Podcasts about united states post office

Dave tells the harrowing story of his time working for the United States Post Office during the COVID-19 pandemic. He looks back on how the tyrannical management, torrential weather and relentless schedule led to chronic physical injury and, ultimately, starting his own business. Special shoutout to Sherman the Dog, Superman, and the special place in hell reserved for Amazon packages.www.directeditionpodcast.com

Most of us have probably read or heard some version of the postman's creed but according to the U.S. Postal Service, the organization has no official creed or motto. The United States Post Office was founded by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on June 26, 1775, at the start of the American Revolution but it was not until around 1914 when an architectural firm in New York City, popularized the motto when they inscribed the words “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor armed villains deterred this hardy courier” on the exterior walls of the New York City Post Office.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins discusses rural Missourians' issues with the United States Post Office. We also look at the State Auditor's report of inadequacies with the state property tax credits.

Today on the Jimmy Barrett Show:Jimmy riffs on the United States Postal Service

The Context of White Supremacy hosts the weekly summit on Neutralizing Workplace Racism 10/04/24. Tens of thousands of dockworkers in the US went on strike this week for better compensation and, importantly, prohibitions against automated technology. Some of the dockworkers took issue with even the use of automated gate at one of the shipping facilities. Apparently, automation or not, the US ports operate at one of the slowest rates in the known universe. Last week, a postal worker was attacked in a dispute over political paraphernalia for the coming presidential election. The United States Post Office made a warning about potential staffing and service problems as the November election nears. Again, Gus stringently encourages non-white people to avoid discussing politics while at work - even with other non-white people who who share your views. #HurricaneHelene #TheCOWS15Years INVEST in The COWS – http://paypal.me/TheCOWS Cash App: https://cash.app/$TheCOWS CALL IN NUMBER: 605.313.5164 CODE: 564943#

Neither rain, nor snow .................

Thanks for tuning in. The Drums and Rums podcast is coming back from a hiatus with a great guest who continues the legacy of the king of Latin percussion and its also his father, out guest is Tito Puente Jr.-  Tito's AWARDS and RECOGNITION He received five Grammy Awards during his lifetime, as well as a post hu mous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award -In 1984, he received an honorary Decree from the Los Angeles City Council.-In 1990, he received a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.[15]- In 1995, Puente received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award.[12]-In 1995, Puente was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.[13]-He guest-starred on several television shows, including Sesame Street and The Simpsons two-part episode "Who Shot Mr. Burns?". September 17, 1995-Puente performed at the closing ceremonies at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The timbales he used are displayed at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.-In 1997, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.[14]-In 1999, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.[17]-On May 19, 1999, he received an honorary Mus.D degree from Columbia University.[18][19]- On August 20, 2000, East 110th Street in Spanish Harlem was named 'Tito Puente Way'. -In 2004, An amphitheater was named after him at Luis Muñoz Marín Park, next to the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. -On June 5, 2005, Puente was honored by Union City, New Jersey with a star on the Walk of Fame at Union City's Celia Cruz Park.[16] -On September 10, 2007, a United States Post Office in Spanish Harlem was named after him at a ceremony presided over by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel and Rep. José Serrano. -In 2011, the US Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in his likeness as part of their Latin Legends series. [20] -On October 11, 2022, Puente was honored with a Google Doodle in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.[21]Tune in tomorrow for part 4 of celebrating the life and music of Tito Puente.Where we'll talk about the Musicians Influenced By himDon't forget to hit that like button and SubscribeDon't forget to LIKE this video and SUBSCRIBE to our channelHELP SUPPORT the podcast.https://www.patreon.com/drumsandrums/postshttps://cash.app/$drumsandrumsCHECK out  https://www.drumsandrums.com/FOLLOW us :https://www.instagram.com/drumsandrumhttps://www.facebook.com/drumsandrums/https://www.tiktok.com/@drumsandrumshttps://twitter.com/drumsandrumsDon't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel and FOLLOW US ON APPLE PODCASTS or where ever you listen to podcasts and don't forget to RATE us a 5 star and leave us a review. Support the show

U.S. Senator Tina Smith talks about legislation proposed by her, along with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig, to improve mail delivery by the United States Post Office.

U.S. Senator Tina Smith talks about legislation proposed by her, along with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig, to improve mail delivery by the United States Post Office. 

What's it really like to work in the United States Post Office?'Post Office' by Charles Bukowski is a fictional yet semi-autobiographical account of Henry Chinaski working as a mailman/clerk in the post office. His life sucks and gets increasingly worse as he deals with frustrating bureaucracy and seeks escape through sex, gambling and alcohol.Huge thanks to Ashley Glenday for supporting the podcast. Very much appreciated.Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(2:40) - Initial Impression(4:42) - Plot/Style(9:05) - Themes/Questions(17:54) - Author & Extras(19:59) - Summary(24:44) - Boostagram Lounge(28:10) - Value 4 ValueValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcastConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastSupport the show

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How the U S Post Office got to where it is today. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rocky-seale7/message

This week Dave and Nick have taken the oath for the United States Post Office and are taking on the role of Meredith Weiss, a successful career woman working as a software engineer in the bustling city who unexpectedly finds herself filling in for her father, who is the local mail carrier in Providence Oaks, as he takes a leave of absence. While navigating through nostalgia and introspection they must rebuild old relationships, start new ones and decide what their future will end up being. Will Dave forgive the developers for making a run feature that doesn't work? And will Nick ever feel remorse over crashing the "Goose"?Support the show at patreon.com/criticalarcade or criticalarcade.comEmail us at nick@criticalarcade.com and dave@criticalarcade.comThanks for listening and keep on gaming! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the Civil War, his movements from battlefield to battlefield were followed in the North and in the South nearly as closely as those of generals. He was Absalom Markland, special agent of the United States Post Office, and his work was crucial to morale in the US military. He was also an important player in strategy and intelligence work. General Grant thought he was absolutely crucial to the Union's victory. Listen to Candice Shy Hooper explain why he's our Man Crush Monday! Episode 518.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5455565/advertisement

This episode of Studio Bridge features a long time friend of Visual Arts Passage and The Illustration Academy. Sterling and John English talk life, share stories, and dig into what made Sterling the person and artist he is today. About Sterling Hundley (b. 1976), American. Sterling Hundley is a concept designer and illustrator based in Richmond, Virginia where he also serves as a Professor in the School of Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. From movies, posters, murals, exhibitions, installations, book covers to magazines, Hundley's diverse and distinct creative voice has garnered international acclaim through commissions from clients including NASA, Criterion Collection, The New Yorker, The Grammys, Folio Society, Abrams, Atlantic Monthly, The United States Post Office and the New York Times. Sterling's work has been recognized by The Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Graphis, The Museum of American Illustration, the Delaware Art Museum, Communication Arts Magazine, Print Magazine and many others. He is the recipient of numerous awards from the Society of Illustrators New York and the “Best Overall” and “Best Illustrated Book” awards from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London England. With personal work informed through the observation of time through context, Hundley continues to explore embedded experiences that yield deeply personal connections and observations. Looking to learn more about illustration and fine art? Check out our online classes at https://visualartspassage.com Sign up for our upcoming Fine Arts Painting mentorship, Skill & Style for Gallery Artists here: https://visualartspassage.com/fine-arts/skill-and-style-for-gallery-art/ Learn more about our Art Mentorships Illustration Mentorship Track: https://visualartspassage.com/illustration/ Fine Arts Mentorship Track: https://visualartspassage.com/fine-arts Character Design Mentorship Track: https://visualartspassage.com/character-design/

In the 1870s and 80s the nation was embroiled in a sensational scandal. Corrupt politicians, post office officials and others conspired to defraud the United States Post Office out of millions of dollars. It was only under the watchful eye of newly elected President James Garfield that an in-depth investigation began.My guest is Shawn Francis Peters, author of "When Bad Men Combine: The Star Route Scandal and the Twilight of Gilded Age Politics." He not only explains the graft and its consequences, but also shares his thoughts about the theory that Garfield's assassination was in fact connected to the scandal.More about the book here: https://lsupress.org/books/detail/when-bad-men-combine/If you haven't done so already, listen to my prior conversation with Shawn about Gilded-Age murderer Harry Hayward at Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold.

The Pioneer Store was built by Mr. James Dalglish in 1880. He had come to the southwest from eastern Canada to improve his failing health. He built the large, log building of hand-hewn Ponderosa Pine logs harvested from the mountain forests to the west of present day Chloride. By late 1880, the building was completed and The Pioneer Store opened for business. Mr. Dalglish operated it throughout the Silver Boom years of 1880 through 1897, carrying all the goods needed for the miners and their families. The store stocked all manner of household goods, including food for residents and their animals, clothes for the entire family, mining equipment and tools, and ranch equipment and supplies. Wagons, buggies, and other large items could be ordered, as well as such specialty items as brides' trousseaus. A United States Post Office was established in the front part of the store building in 1881, and a newspaper, The Black Range, began publishing weekly from the upstairs rooms in 1882. The large safe in the store building served as a local Bank for the remote mining operators and for the scattered ranches. It also served as a ‘Pawn Shop', as records show “--- $2.00 loaned on watch in the safe." When the Silver Boom ended in 1896, Mr. Dalglish leased the building to others who continued its operation until 1908. At that time, the building and its contents were purchased by the U.S. Treasury Mining Company. That company soon became the property of the James Family, who had arrived in Chloride in 1882. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loren-alberts/message

Join Maddy as we learn all about the United States Post Office, play a fun game of Will It Float, and hear the story of Gamble Rogers!  Everyone is welcome at the Clubhouse!   

President of Russia Vladimir Poontang has a new used car lot!The sweet Jackson Sisters make a surprise stop in!My UFC predictions are WAAAAAYYYYYY off the mark!Tom Brady WILL be Fox Network's next whore!Kurt Russell was once a whore and I have the evidence!Jackie Chan is a potentially dangerous whore! I'll explain!Public Schools, United States Post Office & even the IRS is under direct attack from the right wing radicalized extremists! I'll tell you why they're trying to end ALL OF THESE AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS! They don't want America anymore!Darth Vader stops in to warn us about Jackie Chan!DEAR JOKEMAN 1st Edition!

In this Weeks TechtalkRadio Show Andy talks with Justin about the early computers they had and how far the technology of personal computers has come along. Andy tells us about a repair on the Dell 7779 Inspiron which had him frustrated at all the steps just to replace the keyboard. After the complete overhaul, Andy ran into Bitlocker which was enabled however the owner of the laptop did not have the recovery key. A few changes in the Bios enabled this to be bypassed but it was on pins and needles to get to that point. Justin tells us about a problem with his Pixel Watch and a crack that appeared on it and the problems he ran into getting it fixed, it can't be! Luckily, he purchased with American Express, Justin tells us why! Rick leaves us a comment on our Facebook Page about getting a Secret Labs chair after Justin had mentioned it and how Rick feels about it. Friend of the Show Mitch Goldstone of ScanMyPhotos.com talks with Andy about preserving photos and film and how they can turn around scanning in one day in most instances with one day scanning and how they provide the expert touch on Slide Carousels and Super 8MM film which digitizes individuals frames. Mitch also shares a warning for those with VHS tapes and another reason they should be preserved. Mitch was able to attend CES2023 and tells us about the show including what the United States Post Office is doing to energize Postage Stamps. Andy talks with Dijam Panigrahi, Co-Founder of AR/VR GridRaster on the hopes that Apple was going to be more involved in AR/VR. The discussion on Augmented Reality focuses on how companies will employ this technology in the future and where the industry is now. GridRaster works to develop the solutions for companies large and small and Dijam tells us about the importance in design. What is the biggest challenges facing further Development of AR/VR is discussed. Justin takes a Quiz from Andy's latest game he is playing on Mobile, Trivia Star which Justin nails. Justin tells us about the Website earthclock.cwandt Connect with Us on social media! Facebook @techtalkers YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/techtalkradio Twitter @TechtalkRadio Instagram techtalkradio Web: TechtalkRadio.Com Subscribe and Like on Spreaker! Spotify, YouTube, Audacy, iHeart and Apple Podcast

Join me as I sit down with Erin Wall Born in New York unto a military family, Erin spent the last 28 years navigating this crazy world. Though there were unexpected trials and tribulations, Erin feels as though it has been, and continues to be, a good life. Erin joined the Navy after graduation, which began a whirlwind of consequences that forever changed her. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Business from San Diego Christian College, as well as a Master's in Project Management from Grantham University. While going to classes at Grantham, Erin began writing a book to aid in her recovery from mental and physical struggles. Erin also wrote it to help others who have fought the same battles. Erin also found love, comfort, and discovered a path to success thanks to the story told in this book. Erin currently resides in Tennessee, and has received a great job offer from The United States Post Office. She is excited to start a new career, as well as continue her journey of self-discovery. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elizabeth040/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/elizabeth040/support

One of the oldest federal institutions in the country, the Post Office is as American as apple pie. Originally intended as a method to ensure communication between the colonies and Britain, the post office has evolved and expanded right along with the nation itself. So this week I am diving into the history of the post office. When was it started? How was it changed over the years? And is it something we still need?For source material, transcripts and information on how you can support the show, visit the website at www.civicsandcoffee.com. Support the show

The Future of Print: From Physical to Digital XMPie Podcast Conference Session 4 Mike Scrutton, Director of Print Technology and Strategy at Adobe, Robert Mothershead, Senior Analyst of Marketing Strategy and Technologies at the United States Postal Service, and Scott Houck, Director of Business Development for CXM Initiatives at XMPie, join Deborah Corn to discuss how to deliver meaningful direct mail, the steadfast relevance of physical print in a digital world, and how each organization is helping to promote these avenues for their customers.  Download the Transcript for this Session Mentioned in Today's Episode: XMPie: https://www.xmpie.com/ https://youtu.be/qscI4cE88MA https://www.xmpie.com/personaleffect-v11-3-the-direct-mail-edition/ https://www.xmpie.com/adding-triggered-direct-mail-to-your-omnichannel-campaign/ https://www.xmpie.com/university-of-idaho-doubles-email-open-rates-by-adding-personalized-videos/ https://www.xmpie.com/modern-vdp-what-why-how-and-whats-next/ Mike Scrutton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-scrutton/ Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/ Robert Mothershead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertmothershead/ United States Post Office: https://www.usps.com/ Scott Houck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthouck/ Deborah Corn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahcorn/  Print Media Centr: https://printmediacentr.com Project Peacock: https://ProjectPeacock.TV Girls Who Print: https://girlswhoprint.net

Episode 136 – Interview with Erin Wall, Author of Finding Success After FailureErin Wall currently resides in Tennessee, and just started a great job with the United States Post Office. Born in New York to a military family, she has spent the last 28 years navigating this crazy world. Though there were unexpected trials and tribulations, it has been and continues to be, a good life for her. After high school, she joined the Navy, and that began a whirlwind of consequences that forever changed her. When I was twenty-three, she made a mistake and took some acid. This sent her into a fourteen-hour agonizing acid trip. After coming off this trip things were good for a few days but then she left for Officer Candidate School in the Navy, but while at OCS her brain started showing signs of psychosis.The psychosis brought about a disconnection from reality. Erin was very scared and hallucinating, seeing/hearing scary things, and trying to get through the ordeal.After leaving the Navy and going home, things got progressively worse and she spent two months in and out of a psyche ward. She then learned she was bipolar and had tochange a bit about how she lived in order to deal with this diagnosis.October 31st, 2022 was her 5-year anniversary of when she left the hospital. Erin is quick to credit God, her family, her friends, and herself for five years of success in recovery.While going to classes at Grantham University, pursuing a Masters Degree in Project Management, Erin began writing her book to aid in her recovery from mental and physical struggles. But she now knows that the book was written to help others who have fought the same battles or are fighting them today. Erin touts finding love, comfort, and success because she was bold enough to share her story in her recently released book.Find her book:“Finding Success After Failure: How Psychosis Made Me and Did Not Break Me”here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-success-after-failure-erin-wall/1142495202 Kindle or Paperback:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHXKGH8S?ref=KC_GS_GB_US Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wallerinm TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@erin_findingsuccess?lang=en acourageousrecovery.com

