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A 6-year-old South Dakota girl who was initially accused of cheating in a federally-sponsored art contest was restored as a winner, and her painting of a duck is again on track to be used on a U.S. postage stamp. A 9-by-12-inch oil painting of a canvasback duck by Madison Grimm, of Burbank, S.D., was declared the winner from some 29,000 entries in the 2013 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest. In addition to having their artwork immortalized on a stamp, winners receive a $5,000 scholarship. But days after the April 19 announcement, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials said Madison —...

A Florida food stamp recruiter is tasked with enrolling at least 150 senior citizens in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, The Washington Post reports in a profile about SNAP outreach. Following 56 year old recruiter Dillie Nerios perform her task, to appeal to seniors to get them to sign up for food stamp benefits, The Post offers additional insight into the program — which has reached record participation levels in recent months — currently feeding more than 47 million people, or one in seven Americans. The story follows recruiter Dillie Nerios, 56, as she encourages approaches potentially SNAP-eligible seniors to...

A new chart produced by Republicans staffers on the Senate Budget Committee shows food stamp enrollment continuing to increase even as the unemployment rate goes down. From October 2009 to October 2012 the unemployment rate has declined from 10.2 percent to 7.9 percent. In that same time frame, nearly ten million new recipients have been added to the food stamp rolls, according to government data analyzed by the Republican committee staff. “Spending on the food stamp program has increased every single year since 2000, and a record number of individuals now receive the benefit. For instance, food stamp enrollment has...

Is a $15 gift card enough to compensate for public humiliation at your local grocery store? According to one Georgia woman, the answer is absolutely not. Cindy Nerger, 28, who relies on food stamps to feed her family, said she was brought to tears after being embarrassed by a manager at a Kroger store in Warner Robbins, Ga. "He said, 'Excuse me for working for a living and not relying on food stamps like you,'" Nerger said the manager told her. The man's comment came after Nerger and two other store employees disagreed over whether her total purchase was eligible...

While spending on the food stamp program has increased 100 percent under President Barack Obama, the government continues to push more Americans to enroll in the welfare program. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has embraced entire promotional campaigns designed to encourage eligible Americans to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps. A pamphlet currently posted at the USDA website encourages local SNAP offices to throw parties as one way to get potentially eligible seniors to enroll in the program. “Throw a Great Party. Host social events where people mix and mingle,” Biden: Economy a...

A new report shows that nearly 10 percent of non-Medicaid food-stamp recipients in New Hampshire actually live outside the state. WMUR reports: After an audit of 24,355 non-Medicaid food stamp recipients in New Hampshire, the report shows 2,200 hold a primary address outside of the state. [...] “We are up to a potential in that program alone of up to $41 million worth of payments that may be questionable,” said House Speaker Bill O’Brien. The report also cites cases of incarcerated or deceased residents getting benefits, including one where the recipient may have been dead since 1983. Full transcript: ANCHOR:...

Just two weeks after a Temple era seal was displayed to the public, archeologists continue to dig up breathtaking proofs of the ancient and never-severed connection between Jews and the Land of Israel. This time, the find is a 1,500 year old tiny stamp discovered near the city of Akko, bearing the image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah. The stamp was used to identify baked products and probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period. The ceramic stamp dates from the Byzantine period (6th century CE) and was uncovered in...

Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Russia, and former head of the KGB, rules as de facto czar of enormous empire that spans 11 time zones. A confirmed and dedicated Communist, Putin has decided that Russia should publicly honor another fellow socialist on his 50th birthday. From "The Voice of Russia" English language website we read: Russia's Post Office has issued a collection of stamps and envelopes to mark the 50th jubilee of the US President Barack Obama. The US leader is celebrating his birthday on the 4th of August. In one of his recent interviews Mr. Obama said that fifty...

China tries to stamp out 'Jasmine Revolution' By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press 40 mins ago BEIJING – Jittery Chinese authorities staged a concerted show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.

Even as the economy grew and the unemployment rate began to shrink, the number of Illinois households getting food stamps hit record levels in December, showing no signs of an economic recovery, and area food pantries say they’ve continued to see more people asking for help. (Snip) Job losses caused by the recession drove numbers up over the year in all seven counties in the Chicago area. The biggest percentage increases were in DuPage, Kendall, Kane and McHenry counties. “Since the fall of ’08, we’ve had an increase practically every month” statewide, said Jan Freeman, director of the SNAP program

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – An image of President Ronald Reagan graces the U.S. Postal Service's newest 44-cent stamp.

