Act does not pay enough to cover the costs of inpatient care. Heavy vehicle maker Caterpillar announced an additional 230 layoffs in East Peoria as the bad economy forces radical restructuring and consolidations! A press release by Caterpillar execs stated they expect the bad times to last until at least 2018.
Indiana: In Irvington, after 17 years Dufour’s restaurant-bakery shutting down, the owner admitted “As I’ve aged, this business gets harder. My insides feel 18, but my outsides don’t.” Georgia based Southwire shutting down its Plainfield service center beginning in March, 50 jobs lost.
Kentucky: Carmeuse Lime and Stone laid off 35 people at its Black River mine.
Maryland: Shenanigans with taxpayer money, this time employees at the state run Springfield Hospital Center are questioning why they’re being laid off when the hospital supposedly has a surplus of money! At least 57 people will lose their jobs under the govna’s proposal to privatize the mental hospital, supposedly to save money. However, state Senate President Thomas V. Miller revealed that the Springfield Hospital Center is actually projected to have a surplus of more than $400-million USD!!!
Massachusetts: Nashoba Valley Medical Center began reducing nursing jobs as they reduce Emergency Room operations (under ObamaCare). In Lynn, General Electric (GE) laying off 59 aviation engineers, as part of a larger 3-hundred aviation jobs elimination across the country!
New York: CNN shutting down their Manhattan Center Productions operations, 74 jobs lost by the end of April. Sterling National Bank issued layoff WARNs for at least six offices, 27 jobs lost between May and June. In Ithaca, after 18 years Jabberwock curiosity shop shutdown due to ongoing construction and a greedy landlord who jack up the rent three times!
North Dakota: Farm vehicle maker CNH (Case New Holland) hitting Fargo with even more layoffs, this time 70 people becoming unemployed. Local news reports say that since 2014 CNH has eliminated 260 jobs in Fargo. Reports that Massachusetts based oil/ethanol company Global Partners is eliminating jobs with its Peace Garden State operations.
Ohio: In Liberty, Campus Health Care nursing home suddenly shutdown after its Tennessee based owner went bankrupt. Residents are being rescued from the nursing home that local news media discovered was considered “the worst of the worst” by federal regulators! Clothier Express shutting down its Dayton Mall store, as part of its parent company’s (Limited Brands) ongoing store shutdowns.
Oregon: In Clatskanie, Massachusetts based Global Partners laid off 50 oil terminal workers according to the official WARN. According to local news reports that’s more than the last reported number of employees who work there! In Lake Oswego, Youth Villages issued a layoff WARN for its Christie Campuses, 74 jobs lost by the beginning of March. In Springfield, Pacific States Plywood eliminating 39 jobs by mid-February. Medical device maker Greatbatch eliminated at least 140 jobs in Beaverton, as the company moves production to Mexico (probably to avoid the new ObamaCare medical device tax)! In Portland, A-List/H-List/Kitson hair salon apparently shutdown (according to state WARN listing).
Pennsylvania: In Allentown, American Hairlines and clothier Popmart shutting down, the operators admitted they bit off more than they could chew when they decided to open additional stores. Emmaus based publisher of health magazines Rodale eliminated 40 jobs in an effort to “focus on growing the business”.
Utah: Wild West themed Porter’s Place shutting down its Lehi restaurant because city administrators are running the operator outta town. The city owns the building and they want to tear it down. The owner of Porter’s Place say he hopes to open a new restaurant in the city of Nephi.
Virginia: Tobacco company Altria eliminating 490 jobs over the next two months! Despite claiming they had “a strong year” company administrators say the job cuts are part of preparations for expected changes in the industry (mainly increased competition). In Alexandria, the Urban Angler shutdown, the operators blame competition as well as city bureaucracy for delaying the grand opening for months.
Washington: Regional grocer (and bankrupt no thanks to being tricked by Albertson-Safeway) Haggen issued a shutdown WARN for their Puyallup store, 87 jobs lost at the beginning of March. Macy’s issued a shutdown WARN for their Spokane store, 94 jobs lost by mid-March. In Beacon Hill, after about ten years drag queen waitress restaurant Inay’s shutdown. In Bremerton, Concentrix shutting down their call center, 5-hundred jobs lost by the end of March! Administrators blame it on the loss of a major client.
