December 2003 Archive

Wednesday, December 31, 2003

Ronald Nelson, Person’s first black USPS worker, retires after 33 years of service: Ronald Nelson (center) smiles upon accepting certificate of appreciation from Roxboro Postmaster Mark Griffin Tuesday. Nelson's wife, Vickie, is at left as her husband concludes a 33-year career with USPS. (Ken Martin / C-T) (www.roxboro-courier.com)

Ex-Meat Puppet Arrested: Five days after being shot in the stomach by a post office security guard, ex- Meat Puppet Cris Kirkwood was arrested by federal officials Tuesday morning as he was discharged from a Phoenix-area hospital. (www.rollingstone.com)

Sunday, December 28, 2003

Longing for a normal life: Anthrax survivor learns to cope (www.fredericksburg.com)

Reward offered in robbery. Masked gunman held up busy post office in Richmond: Investigators announced a $50,000 reward Friday for information leading to the arrest of the man who robbed a busy post office in Richmond on Christmas Eve. (sfgate.com)

Saturday, December 27, 2003

Veteran mail carriers near end of their routes: Mail carrier Tom Quirk carries a bundle of mail to an apartment complex on Eldorado Avenue. Quirk has delivered mail on the same route for 28 years. He will soon be retiring. (www.heraldandnews.com)

Thursday, December 25, 2003

 U.S. Postal Service employee spends time answering questions, handling problems: What is your most memorable work experience? The day that a woman wanted to mail an entire Thanksgiving dinner, including the turkey, to her family. (ydr.com)

 Mail carrier helps stamp out fire: ...Firefighters credit the 47-year- old U.S. Postal Service carrier's quick thinking in helping save a home from a fire Wednesday on West Hernandez Street...(www.pensacolanewsjournal.com)

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Busiest time of year for U.S. Postal Service: The holiday season is the busiest time of year for the United States Postal Service. (www.glasgowdailytimes.com)

Diligent police work nets arrest in purse theft from post office: Elburn police Cpl. Dennis Erickson showed creativity and good judgment in recovering a purse stolen at the Elburn post office last week, officials said this week. (www.dailyherald.com)

Post Office Burglary: The checks, Christmas cards and presents may not be in the mail if they were at the Pixley post office over the weekend...Thieves broke into the facility and robbed it, sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning...The Tulare County Sheriff's Department says the suspects forced entry into the post office and went through mail boxes, taking an unknown amount of mail...The case is now under investigation. <end of story> (abclocal.go.com)

Shipping Companies, Post Office Vigilant During Terror Alerts: Companies, USPS Enhance Security During Heightened Terror Status (www.nbc17.com)

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Mail demands a rail: Arthur W. Bressler's postman doesn't want to ring even once... It's a safety issue, the carrier says...There was no safety issue for 105 years, Bressler counters, so why is it a safety issue now? (www.mlive.com)

Mailbox vandals hit post office: Such a 'brazen' crime in a well-lit lobby is unusual in the Sacramento area, a postal official says. (www.sacbee.com)

Mailer Worries Won't Delay New Merlin Program: The U.S. Postal Service will begin using its Mail Evaluation Readability and Lookup Instrument, or Merlin, to validate address accuracy Jan. 1 despite concerns from some mailers. (www.dmnews.com)

Local man turns in mailman’s uniform for military digs (By KAREN CLARK): By Jerry Sowden -- U.S. Postal Service carrier Larry Deal makes his rounds on the south end of Oil City on Dec. 11, delivering mail for the last time for more than a year. Deal, a first sergeant in the 107th Field Artillery unit of the Army National Guard, is trading in his blue postal uniform for green camouflage as the local guard unit prepares for deployment to Iraq. (www.thederrick.com)

Postal Worker Steals DVDs From Mail, Authorities Say: All across metro Detroit, postal workers are hustling to deliver Christmas cards and gifts on time, but for some mail carriers in Livonia the loads have been a little light...That's because one postal employee has been stealing DVD movies that were mailed to Livonia area code 48154. (www.clickondetroit.com)

Postal Service Offers More Early Retirements: About 2,500 more postal workers will be able to retire early under a new agreement between the U.S. Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union. (federaltimes.com)

Monday, December 22, 2003

Post Office Advises Express Service: Mere days away from Christmas, the U.S. Postal Service says it's not too late to make that December 25th deadline. (www.11alive.com)

Sunday, December 21, 2003

APWU, USPS Reach Agreement on VER: Interested, Eligible Employees Must Notify Union Immediately (www.apwu.org)

