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Lawmakers say USPS audit validates mail concerns
“The OIG reports were really, really concerning,” said U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in a statement.
MINNESOTA, USA — The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General announced it will investigate delivery delays and several other issues after an audit of four East Metro postal locations.
The Office of Inspector General’s audits revealed many deficiencies, according to the report. It cited issues with delayed mail, package scanning, arrow keys, carrier complement and timekeeping, and property conditions at the Eagan and Apple Valley post offices and the New Brighton Carrier Annex. An audit for the Saint Paul Processing and Distribution Center identified similar issues.
This comes after Democrat U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and south metro residents in her district reported delays or other deficiencies in mail service.
“The OIG reports were really, really concerning,” said Craig in a statement. “It really validated what we’ve been saying for a year now – that there have been serious service level issues in the second district of Minnesota and many of these cities.”
In all four reports, there were thousands of delays reported of mail on a particular day. For example, the report for Eagan read “On the morning of November 14, 2023, we identified about 53,129 delayed mailpieces.”
In all of the reports, facility management cited insufficient staffing. However, the audit pointed out that in most cases it was management to blame for the issues.
“I am not surprised because we have heard so many people say they’ve had delayed mail,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar, who, along with Senator Tina Smith, called for a district-wide investigation in December.
Craig, along with U.S. Republican Rep. Pete Stauber, led another call for an investigation into the Minnesota-North Dakota postal district earlier in January.
Paul Hoyer goes to the Eagan post office. He says mail has been slow lately.
“A lot of nights we get it at 9 o clock, some days it don’t come until the next day,” said Hoyer.
Hoyer said he is sympathetic to management and staffing delays. Rep. Craig is not.
“We need the postal service to fix the issues,” said Craig.
According to the OIG’s website, the office will issue another report summarizing the results of the district audit with specific recommendations for management to address.
The USPS denied an interview request and instead referred to comments published with the audit. Managers with the district said “management generally agrees” with the findings, although USPS reported that in some of the issues noted information is ‘misleading’ because the audit highlights the number of issues but fails to compare it to the entire scope of their work. It also listed many steps the postal service is taking to prevent the issues.
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The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
