POSTAL NEWS

...from various sources.

1.09.2019

How did FedEx fare against UPS, U.S. Postal Service during the holidays?

"...rival UPS and the U.S. Postal Service edged out the Memphis delivery giant in that department, new data shows. ..."   
Source: www.commercialappeal.com

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1.05.2019

When does cost of Forever stamp go up? Buy soon to save big on postage

"...The United States Postal Service announced that the cost of its Forever stamps will rise five cents apiece on Jan. 27 from 50 cents to 55 cents. The 10 percent spike in Forever stamps is the largest price leap since 1991 ..."   
Source: www.oregonlive.com

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1.04.2019

Postal Worker Shot 3 Times While Delivering Mail: Reports

The suspect's family members told investigators the shooting "sounds like something (he) would do

"... Ruebusch then began firing at Casazza, prosecutors say, according to the report. Casazza heard the gun firing, then felt a warm and wet feeling in his shoulder. He was hit three times in the torso and arm, according to reports..."   
Source: patch.com

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12.14.2018

Porch pirates beware! Sting uses fake Amazon boxes, GPS to catch would-be thieves

"...locations for cameras and boxes were selected using the city's own crime statistics and mapping of theft locations provided by Amazon. "Most of the package thefts we've made arrests on revolve around (closed-circuit TV) or private surveillance cameras that give us a still image ..."   
Source: www.wrcbtv.com

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12.08.2018

First issue dates for U.S. 2019 stamps revealed


"...The United States Postal Service has announced issue dates for five of its stamps or stamp sets planned for early 2019. Those five issues are all nondenominated forever stamps, which currently have a postage value of 50¢. That postage rate for domestic letters will increase to 55¢ on Jan. 27, 2019 ..."   
Source: www.linns.com

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Key holiday shipping deadlines for UPS, FedEx, USPS and Amazon

"...These are the dates you'll need to be mindful of if you're doing your shopping online or buying gifts and shipping them..."   
Source: www.bizjournals.com

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12.07.2018

U.S. Postal Service patent dispute heads to Supreme Court

"... Return Mail argued that since the Postal Service, a self-supporting independent federal agency, cannot be sued in the same way as private companies it should not be eligible to ask the patent office to review a patent’s validity like private companies can. The Trump administration, backing the Postal Service, asked the Supreme Court not to hear the case..."   
Source: www.reuters.com

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11.28.2018

16 U.S. Postal workers took bribes to deliver cocaine in metro Atlanta

"...They each received sentences between three and nine years, federal officials said. Federal agents first learned of the crimes in 2015 while investigating a drug trafficking organization in Atlanta ..."   
Source: www.ajc.com

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10.24.2018

Secret Service Statement Regarding Interception of Suspicious Packages

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Secret Service has intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees. Late on October 23, 2018, the Secret Service recovered a single package addressed to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Westchester County, New York. Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to the residence of Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC. The packages were immediately identified during routine mail scre ening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them . The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will l everage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.   
Source: www.secretservice.gov

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10.18.2018

As U.S. Postage Rates Continue To Rise, The USPS Gives The Chinese A 'Free Ride'

"...These super low shipping rates are being subsidized by the U.S. Postal Service. Yes, the United States and, in a roundabout way, the U.S. taxpayer is footing the bill so that Chinese merchants can ship their products to the USA for dirt cheap ..."   
Source: www.forbes.com

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9.24.2018

Trump USPS Privatization Plan Opposed By Bipartisan Senate Group

"...Defenders of the USPS say it effectively delivers mail and parcels to every ZIP code – increasingly including Sundays for Amazon and others – and does so at a lower cost for shippers. It also provides last-mile service for both FedEx and UPS. The USPS has been encumbered by the retiree benefit albatross, a legacy of the 2006 Postal Reform Act, draining millions annually. Each quarter, the USPS reports a decline in mail volume but a double-digit rise in parcel delivery as ecommerce booms ..."   
Source: multichannelmerchant.com

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9.22.2018

Feds say postal funds from Jacksonville credit union stolen over 10 years

"... According to the indictment, between from 2007-2017, some of the checks Sikes stole outright and he took others that were made out to the U.S. Postmaster to the main post office downtown and bought rolls of stamps -- $3.6 million worth of stamps -- and sold them to..."   
Source: www.news4jax.com

