Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service offers the following holiday mailing tips: Always use complete address information, including the apartment or suite number, correct abbreviations such as "N," "SW," "Ave.," and "Blvd.," and correct ZIP code. Local post offices and the Postal Service Web site offer ZIP code information. Always use a return address when mailing cards, letters or packages. Use filament tape for sealing packages for mailing; make sure that contents are well padded and the box is sturdy.

Mack Trucks Inc. announced Wednesday it has been awarded a contract to build 416 vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service, with all of the truck engines being built in the company's Hagerstown plant. Under the $29 million contract, the truck tractors, to be assembled at Mack plants in Macungie, Pa., and Winnsboro, S.C., are to be delivered to the Postal Service starting early next year. It was not known what impact the deal would have on the Hagerstown plant, said Mack spokesman John Mies.

By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer More space, more parking, more efficient carrier service and a store area with retail checkout counters are some of the features customers in the Northern Avenue area can expect when a new U.S. Post Office opens next year. The 21742 ZIP code area of Hagerstown currently is being served by the post office at 531 Northern Ave. The number of customers being served there has increased and the building is no longer big enough, David Bradshaw, manager of administrative services, said Thursday.

HAGERSTOWN - A recent decision by the U.S. Postal Service to remove 13 federal mailboxes from Hagerstown has caused a major inconvenience for some senior citizens. Mildred St. John, 81, said she used to find it easy to mail letters when one of the mailboxes was just a few yards away from her apartment near the intersection of East Avenue and Mulberry Street. But when the Postal Service recently removed the box, St. John, who cannot drive and wears a leg brace, said it became nearly impossible for her to send out mail.

HAGERSTOWN -- A recent decision by the U.S. Postal Service to remove 13 federal mailboxes from Hagerstown has caused a major inconvenience for some senior citizens. Mildred St. John, 81, said she used to find it easy to mail letters when one of the mailboxes was just a few yards away from her apartment near the intersection of East Avenue and Mulberry Street. But when the Postal Service recently removed the box, St. John, who cannot drive and wears a leg brace, said it became nearly impossible for her to send out mail.

Laura Jean Dayhoff and Jared John Myers were married Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, at the Suites at Silver Tree in Deep Creek Lake, Md. The bride is the daughter of Earla L. Sisk of Knoxville, Md, and William Eugene Dayhoff of Keedysville. She is a graduate of Boonsboro High School and Frostburg State University with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. She is employed as a community employment specialist at Turning Point. The bridegroom is the son of Brenda and John Myers of Williamsport.

Mail soon will be priced by shape, not weight, a change that will affect some area businesses more than others. May 14 is the effective date of the rate and fee changes for all classes of mail except periodicals, according to the U.S. Postal Service's Web Site at www.usps.com. Prices go into effect for periodicals, including magazines and newspapers sent through the mail, on July 15, according to the Web site. "We're moving away from a weight-based system to a size-based system ... This is to reflect that different shapes of mail have different handling costs," said Dave Partenheimer, a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson.

Alan Martin, a clerk at the Hagerstown branch of the U.S. Postal Service, withdrew Monday from the race for Washington County Register of Wills. Martin was forced to withdraw after learning that he is violating the Hatch Act, he said. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees and some state and local government employees from being candidates in partisan elections. The Register of Wills is a partisan race. Martin is a Republican. He would have been running against incumbent John R. Bloyer, a Democrat.

HAGERSTOWN - The latest round of price increases at the U.S. Postal Service doesn't sit well with John Grady. "It's baloney," he said Thursday as he left the Hagerstown branch on West Franklin Street. "How much more money do they need? Go back to the horses - the Pony Express. " Postal costs will rise May 12. A handful of other people interviewed Thursday at the post office weren't upset. Some said they wouldn't be affected much or at all and weren't concerned. The price of a first-class stamp for a 1-ounce letter will go up from 41 cents to 42 cents.