USPS Temporarily Suspending Services in These States, Effective Now
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Any disruption to your mail service is inconvenient, whether it’s a missing package or a delayed delivery. To deal with these issues, you might head to your local post office to speak with someone who can help solve the problem. But if you arrive and the post office is also closed, you’re left in a bit of a pickle. To give you a heads up, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) sends out regular service alerts that inform residents about disruptions—and the latest issues affect local post offices in three states. Read on to find out where the USPS is temporarily suspending services now.
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In a Sept. 18 Service Alert, the USPS confirmed that operations at the Woodlake Post Office —located at 5923 E. US Highway 287 in Texas—”are temporarily suspended due to safety concerns.”
In a press release from the same day, the Postal Service noted that the disruption at the Woodlake office affects retail operations.
“In an abundance of caution, and to ensure the safety of both postal customers and employees, the Postal Service is temporarily suspending retail operations at Woodlake Post Office,” the release reads. “Effective immediately, retail operations at the following Post Office are temporarily suspended until further notice. The Postal Service will provide additional information when normal operations resume.”
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Customers with P.O. Boxes at the Woodlake Post Office can pick up their mail at the Groveton Post Office, 147 E 2nd Street, in Groveton. Retail services are also being offered at this office for Woodlake residents.
“The U.S. Postal Service apologizes for any inconvenience these temporary suspensions may cause our customers,” the agency wrote.
When Best Life reached out to the Postal Service for more information, USPS spokesperson Carol L. Hunt said there is “no further information to provide at this time.”
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The Walla Walla Post Office , located at 128 N. 2nd Ave. in Washington, is temporarily closed as of yesterday, according to the Service Alerts page. The alert cites a “gas leak” as the reason for the closure, but didn’t provide additional information.
While the Walla Walla office is closed, customers are directed to visit the West Richland Post Office, at 401 W. Van Giesen St.
In response to Best Life ‘s request for comment, USPS spokesperson Kim Frum said there is no additional information at this time.
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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On Sept. 13, the Postal Service announced that the Orchard Mall Post Office, at 800 Pipestone Rd. in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was temporarily closed. As Best Life previously reported , the Postal Service issued a local press release on Sept. 8, letting residents know that the facility was temporarily closed as of Sept. 13.
The agency didn’t provide additional details about the closure, only noting that the decision was made “to ensure the safety of both postal customers and employees.”
In an email last week, USPS spokesperson Elizabeth Najduch said that no additional information was available. Best Life reached out again to inquire about a reopening date, and will update the story with the USPS’ response.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/texas.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/tx/2023/0918-usps-temporarily-adjusts-retail-operations-for-woodlake-po.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/washington.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.
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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.