On this midweek show, Crystal chats with Julie Anderson about her campaign for Washington Secretary of State - why she decided to run, how partisanship affects the office, and the experience she brings to manage the Secretary of State's broad portfolio. With regard to managing elections, they discuss her plans to increase voter turnout, her stance and approach to local jurisdictions potentially adopting alternative systems such as ranked choice voting, and how to handle misinformation that creates mistrust in our elections. Crystal then gives Julie an opportunity to respond to the many attacks from her detractors before switching gears to dig into her thoughts on managing the state archives - both preserving historical records and ensuring that the Public Records Act is administered efficiently and effectively. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com.  Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Julie Anderson at @nonpartisansos.   Resources Campaign Website - Julie Anderson   Transcript   [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Well, I am very excited to be welcoming to the show - Julie Anderson, who is a candidate for Secretary of State, which is one of the most important and consequential offices in the state and going to be up for election on your November ballot. Welcome, Julie. [00:00:55] Julie Anderson: Thank you, Crystal - and thanks for acknowledging that the Secretary of State's office is really important. It's nice to meet somebody who's excited about picking leadership for the important office. That's - thank you. [00:01:07] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. So what made you decide to run for Secretary of State? [00:01:12] Julie Anderson: Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to do this in 2022 - but definitely the importance of the office. I'm one of the end users of the office - the Secretary of State is my authorizing agency and leader for elections on the county level and also for document recording - so it's an important office to me and I know it's important to the other 38 counties as well. So when Kim picked up and left, I jumped right in. And I was also inspired to do it because I wanted, I saw this as an opportunity to make a shift in the office and run as a Nonpartisan and to hopefully create a little bit of an air bubble in the office and normalize the idea of hiring professional election administrators who aren't associated with the political party. So that's why I'm running. [00:02:10] Crystal Fincher: And that has been a difference this cycle that we've seen - just that people are not familiar with. This office has been held by a Republican for several years, the only statewide office that was previously held by a Republican. With the appointment of former Senator Hobbs to now being Secretary Hobbs, which - a lot of people were advocating for your appointment in that seat, citing your experience for that - but he is there and a Democrat. But you have decided to run as an Independent. Why do you think being Independent is so important to the office? And do you think that we've suffered from having it be a partisan office in the past? [00:02:53] Julie Anderson: One quick thing - I'm making a real point of calling myself Nonpartisan rather than Independent - because as you've noticed in Chris Vance's race, he calls himself an Independent and he has designs on creating an independent third party. I have no designs on creating a group or a party and - I don't have a group - so I am literally nonpartisan. Have we suffered by having partisans in that office before? I think that we've been really lucky with Sam Reed and Kim Wyman taking the job very seriously and performing the job in a nonpartisan fashion. I do think, however, that their party affiliation dragged some unnecessary drama into the office and made their work more difficult. It is a political office and so the opposing team is always looking for a way to knock you off at the end of your term, and is always positioning to put their best candidate forward doing that. So there's always a little jockeying around depriving the incumbent of oxygen and victories so that they're less credible whenever they run for re-election. And then in the electorate, there is also skepticism because we live in an increasingly hyper-polarized political environment, people are just naturally suspicious of somebody that holds a political party that they don't belong to. So those are two reasons why I think that partisanship in this job does not help or add value to the work. And I don't think that having a party affiliation does add value to the policy work or the operations of the office. [00:04:38] Crystal Fincher: Now you have talked a lot about the experience that you bring to this office should you be elected. Can you talk about what your experience has been as Pierce County Auditor and how you feel it's going to be beneficial as Secretary of State? [00:04:51] Julie Anderson: Sure. So for over 12 years - 13 in November - I've been the nonpartisan county auditor for Pierce County, which is our state's second largest county. Which means I've conducted hundreds of elections in Washington State and have also presided over a recording document program - making recording documents, preserving them, and making them accessible to the public - and then also business registry and licensing. So with that experience, I'm familiar from the bottom up with Washington State's votewa.gov election management system because my team was part of, really, building it along with other lead counties and obviously the Secretary of State's office. I sat on the Executive Steering Committee while that was under development and when it launched and went live in 2019. So having that background, I think helps, puts me in a position to better help the county auditors and the election administrators using that system. It also helps me to design and implement policy proposals for the Legislature to consider since I know how the system works. And it also puts me in a position for visioning how to modernize the office, what the needs are to go the next step, and where the gaps are. And when we're talking about elections - where the gaps are specifically - we don't have a lot of residual gains left to make in Washington State, but the ones that we do need to make are going to be the most difficult and challenging. And I think that's where experience matters. [00:06:33] Crystal Fincher: It absolutely matters - and it matters for more than just the elections too. The elections are certainly the most visible part of what the Secretary of State does, but it has such a broad portfolio of responsibilities. And just recapping those briefly for people who may be unfamiliar. In addition to supervising local elections, filing and verifying initiatives and referenda, and distributing the Voters' Pamphlets - also responsible for registering private corporations, limited partnerships and trademarks; registering individuals and organizations, and commercial fundraisers involved in charitable solicitations; administering the state's Address Confidentiality program, which is critically important for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking - so very important too, public safety really - collecting and preserving the historical records of the state and making those records available for research; coordinating implementation of the state's records management laws, which are constantly in the news for one reason or another; affixing the state's seal; regulating use of the seal; filing and attesting to official acts of the governor; certifying what the Legislature does; and sometimes even called upon to represent the state in international trade and cultural missions and greeting dignitaries. There's so much under that umbrella, each of which seems like it could potentially be its own office really, but so broad. How has your experience as an auditor helped to prepare you for the full portfolio of what you're going to be managing if you're elected to be Secretary of State? [00:08:07] Julie Anderson: I would say it's auditor plus my whole professional portfolio. So I come with public and nonprofit leadership experience in human services, criminal justice, and economic development. I was notably the Executive Director of the YWCA in Tacoma-Pierce County, so that speaks to the sensitivity and understanding of the Address Confidentiality Program, and I can tell you how I would apply that to expand that program. And then in economic development, I was a Senior Policy Advisor for the State Department of Commerce, where my portfolio included workforce development and developing a green economy and also innovation zones. But that body of work in the public and nonprofit sector means that I'm really tuned into the importance of community, and the unique conditions in community, and understanding that I have to have a partnership in community to do any of those things well. A top-down management model or staying isolated in that executive position is not going to make the organization better or better connected with the citizens and residents of Washington. And we don't just serve citizens, we serve the residents of Washington State. So I think that my community connections and my work on the 2020 census, for example, I have some great ideas about how to engage community in each of those programs, whether it's talking about voter turnout, access for people living with disabilities, or how we are talking about curating the heritage and history of Washington State to make sure that we don't disappear people and cultures and make sure that we're doing culturally relevant screening of our collection and portfolio and working in partnership with community to do that. [00:10:04] Crystal Fincher: So now you mentioned voter engagement and turnout - you've talked on a few occasions about efforts to increase voter registration, and increasing voter registration is not necessarily consistent with increasing voter turnout. What do you propose to do to increase voter turnout, to increase the amount of people who are participating in our government and democracy, making their voices heard? And how are you going to go about that? [00:10:32] Julie Anderson: Well, it's my belief that election administrators are facilitators, not catalysts. And looping back to community, I'm going to leverage community a lot. For example, I think you have to pay attention, first of all, to data and trends. We know that the four-year election cycle has really unique peaks and valleys that are pretty darn predictable. In a presidential election cycle, we probably don't need a lot of help with getting the word out. But in these off-year elections and in local elections, we need a tremendous amount of help because that's when voter turnout is the lowest. One of the things that I would propose doing is partnering with local government and with schools to focus on municipal elections and pooling resources and having - the Secretary of State can certainly provide materials and infrastructure, but the execution of how that gets delivered in a community is going to be unique in every community. But I can see municipalities all focusing their energy on a one-week period where we're getting voters prepared to vote, getting them to develop a plan, and helping them if they need reminding about what their local government does for them and with them. And then partnering with schools in that same one-week period where you're doing some education in schools about local government and then challenging kids to go home and talk to their parents about the election, so they can have a dinner table, a kitchen table conversation about it. So there's concentrated energy in just one week, it's hyper-localized - because strategies that are going to work in Asotin County is going to be completely different than King County - and locals know best. So I see myself as being a facilitator and having local communities tell the Secretary of State how I can help. But at least laying out a plan and applying some leadership to get everybody pulling in one direction, concentrating on one week, I think would be helpful. You have probably visited my website and you also know that I plan a VOICE Program, which is Voter Outreach and Innovative Civic Engagement, where I'd be replicating some really successful strategies from the 2020 Census, pooling philanthropic dollars with government dollars, and then having a very low-barrier granting program where communities can propose their own voter outreach and engagement programs. And again, I can't wait to see how creative people are, and it's going to get very - we're going to get some very niche products, but yeah. So those are a couple of ideas, but I would say that the first thing is really paying attention to the data, not just the trends that I talked about - which elections have low turnout and don't - but also geography. One of the great things about the Washington State Voting Rights Act that has been proposed - we already have a Voting Rights Act, but what I think of as Phase 2 that's been proposed - is it came with money and authority for the University of Washington to hold data and they're going to be getting electoral inputs, like candidate filing, rates of voter registration, rates of ballot return, and combining that with demographic data. And doing basically heat mapping and analysis so that we can also look at geographic areas and populations that have low voter turnout or low levels of engagement. So let's pay attention to the trends, let's pay attention to what that Washington State Voting Rights Act data tells us, and start developing strategies in response to that. [00:14:28] Crystal Fincher: That makes sense, and the ideas that you have - especially that one week, I'd love to see that implemented - that would be exciting. There are also efforts to increase turnout through some structural changes to the ways that we vote, and there are changes that are on the ballot in several jurisdictions right now in our state, including ranked choice voting, approval voting, a number of different things. Are you in favor of ranked choice voting, approval voting, some of these changes? Do you support those? [00:14:55] Julie Anderson: I support the local option bill for ranked choice voting that has been kicking around in the Legislature for about six years now, and I look forward to supporting local jurisdictions that want to adopt ranked choice voting. I think it is head and shoulders the leader in electoral reform proposals, and it seems to be particularly popular among young voters - and Gen Xers and Millennials are going to be the biggest share of the voting population by 2028 - if we're talking about increasing voter turnout, we've also got to look at youth and really change the way we talk with youth - not talk at them, and not using government channels. I look forward to harnessing some of that young adult leadership and having them tell us the best ways to engage with young voters, and one of the things that they're saying is ranked choice voting. There's a lot of disenchantment with our primary system, and I think that they're really looking for alternatives and wanting untraditional candidates and maybe minority party candidates to have a fighting chance in the primary. So I think they're excited about that, and if your community decides to take it on, I'm ready to support. There's a load of work to be done to make ranked choice voting successful, and there's a lot of rulemaking that falls on the Secretary of State, so one of the first things I'm going to do is gather together a cohort of communities that are seriously talking about this and start working on the rulemaking so that we have a chance of having some standardization as this rolls out. [00:16:32] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely, and one component of that that I think is particularly important - I'm wondering what your perspective is on it - is the voter education component. Whenever there is a change - we struggle with our existing system to make sure everyone understands how to make sure that everyone understands how to vote, and even something like - hey, remember to sign the ballot - still slips through the cracks for a lot of people. Several things can seem very intuitive, but maybe not actually be for everyone for a lot of different reasons. When we're making a major change, the importance of education is that much greater. How do you propose, when there are changes, to make sure that we do have an adequate amount of voter education in all of our communities across the state so that people aren't intimidated or disenfranchised by the change? [00:17:23] Julie Anderson: First, taking a clue with other states that have been doing this a while - I've been through several webinars and in-person visits with jurisdictions that do it. But instead of just copying what somebody else does, I want to do usability testing. Assume nothing. Let's get that cohort together, let's get stakeholders and end users together. Do mock ballots, do mock voter instructions. And actually test it through scientific usability testing and find out where the errors are going to be made and what we can do to change it. And that includes - ranked choice voting ballots that may need to be translated for people that don't speak English well, or different types of ranked choice voting - that's the other thing that's not well understood is - the local option doesn't force you to combine a primary and a general election and just have one election. It's an option. It also leaves open the opportunity for applying a ranked choice voting ballot and using proportional representation elections. There's all sorts of different ways that a ranked choice voting ballot can be applied depending on what the jurisdiction is trying to achieve. We need to do usability testing in all of those forms. [00:18:44] Crystal Fincher: Looking at that and the coordination that's necessary for that, your opponent has talked about - hey, there's a lot of misinformation and disinformation out in the current environment. Now's not the time to make changes, we're experiencing enough of a crisis with trust from some people in our current systems - it's going to require a lot of education, may disenfranchise people. Do you think that's reason enough to not move forward with things that could potentially increase turnout or help better represent communities? [00:19:17] Julie Anderson: Name a reform that didn't have opposition. Name a reform that didn't have barriers and reasons not to do it. Reform is hard in the beginning, and I think we need to have more confidence than that. We need to approach it carefully. We need to do that usability testing. We need to do lots of voter education. Tactically, one of the things that I would like to do - you've noticed on my website, one of the things I propose with transparency is - I want to find a secure way to have voted ballots and cast vote records visible to the public. Other states do it. There is a way to do it. We may need legislation - because paramount is preserving voter privacy, right? That goes without saying. We absolutely can't do it if we can't guarantee voter privacy. But if there is a way that we can, and I believe that there is, and if we can get rules made by the Secretary or legislative fixes, then making those available is really going to help demystify people who don't trust a ranked choice voting ballot and the algorithm that gets used to reallocate votes. If we can make cast vote records public, there is open source software available where they can run the records themselves and retest the vote allocation if they want to. So, I want to look at things like that not only because there is a lot of public interest in auditing elections, but because it also is an enabling feature to making ranked choice voting more understandable and independently auditable. And there is some really neat communication tools that other jurisdictions have used in terms of color coding the reallocation of votes between each round, and they've gotten good results. [00:21:13] Crystal Fincher: And the issue of trust overall is one that you will have to contend with. [00:21:17] Julie Anderson: Always. [00:21:17] Crystal Fincher: We are dealing with an environment where there is certainly disinformation and people who are just spreading information that is false, whether it's denial of the 2020 election federally, or in our state and local elections, who question the security of vote by mail, of ballot dropboxes, of a variety of things that we have implemented successfully. And what they cite about them is false. That's a bad faith effort. But because of that bad faith effort, there are a lot of people who genuinely believe that there are problems - from all sorts of backgrounds, for all sorts of reasons. So how, in this environment where there is disinformation, do you help increase trust in our voting systems and our electoral system with people who frankly just don't have faith in it currently? [00:22:13] Julie Anderson: First of all, not acting defensively, and not acting aggressively, and having a nonpartisan message. The best thing that we can do to maintain and increase confidence is to keep doing what we're doing, which is running error-free elections that are auditable and serve the people. We can do some minor things that I've suggested on my website for transparency. We can do additional risk-limiting audits. Doing a statewide risk-limiting audit, I think, is a good idea. We currently have audits in counties that are called by the political parties, but they're not statistically valid batches of ballots that are being hand counted, and every county is counting a different race. To the Loren Culps of the world, who are just mystified by how the top-of-the-ticket candidate could lose, while the down-ballot candidates prevail, a statewide risk-limiting audit would be really helpful. And by the way, I would be proposing this as a best practice, even if we weren't currently getting pushback from candidates and parties. But to loop back to your question about confidence. Crystal, this is where I think that the nonpartisanship really helps. There's a good study out there that shows that you can, by double digits, move - and this is a phrase I do not like to use, but for shorthand's sake, let's say an election denier, somebody that really believes that the 2020 election was stolen. Even among that group, you can move them by double digits into the confidence tally by simply talking about the due process and the ability to challenge an election. Instead of acting aggressively and defensively about the accusation that it's stolen, just calmly educate them and inform them how elections can be challenged, the due process, how they can challenge individual voter registrations, and repeat how interested we are in any evidence that they have, and that we don't even need them to go to court for them to present us with evidence. I'm still waiting in Pierce County to get some of that canvassing work that the communities say - the door-to-door stuff that they're doing. They're not doing it in Pierce County, but I'm waiting for that because we can sit down and walk through the data with them. And almost always, it's a misconception of - either they're missing pieces that they don't know, or they're misinterpreting the data - and we can walk through it. And occasionally, I would expect to find a correct case. Occasionally, I would expect them to find, among 4.7 million voters and voter registrations, an error in a voter registration record - and we want to know about it and need help fixing it. [00:25:30] Crystal Fincher: Now, you talk about it - that seems reasonable, that is encouraging data and research, and there's certainly a lot that we can talk to people about with that. And it does seem like not being a partisan may be helpful in explaining that - the trust and faith that people have there. But you've been under attack from the Chair of the Democratic Party over this past week. It looks like saying that - oh, no, no, no, Julie Anderson is a partisan, she is a Republican, has a - I will read it and allow you to respond. I see - testified against bills expanding voter accessibility, against election officials promoting voter outreach and education, office sent flawed ballots, takes no position on campaign finance laws, accountable to no one, have talked about having a consultant and campaign staff or consultants who are Republicans and have supported Republicans. Now, I will say - there are quite a few Democrats that I saw question this and say - especially from Pierce County - saying, well, we've regularly seen Julie Anderson in Democratic events also. But some people countered with - well, now we're looking at her with JT Wilcox. I guess starting with the partisanship, and now you're actually associated with Republicans - and I think Rob McKenna has notably talked about endorsing and supporting you - you have been at those events. Can people credibly see you as a Nonpartisan when they see these associations and these endorsements? [00:27:16] Julie Anderson: Sure. I'm a Nonpartisan because I don't belong to any political party, which is different than not talking to anybody. I am not soliciting or accepting any endorsements from any political party, and I'm also not soliciting or accepting any money. But I regularly ask to be introduced. I try to break into legislative meetings and PCO meetings of both parties. Sometimes they'll let me in to introduce myself, sometimes they won't. I asked JT Wilcox if I could crash his salmon bake because I wanted to meet Republicans, and he said yes. And I'm sure that he got a rash of - from his supporters - for having me there. But just not belonging to a party doesn't mean that I don't talk with people, and I think that's important for the Secretary of State to do. One of the critiques is that I'm accountable to no one - I'm accountable to voters, and I've been re-elected overwhelmingly three times as an election administrator in Pierce County, so I have earned the trust and the votes of the residents of Pierce County who have seen me in action. I think it says something that the political parties don't run opponents against me. Presumably if I'm bad and bad for their party's interests, they're going to run somebody against me. The people who are working on my campaign - it was very difficult to find any consultancy that would take me on as a client because there were both credible Republicans and credible Democrats running in the race, and here comes this Nonpartisan lady wanting a contract with them. That's a business model and a relationship they didn't want to ruin, and so it was very hard to find somebody. I ended up getting a referral from Mary Robnett, who's the Pierce County Prosecutor who ran as a Nonpartisan, and I said, who were your consultants? And she introduced me to Josh Amato, and he has been associated as a Republican, I don't even know if he's still a Republican - I'm imagining that he is - and he has worked on Republican campaigns and Nonpartisan campaigns. This is an income-constrained campaign. I do not have a lot of money. I have been having to run this campaign the way I'll run the Secretary of State's office, which is modestly and judiciously. So I had to wait until the general election to hire a staff person, and when I did, I chose a young gentleman who came from the Derek Kilmer campaign, and had worked on Emily Randall's campaign, and worked with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. It is true that I contracted with an independent vendor for PR in the primary, and she had Republican roots. But my detractors are cherry-picking - they also failed to notice that I hired a fundraiser who is very progressive and comes from the non-profit community, so I think I'm pretty balanced in who vendors, what kind of vendors are helping me. But most importantly, the vendors don't boss the candidate around. I'm the one that's responsible for every single policy position that you hear me talk about. Do you think the Republican consultant was happy about me saying I support ranked choice voting in the Washington State Voting Rights Act? No, he thought that that was a crazy thing to do - but I'm the boss, not him. I've lost track of the attacks. What other attacks do we want to look at? [00:31:07] Crystal Fincher: Well, I think one worth addressing is testifying against bills expanding voter accessibility - and I think that one, maybe for voters, is probably a concern. If looking at Republicans - hearing the attacks on seemingly democracy, partisanship - hey, we want to stop same-day registration, we don't like vote by mail, we need to reduce the amount of drop boxes, and the types of reforms that we have embraced here in Washington State - and is that going to impact where you stand on those issues and how much of a leader you are there? [00:31:47] Julie Anderson: So, in testifying, I had a leadership role in the statewide Association of County Auditors. So, I was either the Legislative Co-chair on the Legislative Committee or the President. And 39 counties come to a consensus on what their position on bills is - and because of proximity or leadership position, I was often asked to represent the association on those bills. Crystal, name for me a legislative proposal that is perfect on the first day that it's introduced. [00:32:18] Crystal Fincher: Well, I can't do that. I can't do that. [00:32:20] Julie Anderson: Not many. Many of them need to, in the legislative process - through testimony, stakeholder engagement, and the amendment process - needs to be changed. And often county auditors, who are the ones that have to operationalize good ideas and bad ideas, have feedback and have concerns. Most of that testimony was done at a time when the state wasn't paying for state elections, and it was all falling back on county general funds. It wasn't until 2020 that the state passed a bill to start funding their share of state elections, and it didn't take effect until 2021, which does us no good - it's really going to make an impact this year. So, a lot of the testimony was driven by our concerns about resources, time, money, and staffing to get done some complicated things. In other cases, it was technology. So, same-day registration only became viable when we had VoteWA up and running so that we had real-time visibility on registration and balloting transactions around the state. And I will say - again, cherry-picking, my detractors are - in as early as 2015, I was personally advocating for the Washington State Voting Rights Act well before it got passed, even though the association either had a neutral stance or they had constructive feedback and testimony. So, I am a strong supporter of vote-by-mail, strong supporter of same-day registration, strong supporter of just about every electoral reform that's taken place since 2016. And the expansion of ballot dropboxes - I know that one piece of feedback that's been fluttering around is my opposition to dropboxes on college campuses - again, in my role as, in the Association of County Auditors. And - like in Pierce County, at that time, I was really struggling for expanding dropboxes, period, in my community. And I knew, using that geographical and demographic data and that voter turnout data that I used to make decisions, I knew that there were pockets in my community that really could have benefited from a ballot dropbox - as opposed to the University of Washington of Tacoma, which is a commuter school, not a residential school with young people far-flung from all over the United States that might be confused about how to get a ballot or how to register. It's a commuter school. And having a ballot dropbox on that campus, where people are driving to and from their homes to classes, and not being able to install a box at the Housing Authority or at Manitou, which - anyway, you don't know my neighborhoods. [00:35:35] Crystal Fincher: I know a little bit. [00:35:37] Julie Anderson: Okay. All right, all right. So that didn't make a lot of sense to me, and I stand by that. I really think that the control of where ballot dropboxes go should be local, using local intelligence and local needs. I completely support the threshold, like population standards. And by the way, all of this wraps around to why I support the Washington State Voting Rights Act, and the expanded version that's going to come up in session again this year. Right now, we have a Voting Rights Act that is really specifically tailored or focused on vote dilution and that helped us get through redistricting safely. But we are now talking about vote denial and vote abridgment. And I support it strongly for this very reason. If you're going to give local election administrators control over where to place ballot dropboxes, we need to make sure it's not at the detriment of protected populations and that it's doing the most good. And I like that kind of structure. [00:36:47] Crystal Fincher: And I hear you there. I guess the questions that pop up for me personally when I hear that are - one, for me, ideally, shouldn't we be able to find a way to place them in more places, period? And should being a commuter location or a commuter school, given that we aren't limited to returning ballots in a jurisdiction where we're registered, where we vote - a lot of people do commute there, which means a lot of people are there. It's a convenient place to be able to vote. It's an enfranchising thing, even though it may not be for the particular precinct that that ballot dropbox is located in, or neighborhood. Do you factor those things in to making your decisions there? [00:37:34] Julie Anderson: Oh, yeah - I'm making a rookie mistake getting into an argument with the host. So it made perfect sense when I was able to place it at the transit station on the street of Pacific Avenue, just outside of UWT, as opposed to inside a pedestrian plaza not accessible by an automobile and not visible to the general public. And also, by the way, very hard to geolocate on Google Maps for people that are searching for a place to drop their ballot. I do think that the number of ballot dropboxes is increasing - the number is worth looking at, especially because we don't know what's going to happen with the United States Postal Service. By the way, I would work hard as Secretary of State to work with letter carriers to preserve door-to-door delivery. But if that doesn't happen and Congress continues to privatize that service, we need to be prepared and with more dropboxes. And you know something - the Voting Rights Act and UW's data collection that they're going to be doing is going to be very informative about whether we have enough ballot dropboxes and if we have them in the right place. So I'm completely open to it - I just don't like the Legislature deciding where they go. I want to be holistic, data-driven with local intelligence. [00:39:05] Crystal Fincher: That absolutely makes sense. The other one I just want to get to - just talking about accuracy - we've actually seen errors in a number of jurisdictions in a number of ways - from misprinted Voters' Pamphlets, ballots that have to be reprinted. There was talk you provided voters false information and lost 100 cast ballots. What happened there? [00:39:30] Julie Anderson: Okay, two separate incidents, and you're right - errors happen all over the state and all over the country - reminding us all that elections is a human process. We leverage technology a lot, but it requires expertise and a lot of proofreading and sometimes things slip through the crack. In one case, the vendor that Pierce County - well actually, the vendor that is used by over 60% of the electorate in Washington State, K&H - made an error when we mailed out ballots to our military voters and 88 voters out of 550,000 were impacted. What happened was they shuffled the return envelope with the mailer so that 88 people got a ballot packet on time, but the return ballot had somebody else's name on it. When we found out about that, we immediately contacted the voters, reissued the ballots, and immediately sent out a press release. That's what you can count on from me - is tattling on myself, telling people, taking corrective action, and doing whatever we can to make sure it doesn't happen again. In that case, I amended the contract with the provider that said next time you have a machine stoppage and you've got a set of quality control procedures that you use - this is like using your Xerox in your office or your home where you have a paper jam, and then by the time you finish ripping everything out, you've got to figure - do I reprint the whole document or do I figure out what page I left out on? The quality control at that plant is to reprint the whole darn thing, and somebody on the line decided that would be wasteful and they didn't do it. And so I amended the contract to say there's going to be consequences if you deviate from your own quality control. In the infamous case in 2016 where Pierce County urged voters to, if they were going to use the United States Postal Service, to do so - let's see, I think it was 5 days before the election - but if they were going to use a drop and to please use a dropbox otherwise. The allegation says that we were sued - we were not sued. There was a threat of a lawsuit and at the end of the day - what the Democratic Party wanted was for me to mail out a postcard to voters saying that's advice not a requirement, and they wanted me to make that clear on our website. And so that's what we did. And at the end of the day, the attorneys agreed we did nothing illegal. And we haven't done it again since because it created such a stir and so much upset. So we don't even give people advice anymore about - if they're using the Postal Service to do it early, but you should. [00:42:45] Crystal Fincher: Well and yeah - that's the complicated thing. And as someone who is interested in making sure people not only vote, but that their votes get counted and they arrive on time, we are experiencing more challenges with the United States Post Office. There is some uncertainty and certainly at the time, during the 2016 election, there's lots of conversation about potentially challenges with mailing things. So I do generally advise people to mail as early as you can if you're going to do that, but yeah - so I am glad we have gotten some clarity on a number of these issues, but also want to ask about some other things. I guess one of them is talking about preserving the historical records of the State and making them readily available to the public. What are your plans there and how can you make those more accessible and available to researchers, to the public, to everyone? [00:43:41] Julie Anderson: A couple of things. One, the Secretary of State's office, I think, is behind in terms of digitizing paper records and getting them indexed and available. I do believe that my opponent has invested in additional scanning equipment, so that's a good thing. I don't know if they have sufficient FTEs to do that - I'll have to look at that when I get there. But my big concern is looking towards the future government - so our state archives hold all of the records that are produced by local and state government that have permanent retention value all the way from territorial days to right this minute. And in the last 10 years, government has been producing a heck of a lot of digital native, digital born documents that never were a piece of paper. And in my experience, our state archives still has a paper mindset because they're used to working with precious ephemera and paper documents. But we've been producing tons of native, digital born documents that are complex and interactive. Is the Secretary of State's office ready to ingest a high volume of digital records that are interactive and richly indexed, and turn them around and make them accessible to the public? I don't think so, and that's a project that I want to tackle right away. If you think about everything that just happened with redistricting - with all of those maps that were generated, so many different versions - and if you tracked it, you know that that was highly interactive data, right? You could move lines around. That is a record. Is it being preserved in that state, that interactive state, or are the maps being preserved? So those are the questions I'm interested in and want us to be forward thinking about. I am a certified public records officer, so I am very passionate about public access to public information and one of the things that the Secretary of State's office needs to do - there's two things - is provide more training to local records officers and maybe even a camp for requesters. I think that would be a good idea. [00:46:05] Crystal Fincher: No, I think that's excellent and was leading into - the next thing I wanted to talk about was document retention and how closely linked it is with records requests. And we're seeing challenges in that area in jurisdictions across the state - one, in properly retaining the correct records. But the purpose of that retention is so that they can be accessed and provided to people who are entitled to see them, including the public. And we are seeing and hearing reports from a number of reporters and people making requests in jurisdictions across the state who are receiving increased wait times, increased estimates of wait times - sometimes comically long, decades long wait times - for some of those requests potentially. Hearing that localities are short staffed - it's challenging to respond to these kinds of things. And even getting into accusations of bad faith use of the public disclosure request system and records request system - some people trying to do that. Or on the flip side, people just being unhappy about receiving a request and having something looked into and calling things a bad faith attack and looking to delay the process, maybe unnecessarily, in those. How can you help make that process more consistent, help localities handle those in a more consistent way so that people can request and receive public documents when they're entitled to them? [00:47:46] Julie Anderson: Two things - I'm going to be the Secretary of State that's known as a "Clean your closet, kid" Secretary of State. Government is producing more records than ever and they don't know what to do with them. If you don't know how to store them, then you can't find them. So record retention is about record management. The Secretary of State's office used to have a pretty good training program for records officers about that. That needs to be rebooted and redoubled and it needs to have a modernized context. I cannot tell you how many emails are generated hourly by government. We don't know which of those are important or not until you have a sorting and classification system that you maintain constantly that marries emails with the associated documents, right? So that's something that we did in Pierce County. I want to take that passion with me to the Secretary of State's office and hire somebody that's an expert at this to help train local government. And I'll also be an advocate for resources for local government. There are some jurisdictions that are literally drowning and they're also having turnover issues. So I do want them to have resources, but first of all they got to know how to clean their room. [00:49:10] Crystal Fincher: So as we close and as people are trying to figure out how to make this decision - they hear from you, they hear from your opponent, lots of outside groups, and a lot of noise. When you are talking to someone who is considering making this choice between you and your opponent, does not know which direction they're going to go, what do you tell them to help make that decision? [00:49:32] Julie Anderson: That like them, I love Washington State's election laws - want to preserve them, make them even better. And for the first time in history, they have a choice of hiring somebody that's a professional administrator with expertise in these subjects without party strings attached. [00:49:52] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today, join us today, and letting the voters just get more familiar with you. Much appreciated. [00:50:01] Julie Anderson: Thank you. Thank you for the questions. And I love that you're a fan of the Public Records Act. [00:50:06] Crystal Fincher: I'm such a fan of it - and if it's follow up and organizations being accountable to adhering to it. But yes, thank you so much. [00:50:16] Julie Anderson: You're welcome - bye bye. [00:50:18] Crystal Fincher: Thank you all for listening to Hacks & Wonks. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler. Our assistant producer is Shannon Cheng, and our Post-Production Assistant is Bryce Cannatelli. You can find Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks, and you can follow me @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered right to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave us a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

