20. A Big Stir Made by Wal-Mart in A Quiet Town

Ashland is a town where the grocery store allows people to buy on 1) credit and doctor makes house calls. It is the only town in America where trains pull into town and let passengers off right on Main Street. Shop 2) assistants know every person in the neighborhood and crime is almost unheard of. No wonder people there are fiercely protective of its small-town character. But this gentle way of life has come under threat since Wal-mart 3) announced its plan to build a super-center on the edge of the town.

Arguments for the store include increased 4) tax money for the town, low prices for shoppers, and new jobs. Franklin Jackson, a town official, wants to bring in those jobs. People like him believe government should not stand in the way of 5) progress. Those who are opposed to the store include 6) local business owners and people who came to Ashland for its quality of life. They feel it will destroy the small-town 7) atmosphere, increase traffic and coffee shop. The town has never faced an 8) issue that has stirred up as much emotion as this one. Mary Leffler, a mother of four, has become the head of the 9) opposition group. She has been thrown into a political fight for the first time. “I feel as if we are about to 10) compete in the Olympics,” she said, “but we’ve just learned the sport.”