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9.13.2018

How the USPS Uses Data Analytics to Sniff Out Fraud

"...As it relates to audits, Pappaioanou told Federal News Radio that the OIG has used data analytics to make recommendations to the USPS to prevent future problems. For example, the office detected several local post offices that, rather suspiciously, would always have perfect financial counts ..."   
Source: fedtechmagazine.com

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9.11.2018

Federal agents use GPS tracker in pretend package to take down suspected mail thief

"...In early February, agents recovered counterfeit postal "arrow" keys in various stages of completion, illicit narcotics, 500 rounds of ammunition, a .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol and U.S. mail belonging to people other than Jeffries at the home. Jeffries told investigators he stole mail over the past year and made counterfeit postal keys in an effort to find gift cards he could steal ..."   
Source: www.ksat.com

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9.05.2018

USPS worker arrested after breaking into woman's home, exposing himself

"...The victim noticed something was off immediately. Her normal mailman hadn't been working and the new one, for some reason, brought some mail directly to her door. MJ Flatley has lived in her house for decades. She knew something was up as soon as she met her new postal worker ..."   
Source: www.abc6.com

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8.10.2018

Postal service tight-lipped on closure of Muscle Shoals post office

"...no one is telling the public what the “unsafe conditions” are. Public relations personnel for the postal service say they haven’t been told why the post office has been closed and local employees say they are not allowed to say ..."   
Source: www.shoalsinsider.com

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8.08.2018

Why Amazon And Rival Retailers Are Uniting To Defend The U.S. Postal Service

"...The U.S. Postal Service has 157 million delivery points,” McHugh said. “No other organization in America has that kind of reach and penetration. Particularly in rural environments, it’s absolutely essential. In the era of e-commerce, it’s even more crucial. For rural community residents and small businesses, the only way they can afford to get that is through the Postal Service ..."   
Source: www.forbes.com

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7.15.2018

San Antonio man who carjacked and shot postal worker gets 20 years for crime spree

San Antonio man who carjacked and shot postal worker gets 20 years for crime spree

"... Sebastian told the judge that on the morning of Feb. 11, 2017, she arrived an hour earlier to a cluster of mailboxes in Spring Branch, north of San Antonio, to deliver mail when “the Holy Spirit” told her to look up. She saw a man, later identified as A’Hearn, put on a “scary mask” in preparation to rob her. The pair struggled over her cellphone, and A’Hearn shot her once in one leg, shattering her femur as the bullet went into her other leg. She had been a postal employee for more than four years. That morning was to be her last day delivering mail. She was about to start a new job with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she said..."   
Source: www.expressnews.com

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7.11.2018

California Postal Worker Found Dead in Truck Amid Scorching Heat Wave

Officials Investigating Death of Postal Worker Found in Truck in Woodland Hills Amid Scorching Heat Wave

"...Peggy Frank of North Hills had worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 28 years and was nearing retirement. She had just returned to work for the first time in months on Friday after suffering a broken ankle ...carrier vehicles have no air conditioning..."   
Source: ktla.com

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US Postal Service scratch-and-sniff stamps

Smells Great! US Postal Service makes history with scratch-and-sniff stamps

"... the United States Postal Service makes history again with the debut of this country's first Frozen Treats Forever Scratch and Sniff postal stamp. “The Frozen Treats stamps offer the latest innovation in stamp design, which means you can add the sweet scent of summer to your cards and letters..."   
Source: www.wdtn.com

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7.01.2018

USPS suspends delivery in Cincinnati neighborhood after mailman attack

"...People who live on Hawaiian Terrance in Mt. Airy now have to find a way to get to the post office for their mail after a postal worker was reportedly assaulted there. Cincinnati police said a group of young people attacked the postal worker from behind while he was working in the area earlier this month, punching him to the point the carrier used mace to defend himself. For USPS officials, the recent crime is the last straw, prompting them to suspend delivery service in the area ..."   
Source: www.fox19.com

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2.20.2018

Amazon threat to FedEx overblown, it's the postal service that's in trouble, JP Morgan says

Amazon threat to FedEx overblown, it's the postal service that's in trouble, JP Morgan says

"...With a localized pick-up and delivery system beginning within the Amazon ecosystem, the service is not directly comparable to the standard ground offerings of either public carrier but rather the final mile of the USPS," Ossenbeck added. "While UPS and FedEx could face pressure if the capabilities expand into business-to-business or international deliveries, we expect the lost volumes to ..."   
Source: www.cnbc.com