In this episode, the author chronicles how a central, New York City branch of the United States Post Office has, on three occasions, actively thwarted enrollment in package delivery for her P.O. Box so that she remains forced to give out her home address. When asked if such occurrences are normal for this major NYC Post Office, the Postal clerk consulted on the day prior to this episode's recording stated, “I've never seen this before.”Bonus colorful rants about her failed acting career and the time the USPS sent back all her Degas Christmas postcards in 2020.In spite of it all, the author is a loyal customer of the United States Postal Service.

Today's Move Happy Movement Podcast©️is a special from today's Live Recording of Real Entertainment Therapy Experience®️ 2.0 Sponsored by our Veteran and First Responder nonprofit arm, Erin Nicole Ministries.  Included in today's RETE®️ 2.0 are guest Edutainers from the United States Post Office top leadership, The Band Grieve The Astronaut with featured Singers: Raymond Hayden and Cirké Chérokee singing a duet "Put Aside Your Worry" co-written by Raymond and his wife Jessica Lynne Witty, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch, US Air Force Veteran musician Matt Flores singing an original tune, Founder of Humble Alpha and International Business Growth Leader (responsible for 3,500 employees) Steven Kuhn, Recently Retired Head of Disney Hotels (responsible for 40,000 Cast Members aka Employees) and host of his own podcast show with over 1+ million downloads, and last but not least your host of the MHMP©️ sang some original tunes that I either wrote through the Creator of the Universe's inspiration, co-wrote with another human, wrote because of another human, and wrote with my hero of 2020, my husband and Veteran. You definitely want to listen to this all the way to the end to find out how you can join in live on the next Real Entertainment Therapy Experience®️ 3.0 in December with the Umbrella Focus: Fitness. The Date TBD ❤️ If we added any value to you today, it would mean the world to us if you'd share this with someone you care about. PS: Don't forget to tell someone you love them today

