Pamela Parker, Vieques, PR
“Those in need,” this week’s reminder about the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), hit home. Being in Puerto Rico during last year’s hurricanes was a nightmare. EAP provides a valuable resource for those who need it. […]
Shawn Selby
Posts by Shawn Selby
Tonja Hahn, Rapid City, SD
Postal Support Employee Tonja Hahn was driving to work recently in Rapid City, SD, when her commute was interrupted by a crisis. Hahn heard someone crying out for help. When she stopped to investigate, she saw a woman pinned to the ground by a man who appeared to be assaulting her. The man fled the […]
Got plans?
Ever wonder if you should have a different health plan? There are four types of plans you can enroll in during open season, the annual period when Postal Service employees can make changes to their health coverage. The plan types are: Health maintenance organizations (HMOs), which provide care from in-network plan physicians and hospitals located […]
Feathered friends
A new video shows highlights from the Postal Service’s recent dedication of the Birds in Winter stamps. The stamps, which each feature a colorful bird in a wintry scene, were dedicated last month in Quechee, VT. “The Postal Service has a long tradition of putting birds on stamps to celebrate and raise awareness of these […]
Need to know
Scanning snapshot. The Postal Service’s national scanning rating was 97.58 percent during the week ending Oct. 19, up from one week earlier. Great Lakes (97.87 percent) topped the areas, while Dakotas (99.17 percent) led the districts. Scanning allows customers to track their packages and mail, and it helps USPS improve efficiency and network management. To […]
Ashley Warner, Grenville, NM
Ashley Warner, a highway contract route driver, was delivering mail on a summer Saturday in Grenville, NM, when she spotted an off-road utility vehicle overturned in a field. Warner didn’t see any sign of activity at first, but as she drove away, she saw a hand waving in her side mirror. She stopped to investigate […]
John Purdy, Washington, DC
Even with the Postal Service’s proposed price changes, I’m reminded that USPS remains the most efficient post, with some of the lowest letter mail rates in the industrial world. […]
How sweet it is
To celebrate National Dessert Month in October, here are five facts about treats that have been featured on stamps. 1. A child invented the Popsicle. This year’s Frozen Treats stamps feature colorful, icy pops on sticks — a dessert that traces its roots to 1905, when 11-year-old Frank Epperson combined sugary soda powder with water […]
Call to action
A new video features highlights from the Postal Service’s recent Honoring First Responders stamp dedication ceremony. The stamp, which honors firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical professionals, was dedicated Sept. 13 in Missoula, MT. “With this stamp, the Postal Service recognizes these brave men and women [who] respond to critical situations with skill, dedication […]
Service improvements
The Postal Service has updated its online refunds application to better serve consumers. Effective Oct. 16, consumers who access the application through usps.com can do the following: Submit a maximum of five tracking numbers in one refund request Confirm the address where the refund check should be mailed before submitting a refund request View a […]
Juan Chavez, San Diego
Letter Carrier Juan Chavez was recently delivering mail in a San Diego neighborhood when he saw a customer carrying a toilet. As the man stepped onto his porch, he tripped and tumbled forward — seriously injuring himself as he fell atop the broken ceramic. Chavez rushed to the man’s side and found him bleeding profusely […]
Cheryl Lister, Topeka, KS
“Life cycles,” the article about St. Petersburg, FL, Letter Carrier Chris Hubble, who delivers mail and packages by bicycle, is one of the best “On the job” stories I’ve read yet. […]
Off limits
The Postal Service is continuing its Hatch Act education campaign. The Hatch Act is a law that prohibits postal and other federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty, while wearing a uniform, while on federal property, or while inside a federal vehicle. In a new message, USPS is highlighting the case of […]
What’s your profile?
