USPS Is Temporarily Suspending Services in These States, Effective Now
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The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) peak mailing season is upon us. From November through January, we rely on the USPS more often than at any other time of the year, so it’s crucial for the agency’s operations to be running without interruption. Of course, that’s not always possible: Unexpected emergencies and circumstances can cause disruptions to Postal Service deliveries and facilities at any moment. Now, some postal customers in a few different states are finding that out. Read on to discover where the USPS is temporarily suspending services, effective now.
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The Postal Service can’t necessarily prevent disruptions, but the agency does its best to let customers know when these issues arise. Through its Service Alerts website , the USPS keeps us updated on whether our mail is being delivered regularly, and if our local post offices are open during normal hours.
“USPS service alerts have information for consumers, small businesses and business mailers about postal facility service disruptions caused by weather-related and other natural disasters, special events, or other changes impacting service,” the agency explains.
As of Nov. 5, this online tool is warning customers about new disruptions impacting operations in California, North Dakota, and Illinois.
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On Oct. 31, the USPS updated its Service Alerts website to warn residents in Aguanga, California, about a facility closure. According to the alert, the agency had temporarily closed the Aguanga Post Office because of the Highland Fire—which is a wildfire that broke out in the town, but has since been 100 percent contained, according to The Desert Sun .
As a result of the containment, it appears that the facility has already been reopened. In a Nov. 3 local press release , the USPS informed customers that it planned to lift its suspension the following day.
“The Aguanga Post Office located at 45600 Highway 79 will reopen and resume its normal operations on Saturday, Nov. 4,” the release stated.
But that’s not yet the case for the other two affected states.
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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A few days after the California closure, the Postal Service issued an alert about disruptions in Dodge, North Dakota. In a Nov. 3 update to the Service Alerts website, the USPS announced that “operations are temporarily suspended until further notice” at the Dodge Post Office.
The agency further elaborated on the closure in a separate local press release , explaining that the facility had been “temporarily closed due to water damage.”
“No mail has been damaged, and no timetable has yet to be established for the resumption of retail services,” the release stated. When Best Life reached out to the USPS about this closure, a spokesperson said that “no further information is available at this time, and no timetable has yet to be established for the resumption of retail services.”
For the time being, Dodge Post Office customers are being directed to pick up their mail, packages, and P.O. Box mail at the Halliday Post Office in Halliday, North Dakota. You can also conduct retail transactions at this facility.
“We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers,” the USPS added in its release.
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The USPS updated its Service Alerts website once more on Nov. 3 to warn Illinois customers about problems at a facility in the greater Chicago area. According to the alert, “retail operations are temporarily suspended” at the Auburn Park Post Office, located at 8345 S. Ashland Ave.
But it appears that only retail operations have been impacted at the Auburn Park Post Office. “The location is open for P.O. Box mail service,” the agency said in its alert.
If you need retail services during this time, the USPS is directing to customers to three nearby post offices: Ashburn Station, Englewood Station, and Ogden Park Station.
Best Life reached out to the USPS to find out why retail services have been suspended at the Auburn Park Post Office, and we will update this story with their response.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/welcome.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/ca/2023/1103-aguanga-post-office-to-reopen-on-saturday.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/nd/2023/1103-dodge-post-office-temporary-operations.htm
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
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Your mailbox serves a very simple purpose: receiving mail and leaving outgoing mail for a carrier to pick up. Still, some of us enjoy sprucing up our mailboxes, adding personal flair, color, or even decals to help an otherwise standard mailbox stand out. But if you notice a paw print sticker on your mailbox that you didn’t add, don’t start peeling it off just yet—it’s likely part of a program run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to help keep carriers safe. Read on to find out what these stickers mean and why you shouldn’t remove them.
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In 2023, more than 5,800 Postal Service workers were attacked by dogs while delivering mail, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to a USPS press release.
Larger cities had the highest numbers of attacks, with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland claiming the top five spots.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder . “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
To her point, the USPS writes that “all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive.” In fact, many of the attacks that letter carriers report are by dogs whose owners told them, “My dog won’t bite.”
Such an attack can result in consequences for the homeowner, too. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the USPS states.
“When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee,” they explain.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now .
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To combat dog bites, the Postal Service shared tips on how pet owners can “support safe mail delivery.” These include keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
“Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child,” they state.
Mail carriers also follow protocol to keep them aware of areas where dogs might be present, and they’re equipped with scanners to remind them of possible dog hazards, as well as dog warning cards that are added during mail sorting.
In 2020, the USPS added another preventive measure: the PAWS Program . First introduced in Pennsylvania, the program uses mailbox stickers to keep carriers safe.
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The PAWS Program uses color-coded stickers affixed to mailboxes to inform mail carriers about dogs in the area. An orange sticker with a black paw print tells carriers that there is a dog at this home, while a yellow sticker with a black paw print tells them there is a dog at the next house.