Woman says Postal Service delivered nothing but frustration: When Anna Schaben sold a half-ounce gold coin on eBay in February to a Canadian man, she decided to send it registered mail via the U.S. Postal Service. (www.kansas.com)

Mail call: Holidays are busy days for Postal Service: Housewives. Teachers. Taxi drivers. Students. The formerly unemployed...Like a legion of elves who work feverishly in anticipation of the holidays, these are some of the workers who help process the traditional holiday crush at the post office. (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Friday, December 19, 2003

At post office, mail and mayhem: Mail clerks cope with steely-eyed holiday madness with grit, good humor. (www.csmonitor.com)

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Police apprehend suspect in postal scam: POCATELLO - The husband of a local woman indicted by a federal grand jury Friday in what authorities are calling the largest scheme ever to defraud the U.S. Postal Service said someone stole his wife's identity to commit the crime. (www.journalnet.com)

Three more arrested in mailbox thefts: GRESHAM -- Police say they have caught four members of a larger group of thieves they think is responsible for stealing mail from more than 400 mailboxes this month. (www.oregonlive.com)

Post Office Warns Of Mail Theft: Mail thieves aren't taking a holiday this season, as one Avra Valley woman found out. (www.kold.com)

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

CHICAGO CHRISTMAS 1983 -- "Chicago's Coldest Christmas": (Chicago) -- Do you remember where you were on Saturday, Christmas Eve, 1983? If you were like most Chicagoans, you decided to stay home that day; it was the coldest Christmas in Chicago's recorded history. (www.wbbm780.com)

Orlando Postal Supervisor Sentenced For Series Of Thefts: ORLANDO, Fla. -- A U.S. Postal Service supervisor was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday for a series of thefts he helped orchestrate that resulted in the loss of human ashes and more than $600,000. (www.wftv.com)

P.O.: Skip snail mail, shell out for express: If your holiday gift absolutely, positively has to get there by Christmas, don't rely on regular mail. (www.nydailynews.com)

Ricin handling spurs new bioterror response: The nation's Department of Homeland Security has vowed to improve the response to potential bioterrorism threats following revelations about how the government handled the discovery of deadly ricin in Greenville, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said. (greenvilleonline.com)

Dig out your mailbox: Not only do you have to contend with clearing the driveway, but the post office wants to make sure you clear the area around your mailbox as well. (www.capitalnews9.com)

Monday, December 15, 2003

6 indicted in scheme involving postal stamps: A group of people allegedly purchased postal stamps with counterfeit checks in six states, including Utah, then sold them at a discount to pawn shops, according to a U.S. Postal Inspection Service statement. (deseretnews.com)

Friday, December 12, 2003

Washington is among worst-prepared for bioterrorism: Two years after anthrax-tainted mail contaminated a congressional office building and a U.S. Postal Service plant in Washington, the city is among the most poorly prepared for a bioterrorist attack, a study showed. (news.bostonherald.com)

Thursday, December 11, 2003

Letter Carriers Union Demands Fox TV Cancel Insulting Skit; Planned Segment on 'MAD TV' Exceeds Limits of Comedy (releases.usnewswire.com)

Claims in USPS Disability Settlement Will Cost Millions: The U.S. Postal Service may pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to employees as part of the settlement of a class-action suit. (www.dmnews.com)

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Delivering the goodies: Private shippers try to grab more of the postal service's holiday surge (www.columbian.com)

Post office at APSU evacuated: HAZMAT called to investigate white substance on envelope (www.theleafchronicle.com)

Employees report post office burglary: U.S. post office employees reported to police Monday that parcel boxes in the lobby and money from a stamp machine were burglarized. (www.rgj.com)

Former postmaster receives fine, suspended sentence in $15K theft: SALISBURY -- A former Sharptown postmaster was fined and received a suspended prison sentence Tuesday for stealing more than $15,000 from work. (www.dailytimesonline.com)

Going postal could be better now than later:Remote control cars, sweaters, holiday gift cards and even farm equipment. There’s no limit to what the United States Postal Service ships during the holiday season. (www.laramieboomerang.com)

Tuesday, December 9, 2003

Post Office posts profit: Washington-AP -- The Postal Service says a boosted bottom line for the year means stamp prices likely won't rise soon...The Post Office finished the year with a three-point-nine (b) billion dollar surplus -- that's 300 (m) million dollars better than expected. (www.wtvo.com)

Former postmaster gets probation: A former Western Slope postmaster who stole more than $10,000 from the U.S. Postal Service has been ordered to spend one year on probation. (www.gjsentinel.com)

