Ron Perry of the United States Postal Service says at 8:33 a.m. on Thursday a customer noticed an abandoned bag sitting outside the post office at Montebello and Academy on the sidewalk. More: continued here

PORTLAND (AP) — More than a half-million Oregon residents — roughly one of every seven people — received food stamps last month, according the state Department of Human Services. More: continued here

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — More than a half-million Oregon residents — roughly one of every seven people — received food stamps last month, according the state Department of Human Services. More: continued here

Package delivery giant FedEx Corp reported a higher profit for its fiscal second quarter, meeting expectations, but announced a 20 percent pay cut for CEO Fred Smith and said it was suspending pension contributions as the U.S. economy’s outlook looks bleak. More: continued here

“Were seeing folks who we have never seen before, folks who have lost jobs or are losing their homes,” said Jerry Buzzard, manager of the agency’s Clackamas district. The record number comes as the state unemployment rate exceeded 8 percent in November. More: continued here

Scarlett Johansson is about to find out just how far her status as one of the world’s most desired women extends. The actress is selling a tissue on which she blew her nose on eBay. While appearing More: continued here

Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) — FedEx Corp. cut Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith ’s pay by 20 percent and will trim smaller amounts from U.S. salaried employees as the package shipper struggles with the longest recession in a quarter century. More: continued here

How snotty: Scarlett Johansson blew her nose on a tissue, and now the tissue is being sold on eBay. The actress said she’d caught a cold from co-star Samuel L. Jackson, and felt her illness had value because it had been passed down from one celebrity to another. More: continued …

There’s only a few days left to send off gifts and cards at the post office. Anyone waiting until the last minute should know that there are special retail holiday hours for Christmas Eve. More: continued here

While some post offices are bursting with people and parcels, the office in Scottsburg, Ore. , about the size of a moderately priced Winnebago, is decidedly not bursting with anything of the like. The officer in charge is unfazed. The place is decorated. The radio is set to Christmas music. More: …