Michael Hotovy, Gaithersburg, MD
Cleveland Letter Carrier Alfonzo Wilson Jr. is one very dapper gentleman. I hope to have his energy and love for life at 80. Congratulations on 60 years with the Postal Service. […]
Mike Milligan
Posts by Mike Milligan
Christopher Bazinet, Tampa, FL
Letter Carrier Christopher Bazinet was recently delivering mail in Tampa, FL, when he spotted a motorist in trouble. The woman was sitting in her car, which was stalled alongside a road with black smoke coming out of the windows. Bazinet rushed to the vehicle to make sure the woman realized it was on fire. He […]
Paying homage
The Postal Service hosted events throughout February to mark African-American History Month. Observances included special dedication ceremonies for the Lena Horne stamp, the newest entry in the Black Heritage series. At an event in Indianapolis, Greater Indiana District Manager Todd Hawkins said Horne’s “intellect, spirit and unrelenting pursuit of justice, righteousness and fairness are what […]
Making waves
The Postal Service’s latest U.S. Flag stamp continues a tradition that began more than a century ago. Here are five facts about flag stamps. 1. The first U.S. stamp to feature a flag was issued in 1869. The 30-cent stamp — which featured two flags, an eagle and a shield — was one of several […]
Spreading the word
A recent USPS video explains how businesses can use Informed Delivery interactive campaigns and direct mail to attract new customers. The video, “Your New Business,” shows a customer interacting with a company’s mailpiece in multiple ways. First, the customer sees a digital preview of the mailpiece through her Informed Delivery email digest. She clicks on […]
Chips, ahoy!
The Postal Service is rolling out upgraded credit card payment technology to help guard against fraud. The card readers at Post Office retail counters will now process the EuroPay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) chips on debit and credit cards. The card readers are also equipped with encryption technology to better protect customers’ personal account information. […]
Corrine Slater, Phoenix
Corrine Slater, a mail processing clerk at the Phoenix Processing and Distribution Center, recently saved a co-worker’s life. Slater was in the break room when the man started choking on a piece of food. She rushed to her colleague’s aid and performed the Heimlich maneuver on him. The procedure dislodged the obstruction and he was […]
Cynthia Caffall, Scranton, PA
I consider it a miracle that Sterling Heights, MI, City Carrier Assistant Elias Naseem, who speaks Arabic and four other languages, was there to save the 9-month-old baby of a woman who spoke only Arabic. […]
Words of the day
A Valdosta, GA, man is making headlines for the endearing way he communicates with his four children. Every day, David Lasseter drops postcards in the mail for each of them — sending an estimated 20,000 cards during the past 20 years, the “CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor” reported this month. It began in 1995 […]
Pay attention
The Postal Service is mailing every employee a personal benefits statement that details his or her overall compensation package. When you receive your statement, USPS wants you to pay close attention to these three sections: • What you paid for in 2017 for health benefits. Many employees pay for more health insurance than they need, […]
Every job matters
Doyle Keith knows how to help employees feel like their jobs matter. “Our mission is to serve the American public. Every employee, regardless of position, has a vital purpose in that service,” says Keith, Post Office operations manager in Eastern Area’s Kentuckiana District. USPS leaders say this approach to managing can help the organization become […]
Red all over
Postal Service employees helped raise awareness of heart disease throughout February, which is American Heart Month. Some facilities hosted health fairs where employees received diet and exercise tips, blood pressure screenings and more. The Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center went a step further, offering employees bottled water and fruit and encouraging them to share […]
Need to know
Flag notice. President Trump has ordered flags flown at half-staff Friday, March 2, to honor the late Rev. Billy Graham, who will be interred that day in Charlotte, NC. Graham died last week. Flags should be flown at half-staff until sunset March 2. To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak […]
Mary Blair, New Bethlehem, PA
Rural Carrier Mary Blair was recently delivering mail in New Bethlehem, PA, when she spotted a single-car accident. Blair stopped to assist the lone victim, a 21-year-old woman who was crawling out of the overturned vehicle and bleeding. The Postal Service employee called 911 and urged the woman — who was on her way to […]
Lori Gaither-Gordon, Hartford, CT
I smiled as I read “Write for each other,” the story of how mail helped sustain the courtship between Augie Ruiz, a Navy veteran and USPS employee, and his wife, Mary. As Augie said, it was “a captain’s log of the heart” entrusted to the Postal Service’s care. […]
‘Blessed to work’
