A group of iconic film directors who made their mark on Hollywood and the movie industry can now make their mark on your envelopes. Today the U.S. Postal Service is releasing four stamps in honor of well-known classic cinema directors: Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, and Billy Wilder. more ›

Westsiders with stamped envelopes in hand teared up a bit today as news broke that the New Deal-era post office in Santa Monica has become a target for closure. A proposal, which has yet to be reviewed by the public, aims to relocate the post office to a carrier annex facility at 1653 Seventh Street -- a location less than a mile from its current one -- then sell the downtown property at 1248 Fifth Street. more ›

About a week ago Michael Oreb installed security cameras at his home in North Hollywood just in case someone like the arsonist was ever on the prowl again. The cameras ended up not catching a criminal act, but a thoughtless US Postal Service worker lobbing a special delivery over the fence. more ›

They're broke, getting increasingly obsolete, and now they're upping their prices: The U.S. Postal Service will raise postage prices in the new year. As of January, 22, 2012, the cost of a first-class stamp will go up a penny to 45 cents. Other postage rates will jump up, too. more ›

Angelenos, be friendly with your neighborhood U.S. Postal Service (USPS) postmen and women. Come winter 2011, the organization will default unless Congress intervenes. more ›

The United States Post Office has released their list of the 3,700 locations nationwide they are considering closing in order to stave off further revenue loss. Already prepping the public to lose Saturday delivery, and citing a marked increase in online communication, the USPS has been steadily losing money in recent years, and it's not getting better. more ›

Things are so tough at the United States Post Office that not only does it seem certain that Saturday mail delivery will end soon, but the Postmaster General himself fears that in 15 years "we'll be talking about delivering mail three days a week," reports USA Today. more ›

In Venice, a historic post office on Windward Circle is preparing to close down and consolidate operations nearby at the Grand Avenue annex. If a post office moves, who forwards their mail? Inside the building, a mural of Venice founder Abbot Kinney was discovered after being "covered and forgotten for many years," notes ABC Local. more ›

Nerdy, sure. But also tremendously costly. A contributing factor to the U.S. Postal Service's budget vortex, "an estimated $134.4 million dollars of its annual revenue is quietly slipping away to counterfeiters and perpetrators of other types of postal fraud," reports FOX LA. more ›

Unlike tax forms, a postmark date on or by election day on an absentee ballot in California does not mean it's eligible. The United States Post Office today encouraged voters to not just voter early (and often), but to also "mail early." And if for some reason you cannot get the ballot into the mailbox on time, voters can hand-deliver their completed ballot in the official envelope to any polling location on November 2nd before 8 p.m. Luckily, there'll be a lot more of those than post offices. more ›

This is for the procrastinators. According to the United States Post Office, a select handful of locations will be "extending service" tonight to "accommodate last-minute filers who want the safety and security of sending personal information contained on tax returns through the U.S. Mail. In Los Angeles and Orange Counties." There's not that many, but here's the list is below. more ›

The national fiscal crisis may soon force the Unites States Postal Service to eliminate Saturday delivery, reports the Daily Breeze. Inching towards this goal today the USPS is seeking the independent Postal Regulatory Commission's opinion on the service change, and after that would need Congressional approval. The USPS says this will save them $3 billion a year, and reflects "a decade-long plan to eliminate losses and restore the agency to stability in the face of shrinking business." Post offices would remain open, however there would be no home or business delivery, or collection from blue mailboxes. more ›

As part of an early television stamp collection being released tomorrow, the LAPD will be celebrating the honored TV show that helped bring their name to fame: Dragnet. The popular show aired for 11 years from 1951-1959 and 1967-1970. Among the 20 stamps that will debut tomorrow, Dragnet will be one of them in addition to a LAPD 140th anniversary postmark, complete with a unique commemorative envelope and a special “Badge 714” Photo Stamp, designed and offered through the LAPD Historical Society. more ›

