Shawn Selby

Area and Regional Update newsletters published

3/7/24 at 5:42 am | Updated 3/6/24 at 12:57 pm

The latest editions of the quarterly Area and Regional Update newsletters will be mailed to Postal Service employees’ homes throughout March. In addition to local and regional news coverage, each issue includes national stories and regular columns from USPS leaders, including Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Area and Regional Update is available in Atlantic-Eastern, Southern-Eastern, Central-Western […]

Par for the course

3/7/24 at 5:17 am | Updated 3/6/24 at 2:15 pm

My name is Cesar Guerrero and I’m a Postal Police officer and U.S. Army reservist in Los Angeles. I started my USPS career in 2001, left to join the Army, and then came back in 2006 before joining the Postal Inspection Service in 2015. I’ve been interested in law enforcement since I was a kid. […]

WestPac, California 6 on top in scanning

3/6/24 at 10:04 am

A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.36 percent during the week ending March 1, down 0.25 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected March 6. WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 96.98 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 95.37 percent rating. Among the […]

‘Mindful Eating Guided Meditation’

3/4/24 at 5:31 am | Updated 3/1/24 at 12:26 pm

Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on bringing mindfulness to mealtime. The session, “Mindful Eating Guided Meditation,” will be held Monday, March 11, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the discussion. Participants must register before the event on […]

Labor update

3/3/24 at 12:00 pm | Updated 3/1/24 at 3:00 pm

The Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) continue to negotiate to reach a new contract but are also moving forward with preparations for a potential interest arbitration. Both parties have selected Dennis Nolan to serve as the interest arbitrator. Nolan served as the parties’ arbitrator for the 2019 interest arbitration, which […]

Making money out of the blue?

3/3/24 at 6:44 am | Updated 3/1/24 at 3:46 pm

The Postal Inspection Service is reminding customers that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. During National Consumer Protection Week, which begins Sunday, March 3, the agency will encourage people to be skeptical if they receive a phone, mail or email pitch to participate in high-return, low-risk investment opportunities. These “get […]

Here’s what Link covered Feb. 25-March 2

3/3/24 at 5:39 am | Updated 3/6/24 at 3:08 pm

The Postal Service dedicated the John Wooden stamp on Feb. 24 — and Link was there from the jump. Considered by many to be the greatest coach in the history of American sports, Wooden led the UCLA Bruins men’s team to a record-setting 10 NCAA national championships, four perfect seasons and 88 consecutive victories. “John […]

On the fence

3/2/24 at 7:11 am | Updated 3/1/24 at 3:17 pm

As Carrier Technician Patrick Miller helped a co-worker make deliveries in a Fort Worth, TX, neighborhood recently, he smelled smoke. Miller followed the odor and spotted a fence ablaze near a home. He ran to the home, as well as to a neighboring home, to alert the residents. While 911 was called, the Postal Service […]

Underground Railroad

3/2/24 at 5:27 am | Updated 3/1/24 at 11:42 am

The Postal Service will dedicate its Underground Railroad stamps on Saturday, March 9, in Church Creek, MD. The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, located at 4068 Golden Hill Road. The speakers will include Ronald Stroman, a member of the USPS Board of Governors. Attendees are […]

‘I had a gift’

2/29/24 at 7:01 am | Updated 2/28/24 at 4:03 pm

My name is George Collins and I’m a general expeditor at the Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center. Since elementary school, I have been interested in art. If I wasn’t playing sports, I would be sketching. I could always draw, and when I was in school and did a painting, teachers would display it in […]

Pilot programs need privacy, too

2/29/24 at 6:41 am | Updated 2/28/24 at 10:13 am

The Postal Service wants employees and contractors to know that the requirements under the Privacy Act of 1974 also apply to the organization’s pilot programs. The Privacy Act sets protections for personal information that USPS maintains in a “system of records,” which is any file, database or program from which the information is retrieved by […]

WestPac, California 6 lead in scanning data

2/28/24 at 8:59 am

A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.38 percent during the week ending Feb. 23, down 0.43 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected Feb. 28. WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 96.97 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 95.56 percent rating. Among the […]

‘Food as Medicine’

2/26/24 at 6:09 am | Updated 2/23/24 at 12:14 pm

Postal Service employees may participate in an upcoming webinar on nutrient-rich, disease-preventing foods. The session, “Food as Medicine,” will be held Monday, March 4, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern. Representatives from GEHA, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the discussion. Participants must register before the event on the webinar website. […]

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A ‘transformative figure in sports and leadership’

2/25/24 at 7:19 am | Updated 3/13/24 at 5:21 pm

John Wooden’s extraordinary contributions to college basketball were celebrated Feb. 24 at the Los Angeles dedication ceremony for the stamp honoring him. Considered by many to be the greatest coach in the history of American sports, Wooden led the UCLA Bruins men’s team to a record-setting 10 NCAA Division I national championships. In addition to […]

