KANSAS SITE FIGHT: VOTE ON WAL-MART
Vote on Wal-Mart [Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World]
The new majority on the City Commission has agreed to hear Wal-Mart’s proposal to build a second Lawrence store at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive. The old majority opposed this store.
How does the public feel? To answer this question, Grassroots Action (of which I am a member) conducted a scientific phone poll of 205 registered voters. These voters were called from randomly generated lists for the city’s 49 precincts, and we called a balanced numbers of Democrats, Republicans and independents.
We asked: “Do you favor or oppose building a second Wal-Mart at Sixth and Wakarusa?”
Of these 205 voters, 53.2 percent said “oppose,” 26.8 percent said “favor” and 20 percent said “no opinion.”
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Monday, August 06 | 0 comments | Permalink
KENTUCKY SITE FIGHT: WAL-MART COMPOUNDING TRAFFIC PROBLEM
Residents speak out on Wal-Mart [The Cincinnati Enquirer]
Though a yellow smiley face is Wal-Mart’s renowned icon, few people were smiling at the Boone County Planning Commission’s meeting Wednesday night about the SuperCenter the chain wants to build in Florence.
“This thing’s being shoehorned into a residential area,” said Doug Martin, of Florence.
He was one of 23 people who condemned the proposed 184,000-square-foot Wal-Mart at the busy intersection of U.S. 42 and Weaver Road, less than three miles from another Wal-Mart on Houston Road. Currently, the proposed site is nothing but the ashes of a warehouse that burned to the ground in 2004.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Friday, August 03 | 0 comments | Permalink
KENTUCKY SITE FIGHT: HUNDREDS ATTEND WAL-MART MEETING
Hundreds attend proposed Florence Wal-Mart meeting [WCPO-9 (Ohio)]
Hundreds of people showed up Wednesday night to see what Wal-Mart has planned for a busy intersection in Florence.
Residents’ biggest concern about the proposed Wal-Mart at U.S. 42 and Weaver Road is traffic.The store is planned on the site of an old warehouse that burned down.
Wal-Mart says it has a plan to deal with traffic and plans an entrance similar to the Super-Wal-Mart on Houston Road.
As far as building so close to another store, Wal-Mart says the action has been successful in other communities.
Posted by Beth Gostanian on Thursday, August 02 | 0 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Shoots Itself in the Gas
Last we checked, Wal-Mart executives were blaming everything but the kitchen sink on high gas prices. Three Oklahoma consumers are claiming that the retailer may have brought those woes upon itself…
Class Action Sought on Fuel Claim [CNBC]
Three Oklahoma County consumers are seeking class-action status on a lawsuit that claims they’ve been overcharged for gasoline because it was stored at hotter than usual temperatures.
The lawsuit claims 13 retailers and oil companies kept gasoline at temperatures higher than the petroleum industry standard of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, causing the fuel to expand and provide less energy per gallon.
“The sellers of hot motor fuel are able to pocket these billions of additional dollars in temperature-inflated profits merely because the fuel they are selling is warmer than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and customers are ignorant of the truth,” the lawsuit claims.
Defendants in the lawsuit include 7-Eleven Inc., Albertson’s LLC, ConocoPhillips Co., Shell Oil Co., Texaco Refining and Marketing Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
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Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Thursday, July 26 | 3 comments | Permalink
New Wal-Mart Plan Advances
New Plan for Wal-Mart Advances [Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World]
It is not about Wal-Mart.
That was the message the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission delivered Monday night as it unanimously agreed to recommend that the City Commission approve plans for a new Wal-Mart and four other retail buildings on the northwest corner of Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive.
Commissioners heard about an hour’s worth of public comment — largely against the project — but were not swayed by it because much of it focused on whether Wal-Mart was a quality retailer. Planning commissioners said their role was to determine land use issues, not whether the community needs a specific retailer in town.
“Nobody is forced to buy there and no one is forced to work there,” Planning Commissioner Tom Jennings said. “We act like it is going to be indentured servitude out there. If no one wants to go into the front door or the back door, it won’t be there long.”
The issue now goes to city commissioners, who are expected to discuss the project at their Aug. 7 meeting.
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Tuesday, July 24 | 0 comments | Permalink
Independent America: Life Without the Big Box
In 2005, two reporters set out to drive across America in search of Mom-and-Pop stores. Unlike those who have gone before them, this dynamic duo avoided Wal-Marts, chain hotels and side-of-the-road fast food joints in hopes of gaining a better understanding of how Small Town America is reacting to changing economic situations, and what people are doing about it.
From YouTube:
Visit http://www.independentamerica.net/ for more, and be sure to catch the movie on the Sundance Channel on July 30th.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Monday, July 16 | 0 comments | Permalink
MONTANA SITE FIGHT: ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS HALT WMT PLANS
Wal-Mart may be shopping for new location [Ravalli Republic (Mont.)]
Officials from the Wal-Mart corporation may be shopping for another building site other than their original proposed site north of Hamilton.
The corporation planned to construct a 150,000-square-foot store on 21 acres just north of Hamilton next to Donaldson Brothers Ready Mix Inc.
Plans to build at that site might be changing, according to Wal-Mart officials and their consultants.
In June, according to e-mail’s between Wal-Mart’s consultants and Montana Department of Environmental Quality officials, consultants for the corporation hinted that they may be looking at a different site.
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Posted by Beth Gostanian on Tuesday, July 03 | 1 comments | Permalink
MD Law Encourages Big Box Stores To Go Solar
Among the 191 new state laws that take effect in the state of Maryland today, the effects of one may not be seen for a few years. Make no mistake, however. Its sponsor believes the law could serve as a national model and could reduce the cost of electricity, as traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas become more expensive.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed Senate Bill 595, which modifies the state’s renewable energy requirement to include a minimum percentage of solar power, starting at 0.005 percent of retail electricity sales in 2008 and increasing to 2 percent of electricity sales by 2022. The law is designed to encourage the use of solar panels by big box stores such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
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Posted by Corey Himrod on Monday, July 02 | 5 comments | Permalink
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