As the United States Post Office seeks way to save money and "weather this storm," today a list of 677 branches were given to congress for review as possible closures. Only 200 are expected to close and a number are listed in the Los Angeles area, but none within the city limits, according to the LA Times. more ›

1.6 million people signed up to be eligible to win tickets to attend Tuesday's highly anticipated public memorial service for late music icon Michael Jackson, according to MyFoxLA. The Staples Center's website caved under the pressure of the hits several times since the lottery was announced and until the cut off time last night at 6 p.m. local time. Initially the registry was open only to US residents, but soon expanded to allow anyone around the world to sign up for the chance to win a pair of tickets to the event, about which few details are known, save that there will be no funeral procession, and that it will cost the City of Los Angeles a pretty penny to host. more ›

Starting today it's going to cost you more to snail mail your letters, cards, postcards and bills, KTLA.com reminds mailers. Today "the price of a first-class stamp will increase two cents to 44-cents. Forever stamps can still be used without an additional 2-cent stamp, regardless of when they were purchased." Other changes include a bump of postcard stamps from "1 cent to 28 cents, the first ounce of a large envelope will increase 5 cents to 88 cents and the first ounce of a parcel will increase 5 cents to $1.22." The rate increases are meant to help the Post Office cope with rising operational costs, and "are in line with the amount of inflation," according to Postmaster General John Potter. more ›

"I will not send lard through the mail," Bart Simpson once wrote on the blackboard as an after school punishment. That's okay, the United States Post Office has forgiven him. Today, the Simpson family was honored as the first television show featured in a stamp set while still airing on primetime. In fact, this is their 20th year, making the show the longest-running comedy in TV history. That's an impressive feat. And consider this: out of the the 50,000 suggestions the Service receives each year, only about 20 actually become stamps. Good job Matt Groening and crew! And now let's reminisce when LA had a few true Kwik-E-Marts... more ›

It's a day of reckoning, a day of doom, and, for a lucky few with refunds due, a day of joy. Be it what it may, today is Tax Day, and if you are a procrastinator, you might be just putting the finishing touches on your 1040 and getting ready to sign that payment check. If you aren't submitting your taxes online, rest assured there are a few post offices in the area who are ready to handle your last-minute (and we mean last minute!) tax-mailing needs. The USPS is keeping a handful of locations open until midnight so they can collect and postmark your taxes, including Airport Station near LAX, the Pasadena Main Post Office, and the Van Nuys Main Post Office. You can call 1-800-ASK-USPS to find out about the hours of your nearest Post Office, or check a complete listing of extended hours and service limits online here. Happy Tax Day! more ›

As the postal worker delivered mail yesterday to businesses along Sunset Blvd., he apologized to Joe Keeper of Bar Keeper for not delivering mail on Saturday. He said that Sunset Junction Street Festival security and staff would not let him inside the festival, even with his USPS issued ID and uniform, to deliver mail to the businesses, according to Keeper. more ›

Oh no, it's tax day. If you're one of those who is uber organized, then you're relaxing today, probably already with a cold one in your hand, laughing at all the hurry worries running around you panting, sweating, wanting that federal tax refund to come soon. more ›

The United States Postal Service furthered its efforts to embrace new, green technologies this week, even as these technologies eat away at the USPS' age-old business model of letter delivery. more ›

At an Apple Computer event last month, we were told, "e-mail is dead." While we contemplate that one and go sign into MySpace for our "New Messages," it was brought to our attention that 37-cent stamps are dead too. Next week, 39 is the new 37. more ›

LAist just returned from that dreaded, onerous chore -- a weekday lunchtime run to the post office. In Hollywood, we’ve got the choice between long lines and grand architecture at Hollywood Station on Wilcox, or efficiency wrapped in corporate design drek at “cheap and tawdry” (in the authoritative words of the most recently updated Gebhard and Winter architectural guide) Hollywood + Highland. The latter’s near secret status helps ensure (for now) super speedy service; look for the USPS sign tucked behind CPK facing Highland just off Johnny Grant Way. more ›