All Link needed last week was love — and maybe a little snow. (OK, a lot of snow.) We told you about the Post Offices across the nation that offer special postmarks for Valentine’s Day mail. “We’re getting packages from all over the country — and sometimes all over the world — wanting that Loveville […]
Mail Processing Clerk Kenneth Anderson was recently on duty at the Billings, MT, Processing and Distribution Center when he saw a co-worker fall to the floor. The man appeared to be having a seizure. While 911 was called, Anderson used the facility’s paging system to announce the medical emergency. Electronic Technician Troy Mathis responded and […]
The Postal Service will dedicate its stamp honoring famed college basketball coach John Wooden on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Pacific at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Pauley Pavilion’s East Plaza at 325 Westwood Plaza. The speakers will include Derek Kan, a member of the […]
“Off the Clock” is taking the week off. Link’s column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits won’t have a new edition this week, so take some time to catch up with stories you may have missed. In recent weeks, we profiled Theresa Smith, a Maryland postmaster who volunteers as a Chesapeake Bay storyteller; […]
Washington’s Birthday, also known as Presidents Day, will be observed Monday, Feb. 19. The annual observance began in the early 19th century. After George Washington’s death in 1799, his birthday — Feb. 22 — was celebrated informally across the young nation. In 1879, Congress declared Feb. 22 a federal holiday. A 1968 law moved the […]
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar that will examine how Medicare works with the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. The session, “USPS: Medicare + FEHB,” will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from GEHA, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the […]
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.44 percent during the week ending Feb. 9, down 0.11 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected Feb. 14. WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 96.84 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 95.81 percent rating. Among the […]
Love is in the air — and in the mail. More than 30 Post Offices across the nation with romantic-sounding names allow customers to send preaddressed Valentine’s Day cards, letters and more to receive a local postmark before the pieces are mailed to sweethearts. “We’re getting packages from all over the country — and sometimes […]
The Postal Service looked toward the future last week, announcing new, ambitious sustainability targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. “The improvements we need to achieve in sustainability are an integral outgrowth of the broader modernization efforts we have undertaken through our 10-year Delivering for America plan,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “As we […]
Carrier Technician Nathaniel Bowes was delivering mail recently at a home in Geneva, NY, when he noticed movement through a window. An older woman was lying on the floor, waving her hands and mouthing “Help!” repeatedly. The Postal Service employee entered the residence, spoke with the customer and called 911. Bowes followed the dispatcher’s directions, […]
My name is Douglas Lowe and I’m the postmaster in Hope, ID. When I’m not working, I’m getting ready for my latest scuba diving instructor certificate by practicing in Lake Pend Oreille — a 1,150-foot-deep lake in Idaho’s northern panhandle. I also help teach safety basics to first-time scuba divers and specialty courses to seasoned […]
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on how the back works and learn stretching and strengthening exercises to help keep it relaxed and healthy. The session, “Healthy Back,” will be held Thursday, Feb. 15, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health plans for federal employees, […]
The Postal Service’s latest Literary Arts stamp was dedicated during a special local ceremony at the University of Chicago on Feb. 6. The 34th stamp in the series honors novelist Saul Bellow, widely regarded as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century. He is the only person to have won the National Book […]
The Postal Service has announced a set of new, ambitious sustainability targets for fiscal year 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and waste at every level of the organization’s operations. The goals are the latest in a series of actions the Postal Service has taken to enhance sustainability across its network and day-to-day operations. “The […]
Read More… from USPS sets broad goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.24 percent during the week ending Feb. 2, down 0.11 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected Feb. 7. WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 96.71 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 95.52 percent rating. Among the […]
Read More… from WestPac Area, MN-ND District on top in scanning data
