Postal Service Plans WV Closings

• {Charleston,  West Virginia}...The U.S. Postal Service announced plans Thursday to cease mail processing operations in four West Virginia cities. Mail processing operations in Bluefield and Parkersburg will be moved to Charleston. Operations in Clarksburg will be transferred to Charleston and Pittsburgh, and operations in Petersburg will be moved to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Postal Service says the consolidations are necessary because first-class mail volume has declined by 25 percent since 2006. Retail and business units won't be affected. A moratorium on postal closings and consolidations remains in effect until May 15th. The changes are awaiting pending rulemaking for a proposed revision of service standards.