POSTAL SERVICE

The Oversight and Reform Committee will hold a hearing on the mail service’s “next generation delivery vehicles, which get 8.6 mpg.

Responding to a reporter, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Russia is not planning to attack other countries and that his country "did not attack Ukraine either."

President Biden is expected to sign the Postal Service Reform Act, which is a cornerstone of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s controversial 10-year postal restructuring plan.

The Postal Service will spend up to $11.3 billion on a fleet of 90-percent gasoline-powered trucks and 10-percent electric trucks.

The United States Postal Service could lead by example with its new fleet of delivery trucks. What’s standing in the way?

Two widely supported bills are encountering delays in the Senate.

There's no doubt Senate approval is inevitable, sooner rather than later. One measure would relieve much of the financially strapped Postal Service’s huge debt. T he other would avoid a government shutdown this weekend.

Postal Service officials have said without congressional action, it would run out of cash by 2024, a frequent warning from the service. Over the years, some lawmakers have wanted to impose tougher requirements for faster service by the Postal Service, while others have favored privatizing some services. The measure is supported by President Joe Biden, the Postal Service, postal worker unions, industries that use the service and others. That ended up being the year that the Postal Service’s mail volume peaked and its financial fortunes steadily worsened. Since the Postal Service has its own finance system, it is not counted as part of the federal budget.

The Postal Service has been floated before as a potential mechanism in the nation’s pandemic response. The Trump administration had plans to ship 650 million reusable cloth face masks to every U.S. household as early as April 2020, when the country was recording fewer than 30,000 new cases per day. The Postal Service had gone as far as to draft a news release about the program, and even selected the communities where the first shipments would arrive.

In a letter to OSHA, the postal service says its ability to deliver the mail would be hurt because employees would either leave over the mandate or be disciplined for disobeying it.

U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence says she plans to retire from Congress at the end of her term, becoming the 25th House Democrat to decide against seeking reelection in 2022.

The Postal Service system allowed people to cast votes on an Internet-connected mobile app similar to how they might add items to an online shopping cart or fill out an online survey. The votes were designed to be anonymous and to be recorded in multiple digital locations simultaneously. The idea is that each of those digital records would act as a check to verify the accuracy of the other records. This is essentially the same method that cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin use to ensure transactions are accurately recorded.

President Joe Biden announced plans Friday to nominate two new members to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, a potential first step in removing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. A Trump appointee, DeJoy became a political lightning rod during the 2020 elections as changes he made to the postal service slowed delivery times during a key period when voters were trying to mail in their ballots. Biden is replacing two of DeJoy's backers on the board, chair Ron Bloom and John Barger.

Christian Bryant dives into Postal Service changes that could extend shipping times and costs this holiday season, especially in rural areas.

The assistant mail carrier killed himself after shooting two others, authorities said.

The United States Postal Service in the Detroit area is looking to hire about 800 potential career positions and nearly 1000 seasonal positions for the 2021 winter holidays.

The president hasn’t delivered his own vision for reinventing the enormous agency.

XPO Logistics pays DeJoy and family businesses at least $2.1 million annually to lease four office buildings in North Carolina.

The Postal Service awarded the deal worth up to $6 billion to competitor Oshkosh in February.

Experts say the campaign fundraising investigation could fray a fragile bipartisan and cross-industry coalition that’s pushing financial relief legislation for the Postal Service.

The Postal Service’s “Long Life Vehicles” are going out in a blaze of glory: “Everybody has their own LLV story.”

Postal problems continue to cause problems all over Metro Detroit and now two elected leaders are working to get answers in Washington.

Several local members of Congress said they have been asking questions in response to complaints but have been unable to get any answers.

Problems with mail delays started to happen in the weeks leading up to the election.

Slow mail delivery has been a problem for months in Metro Detroit.

It’s been a problem for months and it doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon.

President Joe Biden’s nominees to the governing board of the U.S. Postal Service are pledging to rebuild trust with the American public and ensure prompt deliveries.

