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• Senate mail service to resume on Monday

  April 19, 2013 3:13 PM

  WASHINGTON - Senate offices will begin receiving mail again on Monday, a few days after a Mississippi man was arrested on charges he sent letters containing ricin addressed to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator. Senate mail will temporarily be screened at a House mail sorting facility, but that... more »

• Post office hours for late minute tax returns

  April 15, 2013 2:07 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The post office located at 8181 Bluebonnet Blvd will offer curbside collection in front of the collections boxes from 5:00 pm to 12 midnight. Customers can go to this location to drop off returns to receive the April 15th postmark. This is the only location... more »

• Postal Service backs down on cutting Saturday mail

  April 10, 2013 10:31 AM

  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service says it will delay plans to cut Saturday mail delivery because Congress isn't allowing the change. The Postal Service said in February that it planned to cut back in August to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages, as a way to hold down losses.... more »

• Postal Service to cut Saturday mail to trim costs

  February 6, 2013 7:35 AM

  WASHINGTON - The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service says it plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays, but continue delivering packages six days a week. In an announcement scheduled for later Wednesday, the service is expected to say the cut, beginning in August, would mean a cost saving of about... more »

• Court says post office must do better by Gamefly

  January 11, 2013 12:16 PM

  WASHINGTON - A federal court says the U.S. Postal Service must come up with a better solution to its questionable pricing structure affecting Gamefly's video game DVDs and Netflix's movie DVDs. Gamefly must pay extra to mail its rental DVDs because they can be damaged by automatic mail sorting systems... more »

• Delivering mail in the rain Play Video

  January 10, 2013 6:15 PM

  BATON ROUGE- "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," reads the motto of the US Postal Service, a motto that came into play today as Troy Scott made his daily deliveries. "It's a normal day... more »

• School stumped by mail addressed to Indiana Jones

  December 17, 2012 12:32 PM

  CHICAGO - University of Chicago officials are puzzled by a mystery piece of mail seemingly linked to the Indiana Jones movie series. The Chicago Tribune reports that the university's admissions department received a package last week addressed to "Henry Walton Jones Jr." That's the main character's name in the popular... more »

• Counts add up against former Ouachita sheriff

  August 2, 2012 1:27 PM

  MONROE- Former Ouachita Parish Sheriff Royce Toney is now being charged with two counts of mail fraud in addition to 21 other charges that have been brought against him by federal prosecutors. The News-Star reports the new 23-count indictment claims Toney knowingly devised a scheme to obtain funds from his... more »

• Postal Service loses $3.2B in 2nd quarter

  May 10, 2012 11:22 AM

  WASHINGTON- The ailing U.S. Postal Service is reporting quarterly losses of $3.2 billion, brought on by declining mail volume and mounting costs for future retiree health benefits. From January to March, losses were $1 billion more than during the same period in 2010. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says the mail... more »

• Postal Service: Will keep rural post offices open

  May 9, 2012 11:23 AM

  WASHINGTON- The struggling U.S. Postal Service is trying to tamp down concern over its wide-scale cuts, saying it will seek to keep hundreds of rural post offices open with shorter hours. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe tells a news conference the new plan will save the mail agency half a billion... more »

• Tax deadline at midnight

  April 17, 2012 10:59 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The last minute rush is on to beat tonight's tax deadline. If you are planning to mail your taxes today, News two's Sarah Rosario gets answers on what you need to know to make sure you meet tonight's midnight deadline. Plus, find out where you can drop... more »

• Pro-Romney mailer tells voters wrong primary day

  March 13, 2012 11:02 AM

  BATON ROUGE- An independent group touting Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination has started sending out mailers to Louisiana voters in advance of the state's March 24 primary - but didn't quite the details right for advising voters. Restore Our Future, a super PAC helping to finance television ads,... more »

• Former abstinence director sentenced

  March 1, 2012 4:57 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's former director for the Governor's Program on Abstinence has been sentenced to six years in prison. 64-year-old Gail Ray Dignam was convicted last year on two counts of mail fraud. U.S. District Judge James J. Brady also ordered Dignam to pay restitution and to... more »

• USPS jobs coming to Baton Rouge

  February 23, 2012 11:06 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The U.S. Postal Service wants to close its mail-sorting center in New Orleans and move the operation to Baton Rouge. The Postal Service also proposes that the sorting of outgoing mail that is currently performed in Lafayette be shifted to Baton Rouge. Postal Service spokesman McKinney Boyd says... more »