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Portlock Alaska & Other haunted ghost towns   Today we're talking about a ghost town in Alaska that is rumored to have been abandoned because of…. Wait for it….a killer bigfoot!! dun dun duuuuuuuuuuun!!! We're going to look at Portlock Alaska and after that maybe take a look at other haunted and creepy ghost towns!    History of Portlock: As per wikipedia   Portlock is a ghost town in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern edge of the Kenai Peninsula, around 16 miles south of Seldovia. It is located in Port Chatham bay, after which an adjacent community takes its namesake. Named after Nathaniel Portlock, Portlock was established in the Kenai Peninsula in the early-twentieth century as a cannery, particularly for salmon. It is thought to have been named after Captain Nathaniel Portlock, a British ship captain who sailed there in 1786. In 1921, a United States Post Office opened in the town.  The population largely consisted of Russian-Aleuts, indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands. Both the Aleut people and the islands are divided between the US state of Alaska and the Russian administrative division of Kamchatka Krai.   In the early 1900s there were a series of deaths and disappearances in the town. Many people started to blame this on a killer cryptid! It is said that this big bad beast is the reason behind the town being abandoned and left to become a legend.   Nantiinaq:   First off let's talk about the cryptid that is believed to be the cause of all of this mess.   Nantinaq is a large Bigfoot-like creature that is believed to be a key factor in the abandonment of the Alaskan fishing village Portlock. Elders from the nearby town of Nanwalek have kept oral traditions of the creature alive since Portlock's abandonment in 1950. Stories differentiate Nantinaq from the North American Sasquatch or Bigfoot through its abilities, which many believe to be supernatural and evil in nature.   The earliest descriptions and accounts of Nantinaq can be traced back to European expedition logs in the 1700's. When Native Alaskans began inhabiting the Portlock area stories and encounters with a mysterious creature began occurring with increasing regularity.   In the early 20th century, as Portlock's population grew, local and national sources began to record unexplained occurrences in the area. An abnormally high number of disappearances, catastrophes, and deaths eventually lead to village elders to move the population to nearby Nanwalek.    The physical characteristics of Nantinaq are typically described to be similar to the North American Sasquatch. Eye witnesses and historians describe the creature as being upwards of 8 feet tall and being covered in dark fur. Sharp claws capable of ripping mammals with ease have also been identified.   Despite the creatures imposing physical characteristics, many locals identify Nantinaq more through its invisible traits. Strange illnesses, smells and noises have all been recorded in the Portlock area with no known explanation. This has led many locals and elders to believe Nantinaq is spiritual in nature.   The craziness: Even before Portlock had even existed there had long been sinister stories told by the Natives of the area. They had long told of a creature stalking the wildernesses of the region, which they referred to as a Nantiinaq, roughly translating to “half man- half beast.” The Natives were apparently terrified of these creatures, and would avoid any area in which they were known to lurk. At first Portlock seemed safe, but whether the Nantiinaq had anything to do with it or not, strange things began happening in and around the area, not long after its settlement. In 1900, a group of hair-covered creatures ran at a prospector who had climbed a tree in an attempt to get his bearings near Thomas Bay. The prospector said they were, “the most hideous creatures. I couldn't call them anything but devils…” The prospector, upon seeing the creatures advancing on him, was able to drop down out of the tree, get to his canoe and make his escape in the nick of time. He had no doubt in his mind that, had he not seen the creatures when he did, they would have made short work of him. Another bizarre incident allegedly happened in as early as 1905, just a few years after the cannery had opened. At this time, many of the workers at the cannery suddenly stopped coming to work and refused to come back, but this wasn't due to poor pay or working conditions, but rather because the men were deeply spooked. They claimed that there was “something in the woods,” commonly reported by the men as being large dark shapes that would stare at them from the tree line at the shore and sometimes display menacing behavior. The workers were eventually convinced to come back the following season, but this was not the end of the town's problems.   In the 1920s and 30s there were several mysterious deaths in the area that seemed to have been caused by something very large and powerful. The first was a local hunter by the name of Albert Petka, who was out hunting with his dogs in the 1920s when he came across a massive hairy creature that materialized from the trees to strike him in the chest, sending him flying. Petka's dogs allegedly managed to chase the beast off, and when rescuers arrived he explained what had happened, before dying from his wounds later. Natives at the time saw this as a bad sign, believing it to be evidence that a Nantiinaq had come to haunt the area. Rumors like this persisted for years, only further perpetuated by stories of miners, loggers, hunters, or cannery workers finding huge tracks in the woods, or of seeing fleeting large dark shapes and sometimes hearing eerie howls at night. Making it even more ominous is that there were some reports from frightened Natives that there was a ghostly entity in the area as well, which took the form of a woman wearing a long black dress and who would appear at the top of the cliffs near town to scream and moan before vanishing.   Brian Weed is the co-founder of a group called Juneau's Hidden History that primarily keeps track of things through their Facebook page. He has traveled all over Juneau and many other Alaskan towns in search of natural history and stories. His group plans frequent hikes in the area to places that have some sort of story to tell or just to see the natural beauty of the state. He related another story of a mysterious death.                       "A logger was out working and something or someone hit him over the head with a huge piece of logging equipment, something that one man couldn't have lifted. When they found his body, there was blood on the equipment and there was no way that one person could have done it. He was a good ten feet from the logging equipment, so it's not like he slipped, fell, and hit his head. It looked more like someone picked it up and bonked him over the head."           In 1940 it was reported that a search party had been sent out to look for one such missing hunter, which would claim that they had come across his body in a creek, mutilated and torn apart in a way not consistent with a bear attack. Other bodies would reportedly be found as well, apparently washed down from the mountains into a nearby lagoon, with others still discovered washed up on the shores of Port Chatham, all of them ripped apart and maimed as if by some immensely powerful animal. At the time there were so many people turning up in that lagoon dead that it began to truly freak out the locals, to the point that they spent much time cowering indoors away from those creepy ass woods.   By the 1950s, locals were sick and tired of living in fear so they completely fled the town and left it abandoned. Years later when hunters returned, it is said that they reported seeing 18-inch long human-like footprints with patterns similar to a deer or wolf.   Former Portlock resident Malania Helen Kehl was interviewed by Naomi Klouda of the Homer Tribune back in October of 2009 and said things in Portlock started out well enough but degenerated to such a point that the family left their home and fled to Nanwalek.The family had endured the murder of Malania's godfather, Andrew Kamluck in 1931. Kamluck was the logger who was killed when someone, or something, hit him over the head.           "We left our houses and the school and started all new here (Nanwalek),” said Kehl.   Port Graham elder, Simeon Kvasnikoff told of the unexplained disappearance of a gold miner near the village during this time.   “He went up there one time and never came back,” said Kvasnikoff. “No one found any sign of him.”   Another interesting aspect of the Portlock story was relayed to Klouda by an Anchorage paramedic who preferred to remain anonymous.   “In 1990, while I was working as a paramedic in Anchorage, we got called out on an alarm for a man having a heart attack at the state jail in Eagle River. He was a Native man in his 70s, and after I got him stabilized with IVs, O2 and cardiac drugs, my partner and I began to transport him to the Native Hospital in Anchorage.” En route to the hospital, the paramedic and the Native man, an “Aleut'' from Port Graham, talked about hunting. The paramedic had been to DogFish Bay and was once stuck there due to bad weather.   “This old man sat up on the gurney and grabbed me by the front of my shirt. He got right up to my face and said, ‘Did it bother you?' Well, with that question, the hair just stood up on the back of my head. I said, ‘Yes.' “Did you see it?” was his next question. I said, “No, did you see it?” He said “No, but my brother seen it. It chased him.”   Ok so that's pretty jacked up….a killer bigfoot! That's one hell of a story. The town had been abandoned ever since and sightings continue to this day. In fact there is a TV series about this place called Alaskan Killer Bigfoot! The series followed a 40 day expedition to the area to try and see if they can get to the bottom of all the mystery! Moody hasn't watched it yet but I'm sure he'll get high and binge it soon.    So on the side of fairness we do have to disclose an interview we found. The interview was with a woman named Sally Ash. Sally is Sugpiaq of Russian-Aleut descent. She has lived in Nanwalek for most of her life and continues to speak her native language Sugt'stun. Her mother was born in Dogfish Bay, near Port Chatham.            “Our people were nomadic, went by the seasons, whatever was in season they would move from one place to another. They went through Port Chatham, Dogfish Bay, Seldovia, Homer, even to Kodiak.”               "Portlock was kind of a creepy place,” she admitted.  “They'd tell us don't go out on a foggy day.  That's when he's walking around. You could run into him and you never know what he might do.”   The ‘he' that she is talking about is their local form of Sasquatch, known as Nantiinaq.  Nantiinaq pronounced ‘non-tee-nuck,' is not your typical, everyday Sasquatch brute. Nantiinaq is more of a supernatural being.      “I think he is part-human,” Sally describes. “He lived with people and then didn't want to be around them anymore so he moved to the forest; away from everybody. He started growing hair and he looked like a bigfoot — scary… My uncles, my grandfathers, they all talked about him. They'd tell us they live far away from people. They don't mix with people.”   “My brother went up to the lake. He was tying off his skiff. He started smelling something really bad in the bushes, so he opened it, moving the branches. Something's going on here.  Then he looked in there and there was a man with his hands — in the back way (turned around). It looked like a man, but he was all hairy and he looked really scary. So he and our cousin took off running and didn't want to be up there.  He wasn't sure if it was a bigfoot, but there was a horrible smell,” she said.   “I think it's a he; he has been living for a long time,” Sally says. “He's old, he's tall, he's strong, he's hairy.  It lives in the woods and you can tell when he's getting near. You can smell him.  My mom used to talk about it a lot.  She'd tell stories of the bigfoot, like in Dogfish area, her and her brother would talk about how bigfoot was around. They were getting too close to him and they would be nice to him. Respect him. Keep distance. They live with him but not so close. He moved around — he was quick.”   Sally served as translator for her cousin, Malania Kehl during her historic interview for the Homer Tribune in 2009, that has since taken the bigfoot-believing world by storm. Malania told the reporter that the entire town evacuated Port Chatham in 1949 due to this murderous Nantiinaq. Her story has been perceived as being factual by authors, documentarians, and bigfoot buffs.   Buuuuuuuuttttttt…..   “My cousin Malania was being interviewed and we were sitting with her,” Sally recalls. “Malania kind of made up a story, because she was getting tired of people asking if this (story) is true. She made up this story about how Bigfoot was killing people. It wasn't true.  Everybody knows that, but it was not our place to say nothing. We all knew but we couldn't just stop her. We were brought up in a way where we can't tell our elders they are wrong.”   "And that was her story,” Sally giggles…  “we knew it. There was me and my sisters and my cousins and we all just sat there. We couldn't tell her, ‘Don't say that Malania,'  because she might get mad at us. We were younger than her and we were not allowed in front of her to say anything like that… Malania knew that we knew about her story that she made up and we all had a laugh about it with her.”   Sally said the reason for the exodus from Port Chatham was more practical in nature.   “People would see Nantiinaq, but that wasn't the reason why people moved this way to Seldovia and Nanwalek. They moved because of the economy, schools and the church.  There really was no killing of people.”     Well…that's disappointing…but we here at The train are gonna stick to the fact that there's a killer bigfoot to blame!   Wow so that's fun! But you know what…it's not enough. We strive to bring you the best in podcast entertainment here so we're going to do some of our patented quick hitters and throw in some more crazy ghost towns for ya!  Let's roll!   First up we're off to Italy. The ghost town of Craco to be more specific.    Craco is a ghost town and comune in the province of Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata.    Haunted, surreal and moving, it's not surprising that the Craco ghost town and the beautiful surrounding landscape was chosen as the setting for several movies such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and 007 Quantum of Solace.   The first written evidence of the town's existence shows that it was under the possession of a bishop named Arnaldo in 1060 A.D. The town's oldest building, the tall Torre Normanna, predates the bishop's documented ownership by 20 years.   From 1154 to 1168, after the archbishop, the nobleman Eberto controlled the town, establishing Feudalistic rule, and then ownership passed onto Roberto di Pietrapertos in 1179.   A university was established in the 13th century and the population kept growing, reaching 2,590 in the year 1561. By this time, the construction of four large plazas was completed. Craco had its first substantial landslide in 1600, but life went on, and the monastery of St. Peter went up in 1630.   Then, another tragedy hit. In 1656, the Black Death began to spread. Hundreds died and the population dipped.   But Craco wasn't down for the count quite yet. In 1799, the town successfully overthrew the feudal system — only to then fall to Napoleonic occupation. In 1815, a still-growing Craco was divided into two separate districts.   After Italy's unification in the mid-19th century, the controversial gangster and folk hero Carmine Crocco briefly conquered the village.   Mother Nature had more in store for Craco. Poor agricultural conditions caused a severe famine in the late 19th century. This spawned a mass migration of the population — about 1,300 people — to North America.   Then came more landslides. Craco had a series of them — plus a flood in 1972 and an earthquake in 1980. Luckily, in 1963, the remaining 1,800 inhabitants were transferred down the mountain to a valley called Craco Peschiera.   Not everyone was willing to move, however. One man native to the tiny town resisted the relocation, choosing to live the rest of his more than 100 years in his native land.   Some houses still hold traces of the life that once was: old appliances, abandoned tools, a lonely chair in the middle of a room where no one will ever sit anymore. A few facades still bear the signs of their past beauty in what has remained of their decorations.   And of course there are the tales of hauntings that come with most ghost towns. While there isn't a whole lot on a cursory search, if you dig a little you can find some stories of late night expeditions finding some interesting things. There are stories of groups seeing shadow people and apparitions. People hearing strange sounds. Pictures containing orbs and other anomalies. It's a great looking place, definitely check it out.   Next up is Rhyolite Nevada.   The ghost town of Rhyolite and its remnants are definitely a popular destination among those who like seeking out Nevada's abandoned places. Home to many of the town's original and now crumbling buildings, it's a fascinating place to see and think about Nevada's past.    According to the national parks service This ghost town's origins were brought about by Shorty Harris and E. L. Cross, who were prospecting in the area in 1904. They found quartz all over a hill, and as Shorty describes it “... the quartz was just full of free gold... it was the original bullfrog rock... this banner is a crackerjack”! He declared, “The district is going to be the banner camp of Nevada. I say so once and I'll say it again.” At that time there was only one other person in the whole area: Old Man Beatty who lived in a ranch with his family five miles away. Soon the rush was on and several camps were set up including Bullfrog, the Amargosa and a settlement between them called Jumpertown. A townsite was laid out nearby and given the name Rhyolite from the silica-rich volcanic rock in the area.   There were over 2000 claims covering everything in a 30 mile area from the Bullfrog district. The most promising was the Montgomery Shoshone mine, which prompted everyone to move to the Rhyolite townsite. The town immediately boomed with buildings springing up everywhere. One building was 3 stories tall and cost $90,000 to build. A stock exchange and Board of Trade were formed. The red light district drew women from as far away as San Francisco. There were hotels, stores, a school for 250 children, an ice plant, two electric plants, foundries and machine shops and even a miner's union hospital.   The town citizens had an active social life including baseball games, dances, basket socials, whist parties, tennis, a symphony, Sunday school picnics, basketball games, Saturday night variety shows at the opera house, and pool tournaments. In 1906 Countess Morajeski opened the Alaska Glacier Ice Cream Parlor to the delight of the local citizenry. That same year an enterprising miner, Tom T. Kelly, built a Bottle House out of 50,000 beer and liquor bottles.   In April 1907 electricity came to Rhyolite, and by August of that year a mill had been constructed to handle 300 tons of ore a day at the Montgomery Shoshone mine. It consisted of a crusher, 3 giant rollers, over a dozen cyanide tanks and a reduction furnace. The Montgomery Shoshone mine had become nationally known because Bob Montgomery once boasted he could take $10,000 a day in ore from the mine. It was later owned by Charles Schwab, who purchased it in 1906 for a reported 2 to 6 million dollars.   The financial panic of 1907 took its toll on Rhyolite and was seen as the beginning of the end for the town. In the next few years mines started closing and banks failed. Newspapers went out of business, and by 1910 the production at the mill had slowed to $246,661 and there were only 611 residents in the town. On March 14, 1911 the directors voted to close down the Montgomery Shoshone mine and mill. In 1916 the light and power were finally turned off in the town.   Today you can find several remnants of Rhyolite's glory days. Some of the walls of the 3 story bank building are still standing, as is part of the old jail. The train depot (privately owned) is one of the few complete buildings left in the town, as is the Bottle House. The Bottle House was restored by Paramount pictures in Jan, 1925.   And according to only on your state, It also happens to be home to one of Nevada's spookiest cemeteries. After all, nothing says "creepy" like a ghost town graveyard! Known as the Bullfrog-Rhyolite Cemetery, it definitely looks the part of a haunted destination you probably shouldn't visit at night.   The Bullfrog-Rhyolite Cemetery was actually shared between two towns. Home to just a handful of rugged graves, including some that look like nothing more than a human-shaped mound of rocks, it definitely has a serene type of beauty to it...during daylight, that is.   There's no telling what kind of creepy experiences you could have in Rhyolite once the sun sets. In fact, paranormal enthusiasts make trips out here to challenge just that! Disembodied voices and orbs are often reported in this area. And while most of the action seems to be centered on this area there are also reports of the same strange goings on in the town itself. Strange sounds and voices and orbs, as well as strange shadows and apparitions. Sounds awesome to us!   Next up we head to Calico California.   Calico is a ghost town and former mining town in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Calico Mountains of the Mojave Desert region of Southern California, it was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town, and was later converted into a county park named Calico Ghost Town. Located off Interstate 15, it lies 3 miles (4.8 km) from Barstow and 3 miles from Yermo. Giant letters spelling CALICO are visible, from the highway, on the Calico Peaks behind it. Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950s, and architecturally restored all but the five remaining original buildings to look as they did in the 1880s. Calico received California Historical Landmark #782, and in 2005 was proclaimed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California's Silver Rush Ghost Town.   In 1881 four prospectors were leaving Grapevine Station (present day Barstow, California) for a mountain peak to the northeast. After they described the peak as "calico-colored", the peak, the mountain range to which it belonged, and the town that followed were all called Calico. The four prospectors discovered silver in the mountain and opened the Silver King Mine, which was California's largest silver producer in the mid-1880s. John C. King, who had grubstaked the prospectors who discovered the silver vein (the Silver King Mine was thus named after him), was the uncle of Walter Knott founder of Knott's Berry Farm. King was sheriff of San Bernardino County from 1879 to 1882. A post office at Calico was established in early 1882, and the Calico Print, a weekly newspaper, started publishing. The town soon supported three hotels, five general stores, a meat market, bars, brothels, and three restaurants and boarding houses. The county established a school district and a voting precinct. The town also had a deputy sheriff and two constables, two lawyers and a justice of the peace, five commissioners, and two doctors. There was also a Wells Fargo office and a telephone and telegraph service. At its height of silver production during 1883 and 1885, Calico had over 500 mines and a population of 1,200 people. Local badmen were buried in the Boot Hill cemetery   An attempt to revive the town was made in about 1915, when a cyanide plant was built to recover silver from the unprocessed Silver King Mine's deposits. Walter Knott and his wife Cordelia, founders of Knott's Berry Farm, were homesteaded at Newberry Springs around this time, and Knott helped build the redwood cyanide tanks for the plant.   The last owner of Calico as a mine was Zenda Mining Company. After building Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm in the 1940s, Walter Knott, his son, Russell, and Paul von Klieben, who was Knott's art director, made a road trip to Calico. The three of them came back filled with enthusiasm. If they could build an imaginary ghost town at Knott's Berry Farm, would it not be possible to restore a real ghost town? In 1951, Walter Knott purchased the town of Calico from the Zenda Mining Company and put Paul von Klieben in charge of restoring it to its original condition, referencing old photographs.   Using the old photos, and Walter's memory and that of some old-timers who still lived in the area, von Klieben was able to not only restore existing structures, but also design and replace missing buildings. Knott spent $700,000 restoring Calico. Knott installed a longtime employee named Freddy "Calico Fred" Noller as resident caretaker and official greeter. In 1966 Walter Knott decided to donate the town to San Bernardino County, and Calico became a County Regional Park.   The site is now a thriving tourist attraction, and is quite interesting to visit despite being neither original nor very atmospheric, as only about four of the buildings are largely unchanged from the mining era, and the whole place is rather commercialized. Some of the replica houses have only a frontage, as if part of a movie set.    The best part?…yup…its friggin haunted. You can take ghost tours through the town to find out for yourself!    According to Haunted Rooms. Com, Amid the claims of paranormal activity, there are 3 main entities who have been identified as residing in Calico Ghost Town and these are the ones that visitors should be on the lookout for.   One of the most commonly spotted entities haunting Calico Ghost Town is said to be a woman by the name of Lucy Lane. History suggests that Lucy ran Calico's General Store alongside her husband John Robert Lane. Just like so many of the residents, the Lanes moved away from Calico when the town began rapidly depopulating. However, they ended up returning in 1916 after the town was abandoned and live the rest of their days in the town. Lucy was well into her 90s when she finally passed.   It seems only natural then that she would want to stick around in the town where she lived and died. Visitors to Calico Ghost Town have frequently reported seeing Lucy walking between what was once her home and the General Store. She is easily recognizable by her attire – the beautiful black lace dress in which she was buried. Although most of the reports describe seeing Lucy Lane walking from her home to the General Store, there have also been sightings of her inside both buildings as well. Her former home is now a museum dedicated to Lucy and John Robert Lane and she is sometimes seen sitting in a rocking chair slowly rocking back and forth. Some visitors also claim to have seen Lucy behind the counter in the General Store.   Another of the paranormal hotspots in the Calico Ghost Town is definitely the schoolhouse! The names of the teachers have long since been lost, but it is said to be their spirits who are responsible for the plethora of paranormal activity happening in the old schoolhouse. There are frequent reports that the teachers like to stand in the windows of the schoolhouse peering out at those passing by on the outside! There are also reports of a red ball of light moving around inside the schoolhouse. This phenomenon has been witnessed by many visitors to Calico Ghost Town.   The former teachers are certainly not the only ones who are up to mischief! There have also been reports of various ghostly students in the schoolhouse as well. These children's spirits can be seen flitting around inside the building. They do seem to keep themselves to themselves most of the time, but there is one girl aged around 11 or 12 who is far more outgoing. However, she is most likely to appear to children and teens who will often comment on seeing her only for their parents to turn around and the girl to vanish!   The most prominent ghost that roams around Calico Ghost Town is probably the entity known as ‘Tumbleweed' Harris. He is actually the last Marshal of Calico and it seems as though he has not yet stepped down from his duty! He is often seen by the boardwalks on Main Street and you will be able to recognize him by his large frame and long white beard. If you do visit Calico Ghost Town be sure to stop by Tumbleweed's gravestone and thank him for continuing to keep Calico's peace even in death.   And finally we double back and head back to Alaska for one more ghost town. Kennecott Alaska is our final destination.   In the summer of 1900, two prospectors, "Tarantula" Jack Smith and Clarence L. Warner, a group of prospectors associated with the McClellan party, spotted "a green patch far above them in an improbable location for a grass-green meadow." The green turned out to be malachite, located with chalcocite (aka "copper glance"), and the location of the Bonanza claim. A few days later, Arthur Coe Spencer, U.S. Geological Survey geologist independently found chalcocite at the same location.   Stephen Birch, a mining engineer just out of school, was in Alaska looking for investment opportunities in minerals. He had the financial backing of the Havemeyer Family, and another investor named James Ralph, from his days in New York. Birch spent the winter of 1901-1902 acquiring the "McClellan group's interests" for the Alaska Copper Company of Birch, Havemeyer, Ralph and Schultz, later to become the Alaska Copper and Coal Company. In the summer of 1901, he visited the property and "spent months mapping and sampling." He confirmed the Bonanza mine and surrounding by deposits were, at the time, the richest known concentration of copper in the world.   By 1905, Birch had successfully defended the legal challenges to his property and he began the search for capital to develop the area. On 28 June 1906, he entered into "an amalgamation" with the Daniel Guggenheim and J.P. Morgan & Co., known as the Alaska Syndicate, eventually securing over $30 million. The capital was to be used for constructing a railway, a steamship line, and development of the mines. In Nov. 1906, the Alaska Syndicate bought a 40 percent interest in the Bonanza Mine from the Alaska Copper and Coal Company and a 46.2 percent interest in the railroad plans of John Rosene's Northwestern Commercial Company.   Political battles over the mining and subsequent railroad were fought in the office of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt between conservationists and those having a financial interest in the copper.   The Alaska Syndicate traded its Wrangell Mountains Mines assets for shares in the Kennecott Copper Corporation, a "new public company" formed on 29 April 1915. A similar transaction followed with the CR&NW railway and the Alaska Steamship Company. Birch was the managing partner for the Alaska operation.   Kennecott Mines was named after the Kennicott Glacier in the valley below. The geologist Oscar Rohn named the glacier after Robert Kennicott during the 1899 US Army Abercrombie Survey. A "clerical error" resulted in the substitution of an "e" for the "i", supposedly by Stephen Birch himself. Kennecott had five mines: Bonanza, Jumbo, Mother Lode, Erie and Glacier. Glacier, which is really an ore extension of the Bonanza, was an open-pit mine and was only mined during the summer. Bonanza and Jumbo were on Bonanza Ridge about 3 mi (4.8 km) from Kennecott. The Mother Lode mine was located on the east side of the ridge from Kennecott. The Bonanza, Jumbo, Mother Lode and Erie mines were connected by tunnels. The Erie mine was perched on the northwest end of Bonanza Ridge overlooking Root Glacier about 3.7 mi (6.0 km) up a glacial trail from Kennecott. Ore was hoisted to Kennecott via the trams which head-ended at Bonanza and Jumbo. From Kennecott the ore was hauled mostly in 140-pound sacks on steel flat cars to Cordova, 196 rail miles away, via the Copper River and Northwestern Railway (CRNW).   In 1911 the first shipment of ore by train transpired. Before completion, the steamship Chittyna carried ore to the Abercrombie landing by Miles Glacier. Initial ore shipments contained "72 percent copper and 18 oz. of silver per ton."   In 1916, the peak year for production, the mines produced copper ore valued at $32.4 million.   In 1925 a Kennecott geologist predicted that the end of the high-grade ore bodies was in sight. The highest grades of ore were largely depleted by the early 1930s. The Glacier Mine closed in 1929. The Mother Lode was next, closing at the end of July 1938. The final three, Erie, Jumbo and Bonanza, closed that September. The last train left Kennecott on November 10, 1938, leaving it a ghost town.   From 1909 until 1938, except when it closed temporarily in 1932, Kennecott mines "produced over 4.6 million tons of ore that contained 1.183 billion pounds of copper mainly from three ore bodies: Bonanza, Jumbo and Mother Lode. The Kennecott operations reported gross revenues above $200 million and a net profit greater than $100 million.   In 1938, Ernest Gruening proposed Kennecott be preserved as a National Park. A recommendation to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 18 Jan. 1940 for the establishment of the Kennecott National Monument went nowhere. However, 2 Dec. 1980 saw the establishment of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.   From 1939 until the mid-1950s, Kennecott was deserted except for a family of three who served as the watchmen until about 1952. In the late 1960s, an attempt was made to reprocess the tailings and to transport the ore in aircraft. The cost of doing so made the idea unprofitable. Around the same time, the company with land rights ordered the destruction of the town to rid them of liability for potential accidents. A few structures were destroyed, but the job was never finished and most of the town was left standing. Visitors and nearby residents have stripped many of the small items and artifacts. Some have since been returned and are held in various archives.   KCC sent a field party under the geologist Les Moon in 1955. They agreed with the 1938 conclusion, "no copper resource of a size and grade sufficient to interest KCC remained." The mill remains however.   Most of this historical info came from an awesome article called A Kennecott Story by Charles Hawley in the University of Utah Press.   So you know we love our history and we thought it was cool cus this was such an important town in Alaska's history and then boom…ghost town. But you know that's not why we're there…it's also haunted!   Reports of paranormal activity along the abandoned train tracks abound and have for decades. That's not all that makes it one of the most haunted places in America. Some claim to have seen old tombstones along the route. The gravestones then vanish by the time the visitors make their return trip. Others have reported hearing disembodied voices and phantom children laughing. Reportedly, a 1990s construction project here halted after workers were scared away by spooky sounds and inexplicable events.   Ok, last little tid bit of fact. There's actually a little town up in the far northwest territory of Alaska called Diomede which is located on the island of Little Diomede in the middle of the Bering Straight. During the winter months the water can freeze and you can actually walk… to Big Diomede … an island in Russia. The stretch of water between these two islands is only about 2.5 miles wide. There are two reported cases of people walking from Alaska to Russia in modern history. The last were Karl Bushby, and his American companion Dimitri Kieffer who in 2006 walked from Alaska to Russia over the Bering Straight in 14 days.   So there you have it…killer bigfoot and some cool haunted ghost towns! Maybe we'll drive into some more ghost towns in a future episode!   Bigfoot horror movies   https://filmschoolrejects.com/bigfoot-horror/

Episode 6 in the sixth season of the podcast dedicated to the half-demon hero, Hellboy. Kait and MDC are back in the pages of Hellboy for The Storm and discuss Issue/Chapter One [July 2010] this week, plus an action figure focused Oh Boy Email segment and they received Hell Mail through the United States Post Office. Share your thoughts: awcrapahellboypodcast@gmail.com. Thank you for listening and please give us a Five Star Review starting with the word BOOM on Apple Podcasts for a shoutout on the show. Remember we love you! __ SHOW INFORMATION Instagram: @AwCrapAHellboyPodcast Twitter: @AwCrapHellboy Email: AwCrapAHellboyPodcast@gmail.com Aw...Crap, A Reading Guide for Listeners Hellboy Resource: https://hellboy.fandom.com/wiki/Hellboy_Wiki Buy Hellboy: https://www.darkhorse.com/Zones/Hellboy

Rob and Terry take a trip back in time to the year 1991.  They discuss historical events, music, movies, sports, etc.  What do Mike Tyson, Dr. Kevorkian, Desert Storm, Magic Johnson, and the United States Post Office all have in common?  They all had big stories in 1991!

The United States Post Office looks to make changes in the way the transport mail in an effort to save money. These changes may cause a delay in mail right in time for the holidays.