If it was "morning in America" for President Ronald Reagan, a new commemorative postage stamp due in February to mark "the Gipper's" birth centennial will forever view the sunrise.The new commemorative stamp, whose design was unveiled Monday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., always will be valid for a 1-ounce first-class letter, the U.S. Postal Service confirmed. It officially will be released at the library on Feb. 10, 2011, four days after the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth.Texas artist Bart Forbes did the portrait, based on a 1985 photograph of Reagan taken at Rancho del Cielo,...

Postal Service Thanked for Mother Teresa Stamp, Ceremony Honors Her Washington, DC -- The pro-life Catholic group that organized the petition in favor of the Postal Service issuing a stamp honoring pro-life luminary Mother Teresa is thankful to see the stamp issued. Meanwhile, those gathered for a special service in Washington, D.C., remembered her pro-life outreach. http://LifeNews.com/nat6680.html

Mother TeresaWith this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years. Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to work on behalf of the world’s poorest populations.Mother Teresa, an ethnic Albanian, was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on...

LONDON, - The world's most valuable stamp -- the Treskilling Yellow -- is expected to fetch as much as $7.4 million at an auction in Switzerland, collectors said. The stamp issued in Sweden in 1855 was saved by a Swedish boy who found it in his grandmother's trash bin in 1885. He sold it to a collector for less than $1, The Daily Telegraph reported Thursday. The Treskilling Yellow since has changed hands many times, each time setting a record price, including at its last sale in 1996 when it sold for $2.5 million to anonymous collectors. The stamp was...

Stamp for Pro-Life Heroine Mother Teresa Hits September Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Postal Service officials have confirmed it will print a new stamp honoring pro-life heroine Mother Teresa and that it will be released in September. The stamp has come under fire from atheist groups who say the government shouldn't be honoring a pro-life religious figure. http://LifeNews.com/nat6309.html

Dear Friend of CatholicVote, I have wonderful news. The Mother Teresa stamp is coming! Over 138,000 friends of CatholicVote.org joined together to defend the stamp to honor Mother Teresa. And the Postal Service took notice. Roy Betts, a spokesman for the Postal Service, told CatholicVote.org yesterday: “The stamp will be dedicated September 5 [at] the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Feel free to post information about the stamp, the image and the dedication ceremony on your website. Thanks!” Wow. Launching the stamp at a church. The anti-religion radicals are going to go wild!...

The anti-religion crusaders are at it again. This time they want the Post Office to cancel a planned new stamp honoring Mother Teresa. I am continually shocked by the persistence of these activist groups. They seem to never give up! Any mention or reference of God must be wiped out. The Pledge of Allegiance, In God We Trust, you name it… they want it boarded up, whitewashed, and banished from our public life. But not this time. Not Mother Teresa. Sign on to our group letter to the Postmaster General here – Stamp Out Bigotry A group called the Freedom...

The Postal Services created a stamp with a picture of President Obama. The stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and $1.73 million in congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings: 1)The stamp is in perfect order. 2)There is nothing wrong with the adhesive. 3)People are spitting on the wrong side.

SAN DIEGO (Army News Service, May 29, 2009) -- Aboard the USS Midway Friday the U.S. Postal Service released the 44-cent Bob Hope commemorative stamp on what would have been the world-renowned entertainer and philanthropist's 106th birthday. Although Hope never officially served in the military, he dedicated a significant part of his life to entertaining the country's men and women in uniform starting in 1941 and continuing through Operation Desert Storm 50 years later. After giving hundreds of performances overseas he earned the nickname "G.I. Bob" and in 1997 he became the first person ever recognized by Congress as an...

Critics of the Bible have often said that the writings of Genesis reflect an “unscientific view” of the universe—one that reflected the cosmology of the ancient world. One of these criticisms centers on the Hebrew word raqia used in the creation account of Genesis 1. Several Bible versions, such as the New King James, translate this word as firmament: Genesis 1:6–8, NJKV Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from...

