To call the United States Postal Service cash-strapped is something of an understatement. But as the government agency slouches towards obsolescence, an interesting new money source has bubbled to the surface: booze. And it makes sense. Because who wouldn't like their mailman to bring them a box of wine with their bills? more ›

Is your brain frazzled from staring at the computer screen all day? Want to save the Post Office? Looking for a bit of old-fashioned correspondance... with a famous person? The lit-lovers over at The Rumpus have just launched a great way to do all three, with a new project they've dubbed, appropriately, Letters in the Mail. more ›

No one is very happy about the impending postal service cuts, which include post office location closings and plans to kill next-day mail, because it's possible it will run out of cash in less than a year. Now, the U.S. Postal Service says, "In response to a request made by multiple U.S. Senators, [the USPS] has agreed to delay the closing or consolidation of any Post Office or mail processing facility until May 15, 2012. The Postal Service will continue all necessary steps required for the review of these facilities during the interim period, including public input meetings." more ›

In case you haven't heard, the Postal Service isn't doing so well these days. There have been layoffs, post office closures, and a recently-announced plan to kill off next-day mail. And New Yorkers aren't going to take it anymore! more ›

The ailing Postal Service, which is laying off employees and shutting down post offices left and right in the face of a crippling budget deficit, announced more bad news today: the agency might straight-up run out of cash by September 2012. more ›

A postal worker in Queens was caught on camera last month opening up an Express Mail package and removing and taking home roughly six pounds of illegal drugs, according to the Brooklyn DA's office. Yes, postal workers are worried about their jobs, but stealing drugs from the mail seems a little extreme! more ›

The Post Office, rapidly becoming one of the country's most endangered creatures, continues to dwindle on the brink of existence today, with word coming from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe that he plans to slash jobs for some 35,000 postal workers. more ›

Stamp collectors and mail nerds, behold the newest design in the Postal Service's line of Forever Stamps! The 2012 "Earthscapes" series features aerial shots of the world's natural, agricultural, and urban landscapes...including such fine scenery as the high-rise apartments of the Upper West Side. more ›

Maybe you don't spend a lot of time thinking about the post office. Maybe you even try to avoid yours. But the post office is a huge part of America's history, culture, and economy, and without it, your life would be a heck of a lot more difficult. Which is why it's so disturbing that the U.S. Postal Service is shutting down post offices left and right. Oh, what's that? You didn't know? Meet Steve Hutkins, who's single-handedly fighting to save your mail. more ›

The United States Postal Service, which has been battling financial problems as fewer people are relying on its offering, is looking to close 3700 locations across the country—and 34 are in NYC. According to NY1, "The Bronx has the most in jeopardy with 17, followed by Manhattan with six, then Brooklyn and Queens with five each and Staten Island with just one." You can see the list here. more ›

Those New Yorkers lucky enough to have jobs often have a hard time getting to the Post Office in person, because their hours of operation seem deliberately designed to exclude working stiffs. Many of us just pay extra for the convenience of buying stamps at a deli, but this is an increasingly risky transaction, because counterfeit stamps are flooding the market in NYC and elsewhere. We recently got conned ourselves, and turned to the USPS for help getting some payback at the Brooklyn Gourmet Deli on South 2nd Street. more ›

After last week's apparent terror plot involving explosives-filled packages being shipped via UPS and FedEx to Chicago synagogues (officials believe the explosives were meant to detonate mid-air), Jews in New York City are worried all over again. State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told WCBS 2, "When something like this happens, it’s an awakening call to all of us saying the threat of radical Islam is not over, and will not be over, and we’ve got to be on alert all the time." more ›

Calling Newman: A Deptford, NJ resident was arrested after allegedly dumping 32,000 pieces of mail—which were due at a U.S. Postal Service facility—in the woods instead. According to the Courier Post, "Robert Lyons, a driver for a postal contractor, allegedly abandoned three pallets holding first-class and bulk-mail pieces in a wooded area in a West Deptford park on the night of May 24... The mail was recovered the next morning after a municipal employee spotted the pallets, the complaint says." more ›

Facing dire financial issues, the United States Postal Service has proposed raising the cost of a first class stamp another 2 cents to 46 cents. According to the Wall Street Journal, "If approved by regulators, the increase to 46 cents for a standard letter would go into effect Jan. 2 and be the seventh increase in a decade. As of Jan. 7, 2001, the cost of a stamp was 34 cents." more ›