Things were different when Alfonzo Wilson Jr. began delivering mail in 1958. The 80-year-old Cleveland letter carrier, who recently celebrated 60 years on the job, didn’t have a delivery vehicle in the beginning and used a city bus to get to his route. “An employee in a truck would place our mail in brown mailboxes […]
Financial results
Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett discusses the Postal Service’s latest financial numbers in a new “Dollars and Change” video. During fiscal 2018’s first quarter (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2017), USPS posted total revenue of $19.2 billion and controllable income of $353 million. Controllable income describes net income or net loss that is adjusted for items outside […]
Class act
A couple who made headlines recently after receiving a second honeymoon through a letter-writing campaign appeared last week on Steve Harvey’s TV talk show. Gilbert and Grace Caldwell, who were turned away from a resort in Poconos, PA, 60 years ago because they are African-American, were guests on the Feb. 13 episode of “Steve.” Joining […]
The Horne identity
If you think you know everything about Lena Horne, think again. Here are six facts about the subject of the Postal Service’s latest Black Heritage stamp. 1. Horne began her career as a dancer at Harlem’s Cotton Club. She later became a featured vocalist with traveling orchestras but stopped touring due to the rampant racial […]
Need to know
Take five. Angela Bradley, a Great Lakes Area senior field account manager, is the latest employee to receive a complimentary registration for this year’s National Postal Forum. Bradley earned the registration by recruiting five new customers to attend the event, which will be held in San Antonio from May 6-9. Bradley said she persuaded the customers […]
Nydra Levett, Bedford, OH; Charles Sonnenberg, Paradise, CA
Postal Service employees delivering mail in Ohio and California recently took extra steps out of concern for their customers. Bedford, OH, Letter Carrier Nydra Levett contacted police when she noticed that mail was piling up at a woman’s home. Responding officers discovered that the customer was deceased, with her dog by her side. The animal […]
Read More… from Nydra Levett, Bedford, OH; Charles Sonnenberg, Paradise, CA
Roger Barnes, Omaha, NE
Semper fi to Gilbert Segovia, the Los Angeles letter carrier and former Marine, for his acts of bravery while under fire at the Las Vegas concert last fall. His willingness to help others, even after being injured in the process, is a testament to his humanity. […]
That’s what friends are for
A surprise guest joined a special dedication ceremony for the Lena Horne stamp in Los Angeles last week: Dionne Warwick. Warwick was being honored at Los Angeles City Hall, where local Postal Service leaders were holding the stamp ceremony. When Warwick learned about the dedication, she asked if she could join the event — a […]
Keeping current
Frankie Wright says knowledge is important to his job. The White Plains, NY, operations programs specialist provides administrative support for dozens of USPS systems in Northeast Area’s Westchester District. “There are always new tools and programs to improve USPS,” Wright says. “We’re the first in line to troubleshoot if anyone has a problem, so we […]
Taxation percentages
The Postal Service is reminding employees that the percentages used to tax supplemental wages differ from normal taxation percentages. Supplemental wages can include: Annual leave exchanges Awards Back-pay awards Prizes Severance pay Reimbursements for nondeductible moving expenses Supplemental wages are subject to a withholding rate of 22 percent. Congress and the IRS determine taxation percentages. […]
Need to know
“Jeopardy!” alert. A stamp that celebrates a children’s author will be a clue on the “Jeopardy!” episode that is scheduled to air Thursday, Feb. 15. Think you know which stamp will be featured? Tune in to find out. The “Jeopardy!” site has broadcast times and stations. Holiday hours. The Postal Service is providing general operating […]
Cheryl Lister, Topeka, KS
Thank you for the “Status symbols” article about the four postal insignias. The Mercury image was quite a surprise. […]
Gilbert Segovia, Los Angeles
Amid the chaos that engulfed the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas last fall, Gilbert Segovia became one of the many victims wounded when a gunman opened fire on the crowd. Yet the Los Angeles letter carrier and former Marine also became one of the many heroes who put others first on that devastating […]
End of an era
Samuel J. Mitchell made history last week. Mitchell — the last Postmaster appointed by a president — retired Jan. 31 after 52 years managing the Philo, OH, Post Office. “The Post Office has been a good living and treated me well,” he said. Mitchell became acting Postmaster in 1965 and was appointed Postmaster by President […]
Fur sure
Postal Service employees now have access to discounted pet insurance coverage through Trupanion. The coverage is available for domestic dogs and cats across the United States. Trupanion pays 90 percent of covered veterinary costs associated with sickness or injury. The company offers a variety of coverage and deductible options. The discount is available to employees […]