Alex Lutgendorf is gearing up for a memorial celebration of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and the first-day issuance of the Lincoln series postage stamps on Monday, three days before his Feb. 12 birthday. Lutgendorf is a volunteer at the Postal History Foundation and, as the curator of the Western State Postmarks for the museum, he requested that Arizona receive a special postmark for the occasion.

The government inadvertently offered people who wanted a duck something altogether different. The Fish and Wildlife Service isn't going to remedy the error because doing so would cost too much. That's according to this wire service report, "Gov't Error Sends Callers To Sex Line: People Hoping To Order Duck Stamps Greeted By Phone-Sex Line Due To Printing Mistake": People calling a federal phone number to order duck stamps are instead greeted by a phone-sex line, due to a printing error the government says would be too expensive to correct. The carrier card for the duck stamp transposes two numbers, so...

Poland commemorates her refugees in Iran by Ryszard Antolak 24-Jun-2008 The Polish Postal Service has commemorated the role Isfahan played during World War 2 in caring for Polish orphans. The new stamp, "Isfahan - the City of Polish Children", went on sale earlier this month. It depicts a pupil at School No. 15 near Isfahan (Stanislaw Stojakowski), standing in front of a Persian carpet woven at the city's Carpet School in 1944. In 1942, Isfahan housed thousands of Polish orphans released from the Soviet work camps of Siberia and Kazakhstan. At its peak, twenty one areas of the city were...

Stamps to Cost a Penny More February 11, 2008 By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press Writer Mailing a Letter Will Cost a Penny More Starting in May WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mailing a letter will soon cost a penny more. The cost of a first-class stamp will rise to 42 cents starting May 12, the U.S. Postal Service said Monday. The price of the Forever stamp will go up at the same time, meaning those stamps can still be purchased for 41 cents but will remain good for first-class postage after the rate increase takes effect. The post office has sold...

DALLAS - One of the most famously flawed stamps in U.S. history sold for $825,000 to a New York man who bought it slightly cheaper than the record price another "Inverted Jenny" copy fetched at auction last month. The rare 1918 24-cent stamp, depicting an upside-down Curtis JN-4 biplane known as "Jenny," was sold privately this week to a Wall Street executive who did not want to be identified. Heritage Auction Galleries president Greg Rohan, who brokered the sale, said the buyer is the same collector who lost an auction last month in which another "Inverted Jenny" sold for $977,500....

WASHINGTON — Say goodbye to those pesky 1- and 2-cent stamps that used to clutter up desks and purses every time the price of mailing a letter went up. A new "forever" stamp — good for mailing a letter no matter how much rates rise — was recommended Monday by the independent Postal Regulatory Commission. The panel also called for a 2-cent increase in first-class rates to 41 cents, a penny less than the post office had sought. In addition, the changes would sharply scale back the price of heavier letters. "Adoption of this proposal is good for the Postal...

The Madonna and child on this year's U.S. Postal Service Christmas stamp replicates a painting owned by a family with Tucson ties. Needless to say, all of the stamps that John and Ray Freyer are putting on their Christmas cards this year will depict the 18th-century oil-on-canvas owned by their late grandmother, Maria Engracia Critcher Freyer, a colorful family matriarch known as "Madam" to her grandchildren, who acquired the painting while she lived in Peru. John and Ray Freyer, both local real estate investors, say they were surprised and delighted to hear that a piece of family artwork would have...

Ft. Lauderdale: An absentee ballot was mailed with what may have been a rare stamp worth as much as $200,000 -- the famous Inverted Jenny -- but the envelope is in a box that by law can't be opened. Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom discovered the stamp while reviewing absentee ballots. There was no name on the envelope, so the vote didn't count. Stamp mailed on absentee ballot

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida voter may have unwittingly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars by using an extremely rare stamp to mail an absentee ballot in Tuesday's congressional election, a government official said on Friday. The 1918 Inverted Jenny stamp, which takes its name from an image of a biplane accidentally printed upside-down, turned up on Tuesday night in Fort Lauderdale, where election officials were inspecting ballots from parts of south Florida, Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom told Reuters. Only 100 of the stamps have ever been found, making them one of the top prizes of all philately. Rodstrom,...

