…but snow has halted postal services in the D.C. region today. That means no collections or deliveries for folks in DC proper, no collections or deliveries in Maryland and no collections or deliveries in Northern Virginia to Richmond and west to Charlottesville, according to USPS Spokeswoman Deborah Yackley. There are white out conditions out there, so that decision seems more than prudent. Stay off the roads folks.
Browsing: Agencies
The Air Force pulled a recruitment ad off its website after the rock duo The White Stripes threatened to sue the agency for using one of its songs without permission. The ad, which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl, included an instrumental version of the Detroit band’s popular song, “Fell in Love with a Girl.” According to a statement posted on the band’s website, the song was re-recorded and used without permission. The band said it would be forced to take action to stop the ad if it wasn’t removed. The band took particular issue with its song being used to help recruit airmen…
D.C. federal offices are closed again tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb 10) with the same exceptions and caveats that applied for the last two days. In case you are excitedly celebrating this rare hat-trick closure and can’t remember the exceptions and caveats, here is the rundown, verbatim from OPM’s site: Nonemergency employees (including employees on pre-approved leave) will be granted excused absence for the number of hours they were scheduled to work. This does not apply to employees on leave without pay, leave without pay for military duty, workers’ compensation, suspension, or in another nonpay status. Telework employees may be expected to…
The General Services Administration’s new chief was sworn in Sunday night by telephone, an agency spokeswoman told FedLine today. Now that’s what I call teleworking! Acting administrator Stephen Leeds administered the oath to Martha Johnson over the phone because of the snow that pummeled the D.C. area Friday and Saturday, the spokeswoman said. The storm forced the closure of D.C. federal offices yesterday and today, and in doing so also forced GSA to cancel Johnson’s swearing in ceremony and a town-hall meeting with employees planned for today. GSA rescheduled the ceremony and town hall for next Tuesday.
OPM director John Berry has talked a lot about expanding federal telework programs — and it occurs to me that this week gives him a perfect opportunity to evangelize. Today is the second consecutive snow day for the federal government, and if tonight’s forecast is accurate, tomorrow might well be the third. Each snow day costs the federal government $100 million — possibly more during this blizzard, because I’m sure some feds will just take the rest of the week off and give themselves a “snowcation.” But many telecommuters are expected to work today, according to OPM — even though…
The General Services Administration is adding to the government’s alphabet soup of executive-level acronyms with the newly created position of Chief Greening Officer. GSA currently is seeking applicants for the position, which will report directly to the commissioner of the Public Buildings Service. The Chief Greening Officer will develop and execute greening strategies for all new construction and for GSA’s existing inventory of 1,500 buildings, according to a job posting. The new position “will define a nationwide strategy to ensure that PBS becomes ‘the most sustainable real estate organization in the country,'” the posting says. GSA apparently is seeking an…
The Office of Personnel Management announced the federal government will once again be closed tomorrow in Washington. This will be the second snow day in a row, and the third this winter. This screenshot at data.gov announcing the closure is apparently all that is left of OPM’s decimated Web site. The National Weather Service is forecasting more snow — anywhere from 10 to 20 inches — beginning Tuesday afternoon. That forecast, combined with the still-lousy conditions on many roads in the Washington area, led OPM Director John Berry to close the government. OPM hasn’t yet made any decisions on Wednesday.…
Alex Parker rounds up some reactions to the Census Bureau’s $2.5 million advertisement during last night’s Super Bowl. The ad was aimed at boosting participation in the 2010 Census: If people don’t mail in their census forms, the agency has to send census workers to their homes, and that gets expensive. The ad was expensive, too — hence the criticism that the agency wasted money. But according to the Census Bureau, if 1 percent of Super Bowl viewers decide to mail in the 2010 Census form, it will save $25 million. That’s a 10-to-1 return on investment. So the question…
The federal government’s Washington offices may be closed today because of the Snowmageddon, but the White House sees only sunshine and rainbows for its Open Government Initiative. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer posted a blog entry today showing how agencies are faring in meeting the goals of the president’s Open Government Directive. According to Pfeiffer, and this stoplight-styled scorecard (think Bush-era President’s Management Agenda), federal agency performance toward meeting their goals has been green like the grass under the two feet of snow covering the White House lawn. And rainbows. If you count it up, all but four of…
Washington weather predictions are getting worse and worse. The National Weather Service just issued a winter storm warning — which replaces the previous winter storm watch and means they’re pretty sure it’s happening — that says we’re looking at 10 to 20 inches of snow beginning Tuesday at noon. Temperatures are expected to drop from near-freezing into the upper 20s Tuesday night, and the winter storm warning is scheduled to last until Wednesday at 7 p.m. This is a marked increase from this morning’s predictions of six inches or so. NWS warns that “The combination of snow and strong winds…