• Amid financial crisis, Postal Service goes to Hill

  September 6, 2011 6:01 AM

  WASHINGTON- The postmaster general is going to Congress to discuss the Postal Service's mounting debt. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is among the witnesses scheduled to appear today before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The Postal Service is facing a second straight year of losses of $8... more »

• Post office looking to close offices to save money

  July 26, 2011 2:54 AM

  WASHINGTON- The Postal Service is launching a study of thousands of local post offices for possible closure in an effort to save money. The cash-strapped agency lost $8 billion last year. Postal officials have scheduled a briefing for Tuesday. Most of the approximately 3,600 offices that face reviews are in... more »

• Possibility of federal government shutdown hits home to Louisianians

  April 7, 2011 10:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE- If republicans and democrats don't reach a budget deal by Friday night, the government closes shop, and you're in the cross-hairs. It would be the first shutdown in 19 years. If the worst happens, the IRS will stop taking tax forms through the mail and will... more »

• GAO: Ending Saturday mail could save billions

  March 29, 2011 3:50 PM

  WASHINGTON - The U. S. Postal Service could save a substantial amount of money by reducing mail delivery to five days, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday. The post office, which lost $8.5 billion last year, has proposed eliminating Saturday delivery as one of several moves aimed at reducing... more »

• LSU switching to private campus mail vendor

  January 29, 2011 2:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Louisiana State University is switching from the U.S. Postal Service to a private vendor for on-campus mail services in a move that could increase student costs, university officials say. The plan also will shut down the school's copy and mail center. LSU opened the two bids... more »

• Former broker accused of swindling almost $1M from clients

  January 28, 2011 3:53 PM

  NEW ORLEANS – Federal authorities in New Orleans accused a former stock broker today of stealing almost a million dollars from his clients. Michael Wooton, 45, of Metairie was charged in federal court with mail fraud, according to U. S. Attorney Jim Letten. Prosecutors claim that starting in 2006, Wooton... more »

• Post office preparing for busiest day of the year

  December 17, 2010 12:48 PM

  WASHINGTON - The post office is bracing for its busiest day of the year on Monday. The agency's busiest day is traditionally the Monday before Christmas as people mail cards and packages they prepared over the weekend. Postal officials expect 800 million pieces of mail to be handled... more »

• Postal workers accused of tampering with mail

  December 6, 2010 4:00 PM

  BATON ROUGE – Four postal workers have been indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of tampering with the mail in their care. All four are accused of opening, delaying or detaining mail that was intended to be delivered. If convicted they could face a five-year prison sentence, a $250,000... more »

• Mail carrier pleads guilty to stealing drugs

  November 18, 2010 7:31 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A Covington man contracted to deliver U.S. Postal Service mail has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting to stealing a marked parcel that he believed contained 180 tablets of hydrocodone. Anthony Holcombe pleaded guilty in August to mail theft. Holcombe was sentenced to six months in... more »

• Postal Service losses lead to mail processing move

  November 14, 2010 12:02 PM

  LAKE CHARLES - Starting Monday, mail to and from Lake Charles will be processed in Lafayette. Postal Service spokesman McKinney Boyd tells The American-Press that nobody will lose jobs. He says workers will be asked to look at vacancies at other post offices nearby and in Lafayette. Boyd says Lafayette's... more »

• Al-Qaida group claims responsibility for mail bombs

  November 5, 2010 3:04 PM

  WASHINGTON - A Yemen-based al-Qaida group is claiming responsibility for the international mail bomb plot uncovered late last week and the crash of a United Parcel Service cargo plane in September. A week after authorities intercepted packages in Dubai and England that were bound for the U.S., Al-Qaida in the... more »

• Yemen: Woman arrested on suspicion of sending mail bombs

  October 30, 2010 1:12 PM

  Yemeni officials say a woman has been arrested on suspicion of sending the two mail bombs found yesterday on cargo planes in the United Arab Emirates and England. Yemen's president says the United States and the United Arab Emirates provided him with information that identified the woman as a... more »

• St. Gabriel mayor pleads not guilty in federal court

  September 30, 2010 5:05 PM

  The mayor of St. Gabriel pleaded not guilty in federal court today following a wide-ranging racketeering and corruption investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge unsealed an indictment against George Grace yesterday for 11 counts of racketeering, bribery and mail fraud, among other charges. The indictment alleged Grace took... more »

• Rate board denies Postal Service price hike plea

  September 30, 2010 11:44 AM

  The independent panel that oversees the U.S. Postal Service has denied the agency's request to increase the cost of mailing a letter by 2 cents - to 46 cents. The Postal Regulatory Commission announced its decision rejecting the requested price hike at a news conference Thursday. In July,... more »

