Price of stamps goes up to 42 cents
Q: I know the price of first-class mail is going up in the near future. What will the new price be and what is a Forever stamp?
— M.R.S., Davenport
A: The price of a first-class stamp increases today (Monday, May 12) to 42 cents, up a penny from the last increase.
Forever stamps, as the name suggests, can be used to mail a 1-ounce, first-class letter at any time in the future without additional postage, regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change.
Postal customers have been buying Forever stamps at a rate of about 30 million per day, bringing the total amount sold to more than 6 billion since they were first offered in April 2007.
Q: Once we make the switch to digital TV, will I still be able to listen to KWQC-TV on the radio at 87.7 FM?
— Quad-Citian
A: This is going to hurt for folks that like to hear their favorite TV show in the car, but as of Feb. 17, 2009 — the day all television stations in the country must go digital — KWQC will have to turn off its analog transmitter.
But there is some good news. “We are looking at technology that is currently being developed whereby we could provide a similar service in the future,” said Doug Bierman, who works in engineering for the station.
Q: I have seen big rigs with oversized loads going down Interstate 80 with what appears to be wind turbines. Am I losing it?
— Quad-Citian
A: Indeed, the large loads you’re seeing are wind turbines, said Heather DeBaillie, marketing manager for Iowa 80 Truckstop. There is a new wind turbine manufacturing plant in West Branch, Iowa, called Acciona Energia, which is based in Madrid, Spain.
Q: Are any of the Quad-City Village Inn restaurants closing due to the parent company filing Chapter 11?
— Quad-Citian
A: According to a spokeswoman with GroundFloor Media, the public relations firm hired by Vicorp Restaurants Inc., all the stores being closed as part of the bankruptcy were closed when the company filed bankruptcy in early April. None were in the Quad-Cities. No future closures are planned at this time, she said.
Q: My wife and I have noticed what appears to be a magnetic sticker placed on the inside door of our residential mailbox. Did this come from the post office?
— D.B., Davenport
A: Yes, the post office has placed bar codes in some mailboxes throughout the city. As the letter carrier delivers the mail, he or she scans the bar code. That way, the post office knows what time the mail was delivered. That helps postal officials create consistency on routes or change them when necessary.
Davenport postmaster Dave Rash said the practice has been around about nine years.
Q: Did Hillary Clinton ever pay for the all damage her campaign did to the building workers rented in Clinton, Iowa?
— Helen, Bettendorf
A: Yes, the campaign did pay for the damage. Duane Jones, who manages the building at 217 5th Ave. S., kept the campaign’s $500 deposit and also received a check for $1,750 to clean up the space.
When Jones went into the building after the campaign staff had cleared out, he discovered garbage, spoiled food, holes that had been drilled in the walls to run phone lines without his authorization and stains on the carpet.
Q: When will the new casino open in Clinton, Iowa?
— Clinton resident
A: The Wild Rose Casino & Resort is scheduled to open this summer, probably in June or July. No firm date has been
set yet.