The new HERO platform features a tool that can recommend training courses based on your career interests and more. Universal Profile is an optional profile page within HERO that includes your contact information, reporting structure and work location. The tool allows you to connect with colleagues who have similar skills and interests, share career aspirations […]
Think pink
The Postal Service is inviting employees to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink Friday, Oct. 19. Wear Pink Day aims to raise awareness of the disease and to honor survivors and those who have died. Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in American women, according to the National Cancer […]
Burning rubber
The Postal Service recently released Hot Wheels stamps to honor the 50th anniversary of the miniature die-cast cars. To mark the occasion, here are six factoids, courtesy of Mattel Inc. 1. Hot Wheels were an instant hit. Elliot Handler, Mattel’s co-founder, challenged a design team that included a General Motors car designer and a rocket […]
Renelda Alexander, Columbus, OH
I was saddened to hear about the death of Brandy Pleasants, the Ashland, VA, rural carrier who was featured recently in “Heroes’ corner” for helping a store clerk in medical distress. My condolences to her family. […]
Clubber Targton, DeSoto, TX
Letter Carrier Clubber Targton was recently delivering mail in a DeSoto, TX, neighborhood when she grew worried about a customer who’d met her at her vehicle. The woman looked unwell, and Targton asked for her husband’s phone number so she could let him know. The customer provided the number but insisted she was fine. However, […]
Nick of time
Carol Stream, IL, Postmaster Carrie Koutsogiannakis finished work one recent Friday evening and was about to leave her office when the phone rang. The customer on the other end of the line, Sridutt Bhalachandra, urgently needed her help. Sridutt had spent weeks trying to track down an envelope that contained a government document he needed […]
Long-distance cheer
The Postal Service is offering suggested mail-by dates for customers who want to send holiday letters and packages to diplomatic and military service members overseas. The dates are listed in an Oct. 9 news release, along with details on ordering free military care kits and guidelines for addressing packages to Army/Air Post Offices, Fleet Post […]
Happy Kwanzaa
A new stamp celebrating Kwanzaa, the annual Pan-African holiday, will be released Wednesday, Oct. 10. Created in 1966, Kwanzaa was conceived as a unifying holiday in the face of struggles to end racial oppression in the United States. Each year, millions of African-Americans gather with friends and family from Dec. 26-Jan. 1 to honor the […]
Anchors aweigh
In honor of the U.S. Navy’s 243rd birthday Oct. 13, here are five things you may not know about the connection between the Postal Service and one of the military’s oldest branches. 1. The Navy once fired a missile full of mail from a submarine. While off the coast of Florida in 1959, the naval […]
Diana Watkins, Elm Springs, AR
The recent “News quiz” question on the Birds in Winter stamps was great and should be submitted to “Jeopardy!” […]
Camille Garrett, Clermont, GA
Rural Carrier Associate Camille Garrett was recently delivering mail in Clermont, GA, when she saw a woman standing by a car alongside the road. Garrett stopped to check on the woman, who seemed scared and confused as she explained that she couldn’t find her way home. The rural carrier associate asked the woman’s name and […]
Image of reverence
The Postal Service celebrated the classic painting showcased on its newest Christmas stamp at an Oct. 3 dedication ceremony in Santa Fe, NM. Madonna and Child by Bachiacca features a detail of a 16th-century Italian Renaissance portrait that depicts the Virgin Mary holding an infant Jesus Christ. The image was painted in the 1520s by […]
News quiz
1. What is the theme of this year’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month? a) “Cybersecurity is Our Shared Responsibility and We All Must Protect Ourselves from the Dangers of the Dark Web” b) “Cybersecurity is Our Shared Responsibility and We All Must Work Together to Improve our Nation’s Cybersecurity” c) “Cybersecurity is Our Shared Responsibility and […]
Stepping up
Employees at two Utah Post Offices stepped up to ensure customers received their mail when wildfires threatened the surrounding communities. The fires, which prompted the evacuation of about 6,000 people, occurred late last month in Elk Ridge and Woodland Hills, two foothill communities in south-central Utah. At the Payson Post Office, which serves Elk Ridge, […]
Room for cheer
The USPS online holiday newsroom is ready to offer postal cheer. The site will feature holiday news releases, Link stories, videos, stamp information, fact sheets, mail-by dates and details about the Operation Santa and Letters from Santa programs — all displayed on a snowy landscape. Like previous years, visitors can “paint” the site’s background with […]
Teresa Scott, Greensboro, NC
Link makes so many people smile through its work to keep us engaged. We love seeing pictures of our co-workers and the wonderful jobs they do, learning more about them and the common humanity we all share. […]
Tiffany Ejima-Zane, Honolulu
Letter Carrier Tiffany Ejima-Zane was recently delivering mail in Honolulu when she discovered an older customer who had collapsed outside his home. While his wife called 911, Ejima-Zane rushed to provide first aid and was assisted by a senior activity program driver also on the scene. The 911 dispatcher guided Ejima-Zane and the driver as […]