Holiday Package Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2012

Want those cards and packages to arrive in time for Christmas? Find out the drop-dead dates from the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS.

If you want Santa Claus to arrive on time with holiday packages to military, international or U.S. destinations, the U.S. Postal Service has announced the dates those packages must be in the mail. So has FedEx and UPS. Here's what you need to know to get your packages to their destinations on time. Post Office Locations In the Clayton and Richmond Heights area, there are post offices at 1201 Big Bend in Richmond Heights, on Maryland Ave in Clayton and at the Saint Louis Galleria. Postal Service Shipping Deadlines Military Shipping Deadlines* Parcel Post service to all APO/FPO/DPO addresses was Nov. 13. Priority and First Class Mail must be sent by Dec. 3 to APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093, and Dec. 10 to all other military addresses.  *The deadline…

• Photos (1)

Postal Service Bill Passes Senate With Missouri Amendments

U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt each won passage of amendments to slow the down the process of closing post office branches.

Patch recently reported on efforts by Missouri's U.S. senators aimed at forestalling closures at rural post offices. This week, versions of both amendments made it onto a broader bill aimed at restructuring the United States Postal Service. That broader piece of legislation passed Wednesday by a 62-37 margin, and puts off the potential for ending Saturday delivery for another two years. The bill now goes back to the U.S. House. Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-MO) amendment, modified from the original version, would essentially place a yearlong moratorium on closing rural post offices, unless there is not “significant opposition” from a particular community. Once that moratorium expires, the USPS will have to follow a specific criterion before …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (2)

Patch Political Potpourri

Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt Line Up Against Post Office Closures

Congressional lawmakers hope to put up legislative barriers to postal closings while the agency seeks ways to compete in the digital age.

This week, lawmakers from across the country have introduced measures to prevent the shuttering of various United States Postal Service offices. Last summer, the agency announced it would evaluate the operations at more than 3,000 offices nationwide, including a handful in St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis. Click here for a list of all Missouri branches of the U.S. Postal Service under evaluation. Maplewood-Brentwood Patch recently reported that any decision on closures under the current round of "rightsizing" would not come until next month at the earliest. But both of Missouri's U.S. senators have introduced measures to prevent post office closings. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced a plan that would place a moratorium on …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Mike K

1:40 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013

Feb 2 2006 is date ur looking for. :-)   more ›

Big Bend Post Office Still for Sale, Official Says

But there have been a number of inquiries from people interested in purchasing the Richmond Heights building.

While discussions with potential buyers of a U.S. Postal Service building in Richmond Heights are ongoing, no contract has been signed, an official said. (Like Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch on Facebook.) Officials with the postal service's Gateway District and the real estate specialist involved with the building at 1201 S. Big Bend Blvd. hoped to meet Monday, said Valerie Welsch, a spokeswoman for the postal service. She referenced information provided to her by the Facilities Service Office, which handles leasing for postal service facilities. Paul Fusz, vice president with CBRE, is the broker for the Big Bend property. He said that a lot of people have expressed interest in the site but that it remains for sale. The postal service has …

• Photos (1)

Daily Dose

Daily Dose: Library Book Club, MRH Athletic Director

Here's a look at what's coming up next on Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch.

Here's your Daily Dose for Clayton and Richmond Heights on Wednesday: COMING WEDNESDAY PATCH FEATURE OF THE DAY 'LOU MEDIA MIX QUESTION OF THE DAY FROM THE EDITOR

• Photos (1)

You've Got Mail: Review to Spare Mid-County Branches

U.S. Postal Service post offices in Clayton and Richmond Heights are not among those that will be reviewed for possible closure.

While the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) said Tuesday it will review more than 3,600 branches nationwide to decide which ones to close, post offices in Richmond Heights and Clayton are not on the list. St. Louis branches under review: A spokeswoman for the USPS in St. Louis told Patch the study covers retail branches only and stressed that delivery is not under review. “Customers have shown us that they no longer need a brick-and-mortar post office,” USPS spokeswoman Valerie Hughes said. She pointed to the availability of USPS’s automated postal centers, smartphone applications and online services, as well as retailers that sell postage. Hughes said the USPS has seen a decline in post office visits that amounts to 200 million over the past …

• Photos (3)

Official: Downsizing Planned at Big Bend Post Office

City Manager Amy Hamilton said the U.S. Postal Service wants to sell its building and lease a portion of it from the buyer.

The U.S. Postal Service is looking to downsize its operation on Big Bend Boulevard in Richmond Heights, City Manager Amy Hamilton said this week. The Postal Service wants to sell its building at 1201 S. Big Bend Blvd. and lease a portion of it from the buyer in order to operate a retail counter, she said. Hamilton spoke Wednesday during a Q-and-A session at a meeting of the Richmond Heights Chamber of Commerce. The Postal Service needs between 1,000 and 2,500 square feet of space for its retail counter, Hamilton said. A spokeswoman with the Postal Service in St. Louis could not immediately be reached for comment on the plan.

• Photos (1)

Letter Carriers in St. Louis to Collect Food Saturday in Nationwide Drive

People throughout St. Louis County, including residents of Clayton and Richmond Heights, will have the opportunity to donate nonperishable food items as part of the annual event.

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the grocery chain that is providing bags as part of Saturday's food drive. Shop 'n Save is providing the bags. This article has been updated to reflect the correct information. Richmond Heights and Clayton residents will have the opportunity Saturday to donate food to people in need as part of the Stamp Out Hunger National Food Drive. The event is sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). "Local food banks are at their crisis level," said Keith Brown, business manager for Acosta sales and marketing company and a representative of Campbell's, which sponsors the food drive. He said the economic downturn has left St. Louis area food banks in need…

• Photos (1)