Postal Service to close processing plants this summer

  HOPE YENWASHINGTON -- The nearly bankrupt U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a multibillion-dollar cost-cutting plan that will close nearly 250 mail processing centers, saying on Thursday it can no longer wait as Congress remains deadlocked over how to help.

At a news briefing, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the agency's mail processing network had simply become too big, given declining first-class mail volume and mounting debt. It will now consolidate nearly 250 plants as originally proposed, including 48 this summer, but will stretch out the remainder over a longer time frame in 2013 and 2014.

Earlier this month, nearly half the Senate had written letters to Donahoe asking that he hold off on closing any mail facility until Congress could pass final postal overhaul legislation. The Senate last month passed a bill that would halt many of the closings. The House remains stalled over a separate postal measure allowing for more aggressive cuts.

"To return to long-term profitability and financial stability while keeping mail affordable, we must match our network to the anticipated workload," Donahoe said. Failure to do so, he stressed, would "create a fiscal hole that the Postal Service will not be able to climb out of."

Under the modified approach, up to 140 processing centers will be consolidated by next February - roughly 48 in August and about 90 next January and February. Closings would be suspended during the Postal Service's busy election and holiday mail season. Another 89 closings would occur in 2014.

The consolidations are initially expected to reduce postal staff by 13,000 and save the struggling mail agency roughly $1.2 billion annually. By the time the full round of cuts is implemented by late 2014, the post office will have 28,000 fewer employees with estimated annual savings of $2.1 billion.

The latest postal move comes after vociferous protests from communities across the U.S., particularly those in rural areas, over the mail agency's initial multibillion dollar cost-cutting plan to close up to 3,700 post offices and 252 mail processing centers. The Postal Service last week backed off the closing of post offices, saying it would cut costs instead by reducing operating hours in 13,000 mostly rural locations.

Thursday's announcement seeks to allay consumer concerns about immediate, broad-scale cuts to mail processing centers that would have slowed first-class mail delivery of prescription drugs, newspapers and other services beginning this summer and would have virtually eliminated the chance for a stamped letter to arrive the next day.

Under the new plan, about 80 percent of the U.S. areas that currently enjoy overnight first-class mail delivery will continue to do so through the end of next year. After that, barring congressional action, the Postal Service will proceed with additional steps that could slow first-class mail and reduce overnight delivery more significantly, said Megan Brennan, chief operating officer of the Postal Service.

The Postal Service has been grappling with losses as first-class mail volume declines and more people switch to the Internet to communicate and pay bills. The agency has forecast a record $14.1 billion loss by the end of this year. Without changes, it said, annual losses would exceed $21 billion by 2016.

Donahoe stressed that even with the mail agency's latest moves, it still faces mounting losses without congressional action that would give it more leeway to eliminate Saturday mail delivery and reduce health and labor costs.

If the House fails to act soon, postal officials say they will face a cash crunch in August and September, when the agency must pay more than $11 billion to the Treasury for future retiree health benefits. Already $13 billion in debt, the health payment obligation will force the agency to run up against its $15 billion debt ceiling, causing it to default on the payments.

In many sprawling rural areas like Hope, Alaska, residents say they would have to drive nearly 100 miles for mail services in Anchorage if their local post office couldn't stay open long enough. Timely delivery from mail processing centers is also particularly valued in the winter months, when hazardous road conditions can make travel to a store or pharmacy difficult if not impossible.

"My wife's medical plan is basically that prescription drugs are mailed to her," said Doug Pope, a semi-retired lawyer who lives near Hope, an old gold rush town where the post office faces reduced hours. "There's a lot of people who will be here for months without going to Anchorage."

Pope says he's willing to accept moderate postal cuts, explaining that he's not sure what else can be done and whether politicians in Washington will do anything about it.

"I do think it's a sign of a larger, more worrisome trend to me that instead of trying to focus on our larger issues in our society, what we're trying to do is nickel and dime people on sort of the downstream end of everything," he said. "But that's a political issue."

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Associated Press writer Mark Thiessen contributed to this report from Hope, Alaska.