Wisconsin: More proof the internet is not recession resistant; online party-costume supplier BuySeasons eliminating 130 jobs, blaming competition!
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”
U.S. loses $1.2-trillion in three months! “…cuts would probably occur weeks after Bank of America pays bonuses…” Sprint kills more jobs! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 28 January 2016
Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
California: In San Francisco, Belcampo Meat Company shutting down their Mission Street butcher shop. The operators of the butcher shop chain said the Mission Street location could not maintain enough volume sales to justify its existence. In Desert Hot Springs, after 70 years Haidet’s True Value Hardware shutdown.
Connecticut: It’s been revealed that Yale University laid off at least 24 IT employees. CIO Len Peters warns of more job cuts saying “In order to further close our budget gap, some involuntary layoffs have taken place. Moving forward, we will continue to look for ways to be more cost-effective and agile with our services.” God refuses to stop the shutdown of two of ‘his’ schools; Saint Vincent De Paul in East Haven and Saint Gabriel in Milford. The schools managed to survive The Great Depression and numerous recessions, but for some reason they can’t survive what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome. Saint Vincent is reportedly down to just 89 students.
Florida: Health Support Network- Center for Building Hope-Brides Against Breast Cancer now chapter 7 bankrupt busted and being liquidated, after shutting down without warning back in September. A former CEO is accused of stealing donations meant to help families dealing with cancer treatment. Local news media reporting that General Growth Properties (GGP) will tear down part of their Pembroke Lakes Mall Sears store to build a new movie theater, pending approval by the local zoning board.
Georgia: No more iconic The Varsity burger joint? “After a great deal of thought and consideration, the leadership of The Varsity has decided to close our store in Alpharetta on Feb 1. We would like to sincerely thank the people of Alpharetta for welcoming us in their community for the past 12 years. We weighed a number of options and came to the conclusion that our three other stores….can effectively serve our customers in this area.”
Idaho: University of Idaho shutting down their Caine Veterinary Teaching Center. Apparently the university plans on teaching veterinarian skills directly through livestock owners, news reports say the university veterinarian faculty are being laid off.
Illinois: All seven Off Track Betting locations suddenly shutdown after 24 years. The horse racing gambling sites were operated by a company called All Seasons, no explanation was given for the sudden shutdown. In Evanston, after 35 years Howard’s Books shutting down by the end of February. The owner say it “makes sense” to shutdown because “The chains hurt the independents, and then Amazon comes along and hurts the chains.” The Western Illinois University laid off 30 people due to the failed state ‘lawmakers’ failing to come up with a budget.
Indiana: Locally operated oil company Country Mark laid off 20 employees, blaming low oil prices for forcing them to reduce output.
Iowa: British empire based education publisher Pearson suddenly began laying off an undisclosed number of employees in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area, as part of their plans to eliminate 4-thousand jobs globally! Administrators claim that by not giving out the exact number of people laid off in Iowa that they are somehow “protecting the privacy” of those employees.
Kansas: Local news media revealed that Overland Park based Sprint has eliminated at least 6-thousand jobs in the past two years! Read on to learn of the latest Sprint layoffs in Texas and Virginia. (don’t forget the other mass layoffs revealed a couple of days ago)
Michigan: What automotive industry recovery? Fiat Chrysler Automotive is shutting down its Sterling Heights Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart factory for at least six weeks, due to crashing sales. In Holland, after more than 60 years Dykstra Post and Home supply store shutting down by the end of February. Apparently the operator was overwhelmed by his other full time job and offered to sell it to employees, but they weren’t able to buy. The landlord then offered to end the lease early, and that offer was accepted.