A disgruntled mail-handler at Kennedy Airport stabbed his supervisor several times utilizing both scissors and moral certitude yesterday afternoon. David Barnett, 55, a 16-year postal working veteran, had a long-standing beef with supervisor Doris Lloyd, 65, even telling one co-worker that day, "If we have problems today, I'm gonna kill her." more ›

Life imitates Seinfeld, once again. In a Newman-esque operation, a Brooklyn postal worker was caught with 537 pieces of mail in the trunk of his car. The Dyker Heights Post Office employee, 26-year-old Peter Ramsdal, was pulled over while driving to the Catskills on April 21st. Police discovered he had a suspended registration, and, upon impounding his car they found the hoarded mail—which then led to contacting federal postal inspectors. more ›

One person was reportedly exposed to a suspicious white powder after an envelope containing the substance was delivered to Downtown Brooklyn's Supreme Court building. According to the Daily News, the letter was sent to Justice Abe Gerges, who is currently presiding over a case involving a Staten Island doctor accused of selling steroids, and ruled earlier this week that state officials can use eminent domain in the controversial Atlantic Yards development. more ›

News about the potential shuttering of post offices across the city is drawing scrutiny from politicians and residents, who are both upset and skeptical about the Postal Service's announcement. After a list of 53 post offices under consideration for closing was released—and then amended to include only 14 locations—the NY Times reports today that many just flat-out don't believe the USPS is cutting back on the cut-backs. Says New York postal union President Clarice Torrence, "On station closings they’ve always been very deceptive...If they amended the list they would let me know." Rep. Anthony Weiner, meanwhile, points to the closings confusion as an example of Newman-style post office ineptitude: "The way the U.S.P.S. has released information in dribs and drabs, it’s no wonder that they have been losing business." That loss of business is the main reason for the $7 billion budget hole facing the USPS this year—with too little mail and too many branches, USPS officials are hoping that enough closings might help the service "become more efficient." more ›

Bernard Madoff's epic Ponzi scheme, which is still be investigated by federal prosecutors and securities regulators, has resulted in far more claims from victims than expected. 8,800 claims had been filed by victims by the start of last month, but the finally tally of claims is actually 15,400, according to an interim report [pdf] filed yesterday by the trustee overseeing the liquidation of Madoff’s estate. The trustee tells the Times he's "unearthed a labyrinth of international funds, institutions and entities of almost unparalleled complexity." The claims include 258 applications to the trustee’s hardship program, which is supposed to fast-track reimbursement to victims who are elderly, bankrupt, or unable to pay for basic living expenses or medical needs. (152 of those claims have been approved.) Meanwhile, Madoff's lawyers have announced that he won't appeal the 150-year sentence, which means he'll almost certainly die behind bars. But every six months he can look forward to a big shipment of letters from his irate victims; the website Madoff Mail is now accepting hate mail and e-mail, and promises to deliver them to the phony financier twice a year. more ›

A group of residents, businesses, lawmakers and others rallied outside the Prince Street Post Office (located on Greene Street) in Soho. The U.S. Postal Service has been considering closing the branch when its lease expires in July, but the group points out, "The Worst Post Office is Better Than No Post Office!" As 66 Square Feet said, "It is not unusual to wait in line for forty minutes. The mutters of dissent in the queue regularly approach the level of mutiny, strangers bonding in intense frustration." more ›

An 80-year-old woman was rescued Thursday by a former neighbor whose concerns were aroused when she spotted newspapers piling up outside the Woodside, Queens woman's front door. Kim Russo used to live next door to Rose Schwing and was stopping by her old neighborhood to visit her mother. When the 47-year-old Russo saw the papers and mail accumulating in front of Schwing's house, she peaked inside one of Schwing's windows and heard her cries for help. more ›

Brooklyn postal worker Michael Olivio was arrested by feds last week for stealing mail he was supposed to deliver when he suspected that cards contained cash or checks. After residents on his postal route began to complain that they were not receiving certain expected pieces of mail, postal inspectors began an elaborate investigation. First they mailed decoy greeting cards to establish that mail was indeed disappearing along Olivio's route. They followed that up by mailing... more ›

Brooklyn resident Christina Copeman became a recluse after the death of her husband 17 years ago, more so as she began to succumb to Alzheimer's disease. She wouldn't answer greetings from neighbors and eventually refused to come to the door when people knocked. The full consequences of her isolation weren't realized until this week, when police broke down the door to her apartment and found her skeletal remains dressed, and wearing a coat and hat... more ›