Although the Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30, scientists say there is still the possibility for more named storms this year.

The United States Postal Services is being asked to do more. At least 16 San Antonio neighborhoods have been identified as having ongoing issues with their cluster mailboxes.

Some victims were unaware of the thefts because there often is no visible damage.

This KSAT Explains was prompted by a question from a viewer named Nat about how mail delivery works.

United States Postal Service letter carriers will be doing more than just delivering mail this Saturday. As part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, they will collect food donations to benefit local pantries.

A man and woman were arrested Monday in connection with several package thefts throughout the city after an off-duty officer caught them taking a package from his front door, according to San Antonio police.

Christmas is around the corner, so you better seriously think about shipping deadlines.

For now, the Oakmont Downs HOA said it’s holding out hope that the USPS will fix their mailboxes.

San Antonio postal workers and supporters rallied on Sunday for what they say is a basic human need -- water.

South Texas lawmakers want to ensure mail carriers can take necessary breaks from the heat without retaliation.

It is the third time in a year that the price has gone up and also represents the 17th time since 2001 that the price of stamps has changed. In all but one of those 17 instances, the price went up.

A United States Postal Service worker was arrested Thursday morning after San Antonio Police say she went on a spending spree with the stolen bank cards of an elderly woman on her mail route.

The United States Postal Services’ packaging and processing centers are shipping out 310,000 to 320,000 items daily this holiday season, far more than the usual 170,000 to 180,000 seen typically during the year.

Requests for assistance from the San Antonio Food Bank are higher now than they were in December, but the food bank says there are not enough donations.

After delays last holiday season, USPS is investing in facilities and equipment to keep it from happening again.

Now that December is here, many of us are eyeing those Christmas lists and checking off all the things.

Have you heard of Operation Santa?

People who use the Richland Hills post office are irritated with long wait times. Residents frustrations and what USPS says they're doing about the problem.

On Friday, May 28, U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Anna Menchaca gave her mail route her all—for the last time.

SAN ANTONIO – United States Postal Service officials announced on Wednesday that some retail and delivery operations in the Rio Grande District service area that includes San Antonio has been “temporarily” suspended . The delivery suspension affects the following three-digit ZIP Codes in the district: 733, 765, 766, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 797, and 798. According to officials, all of the listed zip codes are experiencing “inclement conditions and intermittent power outages.”The delivery suspension does not affect any processing facilities. Stay InformedAs always, Your Weather Authority team will keep you updated. You can get the very latest forecast anytime by bookmarking our weather page and downloading the KSAT Weather Authority App - available for both Apple and Android devices.

[MORE: These 3 apps will help you find the best holiday shopping deals, experts say | Doing a little online shopping? If you’re shipping gifts you want to arrive in time for Christmas, here are some recommended send-by dates for expected delivery by Dec. 25:USPS (excluding Alaska and Hawaii)Domestic Mail Class/Product Send-by Date USPS Retail Ground Service Dec. 15 First-Class Mail Service Dec. 18 Priority Mail Service Dec. 19 Priority Mail Express Service Dec. 23Click here for USPS holiday shipping dates for Alaska and Hawaii, military bases and overseas addresses. UPSShipping Option Send-by Date UPS Ground Dec. 15 UPS 3 Day Select Dec. 21 UPS 2nd Day Air Dec. 22 UPS Next Day Air Dec. 23Click here for more details on UPS holiday shipping. FedEx (U.S. to U.S.)Shipping Option Send-by Date FedEx SmartPost (certain exceptions apply) Dec. 9 FedEx Home Delivery Dec. 15 FedEx Ground Dec. 15 FedEx Express Saver Dec. 21 FedEx 3 Day Freight Dec. 21 FedEx 2 Day Dec. 22 FedEx 2 Day A.M. Dec. 22 FedEx 2 Day Freight Dec. 22 FedEx 1 Day Freight Dec. 23 FedEx Extra Hours Dec. 23 FedEx Standard Overnight Dec. 23 FedEx Priority Overnight Dec. 23 FedEx First Overnight Dec. 23 FedEx SameDay Dec. 25 FedEx SameDay City Priority Dec. 25 FedEx SameDay City Direct Dec. 25Click here to see last-day-to-ship dates if you’re planning to send gifts to Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico or other destinations. AmazonAmazon has not released its 2020 holiday shipping calendar, but last year, the company recommended buyers send products no later than Dec. 22 or Dec. 23 for a Dec. 25 arrival.

