Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Camak, Jewell post offices being considered for closure
The two towns are on the list released today of 3,700 post offices the USPS could close, a list ironically titled the "Expanded Access" program.
WASHINGTON — As more customers choose to conduct their postal business online, on their smart phones and at their favorite shopping destinations, the need for the U.S. Postal Service to maintain its nearly 32,000 retail offices — the largest retail network in the country — diminishes.
To that end, the U.S. Postal Service announced today that it will be taking the next step in right-sizing its expansive retail network by conducting studies of approximately 3,700 retail offices to determine customer needs. As part of this effort, the Postal Service also introduced a retail-replacement option for affected communities around the nation.
“Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. “Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business.”
For communities currently without a postal retail office and for communities affected by these retail optimization efforts, the Postal Service introduced the Village Post Office as a potential replacement option. Village Post Offices would be operated by local businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and other appropriate retailers, and would offer popular postal products and services such as stamps and flat-rate packaging.
“By working with third-party retailers, we’re creating easier, more convenient access to our products and services when and where our customers want them,” Donahoe said. “The Village Post Office will offer another way for us to meet our customers’ needs.”
With 32,000 postal retail offices and more than 70,000 third-party retailers — Approved Postal Providers — selling postage stamps and providing expanded access to other postal products and services, customers today have about 100,000 locations across the nation where they can do business with the Postal Service.
“The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive and it will continue to drive commerce, serve communities and deliver value,” Donahoe added.
The list of offices being studied and additional information, including video, audio soundbites, b-roll and JPEGs, can be found at http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/expandedaccess/welcome.htm.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Photo: Camak's water tower in December 2010. Photo by Jennifer Peebles/Warrenton Watch. Keep up with all the latest news from Warrenton Watch on Facebook at this link.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Warren County deputies train to prevent dog attacks
WAGT-Channel 26 has the story. (Disclosure: Though he's not in this video, the county sheriff is my father. Yeah, I know, the six people who read this blog already know that.)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Warren County's abysmal unemployment rate, or, 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'
If you live in Warren County and you're looking for work, you're in the wrong place.
Warren County and Hancock County had the two worst unemployment rates in the entire state for January 2011, the most recent month for which county-level stats appear to be available on the Georgia Department of Labor's Web site as of today.
Warren County's unemployment rate was 19 percent. As I recall from freshman economics, generally speaking, if you lined up every person in Warren County who is able to work and who wants a job, about one person out of five would be unable to find a job.
Hancock County's rate was 24.9%. In other words, if you lined up the same group of people in Hancock County, about one person out of every four would be unable to find a job.
Consider this: The national unemployment rate in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, was 23.6%.
Keep up with all the latest Warrenton Watch news by "liking" our page on Facebook.
Warren County and Hancock County had the two worst unemployment rates in the entire state for January 2011, the most recent month for which county-level stats appear to be available on the Georgia Department of Labor's Web site as of today.
Warren County's unemployment rate was 19 percent. As I recall from freshman economics, generally speaking, if you lined up every person in Warren County who is able to work and who wants a job, about one person out of five would be unable to find a job.
Hancock County's rate was 24.9%. In other words, if you lined up the same group of people in Hancock County, about one person out of every four would be unable to find a job.
Consider this: The national unemployment rate in 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, was 23.6%.
Keep up with all the latest Warrenton Watch news by "liking" our page on Facebook.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Warren County sheriff's deputy recovering after post-chase wreck
Warrenton, Ga.-- Warren County Sheriff's Deputy Trevor Franklin is recovering after a car crash while on a high speed chase.
It happened Saturday morning after the deputy was trying to help DNR rangers catch a 19-year-old convicted felon.
Keep up with all the latest news from Warrenton Watch: "Like" our page on Facebook.
Friday, March 4, 2011
In memoriam: Mr. Jewell 'Bullet' Gray, a true car guy
The gas station of the modern era, it seems, is almost more Wal-Mart than gas station: Sleek, shiny Exxons and BPs advertising gourmet coffee to morning commuters and nearly everything you could want on your way home from work, from dijon mustard to toilet paper to fresh pastries and multiple exotic flavors of Jelly Bellies.
Gray's on Main Street in Warrenton is not among those.
Gray's is a service station. You came in, Mr. Bullet would pump you some gas, or fix your fan belt, or change your oil. Notice I said he would pump gas. This isn't a self-service operation.
You didn't ask Mr. Bullet what aisle he kept the dijon mustard on. Or the gourmet coffee. He was a car man. The last time I was in his station, I think he may have had a couple of brands of candy bars for sale on the rack, but had a much greater selection on offer of chewing tobacco, along with several sizes and types of fan belts.
I'm sad to report that Mr. Bullet passed on a couple of weeks ago. You can read his online obituary from the Augusta Chronicle at this link.
Mr. Bullet had serviced my family's vehicles and pumped tanks of gasoline for a long, long time. He fixed tires on my car and changed the oil on my grandmother's Toyota, and dutifully jumped off her battery when it went dead, over and over again, from disuse.
Like I said, he was a car man. They just don't make them like him anymore.
I never did think to ask him how he got the nickname "Bullet."
Gray's on Main Street in Warrenton is not among those.
Gray's is a service station. You came in, Mr. Bullet would pump you some gas, or fix your fan belt, or change your oil. Notice I said he would pump gas. This isn't a self-service operation.
You didn't ask Mr. Bullet what aisle he kept the dijon mustard on. Or the gourmet coffee. He was a car man. The last time I was in his station, I think he may have had a couple of brands of candy bars for sale on the rack, but had a much greater selection on offer of chewing tobacco, along with several sizes and types of fan belts.
I'm sad to report that Mr. Bullet passed on a couple of weeks ago. You can read his online obituary from the Augusta Chronicle at this link.
Mr. Bullet had serviced my family's vehicles and pumped tanks of gasoline for a long, long time. He fixed tires on my car and changed the oil on my grandmother's Toyota, and dutifully jumped off her battery when it went dead, over and over again, from disuse.
Like I said, he was a car man. They just don't make them like him anymore.
I never did think to ask him how he got the nickname "Bullet."
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