Washington, Pennsylvania lead lawsuits over postal changes

SEATTLE » The attorneys general of Washington and Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that they are leading states suing to block service changes at the U.S. Postal Service, even as the postmaster general reversed himself and said he’d halt some of the changes following a national outcry.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, both Democrats, cited policy changes that include limiting worker overtime and late or extra shifts in the lawsuit announcement, which came a day after several individuals and political candidates sued in New York state to stop the postal service changes.

Federal law requires the Postal Service to go through specific procedures before making changes that affect nationwide service, including a review by the Postal Regulatory Commission and a public comment period. brought the county’s death toll to 824 since the pandemic began in March. The individual who died did not reside in a long-term care facility, according to officials.

Testing is still available for all county residents and those who work in the county and want or need to be tested. The county has established outdoor walk-up testing sites in Pottstown, Norristown, Lansdale, Willow Grove, Ardmore and Green Lane to accommodate those who want to be tested.

The county-run sites provide self-administered tests at no cost, although insurance will be billed if you have it. The sites do require an appointment for testing.

To register for a test at any of the six sites, residents can visit www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 and click on the county testing information button. Residents

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican donor with with no prior postal management experience, did not follow those procedures, the attorneys general said in the lawsuit announcement.

“What’s going on right now is nothing less than a full-on assault by this administration on the U.S. Postal Service, an institution that millions of Americans rely on every single day,” Ferguson told a news conference.

DeJoy announced Tuesday he would suspend the closure of mail processing facilities, that retail hours would not be cut and that overtime would be allowed. But Shapiro and Ferguson said they would keep the lawsuit active to make sure that the promises will be kept.

“We need to see binding action to reverse these changes,” Shapiro said.

While much of the outcry has focused on the ability over the postal service to deliver mail-in ballots in November, Ferguson and Shapiro stressed that slow mail delivery also affects important correspondence

can also register for a test at any of the six sites by calling 610-970-2937.

That phone number as well as the online registration will open at 8:30 a.m. daily.

In Pottstown, the testing site is located at the county’s Office of Public Health Pottstown Health Center at 364 King St. Testing is available by appointment Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

In Norristown, a testing site is located on the parking lot of the Delaware Valley Community and medical prescriptions.

The Veterans Administration fills about 80 percent of its prescriptions by mail and many senior citizens who are not veterans get their medicine by mail, with the coronavirus pandemic driving mailed prescription deliveries higher, Ferguson and Shapiro said.

Ferguson said he would file his lawsuit in federal court in the Eastern District of Washington on Tuesday and that 13 states were joining it — including Wisconsin, Nevada, Minnesota and Michigan. His case names as defendants President Donald Trump, DeJoy and the postal service.

Shapiro said California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine and North Carolina were joining Pennsylvania’s case, which will be filed in the coming days in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. That case names DeJoy and the postal service’s board of governors as defendants.

So far, all of the attorneys general signing onto both cases are Democrats.

Health Norristown Regional Health Center at 1401 DeKalb St. Testing is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

In Lansdale, a testing site is located at 421 Main St. and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.

Another testing site is located at Deep Creek and Snyder roads in the Green Lane Park area, where tests are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.

In Ardmore, a testing site is located at 114 W. Lancaster Avenue where testing is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.

In Willow Grove, a testing site is at First Baptist Church Crestmont, 1678 Fairview Ave. Testing there is be available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.