LIVE OAK, Texas – A porch pirate was apparently caught stealing packages off the doorstep of a home in Live Oak on Wednesday. The homeowners said they caught the grinch on two of their Ring Doorbell cameras as he pulled into the driveway of their residence on Hidden Oak Trail around 7:25 p.m. The homeowners filed a report with the Live Oak Police Department and an officer from LOPD told KSAT the investigation is ongoing. The alleged thief was seen leaving a box of masks at the door before taking a large pile of packages that were already on the porch back to his car. The packages were nothing that we need and one of the vendors is replacing the item,” the homeowner said.

SAN ANTONIO – Unless you have a sleigh and reindeer at your disposal, you‘d be wise to ship Christmas presents early this year as the U.S. Employees were as busy as elves Thursday at The UPS Store on Wurzbach Road in San Antonio. That’s the cutoff date for ground shipping for USPS, UPS, and FedEx. You will still be able to mail and ship after that, but it will cost you. Many retailers are urging customers to shop and ship early and take advantage of curbside pickup if available.

Moreno explains that Operation Santa has been around for years, but only in certain cities digitally. “In 1912 post master Frank Hitchcock allowed post masters and their employees and community to adopt letters, so we have continued on the tradition and it is now known as Operation Santa,” Moreno said. It allows children to write letters to Santa, and the USPS will post those letters on its Operation Santa website, where people can adopt letters and send children gifts. In the middle of the envelope write in Santa’s address: Santa Claus, 123 Elf Road, North Pole 88888. Santa letters image2.

He delivered mail to the West Side neighborhood Collins Garden for 28 years. “Marcos is just one mailman that touches everyone’s heart,” said Cruz Martinez, a Collins Garden resident. The Collins Garden neighborhood wanted him to know that he was loved and appreciated and that he would be greatly missed. If you treat people with respect, they’ll respect you back,” he said as his final message to the neighbors. Perez has the following advice for future USPS workers:“Come to work every day and give it your all.

SAN ANTONIO – The United States Postal Service and its 100-year-old ‘Operation Santa’ program is the subject of a new documentary-style movie set to come out on Dec. 4. The new movie sheds light on a tradition like no other: the fulfillment of wishes from children writing to Santa. According to USPS, hundreds of thousands of letters are sent to Santa from children and families across the country every year. The agency’s Operation Santa makes it possible for individuals and organizations to adopt these letters and send responses and thoughtful gifts in Santa’s place. The movie debuts Dec. 4, the same day that letter adoption opens in the program.

(Photo by APEX/MEGA/GC Images) (2020 MEGA)Who: The other star of Netflix’s irresistible “Tiger King." What you’ll need: Your hair pulled back in a bun, glasses, a judge’s robe and a fancy white collar. What you’ll need: A banana costume and a loaf of bread to carry around. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (2020 Getty Images)Who: A video conferencing program that became very popular once the pandemic started in early 2020. What you’ll need: A piece of cardboard cut with a whole in the middle to look like a screen.

So, we tested the Postal Service, stuffing, stamping and mailing 100 letter-sized envelopes to a centrally-located post office box that we rented. We fanned out across Bexar County, dropping our letters in home mailboxes, cluster boxes, USPS blue boxes and post office mail slots. It took three more mail delivery days to receive the bulk of our letters — 74 of them came on day six. Those measures include extra deliveries, Sunday deliveries and running collected ballots to the Boards of Elections on Election Day. Postal Service:

But that fiasco could be nothing compared to this year’s election -- and not just regarding who is elected president. There will be more mail-in ballots submitted than ever. The United States Postal Service is struggling with financial issues, which could delay the mailing of ballots throughout the country, according to CNBC. In August, the USPS sent letters to 46 states and Washington, D.C. warning that some main-in ballots might not arrive in time to be counted by Election Day, according to the Washington Post. Mail-in ballots take longer to count.

In rural areas where broadband internet connection is scarce, residents rely on the Postal Service to send checks, pay bills, get Social Security benefits and receive prescription medication. Places that had bad service probably still have bad service.”Across rural Texas, business owners, community leaders and farmers told The Texas Tribune that the quality of USPS service varies from post office to post office. We have no issues with the Postal Service, they are prompt and they do good service,” Plagens said. “We depend on our Postal Service, and we get taken care of by them,” Roberson said. “The Postal Service is grossly understaffed, especially in the rural areas that I represent,” Williams said.