New York: In Freeport, the Stop&Shop grocery store shutting down in February, residents say it will leave them with only one grocery store in their city. Stop&Shop is one of several grocery chain stores owned by Netherlands based Ahold which recently announced it was massively cutting back on operations in the United States. American HomePatient shutting down their Regional Billing Center in Buffalo, 42 jobs lost by the end of April. In Astoria, Empire Merchants ending their booze distribution operations, 109 jobs lost by the end of April! 
Bloomberg reporting that NYC based Too Big to Jail Bank of America will kill even more jobs by March: “Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan has said he will eliminate jobs this year as the industry is squeezed by sluggish trading, low interest rates and rising loan losses….. ….The cuts would probably occur weeks after Bank of America pays bonuses to traders and bankers in mid-February.”
By my own record keeping (starting in 2010) Bank of America has eliminated nearly 100-thousand jobs globally!
North Carolina: Morrison Healthcare continues to kill jobs after losing a food service contract with Carolinas HealthCare Systems, local news reports say layoffs will now hit 350! Grace’s Café, an eatery at Duke University, is shutting down at the end of the semester. The operator said sales are not enough to pay for needed renovations to the kitchen.
Pennsylvania: Too Big to Jail Warren based Northwest Bancorp (aka Northwest Bank) shutting down 24 offices in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Ohio. The shutdowns will be complete by Summer and are blamed on customers.
Tennessee: In West Nashville, The Stone Fox shutting down this weekend, 30 jobs lost. After four years of success the restaurant-live music joint is apparently being replaced with something else.
Texas: In Dallas, after 45 years Herrera’s Tex Mex shutting down this weekend because the landlords want to re-purpose the property. Sprint shutting down their Temple call center, 350 jobs lost by the first week in February!
Virginia: Sprint shutting down their Hampton call center, 380 jobs lost in March!
Washington DC: The Federal Reserve Bank reported that the overall net worth of the United States crashed by $1.2-trillion USD in the 3rd quarter of 2015! (interestingly that’s the same as the record student loan debt total)
Wisconsin: What housing market recovery? Too Big to Jail Chase shutting down its Milwaukee mortgage customer service office, 135 jobs lost by the end of March!
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”
“We’ve got a money problem! It’s going to be devastating….” Currency wars kill tens of thousands of U.S. jobs! “Emergency” layoffs begin! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 27 January 2016
Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
Alabama: What automotive industry recovery? Brazil based brake parts maker Fras’le eliminating 50 jobs at its Prattville factory, by the end of February. Administrators blame crashing sales in Brazil and China, which are being exacerbated by international currency wars. 
In Fairfield, residents are lamenting the loss (before the end of this week) of the only major employer in town; Walmart. Local news reports say 264 jobs will be lost as a result! City councilman Darnell Gardner bemoaned “We’ve got a money problem! It’s going to be devastating once they close those doors. And I mean devastating!”
California: In Cathedral City, after 40 years restaurant El Gallito shutting down. The co-owners admitted their sales have been declining for some time saying “We were not ready to close 10 years ago, but we’re ready now.” In Arcata, after 67 years the Sierra Pacific sawmill shutdown, 123 jobs lost due to decreased consumer demand and increased costs of supplies: “When you have a facility that runs at only 50% capacity…..Then with your log supply being more expensive than it is in other areas, that’s just kind of a double whammy.”-Mark Lathrop
Colorado: In Denver, after a little more than three years Park House-Peacemaker’s Cajun Kitchen shutting down next week. The facebook posting didn’t explain why. Clothier GAP shutdown stores in Aurora and Loveland, as part of its ongoing plan to shutdown 175 stores.
Delaware: Wilmington based DuPont warning that it must eliminate as many as 6-thousand jobs by the end of the year due to crashing revenues! Administrators are blaming most of their revenue losses on international currency wars.
Florida: More layoffs by Coca-Cola, this time their Brandon finance office will lose about 70 jobs by the end of the week. In Naples, Keolis Transit eliminating 81 jobs by the end of March.
