More postal employees indicted for COVID-19 relief fraud

More postal employees indicted for COVID-19 relief fraud

From the article: "A federal grand jury has indicted two more employees of the U.S. Postal Service from Champaign County for fraud related to COVID-19 relief funds. On Wednesday, Tasheena White, 32, of the 2400 block of Goodfield Drive, and Uniqua Whitaker, 26, of the 1200 block of Clifford Drive, Urbana, were each charged with wire fraud in connection with Paycheck Protection Program loans. The indictments allege that the women submitted false loan applications and supporting documents..."

Article Reference: yahoo.com
COVID-19,Fraud,Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Fraud by Postal Employees,

Former Austin post office flipped into grocery store, restaurant and bookstore

Former Austin post office flipped into grocery store, restaurant and bookstore

From the article: "The post office closed in June 2021, and services moved to the Northcross Station in north Austin, according to the U.S. Postal Service. The original building at 4300 Speedway was built in 1967, Travis County appraisal records show. Tiny Grocer will be one of the tenants in the redeveloped space. Owner Steph Steele..."

Article Reference: www.kxan.com
Converted Post Offices,

$50,000 Reward for Info on Who Robbed Waccabuc Post Office

$50,000 Reward for Info on Who Robbed Waccabuc Post Office

From the article: "...the Waccabuc Post Office, which delivers the mail for the 500 or so homowners. It came as a surprise to many Westchester residents when the United States Postal Inspection Service posted a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects who robbed the Waccabuc post office on Jan. 10 at 430 pm. The Lewisboro Police Department reported that they responded on 1/10 to the Waccabuc Post Office, located at 2 Post Office Road, on reports of an armed robbery. While there were no injuries, the incident had Post Office employees and residents, in disbelief. ..."

Article Reference: yonkerstimes.com
Crime,post office robbery,Reward, Waccabuc Post Office,

Puppy Porch Pirate Pilfers Postal Parcels Perfectly

Corpus Christi postal worker says this porch pirate pup stole package from home

From the article: "A postal worker in Corpus Christi said she dropped off a package, moved to another street, then noticed this dog running with something familiar in its mouth. ....."

Article Reference: www.kiiitv.com
Puppy Porch Pirate

Blink Charging to supply thousands of EV chargers to U.S. Postal Service

Blink Charging to supply thousands of EV chargers to U.S. Postal Service

From the article: "...Blink Charging will provide an initial order of 4,900 chargers to the U.S. Postal Service over three years to support the agency's rollout of electric vehicles. This week the postal service announced it will buy 9,250 electric vans from Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and 14,000 EV charging stations that will be installed at its facilities later this year. Miami Beach-based Blink..."

Article Reference: www.bizjournals.com
Blink Charging, EV Charging Contract (USPS),

South Carolina woman arrested for having $180K worth of cocaine sent to house

South Carolina woman arrested for having $180K worth of cocaine sent to house

From the article: "A woman in Kershaw, South Carolina was arrested for having about six and a half pounds of cocaine worth around $180,000 sent to her house, officials say. ...Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said that the package had two large bricks inside of compressed powder that was addressed to Quanisha Lashay Manago, 28. An agent who was undercover delivered the package...The weight of this Cocaine was 3,014 grams, and Cocaine sells for about $60.00 a gram, making the street value of this parcel over $180,000.00. This was a lot of Cocaine"

Article Reference: www.kiro7.com
South Carolina,Postal drugs,Cocaine,postal crime,

The first two historic post offices put at risk by the S&DC plan

The first two historic post offices put at risk by the S&DC plan

From the article: "The post office on 321 Main Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts...The post office at 421 Jenks Avenue in Panama City, Florida...This month two historic post offices are being put at risk, but it’s only the beginning."

