Black Horse – Page 2 – The Faithful Watchman

Walmart Set to Close All Stores in Portland amid Record-Breaking Retail Theft

Walmart announced its plan to close its final two locations in Portland, Ore., at the end of March following underwhelming financial results.

“We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately some do not meet our financial expectations,” the corporation said in a statement according to KPTV. “While our underlying business is strong, these specific stores haven’t performed as well as we hoped.”

The closures, which will result in nearly 600 employees being laid off, come after a statement by Walmart CEO Doug McMillion in December 2022 noting that record-breaking retail theft had undercut the company’s economic performance of late.

“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” McMillon told CNBC. Prices “will be higher and/or stores will close,” the executive added if Oregon authorities failed to address rampant shoplifting.

Companies shuttering stores in Portland has become increasingly common. Last year a clothing store, Raind PDX, shut down operations with the company specifically citing the cost of doing business in the wake of historic retail theft.

“Small businesses (and large) cannot sustain doing business, in our city’s current state. We have no protection, or recourse, against the criminal behavior that goes unpunished,” a letter posted on the company’s store read. “Our city is in peril.”

RETAIL APOCALYPSE: Over 800 Retail Stores Set to Collapse Due to Inflation, Interest Rates, Crime

A mass exodus of retail stores across America is on the horizon as more than 800 big box locations set to close shop for good.

Big names set to close or downsize included Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Gap and Party City.

Soaring inflation means people are struggling to make ends meet and do not have the same disposable income they did a few years ago.

Combine that with rising interest rates, rampant crime, and you have a perfect storm.

There are at least 803 stores set to close over the rest of 2023, with many desperate trying to cut costs.

But it’s not just retail struggling. Silicon Valley is also braced for the economic downturn, with 70,000 jobs already lost in recent months, as we reported in January.

Biden Rejects Federal Disaster Assistance For Ohio Town Impacted By Toxic Train Derailment: Report

President Joe Biden’s administration rejected a request for federal disaster assistance from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in response to the train derailment in East Palestine earlier this month.

The derailment, which occurred on February 3, caused a fire that lasted several days. Officials decided to initiate a controlled release of the chemicals to mitigate the risk of an explosion; all residents within one mile of the crash site were told to evacuate, although they were permitted to return to their homes on February 8.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told Ohio that the Biden administration was rejecting its request for federal assistance because the agency said the incident did not qualify.

Dan Tierney, a spokesperson for DeWine, told Fox News that Ohio was able to get some assistance through the Department of Health and Human Services that can assist residents who need medical care as a result of the fallout from the derailment and toxic burn.

Tierney said that DeWine would hold Norfolk Southern, the company involved in the accident, responsible for what happened. “The people of East Palestine need to be made whole,” he added.

Buffalo, New York, area is hit with the strongest earthquake in 40 years

“It felt like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said of Monday’s 3.8-magnitude quake.

A 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck Monday morning near Buffalo, New York, the strongest recorded in the area in 40 years.

The quake hit 1.24 miles east-northeast of West Seneca, New York, with a depth of 1.86 miles, around 6:15 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said no damage had been reported so far in West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo near the U.S.-Canada border.

He said he had spoken with the deputy commissioner of the Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Gregory J. Butcher, who said a “confirmed quake was felt as far north as Niagara Falls and south to Orchard Park.”

“It felt like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed,” Poloncarz said.

Yaareb Altaweel, a seismologist at the National Earthquake Information Center, said Northeast earthquakes “happen all the time” and quakes can strike anywhere at any time.

GDP Report Reveals Ominous Great Depression Warning Sign Not Seen Since 1932

The latest numbers from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that the U.S. economy grew by 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, and 2.1 percent for 2022. While the White House was quick to take credit for the state of the nation’s economy, they might want to think twice. This latest report should have alarm bells ringing, not trumpets sounding.

That’s because economic growth is slowing down. Even the areas which contributed positively to gross domestic product (GDP) are not necessarily signs of prosperity. For example, business investment grew at only 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter, but that was almost entirely inventory growth. Nonresidential investment, a key driver of future economic growth, was up just 0.7 percent.

Meanwhile, residential investment fell off a cliff, dropping 26.7 percent as consumers were unable to afford the combination of high home prices, high interest rates and falling real incomes. No wonder homeownership affordability has fallen to the lowest level in that metric’s history.

But the growth in inventories, which accounted for half the GDP growth in the fourth quarter, is not a good sign, either. It is the result of businesses being unable to sell off existing inventories at current prices. Liquidating that inventory at discounts will mean lower profits, a further drag on future growth.

