Katie Howard

USPS will hold more than 50 career conferences this year

3/12/24 at 5:17 am | Updated 3/22/24 at 3:19 pm

The Postal Service is encouraging employees to attend one of its career conferences this year to take control of their professional development and create a better future for themselves within USPS. The organization will hold more than 50 conferences across the nation, starting in April. Each meeting will include networking opportunities and interactive sessions designed […]

She can do it

3/12/24 at 5:11 am | Updated 3/11/24 at 10:43 am

My name is Lauren Ireland and I’m a postal inspector in Long Beach, CA. I always wanted to be a federal law enforcement officer and I’m proud that the hard work I did to get here has paid off. When I was 17, I joined the Marine Corps, and later went to work for the […]

Considering making an endorsement? Read this first

3/12/24 at 5:07 am | Updated 3/11/24 at 10:36 am

USPS wants employees to remember they aren’t allowed to endorse nonpostal products, services and businesses. Endorsements are favorable comments provided in writing, on video or in a public forum. Because of the nature of the Postal Service’s work, private organizations might seek to further their interests by requesting an endorsement from a USPS employee. In […]

‘Digital Detox’

3/12/24 at 5:04 am | Updated 3/11/24 at 10:27 am

Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on the effects of digital devices on our health and get advice on how to unplug from technology to rejuvenate the body and mind. The session, “Digital Detox,” will be held Tuesday, March 19, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider […]

Courage writ large

3/8/24 at 5:42 am | Updated 3/13/24 at 5:20 pm

The Postal Service will release stamps commemorating the Underground Railroad — a network of secret byways and safe houses that helped lead enslaved people to freedom before the Civil War — on Saturday, March 9. Martin Luther King Jr. said the Underground Railroad “symbolized hope when freedom was almost an impossible dream.” The stamps feature […]

She saw a motorbike being stolen — and called police

3/8/24 at 5:36 am | Updated 3/7/24 at 11:17 am

Letter Carrier Kendra Bjork was delivering packages in Traer, IA, recently when she noticed two people behaving suspiciously outside a customer’s residence. The Postal Service employee didn’t recognize the pair, who appeared to be stealing a motorbike. Bjork wrote down the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle they used to transport the […]

Back in the saddle

3/8/24 at 5:34 am | Updated 3/7/24 at 3:32 pm

More than two dozen horseback riders recently carried 20,000 letters across 200 miles in Arizona during the Hashknife Pony Express. The annual ride is in its 66th year of relaying mail in sacks along a route from Holbrook to Scottsdale. During the journey, riders wear authentic Western gear to re-create the Pony Express, the storied […]

Greet news!

3/8/24 at 5:31 am | Updated 3/7/24 at 3:38 pm

“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. What is the name of the private Facebook group that encourages people to mail greeting cards to strangers? a) Card Connections b) Kindness in the Cards c) Random Acts of Cardness […]

Bluegrass

3/8/24 at 5:29 am | Updated 3/7/24 at 10:40 am

The Postal Service will dedicate its Bluegrass stamp on Friday, March 15. The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Central at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 311 W. Second St. in Owensboro, KY. The speakers will include Steve Monteith, the USPS chief customer and marketing officer. Attendees are encouraged […]

Daylight saving time begins this weekend

3/8/24 at 5:21 am | Updated 3/7/24 at 10:29 am

Daylight saving time returns Sunday, March 10, at 2 a.m. In areas where the change is observed, clocks should be set ahead one hour Saturday, March 9, at bedtime. Standard time will resume Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m. […]

Postal Bulletin covers smishing, vishing

3/7/24 at 10:33 am

Postal Bulletin’s latest edition, published March 7, explains the ongoing threat of smishing and vishing. Updates to the organization’s policies, procedures and forms are also included. Employees can go to usps.com to read and download the latest Postal Bulletin, along with past issues. […]

USPS will hold virtual fairs for supervisory jobs

3/5/24 at 5:24 am | Updated 3/4/24 at 10:16 am

The Postal Service will hold four virtual job fairs for supervisory positions this year, starting in March. Topics to be covered include: • Supervisory roles and responsibilities, potential career paths and how to find and apply for positions; • How to effectively respond to knowledge, skills and abilities questions to demonstrate your qualifications; • Job […]

Accentuating the positive

3/5/24 at 5:22 am | Updated 3/4/24 at 10:07 am

My name is Kevin Terry and I’m a delivery support specialist — arguably the best position in the Postal Service — for Louisiana District. I coach, mentor and develop front-line supervisors and other employees. I love helping others with their careers because, as a former rural carrier associate, I know how important it is to […]

Is that message malicious?

3/5/24 at 5:17 am | Updated 3/4/24 at 9:56 am

The CyberSafe at USPS team wants employees and contractors to know that smishing and vishing are rising threats to the Postal Service. Smishing refers to text messages sent by online criminals to con recipients into downloading malicious software or divulging passwords and financial account information. Vishing is a term that combines the words “voice” and […]

‘Herbs and Other Natural Foods’

3/5/24 at 5:16 am | Updated 3/4/24 at 10:33 am

Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on the health effects of herbs and how to incorporate them into your daily life. The session, “Herbs and Other Natural Foods,” will be held Tuesday, March 12, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health plans for federal employees, […]

Environmental compliance training due

3/5/24 at 5:12 am | Updated 3/4/24 at 9:44 am

USPS employees who conduct vehicle or building maintenance activities, handle hazardous or regulated waste, or have responsibilities for bulk storage tanks containing oil may be required to complete environmental compliance training. Installation heads should use the online Environmental Training Matrix document to determine the applicable requirements and identify employees who must complete each course. Most […]

Women’s History Month begins

3/1/24 at 6:56 am | Updated 2/29/24 at 11:49 am

The Postal Service will observe Women’s History Month, which begins on Friday, March 1. The commemoration was first observed nationally as Women’s History Week in 1980. The week was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, a global observance that began in 1911. In 1987, Congress designated the entire month of March […]

‘Am I hit?’

