Latest news with #WPRI
Mint
13-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
US Postal Service hikes stamp prices: Find out what it'll cost you to send a letter now
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has once again raised the cost of sending mail, increasing Forever Stamp prices to 78 cents as of Sunday, July 13. The 7.4 per cent hike is part of the agency's ongoing effort to attain financial stability, a justification USPS has used for several recent rate hikes. Under the new pricing, according to The Hill report, a Forever Stamp now costs 78 cents, up from 73 cents. Postcards, which cost 56 cents earlier, will now be priced at 61 cents. International postcards and letters have gone up to $1.70 from $1.65. According to the news outlet, the Forever Stamp remains a one-time purchase for customers to cover future first-class postage irrespective of future rate hikes. New stamp designs currently available include a SpongeBob SquarePants stamp, a 250th anniversary USPS edition, and one honoring former First Lady Barbara Bush. The USPS has made several cost adjustments in recent years, another WPRI report stated. The report added that the cost of Forever Stamps has steadily increased almost annually since it was 45 cents in 2012. Though there was no increase in Forever Stamp rates in 2015 and 2020, in 2023 and 2024, the USPS announced double hikes. The jump from 68 to 73 cents last summer marked the biggest single-year increase since 2019. The USPS decided against raising rates in January 2025, according to a multi-phase plan the agency proposed in September 2024 to implement five price increases for stamps through 2027, beginning this July and then every January and July, the WPRI report added. The USPS said these adjustments need to be made to fulfill the agency's 'legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient.' It remains uncertain if the long-term price strategy, coined during former President Joe Biden's term, will continue during the Trump administration. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump had suggested several changes for the USPS. Shortly thereafter, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy tendered his resignation. Despite the rising prices and uncertainty, the USPS insists that postage in America is a bargain. "USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world," the agency reiterated in a statement in April. A Forever Stamp now costs 78 cents, as of July 13, 2025. The agency says the hikes are part of efforts to meet its legal obligation to be financially self-sufficient. International letters and postcards now cost $1.70, up from $1.65. Yes, the USPS proposed additional increases every January and July through 2027.
The Hill
18-06-2025
- General
- The Hill
Famous shipwreck confirmed to be in Rhode Island waters
NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) — Australian researchers have issued a final report on a decades-long search for a famous shipwreck believed to be off the coast of Rhode Island. Researchers confirmed the final resting place of 18th-century British explorer Captain James Cook's lost ship is in Newport Harbor. 'For some, the Pacific voyage led by James Cook between 1768 and 1771 embodies the spirit of Europe's Age of Enlightenment, while for others it symbolises the onset of colonisation and the subjugation of First Nations Peoples,' the executive summary of the report said. Originally called the 'HMS Endeavor,' the vessel was later renamed 'Lord Sandwich' and used as a troop transport and prison ship before it was deliberately sunk in 1778. The approximate location of the wreck is just north of Goat Island and east of Rose Island, near Newport, Rhode Island, according to the report. The Australian National Maritime Museum said it's working with the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission to protect the site.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Federal Hill's ‘Al Fresco on the Hill' returns
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Federal Hill's 'Al Fresco on the Hill' returns this evening. Tonight, over 30 restaurants will be expanding their dining options to include outside seating. The event will also offer live music, artistic performances and vendors. Dining goes from 5 p.m. until 12 a.m., and runs every Saturday until September 6. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect pleads guilty to role in $436K courier robbery in Swansea
SWANSEA, Mass. (WPRI) — A Bridgewater man is due to be sentenced for his role in a coordinated armed robbery that happened outside a Swansea bank last year. Steven Madison, 39, pleaded guilty this week in federal court to several charges including robbery and conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office announced. Madison was arrested in May 2024 along with two other suspects, Christopher White and Quentin McDonald. Prosecutors alleged that Madison and White committed the robbery, while McDonald was the getaway driver. The robbery occurred on the afternoon of Feb. 19, 2024, outside the BayCoast Bank branch on Swansea Mall Drive. Police said a courier pulled up to the bank's dropbox to deposit more than $436,000 in cash collected from several area cannabis dispensaries. It was then, according to police, that the suspects pulled up behind the courier, pointed a gun at him and zip-tied his hands before loading the money into a stolen U-Haul van. The victim was also pepper-sprayed at one point. Police said the courier got one of his hands loose and fired four rounds at the suspects' vehicle as they fled. The suspects drove to another location in town where McDonald was waiting in an SUV, then torched the U-Haul van. BACKGROUND: 3 charged with robbing courier of $436K outside Swansea bank A fourth suspect, Elgun Mikaiylov, was later charged for allegedly helping to plan and execute the robbery. Police said he was a manager at one of the dispensaries and provided information about the courier service and cash pickups. According to court documents, when police searched Madison's home, they found one of the phones associated with the robbery, along with a $47,000 Rolex bought the day after it happened, more than $5,000 cash, a bag of cocaine and a loaded handgun. In addition to the robbery charges, Madison pleaded guilty to brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reed calls Israeli raid on Iran a ‘success' but warns of consequences
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — While warnings of Iran's missile retaliation against Israel surfaced, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed was holding a news conference to share his concerns as the ranking Democrat of the Armed Services Committee. 'Iranians now will begin to, as I said, retaliate,' he said when he learned of the incoming attack. US helps Israel shoot down barrage of Iranian missiles The missile strike comes after Israel carried out what it called 'Operation Rising Lion.' The raid took out a significant part of Iran's nuclear power. Reed called it 'effective.' 'This success will further push back the Iranians and their ability to respond,' he said. 'But, I've learned from 20-plus years of covering conflicts in the Middle East that you also have to think about the day after.' In the wake of the attack on Iran, President Donald Trump said he had wanted Israel to delay its operation, especially as the U.S. was expected to have nuclear talks with Iran this weekend. Reed said he agreed with the president, but also warned Iran can find other ways to strike back that could further pull the United States into conflicts in the Middle East. 'The drive for nuclear weapons, I think, by the Iranians, might ironically even be accelerated,' he explained. 'They will be, I'm sure, beginning to coordinate with their proxy forces all over the region to see if they can mount attacks against the targets that they feel are appropriate.' MORE: Israel attacks Iran, killing at least 2 military officers Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