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New Rules for Secret Service Agents

No more exotic strip clubs and nights of heavy drinking for Secret Service personnel on foreign trips. And inviting foreign nationals back to the hotel room is now definitely off-limits.

In the wake of a scandal involving prostitutes on a presidential trip to Colombia, Secret Service management this afternoon issued new regulations for agents on a foreign assignment.

The new rules say:

"Patronization of non-reputable establishments is prohibited.

"Alcohol may not be consumed at the protectee hotel once the protective visit has begun.

"Foreign nationals, excluding hotel staff and official counterparts, are prohibited in your hotel room."

"Alcohol may only be consumed in moderate amounts while off-duty on ... assignment and alcohol use is prohibited within 10 hours of reporting for duty."

Several Secret Service agents on a presidential trip to Colombia have lost their security clearances or their jobs over alleged misbehavior said to include heavy drinking at a sex club and hotel, and the use of prostitutes.

The behavior raised ethical and security questions about the agency charged with protecting the president.

House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., told ABC News the Secret Service is making it clear to agents that, "if you have any doubt, don't do it."

"They are putting regulations into writing that they thought agents should have known all along," King said.

King praised Secret Service director Mark Sullivan for his "swift and certain" action, and expressed confidence in the ongoing investigation into the scandal.

The new regulations also will require all agents to complete ethics training before being eligible for travel assignments.

In addition, agents will be briefed on standards of conduct before departing on a trip, and a supervisor from the Secret Service's Office of Responsibility will travel with all agency teams to make sure standards are observed.

Finally, the new regulations say that the laws of the United States shall apply to Secret Service personnel while abroad.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been pushing for an independent investigation of the Colombia misbehavior, and suggested the new rules aren't a substitute for such an investigation.

"New conduct rules are necessary to preventing more shenanigans from happening in the future, and whether these are the best, and most cost effective, rules to stop future misconduct remains to be seen," he said in a written statement. "That's why a sheet of paper with new rules doesn't negate the previous actions, and why it remains necessary to hold the agency and the agents accountable, following a complete and independent investigation."

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Secret Service beefs up conduct policy

Long Island Congressman Peter King chairs the House committee investigating the Secret Service scandal

  ALICIA A. CALDWELLWASHINGTON -- Seeking to shake the disgrace of a prostitution scandal, the Secret Service late Friday tightened conduct rules for its agents to prohibit them from drinking excessively, visiting disreputable establishments while traveling or bringing foreigners to their hotel rooms.

The new behavior policies apply to Secret Service agents even when they are off duty while traveling, barring them from drinking alcohol within 10 hours of working, according to a memorandum describing the changes obtained by The Associated Press. In some cases under the new rules, chaperones will accompany agents on trips. The embattled Secret Service director, Mark Sullivan, urged agents and other employees to "consider your conduct through the lens of the past several weeks."

The Secret Service said it would conduct a training session on ethics next week.

Sullivan said the rules "cannot address every situation that our employees will face as we execute our dual-missions throughout the world." He added: "The absence of a specific, published standard of conduct covering an act or behavior does not mean that the act is condoned, is permissible, or will not call for - and result in - corrective or disciplinary action."

"All employees have a continuing obligation to confront expected abuses or perceived misconduct," Sullivan said.

The agency-wide changes were intended to staunch the embarrassing disclosures since April 13, when a prostitution scandal erupted in Colombia involving 12 Secret Service agents, officers and supervisors and 12 more enlisted military personnel who were there ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to a South American summit.

But the new policies announced Friday raised questions about claims that the behavior discovered in Cartagena was an isolated incident: Why would the Secret Service formally issue new regulations covering thousands of employees if such activities were a one-time occurrence?

"It's too bad common sense policy has to be dictated in this manner," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "New conduct rules are necessary to preventing more shenanigans from happening in the future, and whether these are the best, and most cost effective, rules to stop future misconduct remains to be seen."