But the small number of voters who missed the cutoff to submit mail-in ballots on time also highlighted longstanding disconnects between state election law and the realities of the U.S. Postal Service recommends that Texans ask for mail-in ballots no later than 15 days out from that due date. Aided by the election funding her county received through the federal coronavirus relief package, Carew hired an election worker solely dedicated to mail-in ballots. To return their ballots, voters can either rely on the postal service or drop them off in person at their county elections offices. Texas voters will also be able to drop off their completed ballots at county election offices.

PORTLAND, Maine At least 4,800 chicks shipped to Maine farmers through the U.S. Postal Service have arrived dead in recent weeks after rapid cuts hit the federal mail carrier's operations, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said. Postal Service. The Postal Service is the only entity that ships live chicks and other small animals and has done so since 1918, according to the services website. Rural Americans, including agricultural producers, disproportionately rely on USPS for their livelihoods, and it is essential that they receive reliable service, Pingree said.

Restrictions and types of early voting vary by state, but 40 states and the District of Columbia do offer some form of early voting. Turning in ballots at a local election office or polling locationJust about every state allows voters to bring ballots in person to turn them in at local election offices. If you’re not close to a local election office to turn in a ballot, some states allow ballots to be turned in to alternate locations or the polling locations. New Hampshire and Vermont allow voters to return ballots to a polling place. Drop boxesThese are special containers that allow voters to drop off absentee or mail-in ballots in sealed envelopes.

SAN ANTONIO Four sorting machines that process 35,000 pieces of letter-type mail per hour have been removed from United States Postal Service distribution facilities in San Antonio, the local union president says. Before the four machines were removed in recent weeks, there were 32 total sorting machines in the San Antonio area. Thats his vision.San Antonio isnt alone: hundreds of other sorting machines have been removed throughout the country in recent weeks. CNN reported that number could be as high as nearly 700, citing records they obtained from the postal service. A USPS spokesperson told Business Insider that: The Postal Service routinely moves equipment around its network as necessary to match changing mail and package volumes.

Postal Service trucks at an Austin office. Postal Service said Tuesday that while she applauds Postmaster General Louis DeJoys latest commitment to delay proposed changes to mail services, she is still worried about the impact on mail-in voting this November. In 2009, she guided the postal service through the Great Recession as the board's chair. The USPS board of governors is comparable to a board of directors of a publicly held corporation, according to the USPS website. Presidential-appointed governors serve terms of seven years and only as many as five governors may be members of one political party.

Fifty years ago, the former Post Office Department changed over and became the United States Postal Service. Postal Service, as we know it now, has only been around since 1970? Energized by the Civil Rights Movement, postal workers in New York went on strike, and the movement eventually swelled across the country. Previously, letters were taken to a Post Office, where employees would note the postage due (or paid) in the upper right corner. Postal Service stands financially, perhaps we do have to consider, what if the mail goes away someday?

Postal Service offers a free service that can help. If you get a picture of an IRS envelope, you know it is likely your stimulus check. If their Informed Delivery notification shows you only received junk mail, there’s no need to go out and pick it up. Once you sign up, the USPS says it typically takes about three business days to start receiving those notification emails. Not every address is eligible for Informed Delivery.

Postal ServiceDec. 14: USPS Retail Ground shipments ✅Dec. 18: Alaska to mainland First-Class Mail ✅Dec. 19: Hawaii to mainland First-Class Mail and Priority Mail, also Alaska Priority Mail ✅*There’s still time for dates below! Dec. 20: First-Class Mail ServiceDec. 21: Priority Mail; Also deadline for Alaska and Hawaii to the mainland through Priority Mail ExpressDec. 23: Priority Mail ExpressTrying to send something overseas or to a member of the military? Click or tap here to check out the guide we followed from USPS, and to learn more about your mailing specifics and guidelines. FedExDec. 9: SmartPost ✅Dec. 16: Ground and home delivery ✅Dec. 19: Express Saver ✅*There’s still time for the dates below! As for Amazon deadlines, you’re likely looking at Dec. 22 or Dec. 23, depending on if you’re a Prime member, where you live and what you’re ordering.