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2.19.2018

US Postal worker killed in shooting on Dallas highway

US Postal worker killed in shooting on Dallas highway

"...A postal truck driver was shot to death early Monday on a highway near downtown Dallas, officials said. The Dallas Police Department said in a news release the shooting happened around 2:20 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 30 near the interchange with Interstate 35E ..."   
Source: www.foxnews.com

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1.08.2018

U.S. Postal Service to increase stamp price to 50 cents

U.S. Postal Service to increase stamp price to 50 cents

"...There will soon be a 50-cent stamp to mail a letter. The United States Postal Service has been authorized to enact price changes—effective January 21st, 2018. The new rate includes a one-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail, Forever stamp, from 49 cents to 50 cents. Postcard stamps and metered letters also have a one-cent increase ..."   
Source: www.kttn.com

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12.19.2017

Postal Service responds to complaints of mail problems

Postal Service responds to complaints of mail problems

"...Why does Lake Charles mail have a Baton Rouge postmark. That is, why do letters mailed in Lake Charles have to go to Baton Rouge before being delivered in Lake Charles? A couple of test mailings we sent on Wednesday, December 13th arrived on Saturday the 16th, so it does seem to lengthen delivery times ..."   
Source: www.kplctv.com

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12.10.2017

Postal Service severing ties with overseas agents

Postal Service severing ties with overseas agents

"...The United States Postal Service has decided to end sales of U.S. stamps through a network of more than a dozen overseas agents. The agents receive a discount, a percentage of face in the low double digits, but were obligated to sell the U.S. stamps at face value as converted into euros plus value-added tax (VAT) ..."   
Source: www.linns.com

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12.05.2017

48222 zip code is the only floating post office in the U.S.

A Mail Boat Stays Afloat

"...A narrow street dead-ends at the Detroit River, where a black-and-white boat bobs in the water, emblazoned with a Postal Service eagle. This is the mail boat J.W. Westcott II, the only floating ZIP code in the United States. The little boat’s ZIP code, 48222, is reserved for mail addressed to the freighters that ply the Great Lakes ..."   
Source: www.nytimes.com

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11.28.2017

2nd case of explosive device mailed to Bay Area home concerns postal inspector

2nd case of explosive device mailed to Bay Area home concerns postal inspector

"...The victims in East Palo Alto told ABC7 News they don't know why their family was targeted, but the package was labeled as if it came from a local jewelry store. "What's most suspicious about it is it's a jewelry store box and none of us had ordered anything like that, but it is something that would pique someone's interest they would want to open it ..."   
Source: http://abc7news.com

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11.06.2017

Swedes Watch Postal Thieves Board Moving Mail Truck From Car

Swedes Watch Postal Thieves Board Moving Mail Truck From Car

"...The cameras provided a live feed of the PortNord truck. That's how Larsson was able to watch as two men leapt onto the moving truck from the hood of a car traveling behind it, entered the cargo area and rummaged through the load. The truck was going 80 kph (50 mph) when the thieves boarded it, he told The Associated Press Friday ..."   
Source: www.usnews.com

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10.10.2017

Price of First-Class Stamp to Hit 50 Cents

Price of First-Class Stamp to Hit 50 Cents

"... said it would raise stamp prices and other shipping rates next year, shortly after warning of a dwindling cash cushion and skipping payments into a retiree fund for the fifth straight year..."   
Source: www.wsj.com

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5.17.2017

Unique, First-of-a -Kind Stamps Mimic Sports Ball Textures


Unique, First-of-a -Kind Stamps Mimic Sports Ball Textures

USPS Textured Stamps

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service will soon release first-of-a-kind stamps with the look — and feel — of actual balls used in eight popular sports. Available nationwide June 14, the Have a Ball! Forever stamps depict balls used in baseball, basketball, football, golf, kickball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. A special coating applied to selected areas of the stamps during the printing process gives them a texture that mimics the feel of a: • baseball’s stitching; • golf ball’s dimples; • tennis ball’s seams • soccer ball or volleyball’s textured panels; and, • the different raised patterns of a football, basketball and kickball. News about the stamps is being shared on social media under the hashtag #Haveaballstamps. The first-day-of-issuance ceremony will be held at 8 a.m. CDT, Wed., June 14, at the 117th U.S. Open Championship in Hartford, WI. The ceremony will be part of the U.S. Golf Association’s Flag Day celebration. The Postal Service is honored to be part of this special tribute to those who serve or have served in the military. Nearly one of seven postal employees served in the military.    
Source: http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2017/pr17_024.pdf