The new rules did not mention prostitutes or strip clubs, but they prohibit employees from allowing foreigners - except hotel staff or foreign law enforcement colleagues - into their hotel rooms. They also ban visits to "non-reputable" establishments, which were not defined. The State Department was expected to brief Secret Service employees on trips about areas and businesses considered off-limits to them.

During trips in which the presidential limousine and other bulletproof vehicles are transported by plane, senior-level chaperones will accompany agents and enforce conduct rules, including one from the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility.

In a Wonderland moment, the operator of the "Lips" strip club in San Salvador, Dan Ertel, organized a news conference late Friday and said he didn't know whether any Secret Service employees were among his customers. Ertel said the club was the only one in the country where prostitutes don't work. But a dancer who identified herself by her stage name, Yajaira, told the AP earlier in the day that she would have sex with customers for money after her shift ended.

"You can pay for dances, touch a little, but there's no sex," she said. "But if somebody wants, if they pay me enough, we can do it after I leave at 3 in the morning."

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., praised the new rules as "very positive steps by the Secret Service to make clear what is expected of every agent and also makes clear what will not be tolerated."

The Secret Service already has forced eight employees from their jobs and was seeking to revoke the security clearance of another employee, which would effectively force him to resign. Three others have been cleared of serious wrongdoing. The military was conducting its own, separate investigation but canceled the security clearances of all 12 enlisted personnel.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano assured senators earlier this week that the incident in Colombia appeared to be an isolated case, saying she would be surprised if it represented a broader cultural problem. The next day, the Secret Service acknowledged it was investigating whether its employees hired strippers and prostitutes in advance of Obama's visit last year to El Salvador. Prostitution is legal in both Colombia and El Salvador.

In a confidential message to senators on Thursday, the Secret Service said its Office of Professional Responsibility had not received complaints about officer behavior in El Salvador but would investigate.

"Fifteen years in business, it's the one club in this country that does not prostitute the girls," said Ertel, the owner of Lips, at his news conference. "Look, every guy that comes in there propositions the girls, and the answer is always going to be 'no.' Was there Secret Service in there? I have no idea."

On Capitol Hill, early signs surfaced of eroding support for the Secret Service director. Grassley said Sullivan's job could be secure if the scandal were an isolated incident. "But if it goes much deeper, you know, nothing happens or nothing's changed in Washington if heads don't roll," Grassley said on CBS "This Morning."

A member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-Minn., warned against a "knee-jerk reaction" and urged a full investigation. But he compared Sullivan as the agency's director to the captain of a foundering ship: "I'm a Navy guy," he said. "The captain of the ship can be in his cabin sleeping and if the ship runs aground the captain of the ship is responsible. I'm not saying anybody's head should roll here, but I expect the captain of the ship to do the right thing."

The White House said Friday that the president remained supportive of Sullivan and confident in the capabilities of the Secret Service.

The fallout from the scandal remained raw. When an AP reporter on Friday visited the home in Maryland of Gregory Stokes, who lost his job in the agency's first round of disciplinary action, someone in the home called police, who asked the AP to leave his property.

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Betty Ford's body in Michigan for 2nd service

A military honor guard carries the casket of former first lady Betty Ford after arriving at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Cascade Township, Mich., Wednesday, July, 13, 2011. Ford will be buried in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Thursday next to her husband, former President Gerald R. Ford. (AP Photo / AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

  By KATHY BARKS HOFFMANGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Betty Ford returned Wednesday to the city where she grew up and wed the man who became the only president from Michigan, prompting hundreds to line the streets in front of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum as her casket arrived for a memorial service.

Mourners were lined up for a public viewing of Betty Ford's body following a similar, and sometimes tearful, send-off by thousands of well-wishers in California earlier in the day. After another memorial Thursday in Grand Rapids, Ford is to be buried at her husband's presidential museum. Gerald Ford died in 2006.

"They've contributed so much," said Steve Avink of nearby Jenison who watched the ceremonies when Gerald Ford's casket returned to Grand Rapids for burial in January 2007 and was at the airport Tuesday when Betty Ford's casket arrived at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport from California. He was there to show support for the family. A private ceremony attended by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other dignitaries was held at the museum prior to the public viewing.

