New postal rates in effect Jan. 8

Edison - The cost of mailing a one-ounce letter will rise to 39 cents Jan. 8 when new postal rates go into effect. The new 39-cent stamps are available now and can be purchased online at the “Postal Store” on USPS.com, at post offices throughout N.J. — with select offices now open till 7 p.m. — or at hundreds of convenience, grocery, banks, and drug stores that participate in the postal service’s “Stamps-to-Go” program. Two-cent stamps are also available to add to existing 37-cent stamps. Stamps can also be ordered by calling 800-STAMP24. According to U.S. Postal Service officials, the rate increase — the first since 2002 — is needed to fulfill the requirement of a federal law passed in 2003. That law requires the Postal Service to establish a $3.1 billion escrow account, with use of the funds to be determined by Congress at a later date. Without this federal mandate, it would not have been necessary to raise rates in 2006. The 39-cent non-denominated first-class stamp features an image of the Statue of Liberty and the American flag. It’s available in panes or booklets of 20, coils of 100, and coils of 3,000 for postal vending machines and business customers. The new two-cent stamp, a reprint of a 2004 definitive stamp, features painted detail of a Navajo silver-and-turquoise necklace set, with polished blue turquoise nuggets. The stamp is available in panes of 20. For all postal information, visit online at USPS.com.