Massachusetts: Farmingham based Mitt Romney wunderkind Staples just eliminated “hundreds” of HQ jobs! Exact numbers were not given but unnamed sources admitted they were “preparing” for the possibility their merger with Office Depot will be blocked by the federal regulators. (never mind that hundreds to thousands will be laid off if the merger is approved) In Clinton, after 87 years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) the Old Timer restaurant shutting down this weekend. It’s been for sale ever since a co-owner died in 2013, obviously nobody wants to buy it.
Michigan: Beecher School District needs to cut costs and will do so with layoffs, pay cuts and even contracting out jobs that are currently in-house. Local news reports say the school district has less than 1-thousand students.
Minnesota: Maker of snowmobiles and ATVs, Medina based Polaris eliminated 1-hundred salaried jobs without warning, blaming unpredictable weather for crashing sales. Vacant positions will not be filled. Administrators admitted they had been trying to cut labor costs through attrition, but down sales forced them to conduct outright layoffs.
Missouri: Georgia based Printpack shutting down its Hazelwood food packaging factory, 115 jobs lost starting in March! Local news reports say the Hazelwood Printpack factory employed at least 3-hundred people at its peak in the late 1990s. Administrators did not say why they were shutting it down. In Amazonia, after 45 years Hunt Orchards shutting down. The current operators say they’re too old to carry on and hope somebody will lease the orchard, otherwise the property owner will sell to commercial developers.
New Hampshire: God’s River University is so desperate for students they are now offering a guarantee of employment upon graduation! If the student can’t get a job after six months of graduating from a bachelors program (undergraduate) then the university will pay for their masters program (graduate)!
New York: In NYC, Restaurant Associates lost their food service contract with Germany based Deutsche Bank, 59 jobs lost by April. Georgia based CNN shutting down their NEP Imaging ops in NYC, at least 12 jobs lost by the end of April.
North Carolina: In Cary, Connecticut based Xerox confirmed it laid off 178 people without warning! Administrators said it’s the result of losing a major client.
Ohio: Two banks merged, now local news sources are warning of major layoffs as a result of the Huntington Bancshares take-over of FirstMerit. The layoffs would take place by the end of the year. The city of Niles conducted “emergency” layoffs; at least 12 city employees now jobless after an official declaration of fiscal emergency. The mayor is now begging cash strapped local taxpayers to approve an increase in local taxes!
Oregon: Local news media discovered that Climax Portable Machining & Welding Systems is quietly laying off employees, and employees ordered not to talk about it. Local businesses providing logistical support to Climax are confirming the layoffs. An unnamed former employee said employees are being forced to sign a severance agreement which says they’ll lose their severance if they reveal the layoffs! The company was taken over by a California based Industrial Growth Partners in 2013. Local news media are speculating that the layoffs are being kept quiet in an attempt to keep a multi-year tax break, which states they must maintain employment levels at the time of the awarding of the tax break!
Pennsylvania: Reports say layoffs with GE Transportation being expanded to include salaried employees. Back in November, General Electric said 1-thousand 5-hundred train builders would be let go in 2016! The latest reports say GE admin refuses to give an exact number regarding the salaried employee layoffs. In Allentown, God refuses to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Saint John Vianney parish, in April. Parish administrators admitted they are $3-million USD in debt, and the church needs $1-million in repairs.
Rhode Island: Pawtucket based Microfibres shutting down three factories; one in North Carolina, Mississippi and Rhode Island. At least 3-hundred jobs lost! Administrators blame international currency wars for crashing sales in Russia and China.
Texas: Houston based Halliburton confirmed it eliminated an additional 4-thousand jobs during its 4th quarter of 2015! News reports say at this point the oil field service company has eliminated 22-thousand jobs!
Virginia: Norfolk based railroad transportation company Norfolk Southern is warning that it could layoff as many as 2-thousand employees! Believe it or not, the mass layoffs are part of their plan to ‘invest’ $2.1-billion USD into the company!
