Daily News: September 22, 2022

A route through history

NY carrier’s daily stops include notable places
The Old Field Point Lighthouse is a particular favorite of David Dury on his route in East Setauket, NY.

East Setauket on New York’s Long Island Sound is not a town but a “census-designated place.” That doesn’t diminish its significance in the life of the nation, though.

The bucolic burg was founded in 1655 and is rich with history.

It was the site of a Revolutionary War battle and was a pivotal center in that war’s Culper spy ring. The Post Office there is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The old “Washington slept here” canard is actually true in East Setauket: He bunked overnight at Roe Tavern on April 22, 1790.

You would think that after 21 years delivering in the area, some of the charm might lose its appeal, but not for David Dury.

He feels thankful to work for USPS and in the picture-postcard hamlet.

One of his favorite places on the route is the Old Field Point Lighthouse, which dates to the 1820s.

“The whole town makes this a nice place to work,” he said. “Every day is a good day.”

Dury is one of several employees participating in “We Go Everywhere,” a USPS communications campaign that offers a front-row seat to some of the most beautiful and noteworthy places that letter carriers ply their trade.

“It was an honor to be chosen,” Dury said.

‘Virgin and Child’

Stamp showcases 16th-century painting
The stamp is based on “Virgin and Child,” a 16th-century painting.

The Postal Service will release a stamp featuring “Virgin and Child,” a 16th-century painting, on Sept. 22.

The painting was created by an unidentified Florentine artist known as the Master of the Scandicci Lamentation.

The image depicts the Virgin Mary gazing downward at the infant Christ, one of her arms holding him protectively at his waist, the other tenderly touching his arm. The Christ child turns his head to look out of the frame to the left.

The “Virgin and Child” painting is part of a collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Greg Breeding, a USPS art director, designed the stamp, which will be available at Post Offices and usps.com.

All is forgiven

Webinar on debt relief coming soon
The Sept. 28 webinar will address recent changes to a federal loan forgiveness program.

USPS and Penn State University will offer a webinar on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program on Sept. 28 at noon Eastern.

Representatives from the university’s Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center will discuss recent changes to the program, also known as PSLF.

The 45-minute session will also cover the four areas of eligibility for PSLF and address waivers to extend forgiveness to previously ineligible borrowers.

Postal Service employees must register on the webinar website.

Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees may only participate off the clock or during authorized breaks.

For more information, email the USPS Wellness team or go to the USPS Wellness LiteBlue page.

News Briefs

Scanning snapshot

Delivery data, sustainability award also highlighted
Central was the area leader in scanning during the week ending Sept. 16, while ME-NH-VT finished first among the districts.

Scanning snapshot. A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.96 percent during the week ending Sept. 16, down 0.04 percent from one week earlier.

The data was collected Sept. 21.

Central led the four areas with a rating of 97.20 percent, while Atlantic ranked last with a 96.75 percent rating.

Among the 50 districts, ME-NH-VT, part of Atlantic, ranked first with a 97.84 percent rating, while California 4, part of WestPac, ranked last with a 95.48 percent rating.

Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.

To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.

Delivery data. From July 1-Sept. 9, the Postal Service delivered 93.2 percent of First-Class Mail on time when compared with the organization’s service standard, according to data released last week.

During the same period, USPS delivered 94.6 percent of Marketing Mail and 87 percent of Periodicals on time, the figures show.

Employee recognition. The employees who recently had lunch with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy after receiving the top prize in the USPS Sustainability Excellence Awards competition have received a memento of the experience.

DeJoy has mailed each participant a signed group photo from the lunch to thank them for their work.

The employees were honored with the award after working together to shut down three contract routes and consolidate the loads onto other routes. Their effort removed 221,889 annual miles from the USPS network and saved the organization 34,000 gallons of diesel a year.

The USPS Sustainability Excellence Awards honor standout efforts to reduce the organization’s environmental footprint. The awards’ Blue page has more information.

Got news? Email your submissions to uspslink@usps.gov.