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Daily printout: March 18


Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Man in blue suit standing behind a podium and to the right of enlarged images of USPS Lowriders stamps
Gary Barksdale, chief of the Postal Inspection Service, dedicates the Lowriders stamps during a ceremony in San Diego.

USPS pays tribute to lowriders

These customized cars are ‘masterpieces of engineering and artistry’

The Postal Service dedicated its stamps celebrating lowrider cars in a March 13 ceremony in San Diego.

A lowrider is a vintage automobile outfitted with smaller wheels or “rims,” dazzling paint jobs and intricate detailing.

In addition, a special hydraulic system allows the driver to raise and lower the chassis or run the vehicle through tricks, such as driving on three wheels or “hopping” (bouncing).

“A lowrider is a masterpiece of engineering and artistry, a rolling canvas of art. They are often painted with murals that tell stories of family, faith and history,” said Gary Barksdale, chief of the Postal Inspection Service, who was the dedicating official.

The lowrider culture is also about “creating a space to celebrate pride, a sense of belonging and building a community that is always there for its members,” he said.

The stamps showcase five classic models: a blue 1958 Chevrolet Impala named “Eight Figures”; an orange 1964 Chevrolet Impala named “The Golden Rose”; a green 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme named “Pocket Change”; a blue 1946 Chevrolet Fleetline named “Let the Good Times Roll/Soy Como Soy”; and a red 1963 Chevrolet Impala named “El Rey.”

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using photographs by Philip Gordon and Humberto Mendoza.

The stamps are available in sheets of 15 at Post Offices and at usps.com.

Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.

An open laptop computer sitting on a table with the screen displaying the word “backup”
On World Backup Day, employees are encouraged to save and back up their data.

Don’t store all your data in one place

World Backup Day is a reminder to keep copies of important files somewhere safe

World Backup Day is Tuesday, March 31, and the Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors to save and back up their data each day to help guard against loss and theft.

A backup is a secure copy of data stored separately from the primary network. Instead of storing all data in one place, such as on a computer or smartphone, a copy of everything would be kept in another safe space as well.

According to the World Backup Day website, 21 percent of people have never made a backup, and 113 smartphones are stolen every minute.

Backing up sensitive and sensitive-enhanced files is good preparation for cyberattacks, system failures and other adversities — and it helps operations resume quickly after an incident.

Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows ransomware attacks accounted for 44 percent of data breaches. Backing up data is a good way to withstand such a breach.

The Cybersafe at USPS team recommends following these best practices from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency:

Identify what to back up. Create a list of what data to back up, such as financial data, customer records, emails and critical communications.

Use the 3-2-1 backup rule. Make three copies of important files, store them on two different types of storage media (a hard drive, the cloud, etc.) and keep one copy stored offsite. 

Secure and test backups. Use offline copies where possible and regularly test backups to ensure data can be restored. Document the process so recovery steps are clear and repeatable.

Backups of Postal Service files should only be performed on USPS-issued devices, and personal files should never be stored on USPS equipment or devices.

A collage of images of the Harriet Powers, Phillis Wheatley and Sarah Orne Jewett stamps
Harriet Powers, Phillis Wheatley and Sarah Orne Jewett are among the women whose work or likeness is highlighted on USPS stamps.

Women’s History Month is here

The commemoration began in 1980 and expanded in 1987

The Postal Service is observing Women’s History Month, which began March 1.

The commemoration was first observed nationally as Women’s History Week in 1980. The week was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8, a global observance that began in 1911.

In 1987, Congress designated the month of March as Women’s History Month.

Many women advanced in the postal system long before they won rights in the world outside.

For example, women were serving in important postal roles more than a century before they could vote. In 1775, Mary Katherine Goddard became the first known female postmaster, and the first female mail messenger was Sarah Black, in 1845.

One of the pioneering pilots flying U.S. Mail was Katherine Stinson, the “Flying Schoolgirl” who dropped mailbags over the Montana State Fair in 1913.

The organization has celebrated many women and female achievements on stamps. This year’s honorees include writer Phillis Wheatley, the subject of the Black Heritage stamp; Sarah Orne Jewett, the Literary Arts honoree; and folk artist Harriet Powers.

Other recent stamps have paid tribute to women’s soccer, women’s rowing and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in any educational program receiving federal funds.

The postal history section on usps.com has additional information, including articles about notable female postal employees.

Milestones

Appointments, awards and retirements

Here’s a look at recent USPS leadership announcements

The Postal Service recently made the following managerial and supervisory announcements:

James R. Chambers returned to the position of Fort Myers, FL, postmaster after a detail assignment. He previously served as Louisiana District acting manager.

Samantha M. Hoang, California 4 District’s workforce planning and complement manager, was named WestPac Area’s strategic initiative project manager.

Karla A. Kirby, health benefits manager, was named compensation programs director.

Candace A. Lawson, El Cajon, CA, Post Office’s customer service support supervisor, is detailed as WestPac Area’s workforce operations planning (area).

David Plybon was named national equal employment opportunity investigative acting director. He previously served as equal employment opportunity programs manager.

Justine L. Valadez, Level 1 Post Office operations support manager, was named Las Vegas postmaster.

Larissa C. Valdez was named the chief retail and delivery officer’s acting integration support manager. She previously served as retail modernization strategist on the sorting and delivery centers retail modernization team. 

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March 25, 2026
Datebook

‘Leveraging the Service Desk & Knowledge Resources’

USPS Executive and Administrative Schedule and Postal Career Executive Service employees may participate in an upcoming virtual lunch-and-learn session on how to best use the organization’s IT Service Desk and ServiceNow website.

The 45-minute session, “Your Guide to Support — Leveraging the Service Desk & Knowledge Resources,” will be held on Wednesday, March 25, at 2 p.m. Eastern.

Participants must register before the event on the webinar website.

Employees with questions can email the USPS Endpoint Technology Digital Workspace team.

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