Topic: U.S. Postal Service

US Postal Service to close 140 mail processing centers

The US Postal Service will close 48 mail sorting facilities in August, and the rest will close next January and February, the Postmaster General announced Thursday. 

Smartphones: Postal service bans foreign shipments

Smartphones with lithium batteries will no longer be accepted for international shipment beginning Wednesday because of fire risks. Shipments of smartphones to US troops abroad will have to go via UPS or FedEx. 

US Postal Service will keep open rural routes

The Post Office blinked in the face of public opposition; rural post offices were scheduled to close as soon as May 15.

Senate staves off postal Armageddon with USPS reform bill

Postal bill averts 3,700 post-office closings for at least two years, but fails to address deeper, structural problems in how the postal service manages a vast operation, rivaled only by Wal-Mart in total employment.

Postal Service closings? System faces cash crunch. Again.

Postal Service closings could mean longer lines and possibly slower delivery if Congress doesn't move to alleviate the system's cash crunch. But the alternative to Postal Service closings would mean using tax money. 

Tax deadline: Why you get until April 17 this year to file your return

The tax deadline for filing 2011 federal income tax returns comes two days later than usual. For this, last-minute filers have President Lincoln to thank. 

Insider trading bill: A model to end gridlock on Congress?

The Senate passed jobs and insider-trading bills Thursday, hailing a moment of bipartisanship. But times when members of Congress get along are rare – and that isn't expected to change. 

Social Security benefits: How to prepare for the tax hit

Social Security income triggers big tax for newlyweds. How do you cope? See question No. 2 on Social Security and taxes in the reader mailbag. 

Valentine's Day: cost of romance rising for flower delivery, 4 other things

When you arrange for flower delivery or take a special someone out for dinner this Valentine's Day, it'll cost more than it did a year ago. That's the cold hard fact about a warmhearted and festive day, according official US inflation data.

But the rising cost may actually be a relatively small one: Those chocolate or flower prices haven't been rising at gas-pump-fast rates. Here's the official inflation tally of five common Valentine's Day activities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lance Armstrong rides on as doping allegations fall by wayside

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has always denied doping allegations. On Friday, US prosecutors said they couldn't make a case stick.

Lance Armstrong doping case closed

Lance Armstrong was gratified to learn that the investigation into his alleged doping has been closed.

Hot toys through the ages (VIDEO)

No one knows what turns a toy into a must-have phenomenon. Some years,something pops out of nowhere and is immediately snapped up. Other years are quiet (including 2011, retailers say). Here’s a look back at seven toys that became blockbusters in their day and left an imprint on American culture:

USPS to slow first class mail, close centers in Ga. and Ala.

The Postal Service's cuts would close 252 of the nation's 461 mail processing centers beginning next spring. They would result in the elimination of roughly 28,000 jobs.

Postal Service says cost-cutting will delay mail. How slow will it go?

The US Postal Service, facing billions in losses, proposes cuts to its processing facilities that will delay the delivery of stamped mail by one day. But the changes won't affect the busy holiday period.

Firefighters aided by easing winds in Reno fire

Authorities said that the worst was likely over as growing flurries and falling temperatures stoked hopes that the remaining showers of ember and ash would die down.

Reno fire expands to over 2,000 acres

Reno fire: a fire that has forced 9,500 people from their homes and closed 90 schools has expanded from 400 acres to over 2,000 acres.

Phew! Employers cut fewer jobs in October than expected.

Announced layoffs by governments and businesses, at 42,759, were the fewest since June, says a new report. That's a big improvement over September's 155,730 job losses.

Stamp prices go up one penny. Is it enough to save the Postal Service?

Stamp prices: The price of a first-class postage stamp will go up one penny to 45 cents next year, as the US Postal Service struggles to address its financial crisis.

Stamp prices: Up another penny in 2012

Stamp prices will rise from 44 cents to 45 cents for a one-ounce first-class letter. Rise in stamp prices takes effect Jan. 22.

How Netflix went wrong: Qwikster was good for company, not the customer.

Netflix pulled the plug Monday on its DVD rental spin-off division Qwikster. Creation of the division was supposed to help Netflix prepare for the cyberfuture, but the move just angered its customers.

US Postal Service seeks reprieve from Congress to avert 'default'

Congress must act by Sept. 30 or the US Postal Service, running out of funds, will default on a $5.5 billion payment for retiree health benefits, US Postmaster General Patrick Donahue said Tuesday.

Crunch time at Postal Service: Five questions about post office closings.

The US Postal Service may shutter as many as 3,700 post offices nationwide, to help close a $20 billion revenue shortfall between now and 2015. How'd the venerable USPS get into this position? Here's the answer to that question and four others concerning what's next for the Postal Service.

"Game of Thrones" scripts stolen?

Two scripts from the first season of HBO's "Game of Thrones" series have gone missing – and George R.R. Martin is not pleased.

The pawpaw's stamp of approval

A fan of the native fruit makes a postal proposal -- a stamp with the pawpaw on it.

Post office closures: What happens if a town has no post office?

The Postal Service announced Tuesday that it will consider closing more than 3,600 post offices. Does that mean people in small towns won't be able to send mail? Not necessarily.