Here’s what Link covered Feb. 18-24

2/25/24 at 5:31 am | Updated 2/28/24 at 3:38 pm

Last week, Link covered recent remarks by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. During a USPS Board of Governors meeting, he addressed a variety of topics, including package volume growth and network modernization. These topics were also part of DeJoy’s speech at a conference organized by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors in Washington, DC. As he explained, […]

Fantastic four

2/24/24 at 6:34 am | Updated 2/23/24 at 3:57 pm

After completing her deliveries recently, City Carrier Assistant Holly Bobadilla returned to the Red Bluff, CA, Post Office and saw smoke billowing from a neighboring building. She informed Letter Carrier Devin Medeiros, who called 911. Custodian Joseph Belknap also spotted the spreading blaze and grabbed a fire extinguisher to have on hand as he and […]

A burning passion to serve

2/22/24 at 7:11 am | Updated 2/21/24 at 11:19 am

My name is Megan Beecher-Kennison and I’m the postmaster for Ozona, a small town in the Texas Hill Country. Since 2022, I’ve also been a volunteer firefighter for the community of Carlsbad, TX. A lot of volunteer fire work is trial by fire — no pun intended. There is training on weekends, but mostly you […]

Here’s how USPS employees should deal with used batteries

2/22/24 at 7:06 am | Updated 2/23/24 at 3:55 pm

The Postal Service wants employees to follow the proper procedures for the handling, storage and disposal of used batteries. Many used batteries contain hazardous components and cannot be tossed in the trash. These batteries are typically regulated as universal waste and include dead batteries from mobile scanners, phones, laptops and other electronic equipment. USPS facilities […]

How much do you know about atrial fibrillation?

2/22/24 at 6:59 am | Updated 2/21/24 at 11:45 am

The USPS Benefits and Wellness team wants employees to know about atrial fibrillation, the most common type of heart arrhythmia. It is caused by an irregular heartbeat in the upper chambers of the heart, also known as the atria. This does not allow blood to flow adequately to the lower chambers, or the ventricles. When […]

Have spent printer cartridges? Here’s how to recycle them

2/21/24 at 11:38 am | Updated 2/21/24 at 11:46 am

The Postal Service is reminding employees of its procedure to recycle inkjet and toner cartridges. These items should be packed securely in a sturdy box, with a minimum of six items per shipment. The boxes should weigh less than 70 pounds and not exceed 108 inches in length plus girth. The boxes should be addressed […]

Reshaping the Postal Service

2/21/24 at 11:30 am | Updated 2/21/24 at 11:30 am

The Postal Service is making significant progress under the Delivering for America plan, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told business leaders recently. Before the organization began implementing the plan in 2021, USPS had lost focus, the result of a broken business model and an ineffective management strategy, he said. Under Delivering for America, the organization is […]

WestPac Area, New York 2 District on top in scanning

2/21/24 at 9:01 am | Updated 2/21/24 at 9:01 am

A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.59 percent during the week ending Feb. 16, down 0.10 percent from one week earlier. The data was collected Feb. 21. WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 97.02 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 95.91 percent rating. Among the […]

A Radiant Star is born

2/20/24 at 6:12 am | Updated 3/13/24 at 5:21 pm

The Postal Service released its newest stamp for business mailers, Radiant Star, on Feb. 19. The vibrant graphic design features red and white stripes that appear to radiate from a two-tone blue star. Carol Beehler designed the stamp, while Antonio Alcalá served as art director. The words “USA” and “Presorted Standard” appear along the bottom […]

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Cultivating kindness

2/20/24 at 6:09 am | Updated 2/16/24 at 11:36 am

My name is Arlene Harper and I’m the postmaster in Simpsonsville, MD, a Baltimore suburb. One of my favorite aspects of the job is interacting with customers. I’m a working postmaster; I work the window, and some customers become like family after a while. You build a rapport. Every day is different. As I tell […]

New postcard highlights Project Safe Delivery

2/20/24 at 6:02 am | Updated 2/16/24 at 11:07 am

The latest Delivering for America postcard was recently mailed to employees’ homes. The card highlights Project Safe Delivery, which enhances the ability of USPS and the Postal Inspection Service to protect postal employees and secure the nation’s mail and packages. In addition to being sent to employees’ homes, Delivering for America postcards can be downloaded […]

Here’s what Link covered Feb. 11-17

2/18/24 at 8:04 am | Updated 2/16/24 at 12:33 pm

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 […]

The buddy system

2/17/24 at 9:07 am | Updated 2/16/24 at 11:31 am

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 […]

John Wooden

2/17/24 at 7:56 am | Updated 2/16/24 at 11:12 am

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 […]

Turning back the ‘Clock’

2/15/24 at 6:36 am | Updated 2/14/24 at 4:37 pm

“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; […]

Hail to the chiefs

2/15/24 at 6:24 am | Updated 2/15/24 at 11:34 am

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 […]

Posts by Shawn Selby