Sen. Manchin's thoughts on the budget. He is right? Have you ever heard of Surge Pricing? It's coming your way via the United States Post Office. Ouch! Fact: Wild Fire Smoke is dangerous to your health. Covid-19/Delta variant updates. Are kids the target of the Delta variant? Is Social Media an addiction? Will there be a boom in the used motorcycle market courtesy of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally? Time will tell. Just in time for Christmas?

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From Metallica to NASA to the United States Post Office this man has designed for them all. If you sit down and think about it just for a minute you can't go anywhere without seeing Logos and Design and a lot of it is really bad. Aaron is one of the best ever to do Graphic Design and you can see his stuff everywhere. His Instagram page is one of my favorites ever and his Field Notes are used by just about every writer I know. Aaron recently did the design for my Gertie dog merch and I absolutely love it. Sit back and listen to this mans story on today's episode of The Grail 

The missile was fired from the deck of the submarine USS Barbero towards the Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Mayport, Florida, and completed its 700-mile flight in just 22 ...

Did you know that the United States Post Office - the same one that has trouble tracking packages - has an internal clandestine department that spies on your social media posts and the reports them to law enforcement and intelligence agencies?...Please share, subscribe, and sign-up for mailout: https://www.undergroundusa.com/the-podcast

BECOME A PRODUCER! http://www.patreon.com/themidnighttrainpodcast   Find The Midnight Train Podcast: www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com www.facebook.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.twitter.com/themidnighttrainpc www.instagram.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.discord.com/themidnighttrainpodcast www.tiktok.com/themidnighttrainp   And wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.   Subscribe to our official YouTube channel: OUR YOUTUBE   SURPRISE!!!! This week is a surprise episode for our great conductor Jon. This week we are exploring the wonderful world of hauntings. These hauntings take place at some of Jon's favorite places… No it's not My Little Pony Conventions, it's Jon's second favorite thing, breweries. That's right, we're talking about haunted Breweries this week. After discovering that we may be psychos after last week, we figured it was a good week for something fun! So without further ado… Let's get wasted! I mean let's check out some haunted breweries.        Our first stop is in good ol Savannah Georgia. We are taking a look at Moon River Brewing Company. The moon river brewing company is located in the 21 West Bay St. building. 21 West Bay Street is a historic building located a block south of the Savannah River in the Savannah Historic District, the building dates from 1821.  Housed in one of the oldest, most historic and genuinely haunted buildings in Savannah, we invite you to experience the history and our excellent food and hand-crafted beers first hand.   It all started with Elazer Early, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, who constructed our building as the City Hotel in 1821. Not only was it the first hotel in Savannah, but it was also home to the first branch of the United States Post Office in Savannah.  It also served as a branch of the Bank of the United States. (It must have been convenient having a hotel, post office, bank, and bar all under one roof!)   During the hotel’s tenure, many notable people stayed at the Hotel. The guests included War of 1812 hero Winfield Scott, the Marquis de Lafayette, the first three Commodores of the United Statues Navy, and naturalist James Audubon. Audubon stayed six months at the hotel while attempting to sell books of his wildlife sketches.   In 1851, Peter Wiltberger bought the City Hotel. He renovated it and put a live lion and lioness on display to draw attention to his business. The City Hotel’s final guest checked out in 1864, just before the arrival of General Tecumseh Sherman during the War of Northern Aggression and the subsequent closing of the hotel. The building also served as a hospital during Savannah’s numerous yellow fever outbreaks. Hundreds of people, mostly children, reportedly died on the upper floors of the building during these outbreaks, when the building functioned as a makeshift hospital. It is not surprising that child spirits are often seen in the Moon River Brewing Company.   At the turn of the century, the building was used as a lumber and coal warehouse. As the use of coal slowly died off, the building was used for general storage. In the 1960’s, the space was renovated as an office supply store, complete with a large printing press.   The building sat empty until 1995 when it was renovated into its current configuration as a brew pub. The Moon River Brewing Company debuted in this space on April 10, 1999 and welcomes all who pass by. So there you can see there's quite a history with this building. Now a bit about the brewery.   Moon River Brewing Company opened to the public in 1999 on the site of the former Oglethorpe Brewing Co. In 2010, the brewery won a Gold Medal for its Rosemary India Pale Ale in the "Herb and Spice or Chocolate Beer" category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. In 2003, the brewery was voted #28 on the "Top 50 American Brewpubs" in the United States by BeerAdvocate.com. In 2014, the brewery won a Gold Medal for its "Bomb," an Irish-style stout at the World Beer Cup. In 2017, Moon River Brewing Company took home a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Wild Wacky Wit in the "Belgian-style Witbeir" category. Along with the medal, they were also awarded "Best Mid-size Brewpub & Mid-size Brewpub Brewer of the Year."     So now that we know the history of the building and a little about the brewery, let's talk about the good stuff… Hauntings!!   There are many people who will tell you that ghosts only are left behind when a person dies a tragic or violent death. If that is true then The Moon River Brewing Company may very well be a deeply haunted place. Enough violence has taken place inside the building to easily leave several restless spirits behind.        The hundreds of children who died of yellow fever are the most numerous deaths that took place. Though it was mostly children who perished, many adults also died on the top floors of the brewery. Dying young and sick is always a tragedy and might just be enough to leave behind a few ghosts.       The building was used as a hospital quite a few times as yellow fever kept hitting Savannah. This meant that an impromptu hospital had to be constructed in order to treat and house all of the children falling sick. The amount of people who died of yellow fever during separate outbreaks is alarming and tragic.        More vindictive acts of violence include a shooting of a known town vagrant. In 1832 a doctor by the name of Dr.Phillip Minus shot a drunk man named James Stark inside the then hotel. James Stark was a known drunk and troublemaker who seemed to have a reputation for insulting people and being hated by the people of Savannah.        After Dr. Minus shot Stark he insisted that he had seen Stark going for his gun first. Dr. Minus was quickly acquitted of the crime as Stark was not liked in the town and Savannah needed a doctor. An unpunished murder could be enough to leave a man who was known to be angry in life behind to cause more trouble in death.       One of the biggest acts of violence that occurred in the walls of the brewery took place in 1860. The Civil War had not yet started but there was already a clear hatred for Yankees in Georgia. A Yankee by the name of James Sinclair came into town and decided to stay at the City Hotel.       The residents of Savannah were furious at the thought of having a Yankee in their midst. The people of Savannah tried to pressure Sinclair into leaving the town of his own accord but he refused. The anger and hate of a Yankee in town were enough to cause a mob to form in the streets of Savannah.       The lynch mob marched through the city and into the hotel. They dragged Sinclair into the streets outside of the building where they stripped and beat him. Sinclair lived through the incident but was beaten near enough to the point of death that the violent experience might have caused him to come back and haunt where his tragedy took place. Starting at the bottom of things means beginning with the ghosts that haunt the basement of The Moon River Brewing Company. Arguably the most famous ghost of the brewing company is named “Toby” and is often seen wandering in the basement. This is one of the ghosts that the staff saw often enough they decided he deserved a name.       The basement is widely regarded as the most active floor in the brewery. It might not have the feeling of the top floor or the violent history of the other floors, but it certainly has the most ghost encounters. “Toby” is known to brush up against the people playing in the billiards room or get frustrated and push them.       There are a few people who will tell you that slaves were kept in the basement which would certainly be a reason for a haunting, but there is no evidence this is true. People who have been in the basement of the brewery have reported many different signs of a haunting. These signs include sudden coldness, bottles falling or being thrown, and the feeling of being touched by someone who is not there. All of these reports from patrons and staff have been enough to put the basement of the brewery onto many ghost tours.   The second floor of the brewery is also known for having many strange occurrences. This is the floor where James Stark was Shot by Dr. Minus. There are differing reports of where exactly the shooting took place but they all seem to agree it was somewhere on the main floor.        Many people believe that Stark is the reason many people report liquor bottles being thrown. There are also those who believe he is the reason for some of the more violent reports of grabbing, hitting, and pushing that people experience while inside the brewery. The main floor is also where the dining room is placed. There have been a few patrons who have said they felt someone touch them while they were eating but no one was around them. Several women have also complained of feeling cold in the bathroom or being locked into a stall. This floor might not be the most haunted room in the building, likely because it is so busy with people, but it has its fair share of activity.   The top two floors are known to have more violent encounters than those happen in the basement or even the main floor. A full-body apparition is known as “the woman in white” and has been seen on the third floor several times by many different people. She is one of the most well-known ghosts of the brewery and is sometimes referred to as “Mrs.Johnson”.       The third floor is also one of the floors where many children died of yellow fever. This means it is no surprise that many workers and patrons have reported hearing children talking and playing on this floor. When even the people who run the brewery are talking about hearing children running in the halls, you know there is something going on.   In the 1990s there was construction being done on the third floor. During this time the wife of the foreman was pushed down the stairs on the third floor and fell all the way down the staircase. She was shoved hard enough that it was clear she had not simply fallen.    The foreman immediately stopped construction on the building and left. Several other people have reported feeling people pulling on them or pushing them when they walk on the stairs of the brewing company. This particularly takes place on the third floor which many people argue has the most aggressive spirits in the building.        The final floor of the brewery has been said to have a dark energy that the other floors do not possess. This could be because the majority of yellow fever victims and patients were housed on this floor while the building was being used as a hospital. The victims of the terrible virus might still be trapped feeling the hopelessness they felt in the moments before they died. Interestingly, there are not many reports of actual activity on this floor. There are so many reports on the other floors that almost everyone who has been to the brewery has a different paranormal experience. Yet the top floor where hundreds died is only known for its terrible energy. The same stories of children playing and talking are told about the fourth floor. This is likely because so many children have died on the top floor over the years. Many people agree that if anyone is haunting the brewery it is the ghosts of the children who died young and sick on the top floors of the building.        There is speculation that none of the spirits want to linger where so many died. Or maybe the lack of ghosts on the final floor makes patrons feel an emptiness after experiencing so much activity. Either way, the top floor of The Moon River Brewing Company does not seem to be anyone’s favorite floor whether they are dead or alive.   Well that's the craziness of moon river brewing company in Savannah. So stop in and have a drink and see a ghost!   Next up we are heading to Missouri and checking out a winery! The Belvoir winery to be specific. The winery is located at the Odd Fellows Home District in Liberty Missouri. The Odd Fellows Home District site has a ton of history and it's also visually a great site to see. The Odd Fellows' Home complex is architecturally significant as a collection of Jacobethan Revival educational and institutional buildings. The three remaining historic buildings, the Administration Building, the Old Folks Building and the Old Hospital, were all designed by different architects over a period of twenty-three years, yet all are cohesive in their design and embody the distinctive characteristics of the style. After the first structure used as the home was burned in February, 1900 in an attempt to unthaw frozen pipes, the Grand Lodge of Missouri I.O.O.F. advertised for designs of a "completely fireproof" building to house offices, classrooms, dormitories for the orphans, and rooms for the elderly. The architects selected were Albert Knell and William B. Ittner of St. Louis. The Administration Building designed by Ittner set the precedent for the rest of the Odd Fellow complex buildings. Although designed by other, later, architects, the other buildings reference this unique style. There were three other buildings designed in this style on the site. One, the School Building, was torn down in the early 1950s to make way for the newer hospital. The School Building was built in 1904, and designed by J. H. Felt & Co. of Kansas City, who also designed some later additions at the Odd Fellows. The Old Folks Building, at first called the Old Folks Pavilion, was designed by E. C. Eckle and built during 1907-1908 in order to accommodate the growing number of applications for admittance. The Old Hospital was built in 1923, and designed by Samuel M. Hitt of Kansas City. Viewed together, the three remaining buildings not only document the evolution of this style over a quarter of a century, but the typical building technology and materials for institutional structures as well.        The Odd Fellows Home is significant as an early 20th century example of a statewide home providing care and education for the orphans and elderly members of a fraternal organization. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) is one of the largest fraternal and benevolent orders in the United States. The chief purpose of the Order of Odd Fellows is to give aid, assistance, and comfort to its members and their families. Because the Grand Lodge made it impossible for the Home to reject an applicant due to a physical disability, many residents required hospital care beyond that provided by the staff nurse and doctor. Hospital facilities were moved to the Old Folks Building, but by 1910 it was apparent that a separate hospital building would be needed. It wasn't until 1923 that the hospital (now known as the Old Hospital) was constructed on the northern end of the property. For a period, the hospital was the only medical facility in Liberty; it even had its own laboratory. As the chief purpose of the Odd Fellows' society was to give aid, assistance and comfort to members and families, the Grand Lodge of Missouri helped in times of death as well as in sickness and misfortune. A cemetery plot, headstone, and burial services were all part of the large system of benefits that were available to the Odd Fellows. Usually, the elderly residents of the Home who had no other arrangements were buried there. Current IOOF members also had the option to be buried at the Liberty complex.  The cemetery is currently located on the northern end of the property.  The cemetery contains the remains of nearly 600 people.  Just outside the cemetery gate sits a memorial dedicated by the Liberty IOOF lodge to honor members who were killed in World War II.    Man it's cool to hear the history of places that you go without even thinking about it! That being said, let's get into what this history had contributed to… Hauntings!     It is believed that many of the nearly 600 people who are buried in the cemetery on the site may still be lingering around, haunting the winery buildings. Ghost sightings have included orphan children, a mischievous man, and a singing old lady.   The stories of hauntings abound. People have heard odd voices and noises, including children giggling and running up and down the stairs. Doors have opened and closed by themselves. The owner tells an account of seeing a little boy in a red shirt, blue knickers and brown boots, who appeared near the fireplace. Although the boy was visible, the owner could still see the details of the fireplace through him. Children have been heard singing “Ring Around the Rosy” in the halls. The owner’s daughter heard a little girl talk to her. The piano has played on its own. Perhaps the most haunted building on the property is an old brick hospital that was constructed in 1923. Located on the northern end of the property, it is now known as Old Hospital.The winery and its buildings are also popular with people in the supernatural business. Professional paranormal investigators such as the Ghost Hunters and CREEPZ have found remarkable amounts of evidence. People have had some odd experiences during some of these investigations. On one occasion while investigating the hospital, a woman had to sit down after feeling unsteady. She stood after a few minutes, but then her head hit a wall, her eyes were rolling back in her head, and she was sweating. When she finally recovered, she had no memory of what had happened. During the same exploration, investigators heard a deep growl coming from the room known as “the mischievous man’s room.” When they heard it again, one woman offered to check it out. As she walked toward the room, she felt an oppressive feeling, like doom or dread. Eventually, she retreated without continuing. The growling ended up being enough for the rest of the group as well. At this point, they were all ready to leave the building. In the administration building, once used as an orphanage, meters went crazy when investigators sang “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”   In an outbuilding once used for food storage, dowsing rods turned up some interesting activity. Supposedly, the orphans used to hide in this storage space in order to avoid their chores. When investigators asked questions such as “Where are your friends?” the rods pointed to locations throughout the room. A conversation through the dowsing rods continued, and when it was time to say goodbye, one woman experienced the feeling of being hugged.   Voices, laughing and singing seem to be the most common evidence. However, some people have seen apparitions and shadow people throughout the grounds. One man saw someone peeking around a corner.      The feeling of being watched is also common. In addition, much like the woman experiencing the hug, others have reported physical contact such as being grabbed by the shoulders.    Belvoir Winery does acknowledge and capitalize on the hauntings and old buildings. Besides the public paranormal investigations in October, they also provide guided tours. Other events at the winery include a “Halloween Massacreade” on October 31 and Murder Mystery Dinners in November, December and January. For all you wine drinkers out there… This one sounds fun!   So we've done beer…. We've done wine… What else can we do...oh I know… Moonshine! Next up on the list we head to Tennessee. Brushy mountain distillery to be more exact!   The thing that makes this distillery interesting is that it used to be one of the, if not there, most violent and infamous penitentiaries in the state of Tennessee.    Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary wasn’t just a jail. For decades it was a coal mine for the state of Tennessee that originated in the wake of a bloody labor battle.   The end of the Civil War led to a boom in railroad construction and the rapid expansion of the coal mining industry throughout Tennessee. Because many of the state’s coal veins were located in remote areas, most mining companies providing housing by collecting rent from miners’ wages.    When those companies opened onsite stores selling food, clothes and other necessities at inflated prices, already poor workers piled up debt. By the time their debt and rent were paid, they had little to show for a meager wage job with dangerous working conditions. The Coal Creek miners were clever, holding strikes in winter when coal demand was high; this tactic worked until a new convict lease program gave companies a cheaper, more compliant workforce.   The prison lease system was adopted throughout the South mainly because state governments couldn’t afford to build and maintain prisons or feed, shelter and clothe inmates and a convict lease program cut costs and brought in money. Beyond that, officials could exploit the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery but allowed “involuntary servitude” for criminal punishment.    When federal troops left the South in 1877 after Reconstruction, state officials who were hostile to former slaves handed down long prison terms and life sentences; even for petty crimes. Soon, blacks made up the majority of prisoners in the South.    Tennessee began leasing prisoners in 1866 and by 1891, the Tennessee Coal Mine in Anderson County adopted the practice. This fateful decision led to the Coal Creek War, where citizen-miners attacked and burned the state prison, stockades and mines, then loaded prisoners and guards alike onto a train headed out of town. Mining companies sent them back and state officials called in troops for protection. When months of small-arms skirmishes led to dead men on both sides, officials realized the cost of maintaining a standing militia undercut any financial gains and as convict-lease contracts expired, legislation passed to construct the state’s first maximum security prison – Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.    By 1896, inmates were building an onsite railroad spur, as well as the original wooden prison structure with their own hands. Between the ongoing violence, deadly mining accidents and chronic illness, life inside Brushy was precarious to say the least. Diseases were rampant, including tuberculosis, typhoid fever, pneumonia, and syphilis – which alone affected 3/4 of the black prisoners. Beyond generally poor medical care and treatment, inmates were routinely beaten for “underproducing” in the mines, despite their dire health conditions, and many died as a result. There was never a death row at Brushy, but there was plenty of death, I promise you. While America was roaring through the ‘20s, convicts at Brushy spent their days in the dark of the mines, urged to dig faster with lashes from thick leather straps.   Their nights weren’t any better, with men stacked into the original wooden buildings that were falling apart and just waiting to catch fire. In 1931, Brushy held nearly a thousand inmates, far more than it was ever meant to.   In 1931,  Brushy housed 976 men, roughly 300 more than its capacity.  Overcrowding was so prevalent and persistent it drew comparisons to conditions inside the infamous Siberian prisons of the Soviet Union.  The state’s answer was simple. Plans were drawn for a new structure to be made of reinforced concrete and they made convicts break sandstone out of the nearby quarry to build the new prison.  Constructed in the shape of a Greek cross, it stood four stories high, boasted battlements atop and by 1934 was surrounded by an 18-foot stone wall.  For a moment, things got better. The new prison was safer, more sanitary, and built in the shape of a cross, offering inmates a narrow path to redemption. Mining remained the sole mission of the prison until the 1960’s and in 1969 Brushy was reclassified as primarily maximum-security when 100 beds were added to house lesser offenders “outside the walls.” Many of the new minimum-security inmates were entrusted with jobs serving the outside community such as participating in the Petros Voluntary Fire Department, which operated 24/7 between 1971 and 1994.    By the middle of the century, Brushy’s reputation as the last stop for the worst criminals had become legend. If you wore out your welcome at another prison or committed some unspeakable crimes, you ended up at Brushy, and let me tell you, that was never a good thing.    In ‘57, after finally shutting down The Hole, they built D-block to keep the nastiest inmates isolated from the rest. It just happens that D-block was built on the site of the old “death house,” where the bodies of dead inmates were kept until they were given back to their families or buried at the pauper’s cemetery up on the hill there.    In ‘69, Brushy was reclassified as a maximum security prison. The end of the line.   But convicts continued to work and die in the mines for decades.  It was Lake Russell, a reform-minded warden and former football coach at nearby Carson-Newman College, who finally stopped the mining at Brushy Mountain.  Of course, the mines were also losing money.  So was it a good warden, or a good businessman that put an end to it?  That’s Brushy for you.   This was the most infamous era of Brushy’s history, a time when the assassin James Earl Ray was transported here, tried to escape, failed, got stabbed. In ‘72 the guards went on strike, demanding security improvements, and Brushy was shut down for four years. So they improved some things and reopened Brushy in ‘76, but friends, let me tell you, it was still Brushy. Tensions between black inmates and white inmates threatened to overwhelm a system that just didn’t seem capable of containing the evil of this place.   In ‘82, the powder keg ignited. Seven white inmates held guards hostage at knifepoint. They took the guards’ guns, found four of their black rivals in their locked cells and opened fire. They killed two. The other two managed to survive by hiding in the corner behind their mattresses.   People said things couldn’t get any worse, and maybe, finally, they were right. Make no mistake Brushy has a darkness about it. You’ll recognize that as soon as you step inside and breathe this air. But you need to know that it wasn’t all darkness.   Back in ‘82, where the old segregated bath house once stood, they built the Brushy Chapel. They say more than a thousand inmates were baptized.  Sure, some of it was that jailhouse religion, act right and get out early, but some of it was real.    In ‘89, they built the High Security Annex, a modern building with solid doors, electronic locks and fire prevention systems, the kind of place you’d expect.  D-block became a minimum security section, so maybe that was a kind of redemption, too.   Brushy didn’t suddenly became a nice place to spend time in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Far from it. But there was hope here, too. Good people doing good work, and bad people trying to be good. Brushy ate Tennessee’s sins for 113 years. It bore witness to terrible sadness and awful violence. It provided hard lessons and good jobs. More than anything, it created a legend and a legacy that will echo across this country and its history. The prison opened in 1896 and only closed its doors in 2009.   Plans to repurpose the historic prison began in 2012, and Brushy Mountain Distillery only opened in 2018. Using local grains, local natural spring water, and (of course) local distillers, Brushy Mountain has already released 10 creative flavors of moonshine such as apple pie, blackberry, honey, fruit punch, frosted orange, peach cobbler, cinnarum, and butterscotch. Man what crazy tale! And now they distill moonshine here! No wonder the place is haunted! Speaking of Hauntings… Let's get to it!   It's been said you can hear the screams of the hopeless, the clanging against bars and railing for justice, over and over. It makes sense that a place filled with such heartache would carry a connection to the other world. Also Brushy Mountain is very open about its ghosts. No joke. They even include them in their warning of possible hazardous conditions you might encounter while tiring the facility.         Many people report a grave feeling of dread or despair in the area that was the hole or solitary. Down there are reports of shadowy figures and banging and strange noises. People have described getting heavy feelings in their chests and several have said they felt like they were having a heart attack. Another hot spot seems to be the cafeteria. We found this story online:     "Not much struck me emotionally about the place until I reached the serving line in the cafeteria. My wife and I both had a feeling of dread come over us. Having cold chills and generally wanting to get out of the area as soon as possible made us wonder why. As we continued the tour we put that moment behind us until we sat for a documentary style video played in the museum. The video described the brutal murder of an inmate in the cafeteria lunch line! A fellow prisoner had taken a knife from the kitchen and hacked the man to pieces. The video graphically described that blood splattered into the potatoes, the man's arm was barely hanging on by a piece of skin, and his spine fell apart when the guards tried to move him. Now they say at times you can see a man waving his arm from behind a pillar in the cafeteria. People have also experienced a folding chair slide across the room!"   Another visitor said this:          "Not a believer myself, but I went on the night tour. I saw a swirl of smoke go past me in the visitation room off of the cafeteria. I have several photos with unexplained oddities. I plan on going back."    There's many stories just like these floating around and honestly it sounds like a really cool place to get wasted and wander around! You can do tastings and ghost tours.. My kind of night.   Next up we are getting back to beer… And also pizza! What a combo! Throw in ghosts and we are in for a heck of a party. We are heading to Portland Oregon to check out Old Town Pizza and Brewing. It was in 1880 that two successful lumber barons built the Merchant Hotel on this block, catering to Portland’s best patrons. Old Town Pizza sits in the original hotel lobby. In fact the window where you place your pizza order is the original hotel’s reception desk and is flanked by the lobby’s original decorative cast iron beam posts. Underneath the floor boards are the Shanghai Tunnels connecting Portland via underground pathways, then used to nab unsuspecting sailors and transport them to ships docked on the river. The Shanghai Tunnels, is a group of passages in Portland, mainly underneath the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood and connecting to the main business section. The tunnels connected the basements of many hotels and taverns to the waterfront of the Willamette River. They were originally built to move goods from the ships docked on the Willamette to the basement storage areas, allowing businesses to avoid streetcar and train traffic on the streets when delivering their goods. There is documentation in the newspapers of the 19th century of tunnels and secret passages underground. Organized crime was the center of many of these stories. The more crazy stories go that the tunnels were also use to Shanghai sailors. Shanghaiing or crimping is the practice of kidnapping people to serve as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps. The most straightforward method for a crimp to shanghai a sailor was to render him unconscious, forge his signature on the ship's articles, and pick up his "blood money". This approach was widely used, but there were more profitable methods. Whether the stories of shanghaiing on these tunnels  are actually true or not it's a matter of debate among historians, but if true we're sure there are plenty of stories of occidental that went to far leading to dinner bad juju in the tunnels. Old Town Pizza sits in what used to be called the Old North End, a section of the city with a rather questionable reputation. Despite the upstanding clientele of the Merchant Hotel, even it was known for offering one of the oldest professions in the world: prostitution. As legend goes, one of the young “working women” was Nina, sold into this life by a thriving white slavery market. In an effort to clean up the neighborhood, traveling missionaries convinced Nina to share information in exchange for freeing her from a fate she did not choose. Nina cooperated but soon afterward was found dead in the hotel, now Old Town Pizza. Thrown down the elevator shaft, Nina is reported to have never left the building. That elevator shaft is now the location of a cozy both in the restaurant… Fun! Nina is often seen wandering around in a black dress. Years ago a skeptical (of ghosts) general manager saw a woman in a black dress head to the basement. He followed the woman down the stairs to let her know they weren’t open and instead found the room empty. Old Town’s beer and wine distributor has reported seeing Nina as well.   Other strange occurrences include a woman who reached out to Old Town Pizza after reading about Nina on their website claiming that Nina haunted her room when she was a little girl staying at the hotel.   While Adam Milne, the owner, has yet to come across Nina personally, he does recall a picture frame moving while he was doing paperwork in the lobby (and has video evidence to prove it). Another possible Nina sighting came when a customer shared a photo that captures a ghostly howling face…. We'll post the picture. As for other haunts, owner Adam Milne said an employee once saw a woman in a white dress go downstairs during closing time. When he went down to tell her they were closed, no one was there. it seems that while Nina is the most commonly seen apparition or encounter, others report feeling someone's presence around then in the dining room along with people reporting being touched but no one being around them. Sounds like a pretty spooky place!    We're gonna do a few quick hitters next.   We've done beer, wine, and moonshine… What's left? Well how about one for Moody...a haunted meadery. That's right and we don't even have to leave Portland!    Many local Portlander’s are familiar with the long closed Ye Olde Towne Crier,a building built in 1927 with a long history of it’s roots. It is most famous for being the Ye Olde Towne Crier, but a variety of other bars and businesses have resided within it’s walls. More recently and after nearly a decade of being vacant, Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery have taken up the mantle of bringing the basement area back to life with their own medieval twist. The new business location for Wyrd includes a fully functional mead hall style tap room, their meadery where they make their honey based beverage, and their storefront of handmade leather goods with artists on consignment. The hauntings and ghost sightings date back to the staff at Ye Olde Towne Crier. The Ye Olde opened in ‘53. The building was built in 1927 as a market. The family who originally owned it converted it over many years and added a 3rd level for their residence. That’s the secret spot. The ghost first appeared in the lounge in 1966, per the old staff.  During the remodeling process over the last few months, Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery has noticed minor paranormal activity while working on their new space. Objects have shown up in random spots, ceiling fans have begun to spin on their own while the co-owners ate their food on breaks, loud noises as if someone walked into a metal sink hard, etc. Often it is just the three co-owners there working on the space and can confirm their experiences so far, which led to them researching into whether or not the place has a history of being haunted. Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery does not wish to upset any spirits who share their residence and is currently working on a plan to collaborate peacefully with their new shared space roommates. Moody will definitely be going to this place!    Touted as the most haunted brewery in Illinois, Wolfden Brewing Company resides in a building built in 1851. While weird incidents happen on a weekly basis—batteries draining quickly, magnets flying off the wall, shadowy figures, coughing and footsteps—the most notable occurrences happened while Wolfden Brewing was under construction.   Co-owner Katie found a soldier’s marble on the property and after taking the marble off the property, she experienced a series of frightening events. At a home improvement store, paint cans fell from 25 feet above and landed right behind her. She also randomly cut herself while shopping for fire extinguishers. While driving on the highway, a construction barrel flew out on the road in front of her car. Lastly, she tripped over a wire and cut her Achilles tendon on the construction site. All incidents ended once she returned the marble.   While not much about the building’s history has been recorded, Wolfden Owner and Head Brewer Krystov and Katie were able to decipher from existing documents that a woman died on the property after falling into a well. Another spirit, Jack, is believed to have been a soldier from the Civil War (or perhaps during the Blackhawk War).   “We did our first investigation before we opened to the public (last July) and were able to capture Jack telling us his name is Jack,” says Krystov. “We also asked the spirits to move something and shortly after, two 50lb grain bags were pushed off the stack of grain bags and onto the floor. “   According to Krystov, multiple mediums and ghost investigation crews have come through and confirmed that spirits haunt the building and that the upstairs room is a portal.   “Although many of the incidents are creepy, we feel that the spirits here are not evil,” says Krystov. “they aren’t particularly nice, but probably because they don’t want us here. None of the staff is scared, they have just gotten used to it.”   Awesome… That's close enough to Ohio for us to go check out!    A Victorian house built in 1864 houses both the Yak & Yeti, one of Denver’s best Nepalese restaurants, and Spice Trade Brewing. With delicious aromas and spices that fill the air and unique craft beer, it’s no wonder that ghostly visitors don’t want to leave. The restaurant and brewery are said to be haunted by former owner Cora who died falling down the stairs in the 1940s. Jeff Tyler, head brewer at Spice Trade, notes that repairmen have complained about strange things happening in the basement and according to a Fox 31 news report, Yak and Yeti employees witnessed so many strange occurrences that the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society was brought in to investigate. While they were not able to clarify that the strange occurrences were indeed spirits, cameras did catch a mysteriously moving chair.   Why are ghosts always moving chairs?..... Anyway   Another spot we've found is the wynkoop brewery. Located in Denver Colorado, there are many studies from patrons of paranormal experiences. Who better to hear about this possible haunting from than the brewery itself. The following is taken from their own website:       "Our downtown Denver brewery resides in a 125-year-old brick warehouse building that’s seen a lot of changes over the last century. In the past year or so, we made a few changes of our own when we updated our 30-year-old tap system, replacing all of our taps, lines and pumps so we could get fresh beer from the basement up to our bars. And just recently we installed brand new, state-of-the-art brewing equipment, making our brewers’ lives (and backs) easier with our newly implemented grain elevator.   While updating our systems, we spent a lot of time in our basement. Down there, you really get a sense of the history of this place. You’ll find some interesting remnants from the past, such as the bricked-over tunnels that lead all the way to Union Station and the Brown Palace. Because our building used to be a mercantile, these tunnels served to move the merchandise coming in off the trains. (Interesting trivia: The Beatles once had to use these tunnels to get across downtown to avoid the frenzy of fans up above.)   But like many turn-of-the-century buildings, we have our fair share of ghosts. Not the horror movie kind, more of the sort-of-annoying-but-harmless kind. Since our restrooms are located in the basement, we’ve had a few guests tell us they’ve experienced “encounters” while using the facilities, especially men who claim that they could feel something brush the backs of their legs while they were using the urinals.   While most ghostly encounters seem to happen in the basement, sometimes the spirits make their way up the stairs. There’ve been a few late nights where I’ve turned off all the lights upstairs, walked down the basement to check on the bathrooms, walked back up the stairs and all of the lights were back on. (I was the only one there.) And some customers have claimed to see a lady in a red dress walking across the room in our upstairs pool hall.   So a few years ago, we decided to do our own “paranormal investigation”. A few of our staff members stayed overnight in our basement using a “spirit box” that supposedly contacts spirits through the use of radio frequency. While down there, they asked the ghosts if they knew where they were. They claim they kept hearing “Koop” coming through the static. They asked who the lady in the red dress was. They heard “Isabelle”. Coincidence? You can watch this video online and decide for yourself.   One of the more unsettling things from that night is the video capture of a shadow darting along the wall. Everyone is seated, no one is moving. Who made that shadow? You can watch the video and see if you can figure it out."    We'll post links to both videos so you can check em out for yourself. If you watch the videos leave em a comment and let them know we sent you!    Well there you have it, the surprise episode just for Jon! Alcohol and ghosts, what a combo! If you guys are ever near these places definitely check them out and tell them we sent you!    To ten horror movies of 1976… Jons year of spawning!   https://alexvorkovwriter.wordpress.com/2017/06/02/my-top-10-horror-films-of-1976/