Once again last week, the U.S Postal Service let us down. Here is the postal service’s response:“Thanks for contacting me with this concern regarding this mailing. The Postal Service is experiencing unprecedented package volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19. We appreciate your patience as we are committed to delivering all mail and packages as soon as possible. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve you in the Business Service Network!”Of course, there was no mail on Monday, President’s Day.

Historic volume and pandemic cause major holiday shipping delays The Postal Service says it's working around the clock to ease the backlog as complaints rise about shipping delays during the holidays. Janet Shamlian reports.

Senator Gary Peters released a report this week on changes to the United States Postal Service (USPS), also addressing mail delays. It is the sixth report since Peters launched an investigation in August. According to data from ShipMatrix, more than 6 million packages have been left sitting in shipping warehouses with days left before Christmas. We appreciate the patience of our customers and the efforts of employees as conditions change on a day-to-day basis.”Changes outlined in Peters’ report are not final yet. USPS leaders said they plan to detail their 2021 plans in the upcoming weeks.

Chellie Britt, 30, of South Holland, said two of three gifts she sent through the Postal Service earlier this month arrived late. A second batch of packages, mailed Saturday, have had more issues. A gift she sent to her aunt on Saturday was delivered to the wrong ZIP code, another package appeared to be out for delivery but returned to a post office, and a certified letter sent the same day doesn’t appear to have moved, she said.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Residents in one Clinton Township neighborhood have gone days -- sometimes even a week -- without mail delivery. Postal Service in Detroit, and while she didn’t want to elaborate on camera about specific problems, Local 4 did receive a written statement. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced by customers living in the Clinton Township community. Local management is working with customers to resolve their concerns. Postal ServiceResidents told Local 4 that mail, as of Thursday, had resumed being delivered.

The United States Postal Service will have select Metro Detroit Post Offices open on Sunday, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13 to help with the holiday mail load. The following Post Offices will be open on Sundays, and also will have extended hours on two Saturdays:

To make sure your gifts arrive before Christmas, follow the holiday shipping deadlines for the U.S. USPS holiday shipping deadlinesThe USPS recommends shipping your packages by the following dates if you want them to arrive before December 25. FedEx holiday shipping deadlinesFedEx recommends shipping your packages by the following dates if you want them to arrive before December 25. UPS holiday shipping deadlinesUPS recommends shipping your packages by the following dates if you want them to arrive before December 25. Amazon holiday shipping deadlines will vary depending on where you live, what you’re ordering and if you’re a Prime member.

Elves are going digital this year for the U.S. Postal Service’s annual “Operation Santa.”The 108-year-old program fulfills wish lists for families and children in need, but due to COVID-19, it has been forced to go virtual this Christmas. USPS officials said the new system will allow them to reach more children across the country. Children can address their letters and lists to Santa at 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888Helpful “elves” fulfilling the wish list can pick up a letter from any city in the nation. Click here to visit the Operation Santa page.

Returned ballots, where the voter could not be located, are stacked in United States Postal Service containers during the 2020 Presidential election in Provo, Utah, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The Postal Service on Election Day failed to deliver a significant percentage of mail-in ballots to several states that could determine who wins the presidential contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden, a court filing revealed Wednesday. "I'd like you to explain just what the heck happened yesterday," Sullivan told Joseph Borson, the Justice Department lawyer who is representing the Postal Service in the case. "Whether we should spend time on that today, I'm not sure we should, but I'm not going to forget it either." Kevin Bray, Postal Service executive responsible for mail processing in the election, is scheduled to testify when the hearing resumes at 1:30pm ET.

click to enlarge Screen grab/YouTubeTim Robinson as Frank Schøttendt. OH MY GOD pic.twitter.com/w6KIbW8MHw — Dan Ozzi (@danozzi) March 22, 2020Not, cool, dude. New music from the band that famously dropped 2003's critically acclaimed and highly influentialand then just fucking? Uh, who?star and creator of the Netflix show, Tim Robinson makes an appearance as Frank Schøttendt, mainlining his brand of awkward gaslight comedy into the crowded Zoom audition about halfway through.“I manage a band called the Alan Door Band, which has 18 members. I'd say that covers a lot of ground,” he says.“I'll give you 18 strangers who are rowdy,” Robinson, er, Schøttendt promises.

