Alternet, the syndication service and online community of the alternative press, which receives more than 1.5 million unique monthly visitors, has published an excerpt from Peter Byrne's recent report on the sale of postal facilities by CBRE. The article is entitled "Privatization Nightmare: Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Husband Selling Post Offices to His Friends, Cheap," and the subtitle reads "An investigative journalist … Read More
Silver Spring, MD, post office may be losing customers due to location
Business owners and residents in Silver Spring are hoping to convince the Postal Service to bring back a post office to downtown. Last year, two post offices— the main post office branch at 8616 Second Street and the Silver Spring Center branch at 8455 Colesville Road— were consolidated into one at a new location on 16th Street. But the new … Read More
Stamford PO lanterns removed to undisclosed location
The Postal Service has removed two iconic lanterns that adorned the Atlantic Street Post Office in Stamford, Conn., after vandals damaged and pilfered parts off of one. A USPS spokeswoman said the lanterns have been moved to an undisclosed location to discourage thieves from trying to track them down. The damage to the historic building did not end with the lantern. A brass … Read More
Downtown Columbia, MD may lose post office
Downtown Columbia, Maryland, may soon be without a post office. The Postal Service is having lease renewal issues again, this time with the Howard Hughes Corp., which owns the building. The Postal Service had a public meeting yesterday to discuss alternative locations. A spokesperson for the owner says the company would work with the USPS if they want to remain … Read More
Postal Service to revisit NEPA review on Stamford PO
According to a ruling issued today in the U.S. District Court, the Postal Service "has decided to revisit its NEPA review for the Atlantic Street Station." Apparently this means that the Postal Service will at least consider doing an environmental impact review of the impacts of its sale of the historic Stamford post office. The Court has issued a preliminary … Read More
San Diego Mission Valley post office to remain open
The Postal Service has reversed its decision to close the Mission Valley Postal Store in the Westfield Mission Valley mall in San Diego. The Postal Service blamed the closure on the expiration of the lease, but thanks to efforts by Mission Valley Planning Group member Josh Weiselberg and other elected officials, the Mission Valley Mall postal storefront will be saved. A November … Read More
Two historic post offices in Connecticut get gutted
When the Postal Service sold two historic post offices in Connecticut, there was probably a general sense that they would be protected by preservation laws. But over the past few weeks, the post offices in Fairfield and Greenwich have been totally gutted, and a good portion of the Fairfield exterior has been destroyed as well. About all that will … Read More
Appeals Court To Decide If Post Office Should Deliver To San Francisco SRO Tenants
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in San Francisco Tuesday over whether the U.S. Postal Service is required to deliver mail to tenants in single room occupancy (SRO) hotels. The outcome will impact tens of thousands of low-income tenants. Read more. (Also, an audio of the hearing is available here, and the City Attorney's press release is here.)
Getting the facts straight on the Redlands post office
Citizen Karlie Miller has been fighting to save the historic post office in Redlands, California, since last spring (as reported in this post from May). Unfortunately, she often finds herself not fighting just the post office. There are folks in town who want to buy the building and turn it into a museum, so she has to contend with them, … Read More
Milton Friedman and the US Postal Service
There's a great piece on Daily Kos dismantling an article by Milton Friedman about the postal monopoly. It takes Friedman to task for errors of omission and commission and everything else, and it gives a very interesting short history of the Pony Express and other chapters in the history of the post office. Read more.
Aripeka FL post office to reopen
The post office in Aripeka, Florida, closed in September for an emergency suspension over a lease issue. The elderly landlady, though a long-time promoter of the post office, wouldn't sign the stack of papers required for lease renewal. A local resident has come to the rescue by buying the building and negotiating a new lease with the Postal Service. The … Read More