Super Snail Mail: Here's What's Happening With The Postal Service

Also: Mass. companies are on a diversity exec hiring spree; five questions ahead of the DNC ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( August 17, 2020 Good Morning Boston, ⛅ Clouds turn into sun, with highs around 73. Let's kick off your Monday by focusing on the organization that can't be stopped by rain, sleet, heat... and hopefully not by a pandemic during an election year, either. Yes, let's talk about the post office. - What's happening? The U.S. Postal service — which doesn't receive taxpayer funding — is hemorrhaging money. So Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has implemented a series of changes to "cut costs and improve efficiencies." But it's causing deliveries to be extra snail-like. News outlets across the country in recent days have [reported]( the Postal Service was removing mail collection boxes and high-speed mail sorting machines. - The post office will be under a lot of stress with the huge increase in mail-in ballots this year. In Massachusetts alone, election officials will have to handle [well over a million mail-in ballots]( if turnout is similar to what it was in the last presidential election. We're talking a much higher volume of mail than absentee ballots typically create. - The big issue: House Democrats included $25 billion for the Postal Service in a coronavirus relief package in May but are far from reaching agreement with Republicans. President Trump said last week that he opposed more funding for the Postal Service because it would help people vote by mail. (He later walked back those comments.) And [key swing states]( are already having a hard time meeting on-time service goals. - Zoom in: Last week in Massachusetts, city and town clerks saw an [unprecedented tidal wave of mail-in ballot applications]( with the state primary less than a month away. Their challenges are being intensified by limited local staffing and financial resources. (If you want to vote by mail, deadlines are fast approaching. Lear more [here]( - What we're watching out for in Massachusetts this week: Attorney General Maura Healy – along with at least five other state AGs – is considering suing the Trump administration to block changes at the Postal Service before the election. She thinks if operational changes continue during the election, it could result in some mail-in ballots not being counted. Stay tuned. In other coronavirus-related news: - Boston Public Schools is working on its hybrid teaching plan for the fall and that includes finding and creating spaces where students can do remote work. [The Boston Globe reports]( that BPS is planning for 50 student learning centers, but the demand is likely to exceed the number of available slots. - ICYMI: Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask [announced]( that he will not be returning to the ice for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. "I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family," he said. - Despite the low positive coronavirus test rate, Somerville has postponed the start of phase three for the fifth time. That means another two weeks without indoor gyms and movie theaters. P.S.– It's the dog days of summer, which is usually summer reading season. Tell us your best reads of the summer so far, and we may add it to our recommended reading list (coming soon). Reply to this email to send us your picks. — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[Change, Or Checking The Box? Mass. Companies Are On A Diversity Exec Hiring Spree]( Chief diversity officer may just be the hottest job on the market right now. A growing list of local companies are hiring diversity leaders, as protests over racial injustice have led to calls for organizations to address their own systemic racism. [Read more.]( - Related: [Black Entrepreneurs Start Businesses At Higher Rates Than Other Groups, Analysis Finds](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2.[College Student Move-In Fuels A New Kind Of Back To School Anxiety]( In a typical college year, there are tensions between students and neighbors: whether it’s partying, littering or loud noise. Now, add COVID-19 to that list. [Read more.]( 3. [EPA Moves To Reduce Runoff That Feeds Toxic Algae In Charles River]( The EPA will talk to private institutions along the Charles River about reducing stormwater pollution. Permits may be next. [Read more.]( 4. [Pelosi Calls Lawmakers Back To Block Postal Service Changes]( The speaker is planning a vote for later this week on the Delivering for America Act, introduced by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, which "prohibits the Postal Service from implementing any changes to operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020." [Read more.]( 5. [5 Questions Ahead Of The Democratic National Convention]( It's a first to have a convention done all virtually, and there are political goals the Biden campaign is looking to achieve that are complicated by the format. That means there are a host of questions about how the week will go. Here are five. [Read more.]( Support the news Anything Else? - Can air conditioners spread COVID-19? [Theoretically, yes.]( But it's complicated. - Despite having to maintain physical distance, [these New England documentarians]( are figuring out how to gather the urgent stories of COVID-19. - The Mass. legislature's climate bills are important, but they wouldn't do enough for my most vulnerable patients, writes Gaurab Basu[in this commentary](. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [A New Scholarship Aims To Help Fix The Wine Industry's Diversity Problem]( [Listen]( WBUR POLLS [WBUR Poll Finds Mass. Voters Split On Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Question]( As Parents Worry About More Pandemic Learning, WBUR Poll Shows Half Prefer Hybrid Model. [Read more.]( Remote Work Has Cushioned The Pandemic's Blow, But WBUR Poll Reveals Inequalities. [Read more.]( WBUR Poll: 4 In 10 Mass. Voters Plan To Cast Ballots By Mail. [Read more.]( What We're Reading - Why Gen Z Is Going All-In to Reelect Senator Ed Markey ([Teen Vogue]( - Suicidal Thoughts Surging, Mental Health Plummeting During Pandemic, CDC Study Finds ([Miami Herald]( - How QAnon Rode The Pandemic To New Heights — And Fueled The Viral Anti-Mask Phenomenon ([NBC News]( Tell Me Something Good [Panda Watch: Mei Xiang, National Zoo Panda, Could Soon Give Birth]( "In the middle of a pandemic, this is a joyful moment we can all get excited about. We are optimistic that very shortly she may give birth to a healthy cub or cubs." Before you go: [The moment]( it dips into the 60s... 😎 Forward to a friend. 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