• Pineville woman pleads guilty to mail fraud

  August 26, 2010 6:11 AM

  A Pineville woman has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a case that involved using someone else's identity to steal money by opening accounts at various banks and credit card companies. Lanetta Littleton faces up to five years in federal prison. The case involved... more »

• Woman pleads guilty to fraud in disaster aid case

  June 24, 2010 6:35 AM

  A 33-year-old Tickfaw woman has pleaded guilty to a one-count bill of information charging her with mail fraud linked to aid she received after the 2005 hurricanes. Shari Wheeler entered the plea and admitted to applying for American Red Cross aid 13 times getting $10,995. Wheeler faces up to 20... more »

• 7 postal workers charged in N.O.

  June 18, 2010 6:48 AM

  Seven postal workers have been charged in New Orleans with stealing or illegally discarding mail. The charges announced Thursday against the seven individuals are contained in four separate indictments handed up by federal grand juries. Mail theft charges were filed against 29-year-old Deshondra Simmons, of Houma; 37-year-old Tamara Bernard, of... more »

• 20K pieces of mail end up in carrier's Pa. Garage

  May 14, 2010 1:01 PM

  The United State Postal Service has recovered approximately 20,000 pieces of mail - some of them more than a decade old - from a Philadelphia postal carrier's garage. Special Agent Scott Balfour says it took three mail trucks to remove the letters. The carrier worked in the city's... more »

• Mail and profit still shrinking

  May 6, 2010 8:30 PM

  The amount of mail moved by the Postal Service is still on the decline and the amount of red ink is growing. The Postal Service had a net loss of $1.9 billion at the end of March, halfway through its fiscal year. The decline in mail is blamed on a... more »

• Census filings lower than 2000

  April 22, 2010 7:26 AM

  Less Louisiana residents have returned their 2010 census forms by mail. Only 62 percent have turned it in, a number lower than the 2000 census total of 65 percent. Officials say this week is the last week mailed back forms are processed. Residents who have not mailed back their census... more »

• Monroe woman pleads guilty in $175K theft

  March 16, 2010 5:16 AM

  A Monroe woman has pleaded guilty to selling about $175,000 worth of stolen merchandise over the Internet. Federal prosecutors say Stephanie R. Payne stole more than 11,000 items from a Monroe retailer between October and December 2009 and listed them for sale on eBay. Payne faces a maximum sentence of... more »

• US census forms arrive in the mail

  March 15, 2010 5:50 AM

  Census forms will begin arriving at more than 120 million U.S. households today. Government officials are urging cities and states to promote participation. The last time the country was counted, in 2000, about 72 percent of U.S. households returned their forms. more »

• Marrero man charged with assaulting postal worker

  March 12, 2010 5:18 AM

  A Louisiana man has been indicted on assault charges for allegedly robbing a mailman at gun point in Marrero. Federal prosecutors say Christopher Isaac stole about $50 in cash. The postal worker wasn't injured. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. more »

• Baton Rouge woman pleads guilty to mail fraud

  February 26, 2010 5:11 AM

  Federal prosecutors say a 26-year-old Baton Rouge woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding the American Red Cross during the catastrophic hurricane season in 2005. Shanda Moore pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to one count of mail fraud. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten says Moore submitted fraudulent applications for financial assistance... more »

• Hammond woman charged with fraud linked to Katrina

  February 25, 2010 5:35 AM

  A 24-year-old Hammond woman has been charged in a bill of information with mail fraud related to applications she made to the American Red Cross for help after Hurricane Katrina. The disaster relief agency provided up to $1,565 to those affected by the 2005 storm on a one-time only basis.... more »

• Ex-official charged with mail fraud

  February 19, 2010 7:09 AM

  A former director of the Louisiana Governor's Program on Abstinence has been charged with mail fraud in Baton Rouge federal court. Gail Ray Dignam of New Orleans served during the administrations of Gov. Mike Foster and Gov. Kathleen Blanco. Gov. Bobby Jindal replaced her. Dignam's indictment alleges she secretly directed... more »

• 'Dear Santa' letters no longer forwarded to North Pole

  November 19, 2009 10:13 AM

  Children who mail letters to the North Pole probably won't get a response from Santa or his helpers this year. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular effort begun in 1954 in the small town of North Pole, in Alaska's interior, where volunteers reply to around 150,000 letters addressed... more »