Ypsilanti District Library Clerk Jerome Drummond takes us back again to Ypsilanti in its earliest years. Settlers traveling west had left their homes on the east coast behind but not their interest; how would information be gotten? The federal government considered it crucial to its plans of westward expansion that unity of the population be maintained by shared information; the tool for achieving this was the United States Post Office. If, however, information was to rise above the level of hearsay, letters alone would not be sufficient, so the government allowed special low postal rates for newspapers at the same moment that newspapers were undergoing a transformation that would bring their price down to the person on the street. We will examine some aspects of this institution and note the similarities and differences between our time and then through the careers of two Ypsilantians: Charles Woodruff and Charles Pattison.

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Shane Stranahan discuss Trump's speech at the recent CPAC conference, politics surrounding the United States Post Office, Saudi Arabia-US relations and the Biden Administration's recent actions involving Bombings and stimulus bills. Guests: Lee Stranahan – News Analyst and Host of The Back Story | Recap: Live from CPACChuck Zlatkin – Legislative and Political Director | DeJoy testifies Before House Oversight and Government Ref Committee Laith Marouf – Multimedia Producer and Broadcasting Law Consultant | MBS On Blast John Kiriakou – Former CIA Officer, Co-host of ‘The Backstory' | Biden Bombs Joel Segal – Former Congressional Staffer and Author | Democrats Pass $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill Steve Grumbine – Political, Economic and Social Justice Activist and Founder of Real Progressives and Real Progress in action | Democrats Pass $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill In his first public appearance since he left the White House, former President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando. Lee Stranahan dissects Trump's speech which included denials, proposals and jargon. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee after being accused of turning the Post Office into a “tool” for political agenda. Chuck Zlatkin talks with the Fault Line team about how politics are being used to manipulate the United States Post Office. Many have called on the Biden Administration to hold Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman responsible for the killing of journalist Khashoggi. Laith Marouf talks more about Saudi Arabia's relations with the United States. With less than three months in office, the Biden Administration has already called for an airstrike in Syria against alleged ‘Iranian-backed' militia. The team is joined again by former CIA agent John Kiriakou who questions the legality behind these attacks. Democrats have approved Biden's $1.9 Trillion coronavirus relief package which would provide Americans with $1,400 stimulus checks. Joel Segal and Steven Grumbine talk in detail about the behind the scene politics surrounding this stimulus package.

Let's figure out what's going on with the United States Post Office and let's figure out how to fix it now!

K-2SO is not in Andor, a missing Mandalorian, new character videos for The High Republic, and a new batch of Star Wars stamps feature in the news. On this fully armed and operational episode, we discuss: Alan Tudyk not appearing as K-2SO in Andor, Where was Axe Woves in the season finale for The Mandalorian? The debut of The High Republic Show, New character videos for The High Republic, and Star Wars stamps featuring droids from the United States Post Office. Read a story featuring Jay’s alter ego as a Republic X-Wing pilot here. Thanks to Dae and Katriel for a wonderful story. Thanks for joining us for another episode! Subscribe to Podcast Stardust for all your Star Wars news, reviews, and discussion wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Follow us on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube. T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, masks, and posters are available on TeePublic. Find all episodes on RetroZap.com.

Today Sam and Dave discuss Lysander Spooner on the Resistance Library Podcast.    Lysander Spooner is an important – and not exactly obscure – figure in the history of the liberty movement. He's an idiosyncratic figure from the 19th century with no small cheerleading section in the 21st century. A bit of a throwback to a very different time, Spooner was a champion of the labor movement and was even a member of the First International at a time when socialists and anarchists coexisted peacefully within that movement.   Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Spooner is that he ran a private company in direct competition with the United States Post Office. This endeavor predictably failed not because the American Letter Mail Company couldn't compete, but because Spooner was hamstrung by lawfare.   Spooner was born in Athol, MA, in 1808, a descendant of Mayflower pilgrims and the second of nine children. His career as a lawyer set the template for the rest of his life's work: Spooner had studied under a number of prominent lawyers (a practice known as “reading law,” which was much more common at the time). However, he did not have a degree and state law required that he study further under a lawyer. He considered this legal discrimination and went ahead and started practicing law anyway.   In 1836, the state legislature got rid of the requirement. Indeed, Spooner was against any legal requirement for licensure of any profession, something that would come up again later on in his battle against the United States Post Office. This was part of Spooner's belief in a natural law, whereby any act of coercion was ipso facto illegal.   Spooner's law practice was not a success, nor were his attempts to dabble in the real estate market. He moved back onto his father's farm in 1840. It was here that he hatched the plan for the American Letter Mail Company.   You can read the full article “Lysander Spooner: The Forgotten History of the Man Who Started the First Private Post Office” at Ammo.com.   For $20 off your $200 purchase, go to https://ammo.com/podcast (a special deal for our listeners).   Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs1776   And check out our sponsor, Libertas Bella, for all of your favorite 2nd Amendment apparel and Libertarianism shirts at LibertasBella.com.   Helpful Links:  Lysander Spooner: The Forgotten History of the Man Who Started the First Private Post Office Freedom, Individualism, and Anarchy: Great Lysander Spooner Quotes Resistance Library  Sam Jacobs

Did you know that the modern airport owes its existence to the United States Post Office? Steam-powered the 19 th century, but Gasoline and the Internal Combustion engine powered the 20 th.  This was especially true in the transportation industries. But unlike other industries, these depended on government developed and maintained infrastructure, which is where the Post Office and the Military come into play. In this podcast, I will also talk about the early commercial airlines (both domestic and international flights) starting in the 19-teens. The podcast addresses much more about the growth of the transportation industry, so listen to the podcast and comment on things about this era and these industries you want to know more about in Shotguns & Sugar Instagram Feed or Facebook. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/shotguns-and-sugar/donations

Gary Jeff has more on the Kentucky shutdown, the Covid-19 vaccine, and Jay Armstrong is having issues with the United States Post Office!

Nothing that happens in DANNYLAND is normal!! ⚡⚡⚡ Danny's week starts with the United States Post Office trespassing on his property!! AOC can fix the Post Office!! She is WOKE!!

Free the People’s Logan Albright and Trey Lowell talk about the recent controversy surrounding the United States Post Office. Is Donald Trump trying to sabotage the USPS to rig the election? Is the Post Office an inefficient government monopoly long past its “sell by” date? What are the potential pitfalls of mail-in voting? All this and more in this week’s Last Call.

The United States Post Office has been dragged into a bitter political fight in the weeks leading to the presidential election over the issue of mail-in voting, and whether the service is prepared to handle a deluge of mailed ballots. KCSB's Harry Lawton talked to local Congressman Salud Carbajal about the situation in Santa Barbara and nationally.