3/1/24 at 6:51 am | Updated 2/29/24 at 11:39 am

Custodian Ruben Munoz was working outside the Phoenix Processing and Distribution Center last fall when he heard gunshots in the distance. Moments later, a woman pulled up in her car, got out and approached Munoz. “Am I hit?” she asked repeatedly. The woman had been driving nearby when she saw a man shooting a gun. […]

Piece by piece

3/1/24 at 6:48 am | Updated 2/29/24 at 2:05 pm

Postmaster Lejuana Tennyson is helping forge community, one puzzle piece at a time. As a festive diversion for customers at the Smithville, OK, Post Office, Tennyson purchased a jigsaw puzzle depicting vintage holiday postage stamps. The pieces were laid out on a lobby table in December with a sign inviting interested customers to try their […]

Hoop hoop hooray!

3/1/24 at 6:46 am | Updated 2/29/24 at 11:18 am

“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Under coach John Wooden, how many NCAA Division I national basketball championships did the UCLA Bruins win? a) Four b) 10 c) 88 d) None of the above 2. Which Postmaster […]

Great outdoors

2/27/24 at 6:33 am | Updated 2/26/24 at 10:47 am

My name is Jerin Hedden and I’m a letter carrier in Salt Lake City. I started with USPS in 2005 as a part-time flexible clerk, then became a carrier two years later. My route is mostly residential and includes an area called Emigration Canyon. I walk about 10 miles a day, or 25,000 steps. I […]

Got used light bulbs? Don’t throw them out

2/27/24 at 6:26 am | Updated 2/26/24 at 10:38 am

USPS employees and contractors should not toss away light bulbs when they are no longer usable. Most light bulbs — including fluorescent, compact fluorescent, high-intensity discharge (HID), light-emitting diode (LED), neon and ultraviolet lamps — contain hazardous materials such as mercury, a toxic metal. The Postal Service considers these items universal waste that must be […]

Here’s when USPS will release its next batch of stamps

2/26/24 at 10:55 am | Updated 2/27/24 at 1:37 pm

The Postal Service has announced release dates for more of this year’s stamps, along with cities where dedication ceremonies will be held: • Floral Geometry: Friday, April 26; Burlingame, CA; • Ansel Adams: Wednesday, May 15; Yosemite, CA; • Carnival Nights: Thursday, June 6; Biloxi, MS; • Protect Sea Turtles: Tuesday, June 11; Corpus Christi, […]

This group sends greeting cards to strangers

2/23/24 at 7:13 am | Updated 2/22/24 at 1:46 pm

A private Facebook group with more than 8,600 members is doing its part to preserve a tradition that might seem out of step in the digital age: mailing greeting cards. The group, called Random Acts of Cardness, allows members to post greeting card requests for themselves or others, such as a co-worker dealing with an […]

John Wooden has scored his own stamp

2/23/24 at 6:57 am | Updated 2/22/24 at 1:49 pm

The Postal Service will release its stamp honoring John Wooden on Saturday, Feb. 24. Wooden led the UCLA Bruins to a record-setting 10 NCAA Division I basketball national championships, four perfect seasons and 88 consecutive victories. Born in 1910 in rural Indiana, Wooden’s love of the game started early. He helped his high school team […]

A nurse in the house

2/23/24 at 6:31 am | Updated 2/22/24 at 1:53 pm

Retail Associate Brooklynn Coker was on duty at Shadle Garland Station in Spokane, WA, when she heard a co-worker complaining of elbow pain. Coker, a former registered nurse, observed swelling and inflammation in the man’s arm and told him to go to an emergency room right away. Once there, doctors diagnosed sepsis and began treatment. […]

Showing respect

2/23/24 at 6:18 am | Updated 2/22/24 at 1:56 pm

A funeral procession recently wended its way through Barboursville, WV, and City Carrier Assistant Jaeden Layne paused in respect. A passerby was so moved by the young man’s deference that he snapped a photo and posted it on his Facebook page. “It was nice to see someone so young being so respectful,” he wrote. “We […]

EAP orientation

2/23/24 at 6:02 am | Updated 3/4/24 at 10:34 am

The USPS Employee Assistance Program will hold its next online orientation on Friday, March 1, from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Eastern. The orientations, held on the first Friday of each month, offer information on how Postal Service employees and their families can use the program. Employees must register in advance on the EAP website. […]

Postal Bulletin covers investment scams

2/22/24 at 11:01 am

Postal Bulletin’s latest edition, published Feb. 22, has tips for employees and customers on avoiding investment scams. Updates to the organization’s policies, procedures and forms are also included. Employees can go to usps.com to read and download the latest Postal Bulletin, along with past issues. […]

He gave philately presidential cachet

2/16/24 at 6:44 am | Updated 2/15/24 at 11:38 am

Franklin Delano Roosevelt not only put his stamp on world history — he put it on the world of stamps, too. The 32nd president began collecting stamps around age 8 and his interest never waned. As a child, stamps helped him learn about geography and foreign leaders. When he contracted polio at age 39, his […]

Posts by Katie Howard