Stamp costs rise; post office $4 billion in debtWZZM, MIAt 5:30 Monday evening, there was no line, no wait to see one of five clerks at the Michigan Street Post Office. What's worse is that used to be their rush hour, with lines out the door for service. It speaks volumes …

State Journal The Price Of A Postage Stamp Just Went UpState Journal, WV"I got the Forever stamps at 42 cents and stocked up. So I've got about a year's worth. But I just think everything's going up. Just like the price of gas. So stamps are going up too. Somebody's got …

The price of a first-class stamp for mailing a letter or paying a bill climbed to 44 cents Monday, though folks who planned ahead and stocked up on Forever stamps will still be paying the lower rate. More: continued here

Prosper suspends operations, returns to 'quiet period'Bizjournals.com, NCProsper and similar services are pioneering a new form of lending in which borrowers and lenders are matched through a service likened to Ebay for money. “As a result of this decision, we will not be accepting new lender or borrower registrations or …Prosper …

A woman who crashed her vehicle into a post office after going to look for her partner was found to be nearly two and half times over the limit, police say. More: continued here

Times Online Papal stamp set marks Israel visitTimes Online, UKTo commemorate Pope Benedict XVI's visit this week to the Holy Land, the Israel Postal Company has released a personalised stamp sheet, together with an "Israel Welcomes Pope Benedict XVI" souvenir booklet. The labels adjoining the stamps in the sheet … More: …

Moving to make good on last month’s promise to trim costs, eBay Inc. has announced plans to close a Vancouver, Canada, customer service center that employs 700 workers. The facility will close by Sept. 30. More: continued here

Plans to partially privatise Royal Mail have come under increased pressure again this week following reports that the mail operator’s much-publicised pension deficit could be as much as double the previous £6bn estimate. More: continued here

The Tories have issued a stark warning to Lord Mandelson, threatening to withdraw critical support for government plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail if the Business Secretary makes concessions to Labour rebels. More: continued here

A petition drive to save the downtown post office is meeting with overwhelming success, its backers say. The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce hoped to get 1,000 signatures in support of keeping the post office open. Last week, the number of signatures topped 3,500 and some petitions were still …