BISMARCK – Sen. John Hoeven on Friday convened a roundtable with U.S. Postal Service Acting Dakotas District Manager Marc Kersey, USPS leadership from Bismarck and Fargo and North Dakota newspaper representatives and publishers for an update on delivery concerns in the western part of the state.

Hoeven convened the round table after hearing concerns about delayed delivery, including newspapers arriving up to a week late in some parts of the state. The senator also reviewed Bismarck’s USPS Carrier Annex Center, a separate mail-processing center designed to help carriers to more efficiently sort and load mail, packages and newspapers for delivery.

“Regardless of whether your zip code is in a rural or urban community, it’s important that postal delivery is timely and consistent,” said Hoeven. “As mail deliveries are often time-sensitive, such as medications or newspapers, it’s vital they’re delivered when expected. With this new Carrier Annex, we hope this process will streamline efforts and cut down on delivery delay. I appreciate District Manager Kersey for his willingness to review the concerns of the community and his commitment to resolve outstanding issues as he fully enters this role.”

Last year, Hoeven worked with the USPS to address similar concerns in the eastern part of the state.