On Tuesday, a service at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif., was attended by 800 people, including former President George W. Bush and first lady Michelle Obama.

Like hundreds of others in Michigan, Avink wanted to pay his respects. He praised Betty Ford's "openness about drugs and addiction."

Wednesday crowd wasn't as large as when Ford's funeral and memorial services were held over two icy winter days four years ago. But Betty Ford, who gave dance lessons in Grand Rapids and worked at a local department store before marrying Gerald Ford, was remembered fondly by those who came to pay homage.

"She really reached out to all the people who struggled . . . with drug and alcohol addiction," said John Patrick Jr., a 38-year-old Grand Rapids resident who works with dialysis patients and sees the ravages alcoholism can wreak. "She was very gracious."

In California, the hearse carrying Ford's body drove through Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and other desert resort cities, people lined the streets and hoisted American flags to say goodbye to the beloved former first lady, who died Friday at age 93. Some wiped tears from their eyes.

"The family was overwhelmed with the number of people," family spokeswoman Barbara Lewandrowski said. "They are so heartfelt and grateful."

Thousands more turned out for Wednesday's motorcade, including people who sat along the route in beach chairs, some shirtless in the warm, sunny weather.

A dozen senior citizens seated in wheelchairs held up a sign reading "Monterey Palms Healthcare" as the hearse passed by. In front of Rancho Mirage Fire Station No. 1, firefighters stood outside, with emergency lights blinking on their vehicles.

A woman on a golf course stopped her cart and held her hand over her heart, while people nearby shouted "Thank you, Betty." Many clapped and stood at attention.

During Tuesday's service, former first lady Rosalynn Carter and journalist Cokie Roberts, among others, hailed Ford as a force of nature whose boundless energy and enthusiasm, coupled with a steadfast determination to do what was right, pushed the country toward a commitment to equal rights for women and other causes.

Ford, the accidental first lady, was thrust into the White House when Richard Nixon resigned as president on Aug. 9, 1974, and her husband, then vice president, assumed the nation's highest office.

Although she always said she never expected nor wanted to be first lady, she quickly embraced the role.

Her candidness, unheard of at the time, helped bring such previously taboo subjects as breast cancer into the public discussion as she openly discussed her own battle with the disease.

She was equally outspoken about her struggles with drug and alcohol abuse, and her spearheading of the creation of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage to treat those diseases has benefited thousands.

"Millions of women are in her debt today and she was never afraid to speak the truth even about the most sensitive subjects, including her own struggle with alcohol and pain killers," Carter said. "She got some criticism, but I thought she was wonderful and her honesty gave to others every single day."

Behind the scenes she was also aggressive and effective, said Roberts, who noted that Ford's late husband confided to her privately that his wife badgered him relentlessly into stronger public support of equal rights for women.

The former first lady mapped out plans for her funeral well in advance, including who would deliver her eulogies, and Roberts said she told her to be sure to let people know that politics does not have to as acrimonious as it is today.

Other mourners who packed the church included former California first lady Maria Shriver, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Ford's four children. Former first lady Barbara Bush is expected to attend Thursday's service in Michigan.

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Associated Press writers Jeff Wilson contributed to this report from Palm Springs, Calif. and John Rogers reported from Los Angeles.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Exploring the National Park Service Website

The National Park Service website (www.nps.gov) helps organize all of the information that comes from trying to keep track of millions of acres of land in every state. The NPS is a government entity that is responsible for overseeing all of the national parks that are located in the United States.

The first option you notice on the National Park Service home page is the user-friendly map of the entire country and its territories. By running your mouse over the top of the State of your choosing, a small window appears providing general information of the parks located within the State.

When you click upon the State, the site brings you quickly to a state map detailing the national parks and monuments found within the selection. The level of information doesn't stop here.

By simply selecting the park of your choice, you will find yourself on the park's home page for you to peruse at your leisure. The information found on these United States national parks sites is thorough and seemingly endless.