Article Reference: www.savethepostoffice.com

Alabama | Huntsville USPS worker sentenced to 18 months for stealing mail

Huntsville USPS worker sentenced to 18 months for stealing mail

From the article: "...The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that a federal judge sentenced Zachary Rashad Humphrey, 31, of Huntsville to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for stealing mail between March and April of 2022. ...stole checks from the mail meant to be delivered on his route and sold them on the dark web. "

Article Reference: whnt.com
Mail theft,Crime,Huntsville Alabama,Mail Carrier,USPS,

Postal employee worked without a bathroom or water after USPS didn’t pay bills, feds say

Postal employee worked without a bathroom or water after USPS didn’t pay bills, feds say

From the article: "...Now, the USPS is facing a fine of $13,840 after OSHA inspectors investigated the facility in August 2022. “Employers must ensure a safe and healthful workplace by making sure workers have access to water for drinking and sanitation,” OSHA Norfolk area director Brian Rizzo said in a statement. “U.S. Postal Service management responsible for this facility should have acted more quickly to protect employee health.”..."

Article Reference: www.newsobserver.com
OSHA, Health Violations, USPS,

Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program FAQs

Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program FAQs

From the article: "...The Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program is a new, separate program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) which will provide health insurance to eligible Postal Service employees, Postal Service annuitants, and their eligible family members starting in 2025. The PSHB Program coverage will replace Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program coverage for these groups. ..."

Article Reference: www.opm.gov
Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program ,Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB),Office of Personnel Management (OPM),Health Benefits,

USPS Shipping labels now have two more barcodes

USPS Shipping labels now have two more barcodes

From the article: "The Postal Service has revised package shipping labels to include two new barcodes. The labels now incorporate two-dimensional Intelligent Mail matrix barcodes, or QR codes. They appear on shipping labels above and below the one-dimensional Intelligent Mail package barcode and contain the same tracking number. “Some packages from mailers — usually clothing, pill bottles and similar items — can result in distortion of label barcodes while being processed on automated equipment..."

Article Reference: usps.com

Alabama | Huntsville postal employee indicted on federal charge for destroying, withholding mail

Huntsville postal employee indicted on federal charge for destroying, withholding mail

From the article: "...The indictment says Alexander Dockery destroyed, detained and delayed letters, postcards, packages and other mail over a six-month period in 2018. Dockery was working as a mail handler at the Huntsville facility at the time. ..."

Article Reference: waaytv.com

Ring Mailbox Sensor is a battery-powered motion sensor that sends you real-time notifications via the Ring app when your mailbox opens

Article Title: Ring Mailbox Sensor is a battery-powered motion sensor that sends you real-time notifications via the Ring app when your mailbox opens

Snippet of Article: "...When connected to Ring Bridge, Ring Mailbox Sensor allows you to receive a real-time notification in the Ring app or via connected Alexa-enabled device whenever your Mailbox Sensor detects motion. ..." Reference: Amazon

Royal Mail CEO confirms cyberattack downed UK postal service

Royal Mail CEO confirms cyberattack downed UK postal service

From the article: "...The admission comes almost a week after Royal Mail first said it was hit by an unspecified “cyber incident” that left the British mail service unable to dispatch items to overseas destinations. “We’ve confirmed that we’ve had a cyberattack...the postal service continues to experience disruption to its international export services following the cyberattack. Royal Mail has yet to confirm when this disruption is likely to end "

Article Reference: techcrunch.com

US postal worker, 71, stabbed to death by repeat offender while walking home in Oakland, California

US postal worker, 71, stabbed to death by repeat offender while walking home in Oakland, California

From the article: "...Dilma Spruill, 71, was walking home, as she usually does, around 12:30 a.m. after sorting mail at a post office and distribution center in West Oakland, her son, Miles Spruill, told KTVU FOX2. "Three houses away," Miles Spruill said. "She was almost home, but she's not coming home."..."

Article Reference: www.foxnews.com

Multifactor Authentication Now Required for LiteBlue Access

Multifactor Authentication Now Required for LiteBlue Access

From the article: "...On Sunday, January 15, the USPS is deploying the MFA (Multifactor Authentication) solution for LiteBlue as an additional security measure to protect employees’ IDs, passwords, and other personal data from unauthorized access and misuse. At this time, employees are required to sign up for MFA to obtain access to LiteBlue. As a part of the MFA implementation, there are a few steps employees must complete. These steps includ..."

