Teresa Navarette, San Diego
Orangevale, CA, Letter Carrier Andres Rendon, featured in a recent “Heroes’ Corner” article, did a good job taking care of a toddler who had wandered into a busy street. […]
Shawn Selby
Posts by Shawn Selby
Holiday postmarks
Merry mail. To help celebrate the holiday season, all First-Class Mail postage stamps will be canceled using the national holiday postmark from Dec. 2-31. This year’s postmark features a festive wreath — a nod to the new Holiday Wreaths stamps. Another holiday postmark is available through the Greetings from the North Pole Post Office program, […]
Time for Healing
Healing PTSD, a semipostal stamp to raise funds for those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, will be released Monday, Dec. 2. PTSD develops in some children and adults who have survived a traumatic event. The condition can be triggered by experiences such as a natural disaster, car accident, physical or sexual assault, abuse and combat, […]
Health care ABCs
Do you know the difference between a deductible and a copayment? If you don’t know, you’re not alone. Many people are confused by health insurance terminology. To help you navigate your way through this year’s open season benefits enrollment period, here are some important definitions: • Deductible: This is the amount you pay for covered […]
Honest work
Another Postal Service employee has received praise after reuniting a customer with a large amount of cash that should never have been mailed. Betzaida Ingram was using a delivery barcode sorter at the Baltimore Processing and Distribution Center when $900 spilled out of a damaged envelope. “As soon as I realized what was inside of […]
Blue Monday
The Postal Service is ready again to deliver the holiday items that customers will purchase on Cyber Monday, one of the year’s biggest shopping days. Online purchases on the first Monday after Thanksgiving are expected to hit $9.4 billion in 2019, an 18.9 percent increase from last year, according to market researcher Adobe Digital Insights. […]
Gravel traveler
Rural Carrier Associate James Wentworth was delivering mail in Stickney, SD, in June when he saw an older customer lying beside a gravel road, waving for help. Wentworth stopped to check on the man, who said he’d been working in a field nearby and fainted while walking back to his house. The Postal Service employee […]
Getting around
To help get you in the mood for this year’s Thanksgiving travel crunch, here are eight facts about plane, train and automobile transportation in the United States. 1. If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving, you aren’t alone. More than 55 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home this holiday, according […]
More shopping, more shipping
Online shopping isn’t just transforming the way consumers purchase goods — it’s also creating business opportunities for the Postal Service. The United States is home to an estimated 224 million people who shop online, a figure that is expected to reach 230 million during the next two years, according to research by Statista, a global […]
Know your choices
A newly updated video about the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) reminds employees to conduct a “health plan checkup” during this year’s open season. The three-minute segment, “FEHB Health Plans: Your Changing Life,” encourages employees to evaluate their health care options to ensure they have the coverage they need. The video also explains how […]
‘Amazing’ support
Lisa Doran had just given birth prematurely to twins, a boy and girl, when she received more life-changing news: Her 4-year-old son, Tom, had late-stage leukemia. This was in 1999, several years before Doran — an Essex, MA, retail associate — began her Postal Service career. In addition to being concerned about her son’s diagnosis, […]
Kimberly Freeborough, Richmond, VA
I loved “‘Amazed’ by Grace,” the article about Cincinnati Letter Carrier Melissa Tilton, who helped Grace Flannery learn about delivering mail. Thanks to all USPS employees who made this happen. […]
Lost and found
It was a July day in Grand Rapids, MI, when Letter Carrier Dustin Brown spotted a 3-year-old boy walking alone on a street, wearing only a diaper. The child was unable to say where he lived, so Brown sheltered him in a USPS vehicle and called 911. The Postal Service employee comforted the boy until […]
Proud people
To mark Native American Heritage Month, here are five facts about the annual commemoration and the people it celebrates. 1. The first Native American Heritage Month was celebrated in 1990. President George H.W. Bush signed a joint resolution designating November as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” The name of the commemoration later evolved into Native […]
Peak performance
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For the Postal Service, it’s also the most important time — especially from a business perspective. Peak season occurs annually from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. This period — which lasts anywhere from 34 to 40 days, depending on the calendar — always includes the busiest mailing, […]