He said it was "to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail." Federal judges have since ordered the Postal Service to halt all changes, although the agency said it is exploring its legal options. On-time delivery in northern Ohio, which includes Cleveland, dipped to as low as 63% in July before rising to 88% by the end of August. On-time delivery declined to as low as 79% for the Philadelphia area and to 67% for the central part of the state. Earlier this year, the Philadelphia district averaged 84.5% on-time delivery, according to the quarterly data.

Democrats have been pushing for increased oversight of the Postal Service following DeJoy's operational changes and Trump's baseless claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud. A spokesman for the Postal Service said the agency will comply with its legal obligations. Separately, an audit from the inspector general of the Postal Service found that more than a million mail-in ballots were sent to voters late during the primary elections. Also, an analysis of political and election mail in seven Postal Service processing centers between April and June identified around 1.6 million mailpieces that were not delivered on time. We can, and will, handle the volume of election mail we receive," DeJoy told the House Oversight committee last week.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Pelosi said she told Meadows the Democrats would be willing to meet halfway at $2.2 trillion a slight reduction from her last proposal before talks collapsed earlier this month. We have said again and again that were willing to meet them in the middle $2.2 trillion. When theyre willing to do that, well be willing to discuss the particulars, Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol. House Democrats' opening bid was the $3 trillion-plus Heroes Act, a sweeping aid package approved in May.

Ken Haddad is the digital content manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is declaring it's his "sacred duty" to ensure election mail delivery this fall. He has said he wants to block extra funds to the Postal Service. "Senate Republicans are committed to making sure the Postal Service remains well equipped to fulfill its important duties. Still, there were signs of bipartisan support for the Postal Service, one of the most popular government agencies with an approval rating above 90%. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., would provide the Postal Service with up to $25 billion to cover revenue losses or operational expenses resulting from COVID-19.

Postal Service (USPS) initiatives that could impact the timely delivery of absent voter ballots for the November election are being paused until the election is complete. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement Tuesday that in an effort to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, the USPS will continue its services as normal through the end of the election cycle. Record numbers of absent voter ballots have been requested and issued in Michigan and across the country for this years elections. The Postal Service is ready today to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall, DeJoy said Tuesday. More: Q&A: Whats happening at the US Postal Service, and why?

WASHINGTON Senate Republican leaders are preparing a slimmed-down virus relief package of roughly $500 billion that will include extended payments for unemployed people and smaller businesses, a GOP senator said Tuesday. Negotiations over a far larger coronavirus relief bill are expected to resume after Labor Day between the White House and top congressional Democrats. Democrats want to continue the added $600 in payments, but Trump and congressional Republicans have pushed for less. A second GOP Senate aide said the new proposal includes $105 billion for education. The Democratic-led House approved a $3 trillion relief plan in May, while Senate Republicans offered a $1 trillion package.

N.C. Mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more under cost-cutting efforts being imposed by the new postmaster general, DeJoy. (Kim Walker/Elon University via AP, File)WASHINGTON Mail deliveries could be delayed by a day or more under cost-cutting efforts being imposed by the new postmaster general. If postal distribution centers are running late, "they will keep the mail for the next day,'' Postal Service leaders say in a document obtained by The Associated Press. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the Postal Service in a double crisis, said Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, which represents more than 200,000 postal workers and retirees. For most Americans, mail deliveries to homes or post boxes are their only routine contact with the federal government.

The package, labeled "school teaching aids and T-shirts," caught the attention of U.S. Postal Service workers who noticed there was no signature on a customs form certifying the package did not contain dangerous contents, authorities said in the complaint.