The Inverted Jenny is among the most rare -- and valuable -- U.S. postal stamps.. And now one may have been found in Broward County -- among piles of absentee ballots from this week's election. No one knows where the ballot came from. The person who cast the vote was not identified on the envelope containing the ballot, so the vote didn't count. Now the stamp -- which may be worth at least $200,000 -- is locked up with the rest of the ballots, because by law it must be held for a designated amount of time. County Commissioner...

October 12, 2006 In pursuit of a stamp of approval for C.F. Martin By Kurt Blumenau Of The Morning Call If Elvis Presley, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams can appear on U.S. postage stamps, then why not the man who founded the company that made their guitars? That's the sentiment at C.F. Martin & Co., the venerable Upper Nazareth Township guitar maker. The company began appealing to Martin owners and fans about a month ago, urging them to take part in a letter-writing drive aimed at getting company founder C.F. Martin Sr. onto a postage stamp.

Ancient stamp dating to 5,000 BC unearthed in Harran Monday, October 16, 2006 ANKARA - Turkish Daily News Excavations in the Harran district of Þanlýurfa have uncovered a stamp dating back to 4,000-5,000 B.C., said the excavation leader on Saturday, reported the Anatolia news agency. Harran excavation team leader Nurettin Yardýmcý said the excavations have been ongoing since 1983 and that recent work in the area has focused on the Harran tumulus and Ulu Cami as well as the Neolithic settlement of Tellidris. “Our work has indicated that the first inhabitants of Harran lived in Tellidris, dating back to around...

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., May 26, 2006 – A new version of a postage stamp commemorating the Purple Heart and all those who have earned it was issued in a ceremony here today. Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Postal Service unveil the new version of the Purple Heart Definitive stamp at Arlington National Cemetery, May 26. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. During the ceremony, two veterans of the war in Iraq were awarded Purple Hearts by R. James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs. "(The Purple Heart) celebrates...

Not just diamonds are forever. Add stamps to the list. The post office is planning a "forever" stamp for letters, good no matter how many times postal rates increase. That means folks could say goodbye to those annoying two- or three-cent stamps that have to be added to letters every time rates go up. Sheets, rolls, books or loose stamps in the drawer would still be good. Forever. The idea for the special stamps, which would be sold at the same price as other first-class stamps, was included in proposals announced Wednesday that would also raise stamp prices 3 cents...

Popularity of Clinton, Reagan, pave way for new stamp DAVID HAMMER Associated Press Posted on Thu, Aug. 04, 2005 Former President Bill Clinton sits near a representation of the U.S. Postal Service's presidential library stamp Thursday, Aug. 4, 2005, during dedication ceremonies at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark. The design for the stamp was unveiled Thursday at each of the 12 presidential libraries and museums across the country. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) LITTLE ROCK, Lit. - The U.S. Postal Service's Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee received 50,000 suggestions for stamps every year and of all of them, a Little...

The anonymity of ammunition is being fought with the proposal of Assembly Bill 352, which, if passed, would require that every semiautomatic handgun sold after January 2009 be equipped with a new microstamping technology that would allow law enforcement officials to link the used bullet cases to the handguns from which they were fired. This new technology would stamp a serial number on to every bullet fired from a particular gun. That number would be linked to the owner of the gun in already existing database of gun owners. In a recent press release introducing the legislation, Assemblyman Paul Koretz...

It was early 1943. FDR and Churchill had just met at Casablanca to set a goal of unconditional surrender. Daylight bombing of Nazi Germany was beginning. Japanese forces on Guadalcanal collapsed. And Betty Grable received a letter of extortion. Dear Miss Grable, This is an extortion. Under threat of your life or great bodily harm, gather $25,000 in uncut diamonds and mail them in 2 envelopes addressed to Jonathan C. Wild, Esq., Gates Hotel, 5th and Figueroa Los Angeles, Calif. (Signed), The Leopard Miss Grable was just coming into her own as a movie star—Down Argentina Way and Tin Pan...

