Thursday, December 4, 2025
Fly flags at half-staff to honor National Guard specialist
President Donald Trump has ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff to honor West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was fatally shot Nov. 26 in Washington, DC.
Flags should be flown at half-staff until sunset on Thursday, Dec. 4.
Additionally, USPS facilities that are open Sunday, Dec. 7, are required to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff that day in honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
To fly the flag at half-staff, hoist the flag to the peak for an instant and then lower it to the half-staff position. The flag should be raised to the peak again before it’s lowered for the day.
The USPS Administrative Support Manual has additional guidelines on U.S. flag display and maintenance.
Does a flexible spending account make sense for you?
Employees can sign up for the savings option during open season
Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, can help Postal Service employees reduce their taxable income and save on yearly health or dependent care costs like copays, prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and childcare costs.
Inspira Financial is the organization’s FSA program administrator.
The 2025 maximum carryover amount is $660. This means that if employees have money left in their FSA at the end of 2025, they can carry over up to $660 to the next year if they re-enroll in the FSA program for 2026.
Employees can learn more on the MyHR website’s FSA page.
Providing college students with real world experience
‘Mailin’ It!’ highlights the Postal Service’s Direct Effect program
The latest episode of the “Mailin’ It!” podcast focuses on Direct Effect, the USPS program that introduces college marketing majors to direct mail strategies.
The guests are Carl Boettner, the Postal Service’s program manager for Direct Effect, and Izzie Gerber, a University of Massachusetts Amherst student who recently completed the program.
The 29-minute episode was released Dec. 2 and is available on Link and other postal websites, as well as most podcast platforms.
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Delivering more neighborhood magic
Readers enjoyed our story about a Pittsburgh letter carrier’s ‘Mister Rogers’ connection
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Central Area, Michigan 2 District on top in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.94 percent during the week ending Nov. 28, down 0.38 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected Dec. 3.
WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 97.14 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with a 96.76 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts, Michigan 2, part of Central Area, ranked first with a 98.37 percent rating, while Ohio 1, also part of Central Area, ranked last with a 92.73 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.
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Fly flags at half-staff to honor National Guard specialist
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Does a flexible spending account make sense for you?
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Providing college students with real world experience
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Mail
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Central Area, Michigan 2 District on top in scanning