It’s open
A newly updated video reminds Postal Service employees of the importance of the open season benefits enrollment period. The two-minute segment, “2019 Open Season,” notes that employees’ circumstances may change from year to year. For example, some employees may want to add a dependent to their plan, while other workers may determine they no longer […]
‘I’ve been fortunate’
Raymond German Jr. says the secret to his 58-year postal career is simple: USPS has been good to him. German, a mail processing clerk at the Suburban Maryland Processing and Distribution Center in Gaithersburg, began his career in 1961, following two years with the U.S. Navy. USPS leaders and colleagues recently gathered at the facility […]
Carrier care
Letter Carrier Jeffrey Willis was recently delivering mail in an Alliance, OH, neighborhood when he encountered an older customer, Duane Zorger, who was in medical distress outside his residence. Willis called 911 and remained on the scene until emergency responders arrived and took Zorger to a hospital, where he was evaluated for a potential stroke. […]
Andy Raymond, Buffalo, NY
I enjoy the articles in Link and the weekly “News Quiz.” Keep up the good work! […]
Total packages
Here’s Link’s latest “News Quiz,” a weekly feature that invites readers to test their knowledge of recent stories. The correct answers appear at the end. 1. Approximately how many packages per day does USPS expect to deliver through the remainder of this year? a) 8 million b) 8.5 million c) 20.5 million d) 28 million […]
Easy does it
Do you need help figuring out which health care, dental and vision plan is best for you during open season? If so, you can use Checkbook’s Guide to Health Plans on the Open Season LiteBlue page to compare available options. Once you’re ready to make a change, use PostalEASE to enroll in the Federal Employees […]
Going the extra mile
Do you know a Postal Service employee who is going the extra mile for customers during this year’s peak delivery season? If so, USPS wants to hear from you. The organization is collecting stories and photos of employees who do whatever it takes to get the job done during the holidays. These materials will be published […]
USPS finances
The Postal Service has reported its financial results for fiscal 2019 (Oct. 1, 2018-Sept. 30, 2019). Here are some highlights: • Revenue. Operating revenue was $71.1 billion, up 0.7 percent from the previous fiscal year. The increase was driven largely by price changes and continued growth in shipping and packages, where revenue increased 6.1 percent. […]
Deborah Reed, Kilmer, NJ
I thank Jessie Harris, the Westchester, NY, custodian and U.S. Army veteran — featured in “‘I still remember the fear’” — who was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam era. […]
Calming presence
Letter Carrier Scott Wirtz was recently delivering mail in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, when he encountered an older couple in crisis at their residence. One of the customers was incapacitated after a fall, and the other was unable to render aid. Wirtz immediately called 911 and calmed the couple. Paramedics soon arrived to provide further assistance. […]
Shop around
USPS doesn’t just serve every community in the United States. The Postal Service is part of every community, too. The organization manages more than 31,000 Post Offices in the United States. This means USPS has the nation’s largest retail network — bigger than McDonald’s, Starbucks and Walmart combined, domestically. Customers know they can go to […]
Health ledger
To mark the start of this year’s open season benefits enrollment period, here are five facts about health care in the United States collected by the Online Medical Care information website. 1. American health care is expensive. The United States spent $3.3 trillion — or $10,348 per person — on medical care in 2016, according […]
Need to know
The Postal Service wants employees to know about some important changes concerning the open season benefits enrollment period that began this week. Here’s a rundown: • The U.S. Office of Personnel Management recently announced that the average total premiums for individuals enrolled in plans under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) will increase 4 […]
Safety Leadership and Vision Awards
The Postal Service recently honored five districts and one area with its first annual Safety Leadership and Vision Awards. During a ceremony Oct. 31 at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, awards were presented to representatives from Appalachian, Greater Boston, Northern New England, Northern Virginia and Westchester districts and Northeast Area. The awards honor districts and […]
Barbara Ferguson, Edison, NJ
To Jessie Harris, the Westchester, NY, custodian and U.S. Army veteran who was held captive as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, I want to say: “Thank you.” […]