Results tagged “usps”

The U.S. Postal Service today released yet another revised list of possible branch closures, and one D.C. office has been trimmed. The Northeast branch, located at 1563 Maryland Ave. NE, will stay. In Maryland, two other branches were also spared: the Friendship Heights branch, and the Silver Spring Center branch. The total list is now at only 241 post offices still under review nationwide, down from almost 3,300 at the beginning of the process.

The District Department of Human Services isn't the only governmental organization hard up for cash these days, but at least the United States Postal Service is being a lot more upfront about matters. The USPS is still whittling down a sizable list of postal branches which could close as part of cost-cutting measures to attempt to reverse billions of dollars in deficits. There's a dozen local offices which could close, mapped above. (You can also check out the complete list here.) Postmaster General John E. Potter said that branches are unlikely to close before January. While losing a postal branch isn't particularly convenient, there's still one main post office required for every zip code, so it's not like you won't be able to find one somewhere along your daily travels -- and after all, all of this is just a prolouge to the big proposed cut: the elimination of Saturday delivery.

There's been a lot of hand-wringing on many a D.C. neighborhood blog this summer about the U.S. Postal Service's plans to shut down many of their branches in an effort to trim costs. Today the USPS announced that it has trimmed its list down to 413 retail offices nationwide, with nine of those located inside the District (that's down from 13 in the previous list of 677). These are the local post offices still in danger:

We just got an update from the USPS on additional postal service disruptions in the D.C. area on Inauguration Day. On top of the zip codes and retail post office locations we already told you about, the 20036 zip code will also experience partial or non-delivery, and the following post office locations will also be closed: 800 K Street NW and 437 L’Enfant Plaza SW. Remember also that there is no mail service on Monday, January 19, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Federal employees who work in the District of Columbia, Montgomery or Prince George's Counties in Maryland, Arlington or Fairfax Counties in Virginia, or the cities of Alexandria or Falls Church in Virginia, are entitled to take Inauguration Day, January 20, as a holiday. But what about the USPS? The quasi-governmental agency doesn't get to take the day off, but at the same time, Secret Service measures will prevent mail carriers from delivering mail in parts of the city. The Postal Service sent us a breakdown of how it's going to work:

The Postal Service will make every effort to provide retail and delivery service to customers on January 20; however, congestion and road closures in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area may prevent us from providing normal service. Blue collection boxes in the vicinity of Inauguration Day festivities may experience late or next day pick up if vehicular restrictions prohibit access and personnel are unable to retrieve mail from the receptacles.

Continue reading "How USPS Service Will Work on Inauguration Day"

It's a good year to be a last-minute tax filer in Washington. (As if there's ever a good time to send your hard-earned dollars to the government.) First there was Emancipation Day, now the District Office of Tax and Revenue is granting an automatic two-day extension for filling your D.C. income taxes. This short reprieve is in response to yesterday's wind and rain, which knocked out power around the area. Local tax forms are now...

Sadly, the video the url printed on the boxes points to is a pretty unsatisfying teaser hyping the release of the stamps (and make sure you add "www" to the beginning -- leaving it off leads to a dead link). Not that anyone has accused George Lucas of being behind anything remotely satisfying in the last, oh, ten years or so. But we can still appreciate the fun in having these mailboxes around town. Have you seen anymore?

Though the weekend is going to be absolutely-freaking-gorgeous, DCist can't help but feel a twinge of bitterness. First, we've got to run 22 miles tomorrow for our seemingly never-ending Marine Corps Marathon training. And then we don't even get Monday off! The gods are against us. Anyway, no reason everyone else shouldn't have some fun! Grumble ... FRIDAY: Beastie Boys bring their show to the Patriot Center. Need a ticket? Check craigslist. Lots of last-minute...