Article Reference: npmhu317.blogspot.com

USPS Has Suspended Services Here "Until Late Summer"

USPS Has Suspended Services Here 'Until Late Summer'

From the article: "...In Florida, the Postal Service initially shut down the Auburndale Post Office, Balm Post Office, Downtown Fort Myers Station, Downtown Naples Station, Everglades City Post Office, Fort Myers Beach Post Office, Nocatee Post Office, Pineland Post Office, and the Sanibel Main Post Office on Sept. 27. These nine facilities were just a few of those affected at the time, but they're all still closed. ..."

Article Reference: www.yahoo.com

Postal truck struck by gunfire in West Town

Postal truck struck by gunfire in West Town

From the article: "...CHICAGO (CBS) -- A postal truck was caught in gunfire near a high school in the West Town community Tuesday afternoon. ...A U.S. Postal Service truck ended up being peppered with bullets. ..."

Article Reference: www.cbsnews.com
Crime Infested Areas,postal shooting,America's most dangerous jobs,

APWU/USPS New motor vehicle operator position created

APWU/USPS New motor vehicle operator position created

From the article: "...The Postal Service and a labor union have begun a pilot program for a new career bargaining unit position to transport mail in vehicles that do not require commercial driver’s licenses. The new postal vehicle operator (PVO) level 6 position and qualification standards were created under a memorandum of understanding between USPS and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). PVOs will be assigned to the motor vehicle services in Oklahoma City, which is currently designated a nonpostal vehicle service site..."

Article Reference: USPS News Link
Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO) level 6 position,APWU,

USPS Issues Employee Communications Update Regarding PostalEASE Website Fraud

USPS Issues Employee Communications Update Regarding PostalEASE Website Fraud

From the article: "...Letter to be sent to only impacted employees notifying them of their situation and share information and next steps. Please note, Headquarters is also preparing a Stand-Up Talk to support these communications. Additonal information will be shared when made avaialble to the NPMHU. ..."

Article Reference: NPMHU Local 317
PostalEASE Website Fraud, Fraud, Alert, National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU),

Christmas City, USA | Post Offices home to popular postmarks

Christmas City, USA | Post Offices home to popular postmarks

From the article: "...As part of that tradition, the Noel Post Office uses volunteers to stamp the postmark on cards and letters. ...The Hadley, MA, Post Office also has a sought-after holiday pictorial postmark. ...Last year, we received requests for the postmark from across the country..."

Article Reference: link.usps.com
https://northpolepostmarkcancellation2017.blogspot.com/2017/11/north-pole-cancellation-north-pole.html

History on a stamp: An Post and the Decade of Centenaries

History on a stamp: An Post and the Decade of Centenaries

From the article: "A stamp is an inherently humble physical artefact — paper, ink, adhesive — yet it is also fundamentally part of the bricks-and-mortar of state-building. In the case of commemorative stamps, they express not only political and cultural meanings, but our understandings of the events they represent. Equally, stamps are touched, they move, they circulate, they are collected and saved, they are discarded. Perhaps few symbols of the State hold such universal appeal and are so widely used: stamps are simultaneously temporal, cherished, ubiquitous, and invisible."

Article Reference: www.rte.ie
Stamp Collecting, Postal History,

Calls to Remove USPS Mail Collection Boxes Grow Following Recent Thefts

Calls to Remove USPS Mail Collection Boxes Grow Following Recent Thefts

From the article: "According to Frank Albergo, head of the Postal Police Officers Association, the blue collection boxes continue to be a target for thieves. Albergo supports the removal of the boxes. “The blue collection boxes are being hit over and over again. Postal customers need to walk into the post office and mail their letters. ..."

Article Reference: www.nbcchicago.com
USPS Mail Collection Boxes, Blue Boxes UPS,

Trending crimes: "Check washing" and "mailbox fishing"

Trending crimes: "Check washing" and "mailbox fishing"

From the article: "... Lots of mail — including mail-in voter ballots — is getting dumped after thieves cull out the checks. How it works: Thieves either "fish" letters out through the mail slot or — more commonly now — rob postal workers for their mail and arrow keys...."

Article Reference: www.axios.com