Friday, January 9, 2026
People
Something borrowed, something postal blue
These letter carriers recently tied the knot
New Jersey letter carriers Travis Lapi and Alyssa Dickerson Lapi aren’t just colleagues; they’re newlyweds.
The couple married during a November ceremony, right before the start of peak season.
They met in March 2020 when Alyssa joined USPS. Sparks flew immediately.
“The second we laid eyes upon each other was a pretty wild moment,” Travis said.
Said Alyssa: “I don’t really believe in love at first sight but I kind of have to because the second I met him, the world shifted. It was him.”
Despite the instant chemistry, the couple were friends before they started dating. Now they work in neighboring towns: She delivers in Bradley Beach, NJ, while he works in Avon by the Sea, NJ.
Even the wedding was a postal affair, with guests that included the groom’s mother, Nassau, DE, Postmaster Jeanine Lapi, and her husband Gregory Teutonico, who retired from USPS after serving as postmaster of New Egypt, NJ, as well as the bride’s best friend, Beachwood, NJ, Postmaster Alisha Cumberton.
“To not only be their friends but to have been included in their wedding was nothing short of an honor. Their wedding day was a true reflection of the deep love they have for one another,” Cumberton said.
Being married to a fellow letter carrier has its perks.
“I’m grateful to have a partner who also understands the job,” Alyssa said.
Added Travis: “It’s nice being married to someone who does the same thing, and they know what your day was like. So that’s always beneficial and it makes things easier.”
“People” appears regularly in Link. Got news to share? Email us.
USPS to release a 4-cent stamp
Angel’s Trumpets is the latest issue in floral series
The Postal Service will release Angel’s Trumpets, the latest stamp in its Low Denomination Flowers series, on Friday, Jan. 9.
As with all stamps in the series, the number of blooms on Angel’s Trumpets — four — corresponds to its cent value.
The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, using images by photographer Harold Davis.
Davis used flowers from his backyard in Berkeley, CA, for all the photographs.
To achieve the images’ luminosity, he backlit each floral arrangement on a lightbox before photographing them, then combined multiple exposures. Later, he scanned a sheet of old paper to achieve the desired cream-colored background.
Five stamps in the series were released in 2024: a 1-cent Fringed Tulip; 2-cent Daffodils; 3-cent Peonies; 5-cent Red Tulips; and 10-cent Poppies and Coneflowers.
Angel’s Trumpets will be available in panes of 20 and coils of 10,000 at Post Offices and on usps.com.
News Quiz
This makes cents
What do you know about the new USPS penny-rounding policy?
“News Quiz” is a weekly feature that lets you test your knowledge of recent Link stories. The correct answers appear at the end.
1. When did the U.S. Mint introduce pennies as legal tender?
a) 1789
b) 1793
c) 1801
d) 1805
2. What did Postmaster General William Bolger communicate in the first-ever E-COM message delivered by USPS in 1982?
a) “Full steam ahead toward the Information Age.”
b) “The dawn of e-mail is upon us.”
c) “The U.S. Mail has increased its speed exponentially today.”
d) “We are very proud of this milestone in the history of the Postal Service.”
3. On what day of the week does the Independence Day federal holiday fall this year?
a) Thursday
b) Friday
c) Saturday
d) Sunday
4. How did the Dayton, OH, mayor honor Letter Carrier Sydney Billingsley after she came to the aid of a shooting victim?
a) He attended a Dayton Flyers basketball game with her.
b) He invited her to be “mayor for a day.”
c) He named a city park after her.
d) He proclaimed “Sydney Billingsley Day” in Dayton.
5. Which of the following types of parking costs are covered under the USPS Commuter Program?
a) Garages
b) Lots
c) Meters
d) All of the above
Answers: 1) b. 2) d. 3) b. 4) d. 5) d.
Baker to depart as Link editor
Chris Baker, Link’s longest-serving managing editor, will leave the Postal Service on Friday, Jan. 9.
Baker joined USPS as a speechwriter in 2012 and became Link’s managing editor two years later. During his tenure, he expanded the news website’s original reporting and oversaw a change that allowed employees without postal computer access to read Link on personal devices.
In 2024, Baker led a Link redesign that included the introduction of features such as the “History,” “Off the Clock” and “People” columns.
Last year, Link received an award of excellence in the Communicator Awards, organized by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, a professional development group in the media sector.
Ashley Holmes Mullenix, the Postal Service’s field communications liaison, will serve as Link’s acting managing editor.
Postal Bulletin outlines passport services
Postal Bulletin’s latest edition, published Jan. 8, details the services USPS offers to customers who wish to get or renew a U.S. passport.
Updates to the organization’s policies, procedures and forms are also included.
Employees can go to usps.com to read and download the latest Postal Bulletin, along with past issues.
View past printouts
Printout details
What's included
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People
Something borrowed, something postal blue
These letter carriers recently tied the knot
-
USPS to release a 4-cent stamp
Angel’s Trumpets is the latest issue in floral series
-
News Quiz
This makes cents
What do you know about the new USPS penny-rounding policy?
-
Brief
Baker to depart as Link editor
-
Brief
Postal Bulletin outlines passport services