Today we discuss the inner finances of the post office.  Are they government or private, dependent on government funds or not?  We discuss in depth.   Follow us on social media @financestheotherfword Check out our website at https://financestheotherfword.com/ to pick up swag and merchandise.  Our book Finances the Other "F" Word-Another "F" Word to Love is on Amazon, Target and Barnes & Nobel online.   Resources https://www.king5.com/article/news/verify/trump-quotes-mail-in-ballots-fact-check/507-286d748c-e821-4276-b1a4-053d60d0bb28 https://facts.usps.com/top-facts/ https://www.downsizinggovernment.org/usps https://www.govtech.com/e-government/Will-USPS-Cancel-Saturday-Delivery.html https://www.thoughtco.com/about-the-us-postal-service-3321146

It's unclear how recent policy changes at the United States Post Office will impact this year's election. But Voces Unidas de las Montañas , an advocacy group in Glenwood Springs, has recently filed a lawsuit against the Postmaster General over the changes. KDNK's Halle Zander reports.

Representative Cheri Bustos is defending the United States Post Office. Representative Bustos was recently part of a Congressional majority that voted for a new bill supporting the post office and authorizing new funds for the Postal Service. The postal service is set to play a key role in November as many Americans are expected to cast votes via the mail. It's not just about the election however as the Post Office is responsible for numerous things including bills, paychecks, medicines and simple correspondence. The Bill is likely merely symbolic as the Republican Majority in the Senate is unlikely to push the bill forward.

This week, a White House coronavirus report reveals Oklahoma is in the red zone. Plus, could concerns over the United States Post Office impact Oklahoma elections? See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

This week, a White House coronavirus report reveals Oklahoma is in the red zone. Plus, could concerns over the United States Post Office impact Oklahoma elections? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States Post Office traces its roots back to the late 1700's and was formally distinguished in 1971. It has been a major accelerator to the formation of the United States of America with its ability to distribute information throughout one of the largest countries in the world. However, the past 15 years have been rough for the USPS, as it has seen a major spike in its debt and is currently facing a lot of politically related turmoil. In this episode we briefly go over the history of the Post Office, why it has so much debt, and how it will make or break the 2020 presidential election. We also touch up on the Democratic Index and the rankings of certain democratic countries relative to others.Check out the Democratic Index here.Purchase a copy of Benjamin Franklin's biography here.

Free the People's Logan Albright and Trey Lowell talk about the recent controversy surrounding the United States Post Office. Is Donald Trump trying to sabotage the USPS to rig the election? Is the Post Office an inefficient government monopoly long past its "sell by" date? What are the potential pitfalls of mail-in voting? All this and more in this week's Last Call.

THE PODCAST THAT'S WICKED GOOD OTHER PLATFORMS - http://wickedgood.xyz PATREON - https://patreon.com/WICKEDGOOD SOCIAL MEDIA - https://instagram.com/wickedgoodusername/ SHOW NOTES: (0:00) Around 750 Million mosquitoes being released in the keys (14:00) Closest recorded asteroid flyby ever (21:05) SpaceX catches fairing (31:51) Netflix is disgusting (36:27) AMC 15cent tickets Paramount decree reversed (44:25) Socially distanced concert (52:43) United States Post Office (1:07:42) Video games / DARK (1:13:21) Mass materials Flu vaccine is now mandatory for schools in Massachusetts

Welcome to another episode of the Truthzilla Podcast! We were honored to have fellow Oregonian and avid expounder of Truth Dean Reiner on the show for an amazing conversation. Dean is the host of the Up is Down Podcast. We met Dean on the Union of the Unwanted a few weeks ago and instantly started communicating back and forth on the grounds of being fellow Oregonians under the tyrannical rule of our FASCIST Governor, Kate Brown. We decided to join forces and trash talk on her for a bit and get some insight into what the situation is in Portland; all mainstream media propaganda aside. Within the time that we set up this swap-cast until it actually happened, the whole world stopped and focused on the situation with the United States Post Office. Dean is a US Postal Worker who works in Portland and offers a unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective into eveyrthing that the rest of the world is talking about. We get into all of this and a lot more, including Tracy Twyman and the phenomenon of Gangstalking/Targetted Individuals. Hop on the Truth Train and let's ride! Truthzilla Mind Militia call to action!If you liked the show and appreciate Dean's work, please contribute to his cause. There is a "Donate" button on the podcast section of his page at https://www.deanreiner.com/podcast-1We want to follow James Corbett's lead on this. When we reference websites from mainstream media, we are going to reference the archived version to avoid sending "clicks" and traffic to these pieces of shit media outlets. If you really feel the need to visit the actual site, it will be posted at the top of the archive.is site. We encourage you to use this archival tool to not only archive articles and websites that you feel contain sensitive information to help preserve these websites from future censorship, but also, try and share the archived version with your peers. 00:42:30Forbes Article: You Must Not ‘Do Your Own Research’ When It Comes To Science-http://archive.is/P7zCn00:53:27Oregon children in foster care are abused at twice the national average:-https://pjmedia.com/parenting/jeff-reynolds/2016/09/21/horrifying-conditions-in-oregons-foster-care-system-n107897-https://conservativedailypost.com/oregon-silently-working-to-begin-invasive-home-visits-for-all-new-parents/?fbclid=IwAR1SLUrq4IrZx2_Xf8ooKzh0_vfGl0ZZnDcQItxXXUJt1oa8Yr9812kkDGw-http://archive.is/C2KRr-https://www.oregon.gov/DHS/CHILDREN/Documents/cfsr-or-statewide-assess-2016.pdf

Drink of the day: Water!  Colin Anderson and Candice Chetta are back in the studio! Thanks for sticking with us – Candice badly sprained her ankle and has been down for the count for a couple of weeks!  Today we're talking about the United States Post Office!  We've also got a ton of things to … Continue reading "194: Save The United States Postal Service, Three Weeks of Bravo TV Updates, Thanks For Everything!"

Jello talks about the attempts by the Trump administration to pull the plug on the United States Postal Office, what is the underlying cause of the issue, what the end of the USPS will mean, and why Obama and Biden are also to blame for the situation we are now in. What Would Jello Do? is an informal spoken word video series by Jello Biafra. For more information on Jello Biafra, visit https://alternativetentacles.com

Welcome to The Halli Casser-Jayne Show. On this episode of The Halli Casser-Jayne Show we begin with presumptive Democratic Party Presidential nominee Joe Biden's pick for his Vice-President, Senator Kamala Harris; take a look at where the country is in the Covid-19 pandemic; explore Trump's attempt to win re-election with his sabotage of the United States Post Office, and hey, what's a podcast without a mention of Trump fixer Michael Cohen and the infamous pee tapes. That's where we begin. As we do every week, Halli and her partner in politics, veteran White House correspondent Matthew Cooper take a deep dive into the current political landscape in their weekly snap, crackle and pop conversation. And what a week it has been. As Covid-19 ravages the United States, school's are being forced to open by Republican governors. How is that gonna end? Before Joe Biden's announcement of Kamala Harris as his running-mate, he was continuing his surge in the polls. Donald Trump knew that Harris was a likely pick, but has flailed in his response to her Biden nod. But what's a day without Trump playing his two favorite hands: Sexism and racism? There was a deal struck between Israel and the UAE? Good for Netanyahu and Trump or not? Oh, and Congress, remember them? They hung desperate Americans out to try, unable to reach a deal between the parties, they took off for their August recess. Kamala Harris, Covid-19, Kanye West, Election 2020, Congress, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, White House press corps, the Abraham Accord. It's August and things are hot, hot, hot and getting hotter. Join Halli and Matt this week on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, always available at Halli Casser-Jayne dot com, on your favorite app, and on your Alexa device too. Listen here >> https://bit.ly/341pXaX

Public Space Travel Podcast Weekly Warp ep 03: Putting the 'ail' in 'mail' Welcome to PST's Weekly Warp: our new weekly series focusing on current events that catch our eye. This week we take a look at the new Postmaster General, Supreme Commander during the Posting Wars of...oh, my mistake...the new Postmaster General of the United States Post Office, Louis DeJoy, who is another Trump crony put in office to dismantle another public apparatus; Trump's war on mail-in voting, and other topics à la Trump. Public Space Travel is a podcast dedicated to social/political critique, comedy, and education. Coming from an anti-hierarchy/oppression perspective, we aim for progressive/radical left solidarity with brothers/sisters/trans and non-binary folk of all stripes. We want to discuss and examine topics (or interview people) that you want to hear about, as well as make corrections for things we’ve said. Reach out to us: PublicSpaceTravel@gmail.com Voice Mail: (208) 502-1406 Twitter: @PublicSpacePod ------------------------------------------------------ Descriptive intro read by Johhny Lupinacci. Music used in descriptive intro is "Too Grimy" by Yung Kartz (licensed under a Creative Commons NC-ND 4.0 License, found on freemusicarchive.org) Public Space Travel Intro Theme by Lazarus (Remix of "Dial My Number" by Benedek off of “Bonus Beat Blast 2011” licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 License, found on freemusicarchive.org)

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Few players have dominated a sport like Maureen Connolly conquered tennis. The teenage phenom captured 9 Grand Slam titles in her three short years of competitive play before a horse riding accident prematurely ended her career.   She remains one of only five players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year and won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open three times in a row. The United States Post Office honored her and issued the "Little Mo" postage stamp in 2019. Her life continues to impact young tennis players today through the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.   Listen to her daughter Cindy Brinker Simmons share stories about her mother's amazing tennis career and life, both of which were gone far too soon. Former USTA Texas Section Executive Director Ken McAlister also details the importance of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.   This episode of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Podcast is presented by the Hampton Inn Waco. All episodes are hosted and produced by Jackson Michael, author of The Game Before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL.

We are joined by mail carrier and Socialist Alternative member Tyler Vasseur to talk about the Neo-Liberal attack on the United States Post Office and the impact of Covid-19 on postal workers. Tyler traces the impacts of the 2006 "Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act" and sketch ideas for the future of a healthy post office. We also reflect on the whirlwind timeline of 2020 and the Democratic Party presidential primary makes it first appearance on the pod. 

Lincoln Mitchell drops some truth bombs on how Trump is setting up lies & going after the United States Post Office to sow seeds of doubt in the legitimacy of voting by mail, the FRAUD that people (he'll blame the Democrats) in stuffing the ballot boxes, voter suppression and a shit ton of other depressing af issues surrounding the Election2020 and Covid19. Follow Lincoln on instagram @LincolnAMitchell on the twitter @LincolnMitchell and go to his website LincolnMitchell.com for his books and links to his TV appearances like the one tonight on Al Jazeera America at 7p EST. Condolences to BayBlockAC for the loss of his Grandma to Covid19 today right before her 100th Birthday. Fuck. Ugh. Follow me @doodlehedz on the instagram for the live DJ Jam every nite 8p est and @smallpencilclub in the twitterverse where I rage tweet to vent amongst other things. Wash Your Hands. Stay Home. WEAR A FUCKING MASK. Subscribe on apple podcasts, stitcher & spotify. Thanks for listening.

In this episode Mike has a discussion with congressional candidate Perry Gershon who is looking to continue the blue Wave and flip NY's 1st congressional district from red to blue. Mike speaks with Mr. Gershon about healthcare, NY in the midst of COVID-19, and what his plans are for NY's 1st district. You can learn more by visiting https://www.perrygershon.com/Also, there is a hard movement amongst many on the right who want to quickly reopen the country, even though there is no vaccine and not enough tests for COVID-19. This idea has been headed by Donald Trump who desperately wants to get the country back to normal. But why? Why are the Republicans and those in the Trump admin so anxious to reopen America with no remedy for COVID-19? Could it be because they want herd immunity? Listen as Mike breaks this down. And, The United States Post Office is now on life support and could run out of money by this Summer. Why is this and is the post office worth saving? Mike talks about how Donald Trump and the Republicans have been trying to take down the post office for years! Follow on social @mikerileynow

February 4, 2020 Wentworth Town Council Meeting(Wentworth, NC) - Audio of the February 4, 2020 meeting of the Wentworth Town Council. The meeting was held at Wentworth Town Hall.AGENDAArticle I. CALL TO ORDERArticle II. INVOCATIONArticle III. APPROVAL OF TOWN COUNCIL AGENDAA. Requests and Petitions of CitizensB. Approve/ Amend AgendaArticle IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTESA. Town Council (regular) Meeting – January 7, 2020B. Town Council Special Meeting – January 15, 2020Article V. OLD BUSINESSA. Consideration of Proposal from Cruz Carpentry for Repair or Replacement of Doors #12, #15, #17, #37, and #40 at the Wentworth Consolidated School SitePresented By: George Murphy, Town AdministratorArticle VI. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR'S UPDATEA. Wentworth Park ProjectB. Wentworth Consolidated School1. Building Security: Doors, Locks, and Hardware2. Gymnasium and Auxiliary Classroom Roof Repair3. Developing a Comprehensive Plan for Use4. Cleaning the GymnasiumArticle VII. NEW BUSINESSA. Consideration of Budget Amendment No. 2 for FY 2019-2020Presented By: Yvonne Russell, Clerk/Finance OfficerB. Consideration of Lease Renewal with United States Post Office at 200 County Home RoadPresented By: Yvonne Russell, Clerk/Finance OfficerArticle VIII. PUBLIC COMMENTSArticle IX. ANNOUNCEMENTS The next regular meeting of the Wentworth Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 18, 2020, at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The next regular meeting of the Wentworth Town Council is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall Council Chambers. Funding Request Applications for FY 2020-2021 are due by February, 24, 2020.Article X. ADJOURN# # #

In this episode Regreal’s rant gets a little out of control while talking about the dysfunctional United States Post Office. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reasontorant/support

Mike Opelka is in for Rod today, and he is joined by Drew Rigby, Cannabis Program Manager for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, on how the state is now looking for marijuana growers to fulfill the needs of medical marijuana patients. See below for other guests scheduled for today's program.Rod Arquette Show w/ Mike Opelka - Monday, June 3, 20195:35 pm: Drew Rigby, Cannabis Program Manager for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, joins the show to discuss how the state is now looking for marijuana growers to fulfill the needs of medical marijuana patients6:05 pm: Mike Opelka will be joined by Kevin Kosar of the R Street Institute regarding the future financial viability of the United States Post Office.

Recently, members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives have introduced the "Loan Shark Prevention Act," which imposes a nationwide 15% interest rate ceiling on all consumer credit products, from credit cards to payday loans. They also propose to empower the United States Post Office to engage in the practice of consumer retail banking. This Teleforum examines the economics of interest-rate ceilings on consumer credit and the historical experience with such proposals as well as discussing the proposal to create a Post Office bank.Featuring:- Wayne Abernathy, Executive VP for Financial Institutions Policy and Regulatory Affairs, American Bankers Association- Todd Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law SchoolVisit our website – RegProject.org – to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.

Recently, members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives have introduced the "Loan Shark Prevention Act," which imposes a nationwide 15% interest rate ceiling on all consumer credit products, from credit cards to payday loans. They also propose to empower the United States Post Office to engage in the practice of consumer retail banking. This Teleforum examines the economics of interest-rate ceilings on consumer credit and the historical experience with such proposals as well as discussing the proposal to create a Post Office bank.Featuring:- Wayne Abernathy, Executive VP for Financial Institutions Policy and Regulatory Affairs, American Bankers Association- Todd Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law SchoolVisit our website – RegProject.org – to learn more, view all of our content, and connect with us on social media.

Recently, members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives have introduced the "Loan Shark Prevention Act," which imposes a nationwide 15% interest rate ceiling on all consumer credit products, from credit cards to payday loans. They also propose to empower the United States Post Office to engage in the practice of consumer retail banking. This Teleforum examines the economics of interest-rate ceilings on consumer credit and the historical experience with such proposals as well as discussing the proposal to create a Post Office bank. Featuring: Wayne Abernathy, Executive VP for Financial Institutions Policy and Regulatory Affairs, American Bankers AssociationTodd Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School

Recently, members of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives have introduced the "Loan Shark Prevention Act," which imposes a nationwide 15% interest rate ceiling on all consumer credit products, from credit cards to payday loans. They also propose to empower the United States Post Office to engage in the practice of consumer retail banking. This Teleforum examines the economics of interest-rate ceilings on consumer credit and the historical experience with such proposals as well as discussing the proposal to create a Post Office bank. Featuring: Wayne Abernathy, Executive VP for Financial Institutions Policy and Regulatory Affairs, American Bankers AssociationTodd Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School

This special episode was filmed and recorded in the beautiful Castle Museum of Saginaw County History located in downtown Saginaw, Michigan. The Castle is run by Historical Society of Saginaw County and Thomas Trombley is the VP & Chief Historian of the organization. Once a United States Post Office, the building has enormous ceilings and amazing architecture. Please LIKE, SHARE and give us feedback on this video! This podcast is run by volunteers at the moment and NOLIProductions produces the show in collaboration with Samuel Fitzpatrick. We want to make this show bigger and better. What do you want to be featured on our show. Have a story you want to share? Email us, chrispilon@noliproductions.com. Enjoy the show! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/michiganders/support

Homily: ”I Just Met God At The United States Post Office” Twenty –Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 09.16.18 The Collaborative Parishes of Resurrection and St. Paul Hingham, Massachusetts Deacon Joe Harrington Archdiocese of Boston Music: “May God Be Everywhere I Go”

Comedian, voice actress, and one of the stars of BUBBLE Cristela Alonzo joins Jordan and Jesse for a discussion of Cristela's Disneyland rider when she does voice over for Disney, the streaming commercials that viscerally upset Jordan and Jesse, and the role that the United States Post Office played in Jesse cementing his manhood. Plus, Jordan debuts a new nickname he got from a chill dude friend of a friend named Rich. LISTEN TO BUBBLE! Episode Two is out now! Subscribe on iTunes! Or use this feed for your other podcatcher needs: https://maximumfun.org/feeds/bubble.xml

Percy Lavon Julian was born in Montgomery, Alabama, as the first child of six born to James Sumner Julian and Elizabeth Lena Julian, née Adams. Both of his parents were graduates of what was to be Alabama State University. His father, James, whose own father had been a slave, was employed as a clerk in the Railway Service of the United States Post Office, while his mother, Elizabeth, worked as a schoolteacher. Percy Julian grew up in the time of racist Jim Crow culture and legal regime in the southern United States. Among his childhood memories was finding a lynched man hanged from a tree while walking in the woods near his home. At a time when access to an education beyond the eighth grade was extremely rare for African-Americans, Julian's parents steered all of their children toward higher education. Information Sourced From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Lavon_Julian Body Sourced From; https://youtu.be/KSq__sdYNNk Public Access America 
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This week the hosts head out to the United States Post Office in the middle of the night!  Hashing out droids, moisture farming, szechuan sauce, mohawk cutting, collecting/declutring, and all things good. Want some of your own Brain Invaders merch?  Check out store.braininvaders.info  