San Diego restaurant sees natural gas bill soar $6k in one month: They’re ‘running us out of here’

SDG&E announced February natural gas prices would decline 68% after the 400% surge in January

San Diego restaurant owners are demanding action over the city’s soaring energy prices after their natural gas bill spiked $6,000 – equivalent to a 400% surge – in just one month.

Rudford’s Restaurant owners Jeff and Nick Kacha joined “Fox & Friends First” Thursday to discuss how politicians have betrayed the city’s small business owners as they struggle to stay afloat amid rampant inflation.

“They’re not exactly representing the people here in San Diego, I can tell you that,” Nick told Ashley Strohmier. “It just seems like they’re throwing businesses under the bus… we bring in so much tax revenue and everything for the city of San Diego. And they’re here like stabbing us in the back almost with all these costs and allowing all these companies to do whatever they like… It’s sad to see… the people are suffering.”

Ukraine Fertiliser Inflation Crisis Could Result in a Million More Hunger Deaths: Report

The rapid inflation in the cost of fertilisers as a result of the Ukraine war could see as many as one million additional people die of hunger-related deaths, a report has claimed.

A study undertaken by researchers from the University of Edinburgh, University of Aberdeen, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Rutgers University has found that up to one million more people could die as a result of hunger as a result of increased worldwide fertiliser prices.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year kicked off a considerable supply chain crisis for both grains and fertilisers, with shortages in both areas prompting fears that many vulnerable nations could be pushed into famine.

However, while it was reportedly expected that the sudden absence of Ukrainian grain from the world market would cause the most amount of chaos — with the eastern European nation being traditionally responsible for a sizable share of the world’s grain supply — researchers have now found that it is the increased cost of fertiliser that is putting more people at risk.

Wave of Volcanoes around the world: Pre-Messiah Shake-and-bake?

“Mountains shall be overthrown, cliffs shall topple, and every wall shall crumble to the ground.” EZEKIEL 38: 20 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

A wave of over 27 volcanic eruptions have scientists and end-of-days experts concerned

This week, Volcano Discovery reported that 27 different volcanoes are erupting at this moment and many others are showing signs of waking up. Several of these eruptions have experts concerned.

The two biggest volcanoes in Hawaii erupted simultaneously two weeks ago. Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted for the first time since 1984 while the smaller but more active Kilauea also erupted. Both are located on the archipelago’s Big Island. Dual eruptions haven’t taken place since 1984.

On Sunday, the Stromboli volcano off the coast of Sicily erupted, spewing dark ash and generating volcanic lightning. Stromboli is considered one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has continuously erupted since 1932.

Meanwhile, Mount Semeru in Indonesia just erupted as well. Authorities raised the volcano’s warning status to the highest level and called for the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people. People have been urged to keep at least 5 miles away, as “hot avalanches” of lava poured from Semeru. Videos of the event showed the sky turning black as a massive plume of ash blocked the sunlight. Japan issued a tsunami warning for its southernmost islands after the eruption.

Death Toll In Buffalo Area Rises To 37 From Brutal Blizzard

The death toll in Erie County, which contains Buffalo, New York, has risen to 37 from the blizzard that struck the area late last week.

According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, 17 people were found dead outside; nine died in homes lacking heat; four were found dead in a vehicle; four died of heart-related issues from shoveling or snow blowing and three people died when emergency medical services were delayed. 29 of the deaths occurred in the city of Buffalo. Local officials have been criticized for not implementing a travel ban earlier; Erie County issued a travel ban at roughly 9 a.m. Friday, but many people were already on their way to work.

“I think a travel ban should have been put in place a lot earlier,” Buffalo EMT Felicia Williams told The Washington Post.

Salt Lake City Faces Toxic Dust Storms Amid Declining Water Levels

Salt Lake City, Utah, was already in trouble. Between vast open-pit mining operations in the surrounding areas, oil refineries, and a unique mountain range that traps pollution in a winter ‘inversion layer,’ the cities surrounding the Great Salt Lake have grappled with air quality issues for years.

“We have 2.5 million residents along the edges of the lake,” said Kevin Perry, a University of Utah atmospheric scientist researching the Great Salt Lake dust. “These dust plumes come off and make the air unhealthy regardless of what’s in it.”

Now, as NBC News reports, declining water levels in the Great Salt Lake have created new challenges as dust laden with toxic metals threaten the region.

Since Mormon pioneers settled the valley in the mid-1800s, the lake’s volume is down 67% – thanks to a combination of irrigation projects, which account for roughly 75% of the loss, and the ongoing megadrought, which accounts for the remainder of the drop, according to research from Utah State University.

This isn’t an issue caused by climate change, according to the report. Residents are simply consuming too much water for agriculture, residential use and industry, from overtaxed rivers that feed the terminal lake. Humans diverting water has reduced the Great Salt Lake by around 11 feet – while increased evaporation has added to the problem by around half-a-foot.