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”
“…a resource action will happen this Friday…” 3,000+ California jobs lost! “…there’s less money…” : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 26 January 2016
Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
California: Walmart revealed their store shutdowns in The Golden State will result in 1-thousand 652 jobs lost by April 15th! In Santa Maria, Eldorado Berry Farms issued a “permanent” layoff WARN, 654 jobs lost by the end of April! Superior Farming issued a layoff WARN, 225 Santa Maria jobs lost by the end of June! In Camarillo, MAC Berry Farms issued a layoff WARN, 90 jobs lost by mid-July. In Oxnard, Coastal Green Vegetable Company issued a shutdown WARN, 88 jobs lost by mid-March. In Cambria, after less than one year restaurant-market Centrally Grown shutdown without warning, at least 16 jobs lost (back in December reports said the entire staff was fired, with no explanation). Food giant ConAgra issued a shutdown WARN for their Helm operation, 102 jobs lost by mid-March! Albertsons-Safeway eliminating an additional seven jobs at their Pleasanton office, in March. Al Jazeera revealed their exit from the U.S. news market will kill-off at least 50 jobs in California, by the end of April. In San Diego, HD Supply Management issued a layoff WARN, 97 jobs lost by the beginning of March. Georgia Pacific issued a shutdown WARN for their cardboard factory in Buena Park, 148 jobs lost by the end of March! In Santa Clara, Florida based software company Citrix Systems eliminating 65 jobs by the beginning of March. In Oakland, Outer Harbor Terminal shutting down in March, 59 jobs lost. In San Francisco, Destination Geary Street Management laying off 58 people in March. In San Jose, tech company Cisco Systems laid off 123 people without warning! Also in San Jose, Highland Metals/EZFuture finally revealed it shutdown, back in December! In San Mateo, GoPro reported it laid off 77 employees. In Vista, Zodiac Pool Systems shutting down in March, 52 jobs lost. Intellectual property analyst Thomson Licensing shutting down their Burbank office in March. In Long Beach, Molina Hospital Management eliminating 385 jobs by the end of February! In Torrance, “premier Women’s Health laboratory” Pathology eliminating 388 jobs by the end of March! It’s directly connected to December’s takeover of Pathology by a company called LabCorp.
Florida: In Quincy, BFN Operations issued a WARN for their Zelenka Farms, 64 jobs lost by the end of March.
Georgia: Sears Holdings confirmed they will shutdown the 37 years old Kmart, in Carrollton, by the end of April.
New Jersey: In Atlantic City, 89 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Tony’s Baltimore Grill pizza joint now bankrupt busted. The operators haven’t been able to pay their debts and blame it on the high cost of unionized labor.
New Mexico: Coca-Cola shutting down its Portales bottling factory, 59 jobs lost to consolidation. Coca-Cola’s warehouse in Clovis is also being shutdown.
New York: What automotive industry recovery? In Champlain, vehicle painter Elegance Coating issued a layoff WARN, 46 of the 66 employees will be let go by the end of April. 
Armonk based International Business Machines (IBM) is about to conduct mass layoffs, insiders saying “…a resource action will happen this Friday…”. On top of that the iconic employer will reduce the amount of severance it normally gives. If you research my past Job Losses reports you’ll discover that IBM has been conducting mass layoffs for several years now. In NYC, 147 years old (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) plumbing supplier (originally a ship parts supplier) George Taylor Specialties shutting down because the co-owner Val Christou says “Business is the same as it has been, but there’s less money in it.”
Tennessee: Memphis based paper company Verso now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, with $2.4-million USD in debts. In its 3rd quarter of 2015 Verso reported it lost $111-million!
Virginia: In Roanoke, restaurant Stefano’s on the Market shutting down, the owner wants more time with his family.
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”
“I was not prepared…no more leases…” 50% of Idaho families in poverty, ‘get used to it’! No more nail polish? : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 24 – 25 January 2016
Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
Alabama: AAR Aerostructures & Interiors ending metal fabrication ops in Huntsville, 72 jobs lost. Administrators said they need to “refocus” their business.
Arizona: In Chandler, after 25 years Video Paradise shutting down next week.
California: In San Francisco, after more than ten years the upscale Bourbon Steak shutting down in March, the owner said he decided not to renew the lease and is looking for a new home. 