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3.20.2017

Following Postal Issue in Richmond, DeSaulnier Acts by Amending Postal Reform Bill

"... Congressman DeSaulnier’s amendment would require the United States Postal Service (USPS) to provide Congressional offices with at least 10-days of advance notice regarding any closure, sale, movement, or reduction of operations of a post office in their district. H.R. 756 is expected to be voted on in the House of Representatives in the near future..."   
Source: eastcountytoday.net

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3.16.2017

Well-known downtown Springfield mailman marries fellow postal worker

Well-known downtown Springfield mailman marries fellow postal worker

"...Cephas “Smokey” Stover married his longtime girlfriend Bonita Wipert of 26 years, in a small ceremony in Springfield attended by family and friends ..."   
Source: www.springfieldnewssun.com

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3.08.2017

FERS and Social Security: Get ready to retire now (Part 1 of a Series of tips)


FERS and Social Security: Get ready to retire now

My Social Security

If you arethinking of retiring it is time to start prepping for this action. This will be the first short article in a series of articles to help you make the transition as easy as it should be. Like most things in life, like buying a new car, knowledge is the key to the most informed decision. Let's start with Social Security. The first step we recommend is to sign up for a 'My Social Security' account at: https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/. With a 'My Social Security' account you can get a good idea/estimate of what amount you will receive in social security payments at full retirement age, at age 70 and at your early retirement age. Signing up for a 'My Social Security' account will put the tools and information you need at your fingertips. Besides getting your estimated benefits you can view your earnings record as well. This is an important step in making sure that Social Security has an accurate accounting of the wages you have earned toward figuring your Social Security pay. Upon reviewing your earnings history and in the event you see something was omitted in error or something is reported inaccurately, you can contact Social Security to rectify the situation before retirement instead of freaking out at the last minute. We strongly recommend you sign up now to ease your transition.

   
Source: Postal News Network

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3.03.2017

Postal carrier shot at in Southwest Miami-Dade

Postal carrier shot at in Southwest Miami-Dade

"...Police said two black men dressed in hoodies jumped over the home’s fence and got into a black SUV and fled. According to officials, that is when the shots were fired. “He also witnessed the passenger extend half of his body outside of the vehicle, turn around and take a shot at him,” said Ivan Rodriguez of the U.S. Postal Inspector Service. 'Apparently, the suspects fleeing believed that the carrier, perhaps, was en route, chasing them or what have you.' ..."   
Source: wsvn.com

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7.12.2016

New union contract arbitration ensures near stagnant pay, Higher health insurance cost for postal workers

Postal worker share of health insurance premiums to rise 3% (Career employees represented by the union) over life of contract

New union contract ensures pay raises, COLAs for postal workers

"...'We were unable to stop management’s demand that employees pay a greater share of health insurance premiums,' Dimondstein said. The portion of health care premiums paid by employees will increase 1 percent per year for the next three years ..."   
Source: federalnewsradio.com

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5.04.2016

Postal Annex connected to drug smuggling ring

Postal Annex connected to drug smuggling ring

Snippet of Article: "...The complaint shows smugglers would first sneak the drugs in from Mexico. The drugs include oxycodone, methylphenidate (Ritalin), hydrocodone, hydromorphone, amphetamine, and alprazolam (Xanax)...."

Source: www.10news.com

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4.13.2016

Driver hits, kills postal service driver after running red light

Driver hits, kills postal service driver after running red light

"... Police say the driver of a log truck ran a red light and crashed into a U.S. Postal Service delivery truck, killing the postal service driver..."   
Source: www.cbs46.com

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3.02.2016

NLRB Hearing: Testimony Addresses USPS Plans To Move Work from Public Post Offices to Staples

NLRB Hearing: Testimony Addresses USPS Plans To Move Work from Public Post Offices to Staples

"...Tabbita’s testimony established that the USPS’s deal with Staples constituted contracting out of bargaining unit work. During Tabbita's testimony, the NLRB General Counsel introduced several documents that the Postal Service and Staples insisted were confidential and, for the second and third day in a row, the hearing was temporarily closed to the public while the documents were discussed ..."   
Source: www.apwu.org

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1.26.2016

Bad Management: Postal Workers say there is more to the story after assault

Postal workers respond to workplace assault

"...MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - Some postal workers are expected to speak out about what they call bad management at the United States Postal Service Office downtown ..."   
Source: www.wbrc.com

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