SO, WHICH image of black folks does more damage to the race? The one of Memin Pinguin, the little guy on the Mexican postage stamp who looks like he was yanked off the screen of a cartoon in the 1930s or 1940s? Or the image of rappers 50 Cent and Tony Yayo on the cover of XXL magazine that its editors proclaimed "The Jail Issue" and dedicated to "hip-hop's incarcerated soldiers"?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=70098&item=5588508092&rd=1#ebayphotohostingMini-sheet North Korea: birth of Prince William They even have commemorative stamps for Diana's 21st birth day. Kim Jong-il must have had crush on Diana Spencer.:-)

Cuneiform tablets and royal stamp unearth in northeast Syria Syria, Local, 6/2/2005 The Syrian-Belgian joint excavation mission in northeast Syria has recently discovered some cuneiform tablets dating back to the neo Assyrian king in the Mesopotamia Shamshi Adad, 1800 BC, as well it unearthed the king personal stamp. Head of the Belgian team of excavations told SANA today that after the discovery of the king special stamp, the mission is doing her best to come across the full palace of the king, noting that the mission has started her excavation work this year at Shager Bazar hill in Hassaka, northeast...

Deputy Welfare Minister Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz asked Minister Dan Naveh, head of the Ministerial Committee for Symbols and Ceremonies, to ensure that no crosses appear on the stamp issued in memory of Pope John Paul II. In his letter Rabbi Ravitz notes, "Many of our people shudder at the sight of the cross, which opens wounds that have not yet healed over and reminds them of acts committed under this symbol." Rabbi Ravitz contacted Minister Naveh following a decision by the committee to approve the issuance of a stamp in memory of the Pope. He asked that no crosses appear...

The Postal Service said it will have to seek a rate increase that by next year would boost the price of a first- class stamp by two cents to 39 cents -- unless Congress steps in to help. Postmaster General John E. Potter told a gathering of national mailers in Nashville last week that the Postal Service had asked its board of governors for permission to seek a rate increase of 5 to 6 percent. Potter said the increase, which must be approved by the independent Postal Rate Commission, would be needed in 2006 to cover the $3.1 billion annual...

Anniversary of Ronald Reagan's 94th Birthday: • To honor President Ronald Reagan on the anniversary of his birthday, President George W. Bush has designated United States Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton to place a wreath on President Reagan’s gravesite on his behalf. Major General Timothy E. Donovan, Commanding General at Camp Pendleton, will conduct the ceremony, which will commence at 11:00 a.m. and will include a 21-gun salute. Camp Pendleton’s brass quintet will play music beginning at 10:45 a.m. Following the ceremony, birthday cake will be served in the Library’s main lobby all day (while supplies last) and guests may...

Notice THIS MUSLIM stamp is proudly re-issued for the "holidays". Here it is sandwiched between the Santa Claus ornament stamp and Mary http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/home.jsp and here it is standing alone: http://www.stampsonline.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productDetail.jsp?OID=2689760 The Eid stamp commemorates the two most important festivals-or eids-in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. On these days, Muslims wish each other "Eid mubarak," the phrase featured in Islamic calligraphy on the stamp. "Eid mubarak" translates literally as "blessed festival," and can be paraphrased as "May your religious holiday be blessed." This phrase can be applied to both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The first day of...

U.S. Postal Service Ronald Reagan Stamp Unveiling Tuesday, November 9th 11:30 a.m. on the South Lawn On November 9th, the 15th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the USPS is unveiling their newest stamp commemorating President Ronald Reagan. Special guests will include Mrs. Reagan, U.S. Postmaster General John E. Potter and Librarian of Congress, Dr. James Billington. Stamps will be available for purchase starting in mid-February 2005. Visitors are welcome to stand and watch the unveiling ceremony on the Library’s replica South Lawn. This is a free event, no reservations are required.

An open letter from a Beirut Veteran to the American public about today's Forgotten Veteran and those lost to the first terrorist attack towards Americans who served in Beirut, Lebanon 1982-1984.

AUGUST 31--Nobody's dog deserves to be on a stamp. That was our first thought when we heard that the U.S. Postal Service had approved a pilot program for personalized postage. For about twice the regular cost, consumers can now slap any old picture on a stamp and surprise the recipient of their postcard or envelope (the image, of course, must not be deemed objectionable by the folks at Stamps.com, the online firm handling the trial run of Uncle Sam's postage gambit). But since objectionable is such a subjective term, TSG sought to determine what kind of interesting stamps we could...

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Want to get personal with your correspondence? Put your own face, or your new baby's face -- even shots from your crazy summer vacation -- on postage stamps.