Holiday mail

Holiday mail

YOUNGSTOWN

The U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver about 16 billion cards, letters and packages this holiday season. The postal service, the largest e-commerce deliverer, is projecting about 750 million packages will be delivered this holiday season, a 12 percent increase in volume compared to last year.

The postal service will expand Sunday delivery operations to all locations with high package volumes. More than 5 million packages are expected to be delivered each Sunday in December.

On Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 the Boardman branch, 407 Boardman-Canfield Road and the Poland branch, 125 W. McKinley Way, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Upgrade donation

Youngstown

Home Savings Charitable Foundation recently donated a check for $5,000 to the Banquet in Salem Inc. The funds will be used for banquet room upgrades.

Ribbon-cutting

BOARDMAN

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Laser Hair Removal and Medical Spas of Ohio at 1111 Boardman-Canfield Road at 1 p.m. Friday.

This is the second Laser Hair Removal and Medical Spas of Ohio to open in the Mahoning Valley. Laser Hair Removal and Medical Spa offers clinical procedures and spa treatments.

Visit www.lasercenteronline.com for more information.

2 accused of making immigrants work in slaughterhouse

NEWARK, N.J.

Two New York men have been charged with forcing people in the country illegally to work at their Halal chicken slaughterhouse in New Jersey.

Mohammad Abdul Wahid and Mohammed Iqbal Kabir were charged Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Newark.

Prosecutors say they paid workers $290 for 70 to 100 hours of work per week at their slaughterhouse in Perth Amboy from July 2011 until it was shut down by health regulators in January.

Wahid’s attorney says his client is a reputable businessman who is wrongly accused. An attorney for Kabir wasn’t immediately available to comment.

Authorities say they also deducted $40 a week for the immigrants to stay in an insect-infested boardinghouse without heat or hot water.

When two victims complained, authorities say the men threatened to call the police.

Iran’s currency plummets against

TEHRAN, Iran

Iranian media are reporting that the country’s currency has plummeted more than five percent against the U.S. dollar in less than 10 days.

The reports said the unofficial street trading rate for the rial hit 39,300 per dollar on Tuesday, compared with 37,300 rial nearly 10 days ago.

Other currencies like the Euro and British pound showed only tiny gains against the rial in the same period.

Staff/wire reports