Cosmetic company Coty shutting down their North Hollywood OPI nail polish factory, 4-hundred California jobs being lost to North Carolina! In San Diego, after laying off 1,314 people at the end of 2015 Qualcomm laid off an additional 32 employees.
Delaware: Local news media discovered that all four Sussex County Donut Connection shops have been shutdown! The owners of the franchise claim they’ve “retired”, but a former employee said “Business really had slacked off.” Tax records show $26,320-USD are still owed and a lawsuit says $31,211 in rent and utilities have never been paid!
Florida: Clothier GAP shutting down stores in Tampa and Saint Petersburg, as part of their plan to shutdown 175 stores!
Idaho: A new Corporation for Enterprise Development study says 45.5% of Idaho families are trapped in poverty and there’s no hope of getting out, as the 2016 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard calls the economic situation the “new normal”! Find out more info, or how your state ranks, click here.
Gem State Right to Work (you over) ‘lawmakers’ are apparently realizing how bad the financial situation is for families and are creating a new law that will exempt ‘cottage food’ businesses (literally mom-n-pop food sellers working out of their home) from the same health codes that traditional retail establishments must obey.
It’s been revealed that pesticides have contaminated farms in eastern Idaho. At least 809 hectares (2-thousand acres) are affected and must be cleaned up, at taxpayer expense of course (an estimated $250-thousand USD has been quoted as an initial payment!). The contamination was discovered when farmers reported mutations in their crops and animals. Investigators traced it to the massive use of Methyl Bromide back in 2006. The contamination affects potatoes, hay, alfalfa, wheat and barley. In 2006 paranoia erupted over the discovery of a nematode that destroys potato crops, state and federal agriculture ‘experts’ told farmers to use methyl bromide to kill the microbe. It was farmers who first reported the crop and livestock mutations, concluding that it must be the result of using the toxic chemical.
A new study is blaming low Gem State high school graduation rates on internet classes! The state Board of Education reported that ‘virtual schools’ can barely graduate 20% of their online students! I can attest to this claim as I know a young woman who tried the virtual school program for almost a year, before giving up and going back to old fashioned brick-n-mortar school in Pocatello. I remember her school counselor at Pokey High warning her she’d be back because the majority of students fail to complete the online courses. The online school seems easier because supposedly you’re on your own schedule, but it turns out to be harder than traditional school.
Michigan: What automotive industry recovery? Dearborn based Ford announced it will end sales operations in Japan and Indonesia, due to lack of sales!
Minnesota: In Saint Paul, after ten years the Highland Park Chatterbox Pub (deep fried cheeseburgers) suddenly shutdown, the owners say they were not able to find a needed third business partner and will now focus on their two smaller restaurants.
Missouri: University of Missouri Saint Louis warned of mass layoffs in order to deal with a $15-million USD shortfall ($2-million more than reported two months ago), no layoff numbers given, yet.
Nebraska: Sears Holdings confirmed it will shutdown the Omaha Kmart (on South 114th Street) in April, 66 jobs lost. It’s the second Omaha Kmart to be shutdown.
Nevada: In Mesquite, after five years Have Boutique Will Travel shutting down. The co-owners blame their age, one is 77 and the other is 80!
New York: In Amherst, after more than 1-hundred years (surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions) Newtrend Furniture shutting down. Maines Food & Party Warehouse shutting down their Ithaca and Greece grocery stores by February, no public explanation given. In NYC, after 40 years kitchen supplier Broadway Panhandler shutting down. The owner tried to sell the business but nobody wanted to buy it.
Ohio: The only Krispy Kreme donut shop in the Dayton area shutting down next week, 20 jobs lost. No explanation.
Oregon: The Terrace Cafe in Valley River Center shutting down after 36 years of serving up yummy food, because the mall management refuses to renew the lease. The restaurant owner said no reason was offered and “I was not prepared to have been told that no more leases would be given to me.”
Texas: In Dallas, the operators of Zhulong Gallery suddenly announced it will shutdown at the end of the month (instead of hosting an international photo exhibit), no reason given.
