AusPost letters to take longer, stamps $1

The Postal Service said economic woes were forcing it to delay the release of several new stamps scheduled for this year. The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion last year and is facing even larger losses this year, despite a rate increase to 44 cents for first-class mail scheduled to take effect May 11. A spokesman,…

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Myanmar refugees resettling in Fort Wayne are waiting months to receive Medicaid, food stamps and other welfare benefits that used to take an average of just two weeks, a newspaper report said. More: continued here

During the recession, about 250,000 more New Yorkers would have slipped into poverty without government programs to bolster family income, city officials calculated. More: continued here

Breast cancer first-class semipostal stamps raise $80 millionEdmond SunThe self-adhesive, non-denominated semipostal stamp is sold in sheets of 20 60-cent stamps. The price of a semipostal pays for the first-class single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase. The stamps are available at all Fort Worth … More: continued here

STOCKTON – A smoke shop owner, his brother and daughter face federal charges for allegedly redeeming $2 million in food stamps they bought at half their face value. A joint investigation by the USDA and IRS alleges that for five years 51-year-old Ahmad Khan and 48-year-old Mumraiz Khan used the Smoke Shop & Snack in…

About 1 in 7 Americans Receive Food StampsWall Street Journal (blog)Growth in the food stamp program appeared to reach a plateau in February — with 14.3% of the population relying on the safety net program. The number of food stamp recipients was essentially flat in February, the most recent month … More: continued here