The post office is in trouble. Faced with an enormous debt and a legal obligation to serve every single American, the United States Postal Service needs Congress to make some changes in order to prevent service cuts and financial ruin. In this episode we analyze the plan currently moving through Congress. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bill Outline H.R. 756: Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 Title I: Postal Service Benefits Reform Postal employees will be enrolled in Medicare Cancels the requirements for the USPS to pre-fund employee retirement health benefits. Title II: Postal Service Operations Reform Creates a Board of Governors, which will have power over the Postmaster General and determine the strategic direction and pricing of the post office products. Stops the requirement for door delivery to new addresses starting the day the bill is enacted. Businesses will get "centralized delivery, curbside delivery, or sidewalk delivery" with all of them converted by September 30, 2023. Residences will be able to convert voluntarily starting on October 1, 2018 and will have shared delivery points for up to 50 units each. We will be informed in writing if our homes have been selected by the end of March 2019 and we can sign a "conversion consent form" to agree. New residents will automatically be converted to the centralized delivery Gives the Postal Regulatory Committee more flexibility in setting postal rates Allows the post office to provide State and local government services Allows the post office to reinstate half of the rate surcharge that was in effect in April 2016. Title III: Postal Service Personnel Creates a Chief Innovation Officer position Title IV: Postal Contracting Reform Allows the post office to issue non-competitive contracts, with notification requirements if they are over $250,000 Additional Reading Article: House panel displays bipartisan unity over bill to save Postal Service from financial ruin by Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, February 7, 2017. Article: Federal agencies turning to UPS, Fed Ex instead of USPS for delivery needs by Mary Lou Byrd, The Washington Times, June 11, 2013. Article: How Healthcare Expenses Cost Us Saturday Postal Delivery by Josh Sanbum, TIME, February 7, 2013. References Document: H.R. 1628: Senate Health Care Bill Twitter: Who Drafted Secret Health Care Bill USPS: USO Executive Summary USPS: Mail & Shipping Prices National Association of Letter Carriers: About NALC GovTrack: H.R. 756: Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 GovTrack: H.R. 760: Postal Service Financial Improvement Act of 2017 GovTrack: H.R. 5714 (114th): Postal Service Reform Act of 2016 CBO: H.R. 5714 CBO Score GovTrack: H.R. 6407 (109th): Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act CBO: H.R. 6407 CBO Score White House: President Bush's Statement on H.R. 6407 Video Clips YouTube: Kathleen Madigan - Post Office YouTube: Jerry Seinfeld - Post Office Bit YouTube: Seinfeld clip - Because the mail never stops YouTube: Tom Papa - Post Office Bit Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Accomplishing Postal Reform in the 115th Congress - H.R. 756, The Postal Service Reform Act of 2017, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, February 7, 2017. Watch on CSPAN Witnesses Megan J Brennan: Postmaster General Robert Taub: Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission Lori Rectanus: Direction or Physical Infrastructure issues at the US Gov’t Accountability Office Arthur Sackler: Manager at the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service Fredric Rolando: President of the National Association of Letter Carriers 5:19 Rep. Jason Chaffetz: Last July I was proud to see our committee favorably report the bill by a voice vote. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it across the finish line before the end of the Congress, but we did make a lot of progress, particularly with getting the CBO—the Congressional Budget Office—to come in and score the bill. 6:10 Rep. Jason Chaffetz: In an era of partisan politics, this legislation represents a significant bipartisan compromise. The bill gives the Postal Service the freedom it needs to successfully meet the business realities the agency faces. To do this, the bill allows the Postal Service to fully integrate its healthcare plans with Medicare. With such integration, the Postal Service can virtually wipe out its 52-billion-dollar retiree healthcare unfunded liability. Further, the bill achieves real savings by moving to more-efficient mail delivery, saving the Postal Service more than $200 a year for each address that can be converted from the door-to-door delivery to centralized delivery. The bill also helps the agency more accurately evaluate its cost structure and reforms key governance matters. 8:10 Rep. Elijah Cummings: The other thing I thank you for, Mr. Chairman, is so often what happens is that when a lot of work has been done in one term, it’s just tossed away, and then you have to start all over again. But I thank you for picking up where we left off. 10:40 Rep. Elijah Cummings: The total volume of mail handled by the Postal Service has fallen by more than 25% since 2006, and continued declines are expected. The cost of the Postal Service’s operations have also risen, in part because the Postal Service is required to provide universal delivery service to every address in the United States. Every year, about 900,000 new addresses are created in this country; and a network of postal facilities, letter carriers, and workers must expand to deliver to every new address—900,000; that’s a lot. The Postal Service is burdened by a 2006 statutory requirement imposed by Congress to fully pre-fund its liabilities for retiree healthcare costs, a requirement that no other federal agency or private-sector company faces. These liabilities, combined with the Postal Service’s unfunded pension liabilities, currently total about $125 billion, which is almost double its annual revenues. Even as it fixed costs continued to grow, the exigent rate increase that had been approved to enable the Postal Service to recoup some of the losses incurred because of a 2008 recession’s permanent impact on mail volume expired. Since 2006 the Postal Service has implemented significant cost-saving measures, including reducing positions and work hours, and consolidating facilities and delivery routes. 14:08 Rep. Elijah Cummings: Taking all these requirements and trends together, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $5.3 billion for fiscal year 2016, which represents a 10th consecutive year of net losses. We have repeatedly discussed the deteriorating financial condition at the Postal Service in this committee, but the situation is now worsened by unprecedented lack of any Senate-confirmed members on the Postal Service’s Board of Governors. Because many key management decisions are reserved by statute to the Senate-confirmed board members, there are many actions, such as establishing rates, class, and fees for products, that the Postal Service simply cannot take now. The need for postal reform is as urgent as it ever was. Fortunately, we also may be closer than ever to enacting reform. We must press ahead—all of us. 18:50 Rep. Gerald Connolly: I want to commend Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings for their leadership in holding together this coalition—not easy—and it’s a bipartisan coalition that helped write this bill. And especially Chairman Chaffetz could have yielded to the temptation, in light of the circumstances of 2017, to start all over again, and he didn’t do that. We worked together, we held it together, and I want to thank all the stakeholders represented in this room and those not in this room for understanding we can’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. 24:25 Megan Brennan: The Postal Service is self-funded. We pay for our operations through the sale of postal products and services and do not receive tax revenues to support our business. Over the past decade, total mail volume declined by 28%. First-class mail, which makes the greatest contribution to covering the cost of our networks, declined by 36%. In response, we have streamlined our operations, restructured our networks, reduced the size of our workforce, and improved productivity. As a result of these efforts, we’ve achieved annual cost savings of approximately $14 billion. We also successfully stabilized marketing-mail revenues and grew our package business, which together drive e-commerce growth. However, given the constraints imposed by law, all of those actions cannot offset the negative impacts caused by the consistent decline in the use of first-class mail. The Postal Service is required to maintain an extensive network necessary to fulfill our universal service obligation to deliver the mail to every address six days a week, regardless of volume. The cost of the network continues to grow as approximately one million new delivery points are added each year. However, less volume, limited pricing flexibility, and increasing costs means that there is less revenue to pay for our growing delivery network and to fund other legally mandated costs. Since 2012 the Postal Service has been forced to default on $33.9 billion in mandated payments for retiree health benefits. Without these defaults, the deferral of critical capital investments, and aggressive management actions, we would not have been able to pay our employees and suppliers, or deliver the mail. Despite our achievements in growing revenue and improving operational efficiency, we cannot overcome systemic financial imbalances caused by business-model constraints. 26:40 Megan Brennan: We believe there is broad support for the core provisions of the bill you have introduced. By enacting this urgently needed legislation, which includes those provisions, the Postal Service can achieve an estimated $26 billion in combined cost reductions and new revenue over five years. Enactment of these provisions, favorable resolution of the Postal Regulatory Commission’s pricing-review system, and continued aggressive management actions will return the Postal Service to financial stability. Medicare integration is the cornerstone of your bill. The civilian federal government is not required to pre-fund retiree health benefits, but that obligation is imposed on the Postal Service. We are merely asking to be treated like any business that offers health benefits to its retirees and has to fund them. Full integration with Medicare is a universally accepted best practice in private sector. Requiring full Medicare integration for Postal Service retirees would essentially eliminate our unfunded liability for retiree health benefits. It is simply a matter of fairness to enable the Postal Service and our employees to fully utilize the benefits for which we have paid. We also strongly endorse the provision of the bill that would restore half of the exigent rate increase as a permanent part of our rate base. That provision will help us pay for the infrastructure necessary to fulfill our universal service obligation. 28:20 Megan Brennan: H.R. 756 is fiscally responsible and enables the Postal Service to invest in the future and to continue to provide affordable, reliable, and secure delivery service to every business and home in America. 30:30 Robert Taub: H.R. 756 is specifically designed to put the Postal Service on sound financial footing. 33:43 Lori Rectanus: The continued deterioration of the Postal Service’s financial condition is simply a truth that revenues are not keeping up with expenses, a trend since 2007. This means that over the last decade the Postal Service has had a net loss of over $60 billion. While much of this loss was in fact due to the nonpayment of retiree health pre-funding payments, the Postal Service still lost over $10 billion outside of this requirement and other requirements. The revenue-expense gap occurs because first-class mail, the most profitable mail, continues to decline and is now down to 1981 levels. The Postal Service has made significant efforts to grow revenue in other ways, such as with package services. In the meantime, however, expenses continue to grow, largely because of compensation and benefit payments for employees. This is due to salary increases, as well as a larger workforce, in the past several years to support the more labor-intensive package business. In fact, over the past three years, the workforce has actually increased by over 20,000 people, contrasting sharply with prior years when its size decreased greatly. 38:15 Arthur Sackler: We support this bill and urge its approval as promptly as possible. 41:26 Arthur Sackler: H.R. 756 provides an elegant solution to this profound financial problem, integrating postal annuitants into Medicare will save the Postal Service billions each year and follow the best practices of the private sector. Companies that offer health insurance to employees and retirees generally require them to join Medicare at age 65. 42:06 Arthur Sackler: The implications of this bleak financial situation are near existential for Postal Service in its current form, so we support H.R. 756 notwithstanding its one-time market-dominant postal rate increase of 2.15%. We accept this increase in this unique set of circumstances only as necessary to achieve this bill and stabilize the Postal Service. Congress has wisely delegated rate setting to the postal agencies, but with respect, the industry will be compelled to oppose any effort to regard this bill as a precedent for other legislated rate increases. The industry has long supported the self-sustaining postal system, funded entirely by postage. That remains the best course from our perspective. And that is the beauty of your bill. It vastly improves the Postal Service’s financial stability, keeps the Postal Service self-sustaining, and wards off any prospect of a taxpayer bailout, as you noted, Mr. Chairman. 44:25 Fredric Rolando: The bill has broad support across the mailing industry, including business and labor, and is based on best practices in the private sector. 45:30 Fredric Rolando: Over the past decade, postal employees have worked diligently to restructure operations, cut costs, and sharply increase productivity, in response to technological change and the Great Recession. Despite the loss of more than 200,000 jobs, we’ve managed to preserve our networks and to maintain our capacity to serve the nation. But only Congress can address our biggest financial challenge: the unique and unsustainable burden to pre-fund future retiree health benefits decades in advance. No other enterprise in the country faces such a burden, which was imposed by legislation in 2006. The expense of this mandate has accounted for nearly 90% of the Postal Service’s reported losses since 2007. Without a change in the law, the mandate will cost $6 billion this year alone. H.R. 756 would maximize the integration of Medicare and our federal health program for Medicare-eligible postal annuitants, most of whom have already voluntarily enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. The proposal would also give us access to low-cost prescription drugs and other benefits provided to private-employer plans by the Medicare Modernization Act. The savings would help to reduce all of our premium costs and, therefore, pre-funding costs. This approach adopts a standard practice of large private companies that provide retiree health insurance. It would effectively resolve the pre-funding burden that undermines the health of the Postal Service while only raising Medicare spending by one-tenth of one percent over 10 years. H.R. 756 also addresses a revenue shortfall caused by the expiration of the 2013 exigent rate increase, authorized by the Postal Regulatory Commission, to help the Postal Service recover from the permanent decline in mail volume caused by the Great Recession. The compromise adopted by your leadership bill, effectively restoring half of the exigent increase, is a reasonable one. 48:00 Fredric Rolando: All four postal unions urge the committee to adopt this legislation. 52:06 Rep. Jason Chaffetz: What is your current cash on hand; and then once you give me that number, then why isn’t that used to pay some of the payments that were due? You’ve defaulted, I believe, on five payments. Megan Brennan: Yes, Mr. Chairman, we’ve defaulted for the past five years to the tune of $33.9 billion. Our current cash on hand is $8.2 billion. And a determination was made by the Temporary Emergency Committee, which consisted at the time of our lone independent governor, myself, and the deputy postmaster general, to default on that payment to ensure that we can serve sufficient cash, which for an organization of our size is arguable at best, but to reserve sufficient cash to ensure if there was any contingency that would occur in the near term, we could at least have some cushion. Chaffetz: I mean, you have more cash than some of the others who are in the mail industry, but where is that proper balance? Where’s… ? Brennan: When I think—that’s a concern, Mr. Chairman, because for an organization that has expenditures of more than $70 billion a year, we would submit that $8.2 billion is insufficient. That’s the concern for us. And, also, as noted by the Chairman, and we’ve discussed this, the fact that we have deferred on critical capital investments in the past five years to the tune of over $8.9 billion, that impacts our ability to compete and to generate additional revenues. Chaffetz: Tell us, if you can give me a perspective on your fleet management. There was a hearing I think Chairman Meadows chaired earlier about the fleet. We were concerned the Postal Service was going to come up with a very sizeable contract to… Explain to me, where you are in the fleet and your perspective on it. Brennan: Yes, Mr. Chairman. Well, we have one of the largest civilian fleets in the country, with over 212,000 vehicles travelling more than four million miles a day. The fleet, though, is at the end of its expected life, particularly our delivery vehicles that the average age is over 25 years, and the annual maintenance cost is over a billion dollars. So, we have an approach to look at the next-generation delivery vehicles, that currently we’re in the midst of a prototype-testing period where we’re working with six different suppliers to provide us with these vehicles that we will test over the course of the next 18 months. We also just—this week, actually—a request for proposal for a commercial off-the-shelf solution for right-hand-drive vehicles is expected. So, we’ve got a multi-prong approach looking at how to address the vehicle fleet. 58:35 Rep. Stephen Lynch: There are some concerns out there about the funding of that piece that will require postal employees to sign up for Medicare and that it is some type of giveaway. That’s what I’ve heard out there. Now, you and I know differently. But could you explain to me how much money the postal workers have contributed to Medicare but, in large part, have not participated in that? Could you describe that for me, please? Megan Brennan: Yes, Congressman. In our opinion, this is a question of fairness. We’re merely asking that we be treated like any other self-funded entity that provides retiree health benefits. As noted by a number of the panelists, it’s best practice in private sector. And that’s the ask from the Postal Service, and our employees and the Postal Service have paid more than $30 billion into the Medicare trust fund since the early ’80s. We’re just asking to receive the benefit for which employees have paid. 1:03:35 Rep. Blake Farenthold: You mentioned that part of your expenses is six-day delivery to everywhere. Is it worth looking at, at some point in the future, maybe not six days to everywhere for everything? I mean, to be competitive, maybe you do need six. And, actually, I think one of your competitor’s advantage is seven-day package delivery. Over Christmas, I got packages from Amazon that you guys brought on Sunday. Matter of fact, I got one a couple of weeks ago. Apparently you’re still doing it. So, is shrinking to a less-than-six-day delivery for non-packages a potential cost savings? Megan Brennan: Yeah, as you noted, we are delivering packages seven days in select locations, primarily major metropolitan areas. Farenthold: I’m happy Corpus Christi, Texas, is now a major metropolitan area. Brennan: I said primarily. And we are expanding that, because, certainly, we serve every home— Farenthold: Right. Brennan: —and every business, Congressman. To your point, and candidly, we’ve spent the better part of the past two years trying to build a coalition around core provisions of a bill likely to generate broad support. Farenthold: Right. Brennan: And that’s what we focused on. And, also, I would offer candidly, it’s been my experience that there’s no congressional consensus around moving to five-day delivery. Farenthold: Oh, I could tell you that for sure, as well. 1:06:02 Rep. Blake Farenthold: You talked about capital expenses, your biggest being vehicles. What are your big capital—just list off a couple of items that are your big capital items beyond vehicles. Megan Brennan: The information systems, our IT infrastructure, repair and alteration, facility modifications, additional capacity for package sortation. 1:17:56 Rep. Darrell Issa: Additionally, the United States Post Office, with the power of the government, if they chose to aggressively site in or near people’s homes cluster boxes that could safely hold packages, they would leapfrog in service capability what Amazon is trying to build at your corner gas station, wouldn’t they. And I guess I should take that to the postmaster general. Not, what are the problems, but if you did that, wouldn’t you, in fact, offer a service far better and far more distributed than that which Amazon is trying to build today in some parts of urban America? Megan Brennan: Congressman Issa, as you and I discussed, the Postal Service approach is all new, possible deliveries. As noted—excuse me—we add nearly a million a year. Based on the delivery characteristics, we either implement box on post at the end of your driveway or centralized delivery. And just looking at last year, where when we looked at the growth by mode, over 750,000 new deliveries were centralized. So, there's certainly an efficiency gain associated with that. 1:26:40 Rep. Jody Hice: One of the issues that came up specifically dealt with Amazon and a serious competitor that they are, and one of the areas of technology that they’ve excelled in, obviously, is drone delivery. Is there any looking into consideration of drone delivery with the Postal Service? Megan Brennan: Currently, our engineering group is researching, and we’re probably on the peripheral of this advanced technology, currently just learning. And I would say whether it’s drone exploration or any other type of new technology, Congressman, we need the capital monies to be able to invest. Hice: Well, I understand the need for capital monies to invest, but you are looking into the possibility? Brennan: We’re exploring and recognizing what’s happening in the industry. Right now, we’re not an early adopter, I would categorize that, but we’re certainly aware of what’s happening in that space. Hice: Okay, so, at the current time, then, the commitment is to continue with the vehicle delivery. Brennan: Correct. 1:45:15 Rep. Mark Meadows: The gentleman recognizes the gentleman with the stylish glasses, from Missouri, for five minutes. Rep. William Lacy Clay: And, Mr. Chair, I noticed that the ranking member took some of my time. Oh, no—they restarted. Very good. Meadows: The gentleman will recognize that the chairman is always fair with— Clay: All right. Meadows: —his time. Clay: The— Meadows: We’re glad the gentleman from Missouri could get out of bed to come to this hearing. 1:49:00 Megan Brennan: We just recently, Congressman, raised prices on our market dominant, within that strict price cap— Unknown Speaker: Yeah. Brennan: —of eight-tenths of a percent. We also have the 10-year price review before the Commission, currently. 1:51:23 Rep. Mark Meadows: Well, you said all four unions support this bill, with no changes. Is that correct? With no changes, you support this bill, all four unions. Fredric Rolando: Yeah, all four unions support this bill. I think we mentioned two tweaks in the written testimony that we thought would be helpful. Meadows: Yeah, and then, but if those two tweaks don’t get done, this is better than— Rolando: Totally support this bill coming out of committee. Absolutely. 2:07:14 Arthur Sackler: I think that with the establishment of so much trust and reliance on electronic media, there is little that can be done to reverse some of the outflow of mail. But if you add a huge increase on top of that, it’s going to accelerate it dramatically. That’s the worry of the industry. Rep. Glenn Grothman: Okay, you consider the 2.1% not a significant increase? Is that what you’re telling us? Sackler: It is significant, but it is one that, to put it colloquially, we’re all holding our noses and accepting in the spirit of compromise in order to get this bill done. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Missing Cat! Please help! One of our listeners in Boqueron, Puerto Rico is missing his furry friend. Please keep an eye out for him if you are in the area.

(Bloomberg) -- Taking Stock with Kathleen Hays and Pimm Fox. GUEST: Bloomberg Businessweek writer Devin Leonard on his new book "NEITHER SNOW NOR RAIN," a landmark century-spanning social, political, and economic history of the United States Post Office.

The murals in the United States Post Office and Courthouse on Grant Street are pretty hard to get to. There’s security, now, unlike when the Department of Treasury’s Section of Painting and Sculpture commissioned the three works in 1934. Two of the octogenerian paintings survive on the 8 th floor; one disappeared. That’s the thing about murals, said Sylvia Rhor, associate professor of art history at Carlow University. They’re large, but they’re not immune to time’s vagaries. They can go missing, be discarded or painted over. “Some of the styles are outdated. Some of the topics don’t seem to fit with the community, so sometimes they’re painted over for that reason. Some of them are offensive. Some of the buildings were destroyed so some murals were lost. Many murals were lost,” she said. The murals Rhor referred to were part of a vast national output in the 1930s and commissioned by a number of agencies created by the federal government, the most famous of which was the Works Progress

In this episode of Real Live Marketing Barry talked with Angela Bradley with the United States Post Office. Angela and Barry talk all about Every Door Direct Mail and fully explain 'What is Every Door Direct Mail?' Find out what industries benefit most from this type of mailing, how much does it cost, do you need a list? All of these questions and more are answered!

  Elizabeth regales Andy with the tale of the trash bag of the week, a woman who called Elizabeth both a bitch AND a whore at the United States Post Office. Then they answer listener questions about staying for love or leaving for home, what is newly dating sex etiquette from a guys and girls perspective, what to do when your partner is in a different life stage than you and wants more commitment than you can give, how to handle a boyfriend who is still in a co-dependent relationship with his ex, plus an interesting tidbit from a listener about our favorite topic: bald vaginas! Enjoy!