West Virginia: Coal miner Alpha Natural Resources killing more jobs, this time 9-hundred people at eight mines and two processing operations, by the end of March!
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”
Massive Sprint layoffs! 333-thousand tech jobs lost! Layoffs are now SOP! : U.S. Job Losses & Closings 23 January 2016
Incomplete list of job loss announcements and shutdowns.
California: Yet more Palo Alto tech employees in trouble, VMWare warning employees of mass layoffs due to their merger with Dell and EMC, as many as 9-hundred jobs lost! But wait there’s a whole lot more! Redwood Shores based Global Equities Research predicts that as many as 333-thousand tech jobs will be eliminated over the next 12 months, no thanks to rapidly developing advancements in areas like cloud computing! University of California Berkeley’s Campus Shared Services quietly laid off 28 people, back in December. Local Teamsters Union members are now making sure the public knows about the layoffs. In San Francisco, popular Ames restaurant shutting down after ten years. In Escondido, after 44 years Champion’s Family Restaurant shutting down next week.
Colorado: Kansas based Sprint shutting down their Arapahoe County call center, 178 jobs lost by April!
Connecticut: Affinity Health Care Management bankrupt busted just five years after their last bankruptcy, but this time it’s because Medicaid payments are being held back by the state Department of Social Services! Court documents stated that if the failed state ObamaCare loving government continues not to reimburse Medicaid services then Affinity Health Care Management will cease to exist!
Florida: In Orlando, after five years burger & beer joint Oblivion Taproom shutting down next week.
Georgia: In Ringgold, after two years Go Georgia Arts shutdown, the owner said he wasn’t getting enough commissions.
Idaho: More Gem State Right to Work (you over) ObamaCare bull-shit; “Ferch, a Boise chiropractor, had received notice from Regence BlueShield of Idaho that the health insurance company was cutting back its payments for ‘adjustments’ — his most common procedure — to 1990s levels. Ferch and a handful of fellow chiropractors met with the medical director for Regence. Ferch asked whether the medical director’s salary was the same as it had been in the 1990s. The room went silent……
….In Idaho, mutual insurance companies also differ from federal tax-exempt nonprofits in that they do not tell the public what they pay their leaders. Idaho law forbids regulators from divulging that information.”–SeattlePI
Illinois: God refusing to stop ‘his’ Lutheran Social Services (LSSI) from shutting down 30 offices across the state, and laying off 750 people! LSSI is the largest social services operator in the state and blames moronic state ‘lawmakers’ for failing to come up with a budget, resulting in non-profit LSSI being owed $6-million USD: “After 7 months, we no longer can provide services for which we aren’t being paid.”-Mark Stutrud, President and CEO
Kansas: Overland Park based Sprint notified 829 local employees they will lose their jobs very soon! In Saint John, Dillions Market shutting down by February. Dillions is the town’s only grocery store meaning residents will have to travel 20 miles to buy food!
Maine: New Jersey based Covanta Energy Corporation announced it will shutdown two plants, one in West Enfield and one in Jonesboro.
Missouri: New York & Co. shutting down their West Park Mall clothing store next week.
Montana: University of Montana has begun mass layoffs, eventually 192 full-time jobs will be eliminated!
New Mexico: Kansas based Sprint shutting down their Rio Rancho call center, 394 jobs lost by the beginning of February!
New York: Ichor Systems shutting down their Kingston factory, 96 jobs lost by the end of April. NYC based advertising company Ogilvy announced that layoffs are now SOP: “Today Ogilvy & Mather New York let go of less than 1% of our staff. This is yearly Standard Operating Procedure for a company of our size and scope of services.”
North Dakota: 95 coal miners about to lose their jobs at the Dakota Westmoreland Beulah mine. The layoffs start in March.
Tennessee: Kansas based Sprint shutting down their Blountville call center, 444 jobs lost by February!
Washington DC: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is consolidating operations at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, possibly eliminating more than 2-hundred jobs in the process!
WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification
Former employees who receive severance are not counted as unemployed
The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”