Friday, July 18, 2025
A new stamped card is available
The Schooner release celebrates the American sailing vessel
The Postal Service will release a stamped card featuring a two-masted schooner on Friday, July 18.
Stamped cards are designed to provide customers with a convenient way to send prepaid correspondence. As Forever products, they will always be equal in value to the postcard rate at the time of use.
The Schooner stamped card celebrates the history of the versatile American sailing vessel, which is identified by its rigs — the number and arrangement of sails and masts. The ship depicted on the card has a schooner rig, which features fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts.
Libby VanderPloeg designed the image based on a photo of the Columbia schooner, a 2014 replica of a vessel built in 1923.
The artist started with pencil sketches before using a digital illustration program to finish the design by Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS.
The Schooner stamped card will be available in packs of 10 at Post Offices and on usps.com.
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People
Carrying the torch
A Postal Police officer runs for Special Olympics, a letter carrier promotes dog safety and a stamp pops up on TV
Special Olympics has a formidable team in its corner, including Roddy Rocha, a Postal Police officer.
He recently took part in the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which brings together officers from the federal, national, state, local and military sectors to support and raise funds for Special Olympics, which champions athletes with intellectual disabilities.
During the run, Rocha helped carry the “Flame of Hope” torch from San Diego to Long Beach, CA, where the 2025 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games were held in June.
“It was a wonderful experience,” he said. “I got to raise awareness for the Special Olympics and interact with the community that I protect and serve.”
B-I-N-G-O
To help promote the USPS Dog Bite Awareness Campaign in June, Massachusetts-Rhode Island District introduced a voluntary bingo game that allowed employees to test their on-the-job safety knowledge.
Each bingo square was customized with actions mail carriers should take, such as “always carried dog spray and satchel” and “avoided wearing headphones or ear buds to stay alert for dog activity.”
Marlborough, MA, Letter Carrier Jesse Giangrande, a 27-year employee, completed his bingo sheet by performing all 24 dog safety activities on his route.
“He was tenacious with his follow through to ensure dog bite information was incorporated on his route,” said Nicholas Tselikis, the local postmaster.
A postal cameo
The Edmonia Lewis stamp honoring the 19th-century sculptor made a brief appearance on the July 3 episode of “And Just Like That …,” the “Sex and the City” sequel series on the HBO Max streaming service.
In the scene, documentarian Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) is working alongside editor Marion Odin (Mehcad Brooks) on a film about Black women in history when images of the stamp and its 2022 dedication ceremony appear on their video monitor.
In a later scene, Wexley attends a memorial service for her father, where a musical group called the Post Office Players performs.
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News Quiz
Kit and caboodle
What do you know about the 250th anniversary promotional items?
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end.
1. Post Offices and USPS retail units will soon receive a 250th anniversary promotional kit containing numerous items, including a backroom poster featuring which of the following words?
a) “250 Years of Service, Because of You”
b) “Service from Ben Franklin to Today”
c) “Doing the USPS Proud”
d) “Soaring With the Eagle”
2. Newly retired USPS Chief Technology Officer Scott Bombaugh helped develop which of the following?
a) AI-powered delivery schedules
b) Mobile delivery devices
c) Moisture-wicking uniform shirts
d) Route-building software
3. What did the local library staff do when Clinton, NY, Letter Carrier Mark Chetnik approached them for assistance in checking on an older customer along his route?
a) An employee called the man.
b) The security guard drove to the man’s house.
c) They contacted the man’s childhood friend.
d) They found the man reading in the fiction section.
4. True or false: Semiannual cost-of-living adjustments are included in the new labor contract signed by the American Postal Workers Union and the Postal Service.
a) True
b) False
5. Which vice president position did Gary Reblin hold immediately prior to being named the Postal Service’s acting chief technology officer?
a) Applied engineering
b) Domestic products
c) Innovative business technology
d) Product innovation
Answers: 1) a. 2) b. 3) c. 4) a. 5) a.
250th anniversary guide now available
The Postal Service has created a 10-page guide about the organization’s 250th anniversary, which is Saturday, July 26.
The publication offers information about signs and banners, anniversary stamps, licensed merchandise that will be available, and ways Post Offices and other USPS facilities can celebrate the anniversary, among other guidance.
The United States Postal Service 250th Anniversary Guide can be downloaded from the Postal Communicator’s Toolbox page on Blue.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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A new stamped card is available
The Schooner release celebrates the American sailing vessel
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People
Carrying the torch
A Postal Police officer runs for Special Olympics, a letter carrier promotes dog safety and a stamp pops up on TV
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News Quiz
Kit and caboodle
What do you know about the 250th anniversary promotional items?
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Brief
250th anniversary guide now available