Post office closings set

The Kenneth Post Office

The trip to the post office is going to get a little longer for residents of eight small Minnesota communities. U.S. Postal Service officials say its office in Dovray will close Oct. 28.

On Nov. 19, post offices will close in seven more towns: Silver Creek, Taopi, Kenneth, Steen, Clements, Trail and Holland. It's all part of the U.S.P.S. downsizing.

The exploding world of electronic communications has cut deeply into postal service revenue. The public's growing use of email, Twitter, Facebook and other services has the agency cutting back to try to balance its budget. It's going on all over the nation and it's possible that thousands of local post offices may close before its over.

One town beat the odds. Minnesota's northern-most post office, Angle Inlet, survives. Residents of the town in the distinctive bump at the top of the state were told early this year that their post office might be closed. But they had a good counter argument though for keeping it open. The next closest post offices in Warroad and Roseau, Minn. are both a 65-mile drive away. Most of that trip is through Canada. The postal service relented and told residents over the summer their post office would remain open.

Still on the list though for possible closure are about 90 other post offices and postal facilities throughout the state.

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