Citizens are informed ahead of time that the stickers may appear on their mailboxes. In a notice sent to Lakewood, Ohio, residents, the Postal Service wrote, “Carriers will soon be placing a paw sticker on mailboxes to indicate that a dog or dogs live in the area —yellow indicates dog nearby/orange indicates dog at residence. The sticker will act as a reminder to the carrier that they should proceed with caution, especially when delivering packages to the door.”
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Removing these stickers may do more harm than good, as your mail service can be halted if your carrier feels unsafe. Not only does this affect the home of the dog owner, but it also applies to the entire neighborhood, the USPS said in a previous press release . Service isn’t restored in these instances “until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.”
At the end of the day, these stickers are put in place to “reduce the risk of dog bites and attacks that occur while delivering mail,” which is just another reason you should leave the sticker on your mailbox.
“We all love our dogs,” Kimberly Tilley , acting postmaster for Winston-Salem, told WGHP. “We love our animals, but we … have to take responsibility to protect the carrier and the people around us as well from our animals.”
Tilley added that dog bites are more common than you think, and they can be traumatic for carriers. “Once a carrier has been bit, it sets some fear in them long term for the rest of their life,” she told the outlet.
However, although these stickers are strongly recommended, if you object to having a sticker placed on your mailbox, you can opt out , Kyle Stevens , Southwest Carrier Annex station manager in South Dakota, told KELO in 2021. To do so, the first step would be to contact your local post office.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/pa/2020/0612-dog-bite-awareness.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/mn/2021/0915-usps-launches-new-dog-paw-program.htm
USPS Just Announced Its Next Price Hike, and It’s Happening Soon
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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is in the midst of a major overhaul—and it’s not a short one. When Postmaster General Louis DeJoy took over three years ago, he vowed to pull the agency out of financial ruin and make it profitable again. In order to do so, DeJoy kickstarted his 10-year transformation plan called Delivering for America (DFA) in 2021, and has been steadily making regular changes to the USPS as part of the initiative. For customers, one of the most noticeable has been rising costs, and unfortunately, there’s another update on the horizon. Read on to discover more about the next USPS price hike.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail .
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Since the introduction of DFA, the USPS has continued to ramp up costs for customers. The price changes began in Aug. 2021, when the agency first raised the price of a Forever stamp from 55 to 58 cents. The cost then went up to 60 cents in July 2022, and then to 63 cents at the beginning of this year.
The most recent price hike hit over the summer: On July 9, the Postal Service increased the cost of the Forever stamp from 63 cents to 66 cents. And now, the USPS is preparing to raise that number again.
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The Postal Service is looking to push up mail costs again, in the fifth rate increase since the start of DFA. In an Oct. 6 press release , the agency announced that it had filed notice with the Postage Regulatory Commission (PRC) of its next proposed price hike. According to the release, the USPS is planning to raise mailing service product prices by approximately 2 percent.
“As inflationary pressures on operating expenses continue and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan,” the agency stated. “The prices of the Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world.”
RELATED: USPS Warns “Mail Service Could Be Halted”—Even If You’re Following the Rules .
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The USPS wants to implement its new price hike at the beginning of next year. If favorably approved by the PRC—as the agency’s last four increases were—the higher costs for customers would take effect starting Jan. 21, 2024.
“The new rates include a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 66 cents to 68 cents,” the Postal Service said in its release.
A stamp won’t be the only thing you’ll have to pay more for, however. The price changes also include the increase of metered 1-ounce letters from 63 cents to 64 cents; domestic postcards from 51 cents to 53 cents; international postcards from $1.50 to $1.55; and 1-ounce international letters from $1.50 to $1.55.
“There will be no change to the additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents,” the USPS stated in its release. “The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.”
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Don’t expect this to be the last time the cost of your mail goes up in the next few years. The USPS said it has been working to take a “more rational pricing approach” since the introduction of its DFA plan in order to correct “16 years of pricing policies misaligned with organizational needs.”
During a 2022 meeting with the USPS Board of Governors, DeJoy told members that customers should be prepared for the Postal Service to keep raising prices “at an uncomfortable rate” until the agency reaches a point where it is on track to be self-sufficient in the long term, Federal News Network reported at the time.
“I believe we have been severely damaged by at least 10 years of a defective pricing model, which cannot be satisfied by one or two annual price increases, especially in this inflationary environment,” the Postmaster General said.
According to the agency’s website , you should expect rate adjustments twice every year—once in January and again in July.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2021/0528-usps-proceeds-with-request-for-postal-rate-change.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0410-usps-files-notice-with-prc-for-new-mailing-services-pricing.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1006-usps-proposes-new-prices-for-2024.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/091521-new-market-dominant-price-adjustment-schedule.htm