If you look beyond the map on the home page, you will see sections on both the left hand side of the map and directly below the map. These links will guide you to detailed pages that describe the history of the NPS. You will also find an educational section for teachers and students.

The history of the National Park Service spans centuries detailing the origins of several notable museums, collection, libraries, national parks and monuments (such as Robert E. Lee's Memorial, and Lincoln's boyhood home in Indiana). You could spend centuries exploring this information.

The nature and sciences section not only breaks down what wildlife and geographical features within these United States national parks but it also tells about the science involved in protecting these environments to keep them untainted by civilization. Also, it provides information on contests (like the National Natural Landmarks Photo Contest) and challenges geared towards conserving nature.

The section for teachers and children on the National Park Service's website is one that anyone should look at, regardless of age. There is plenty of fun and entertaining information about the national parks and monuments in the country, and also class resources and curriculum for field trips - very handy for volunteers working with children!

Young people who visit this area can become WebRangers and play an online game to explore parks around the country or visit GoZone, fun activities children can take part in at certain parks. Whether you're young or old, the National Park Service website has something for everyone.

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National Park Service and it's Legacy

Artist George Catlin has been credited with presenting the notion of a governmental organization to protect our wilderness and wildlife. His essays reflected anxiety toward the continuing development and its effects of the westward expansion over the natural wonderland. George Catlin expressed the theory of creating a policy or agency to protect the wilderness. The lands of Yellowstone and Yosemite received protection under specific preservation laws in the mid 1800's. Later the National Park service had begun to be established.

The potential for a booming tourism market inspired many keen investors to band together and lobby for the creation of a National Park service. Most importantly supportive conservationist lobbying began for the preservation of wildlife and natural resources. President Woodrow Wilson officially signed legislation for the creation of the National Park Service on August 25th 1916.

Congress created the national park service as a chapter o the United States department of the Interior. The national park service has since grown to employ over 100,000 people and boast many thousands of volunteers. As a cabinet office to the executive branch of government the National Park service is run by a secretary elected by the president. The national Park service receives a yearly budget of over 2 billion dollars.

The national park service has been actively involved in caring for American monuments, historical properties and parks since 1916. National parks are a place of beautiful picnic spots equally dedicated to the conservation of local wildlife. National parks are available to the public providing spectacular natural scenery and a place to enjoy healthy family entertainment for a lazy afternoon or the whole summer long. The chief duty of the national park service is a commitment to the conservation of historical properties, scenery, wildlife and properties contained within a national park. The national park service promotes public education in reflection of the American landscape. Receiving millions of visitors to over 391 units per year the national park service is a flourishing society.

Yellowstone national park became the world's very first national park under the National Park Service. Yellowstone was previously privately managed with sometimes uncertain success. Yosemite received some protection as a state park originally but was soon to join in under the protection of the National park Service with others soon to follow. Mount Rainier, Glacier, Crater Lake, and naturally, the beautiful Sequoia, all thankfully receiving protection and conservation under the care of the National Park Service.

It was soon recognized that parks not in the western states should also benefit from the care of the National park Service and Acadia National Park in Maine was also included. Philanthropist John Rockefeller Jr. was among others who assisted in the gradual acquisition of eastern lands. In 1926 the Great Smokey Mountains, Shenandoah and Mammoth cave were all to be included for protection from the National Park Service. In fact later the eastern states with their many historic sites such as battlefields and war memorials became an even larger area under protection from the National Park service.

The National park Service has sustained continual growth and expansion over the past few decades. Presidents agreed to the importance of protecting the American heritage and supported laws even including additional laws and clauses. The National Park service protects living history and educational opportunities as a legacy and shall continue to care and protect the environment for many decades to come by order of their mission statement. To "Conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

Global warming is a threat that will affect generations to come. The atmosphere surrounding us that supports life is a God-given gift. It must be protected. We should be leaders in efforts to curb global warming, not resistant followers.

Erin Hunt is an avid writer and activist. She discovered that many are still unaware of the dangers of global warming and thus created a website to educate others on how they can play a role in the fight against global warming. Find out how you can make a difference at http://www.fightagainstglobalwarming.com