Letter Carrier's Mother Upset About Attack: The family of a local letter carrier is upset after she was attacked on the job Saturday. (www.wcpo.com)

Post office management says tossing mail was legal: While Emory’s contracted mail provider has admitted to throwing away mail received in the Dobbs University Center post office, managers said the mail they discard is disposable through mail regulations. (www.emorywheel.com)

Mailbox Alert: Postal Service officials are reminding customers to ensure letter carriers have clear and safe access to mail receptacles. Unsafe conditions: packed snow, icy sidewalks, or even snow plowed against mailboxes can delay or prevent delivery....Postmasters may withdraw delivery service if a mailbox approach is hazardous to carriers. Customers receiving door delivery should make sure sidewalks and steps are clear of ice and snow. Customers receiving curbside delivery should ensure that snow piles left by plows are not blocking mailbox access. (www.southbaynews.com) [End of Article]

Bush administration outlines postal overhaul ideas: WASHINGTON - The Bush administration urged Congress on Monday to approve wide-ranging changes in the operations of the Postal Service _ something the agency has been seeking for years. (www.dfw.com)

Monday, December 8, 2003

Postal contractor robbed in woodland: WOODLAND - The Woodland Police Department and the U.S. Postal Service are investigating the Monday night armed robbery of a mail contractor who was getting ready to pick up mail, Police Chief Don Ryan said. (www.rrdailyherald.com)

Post office customers wait in line for service Thursday in Oldsmar. [Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford] Many residents are upset with the service they're receiving at the facility, such as waiting in lines for more than 20 minutes. The City Council passed a resolution last week asking that the post office bring better service to their residents. and deal with increased demand in Oldsmar. (www.sptimes.com)

Saturday, December 6, 2003

Back to Work at D.C. Mail Center: Washington - Despite a nasty winter storm, about 120 postal employees Friday returned for the first time to the Washington mail-sorting facility where two workers contracted lethal cases of anthrax in 2001. (www.newsday.com)

Drug package leads to arrest: FREEPORT — A postal package landed a 24-year-old Freeport woman in jail Friday after police found it contained about $4,000 worth of marijuana. (thefacts.com)

FORMER LOMA POSTMISTRESS SENTENCED: A former Grand Valley Postmaster who some Loma residents say mismanaged their post office was sentenced Friday. Sharon Eiland was sentenced to one year of probation. The sentence was handed down in Denver Federal Court. Eiland will pay $146 of restitution to the post office, and $100 dollars to a victims fund as part of special assessment. She was convicted of a federal felony of false statements. Eiland allegedly withdrew postal money and would only return a portion of it, and pocket the rest. ©2003 Pikes Peak Broadcasting. All Rights Reserved (www.kjct8.com) [END OF STORY]

FBI: Some hate mail letters mailed in New Castle...Threatening messages sent to high-profile black men, including several NFL players: CLEVELAND (AP) - Someone sent hate mail to more than 30 high-profile black men, including several NFL players, warning them to avoid relationships with white women or be castrated, the FBI said yesterday. (www.zwire.com)

Friday, December 5, 2003

Report: Armstrong teammate negotiating to leave USPS cycling group: AUSTIN - A key teammate in Lance Armstrong's successful bid for a record-tying fifth Tour de France title is reportedly attempting to leave the U.S. Postal Service cycling team. (www.myrtlebeachonline.com)

Thursday, December 4, 2003

Judge Approves Postal Service Settlement: DENVER (AP) -- A federal judge approved the settlement of a class-action lawsuit accusing the Postal Service of discriminating against injured employees _ a deal that will cost the government millions of dollars, according to attorneys. (wireservice.wired.com)

Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Sceptor gets $15M contract from U.S. Postal Service: A local manufacturer and a sheltered workshop will benefit from a $15 million order of biohazard protection equipment for the U.S. Postal Service, Sceptor Industries Inc. of Kansas City said Tuesday. (kansascity.bizjournals.com)

Travelers Rest post office evacuated: The Travelers Rest post office was closed for about four hours today after authorities say they found a granular substance on a package. (greenvilleonline.com)

USPS Tests Carrier Pickup Service: The U.S. Postal Service is testing a new service called Carrier Pickup that lets customers request next-day package pickups, the agency said yesterday. (www.dmnews.com)

Monday, December 1, 2003

Postal Workers To Return To Brentwood This Week: Washington (AP) - For the first time since the anthrax attacks two years ago, some postal workers are expected to return to the former Brentwood postal facility by the end of the week. (www.wjla.com)