Postal Service employees across the nation are sharing news and information about the organization on social media through a first-of-its-kind program in the federal government. USPS Zone, which began in 2021, allows Executive and Administrative Schedule employees to post approved content on their personal social media accounts. “Employee advocacy is one of the most effective […]
Read More… from This program encourages employees to share Postal Service info on social media
The Postal Service will celebrate NASA’s continued exploration of deep space by releasing two new stamps featuring stunning images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The $9.85 Priority Mail stamp shows the Pillars of Creation, a trillions-of-miles-tall formation that lies 6,500 light-years away from Earth within the vast Eagle Nebula. Flush with gas and […]
Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on how nutrition and lifestyle choices can positively affect emotional and physical well-being. The session, “Food for Thought: Boosting Mood Through Nutrition,” will be held Monday, Jan. 29, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from GEHA, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will […]
Let’s talk about the weather, shall we? Last week, Link covered the snow, ice and cold temperatures that affected many states, including Oregon and Texas, where tens of thousands of customers lost power. We also talked to some USPS employees who drive delivery vehicles and heard their advice for colleagues who are braving the slick […]
Rural Carrier Matthew Sizemore was recently delivering mail in Evarts, KY, when he saw a customer on an electric mobility scooter lose control of it. The scooter veered off a road and went over an embankment, landing on the man and pinning him face down. Sizemore rushed to help the customer. Unable to lift the […]
Amy Weinland Daughters was scrolling through Facebook in 2014 when she decided to look up a friend from her youth, Dana Dugas Rivera. “I started doing a deeper dive,” Daughters said. She discovered that Rivera’s young son, Parker, was battling cancer. The two women caught up through Facebook messages, then Daughters began mailing letters and […]
Read More… from A customer mailed handwritten letters to all 580 of her Facebook friends
The Postal Service released its latest Love stamp last week, continuing a tradition that began more than 50 years ago. The first Love stamp was introduced in 1973 and billed as a “Special Stamp for Someone Special.” It featured artist Robert Indiana’s iconic 1960s Love design, which he previously rendered as a painting and a […]
Rural Carrier Michael Miller was delivering mail in Gallipolis, OH, last fall when he saw leaves ablaze near a house. The Postal Service employee called 911 and knocked on the front door to alert the residents, but no one answered. He then ran to the rear of the home and banged on another entrance. Miller […]
The Pago Pago Post Office on the island of American Samoa — a U.S. territory located about 2,000 miles southwest of Hawaii — receives mail by boat once a month. When these shipments arrive, everyone in the office helps sort the mailpieces and packages for the office’s 8,000 customers. Last month’s shipment arrived shortly before […]
Postal Service employees who drive delivery vehicles have advice for colleagues who are braving the slick and icy conditions affecting many of the nation’s roads this week. “The one tip I live by is leave enough room between vehicles,” said James Chicano, a USPS tractor-trailer driver based in Waterbury, CT. “Don’t tailgate. You can make […]
Read More… from Driving in winter weather? These USPS employees have some tips
My name is Jacob Howley and I’m a pricing and product support attorney at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. I’m also the front man for Corned Beef Hash, possibly the only band in the world playing a mix of three types of music: traditional Celtic, which is Irish and Scottish; klezmer, an Eastern European Jewish […]
The Postal Service will dedicate Year of the Dragon, the latest stamp in the Lunar New Year series, on Thursday, Jan. 25. The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Pacific at the International District/Chinatown Community Center in Seattle, located at 719 Eighth Ave. S. The speakers will include Eduardo H. Ruiz Jr., WestPac Area […]
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 95.7 percent during the week ending Jan. 12, down 0.37 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected Jan. 17. WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 96.68 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 93.85 percent rating. Among the […]
Read More… from WestPac Area, California 6 District lead in scanning data
The Postal Service price changes announced last fall will take effect Sunday, Jan. 21. Under the changes, prices will rise approximately 2 percent for mailing services, 5.7 percent for Priority Mail, 5.9 percent for Priority Mail Express and 5.4 percent for USPS Ground Advantage. The price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with […]
Rural Carrier Associate Jamie Kelch was training a new co-worker in Rockford, MI, when she encountered a longtime customer not looking like himself. As she handed Certified Mail to the man, he became unsteady and pale before collapsing at his door. Kelch called 911 and comforted him until first responders arrived and treated him for […]