Logan is not immune to the economic downturn seen throughout the rest of the country.

The Logan Post Office is having to change its hours due to the economic recession the country is currently suffering.

"They've cut the work hours here and not just this office, but in a lot of the larger offices," Logan Postmaster Thea Ferguson said this morning. "It's due to the economy and everything that's happened. I want everyone to know that the hours are being cut."

The new hours for the Logan Post Office window are as follows:

* Monday through Friday: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

* Saturdays: 12 noon through 3 p.m.

"This is all due to the economy," Ferguson said. "The U.S. Postal Service has lost a lot of revenue, with the internet and the economy. It has really caused us to have to cut our work hours. We're a small part of this. It's a national issue. A lot of your larger offices, like Logan, Williamson and Chapmanville, have had to change the hours of operation.

"The volume of mail is way down, across the nation. People aren't buying things and they can send stuff over the internet. Every household is affected. It's a ripple effect from Wall Street all the way down. Everything is affected, by the economy and we're no different. We're a service of the U.S. government, but the U.S. Postal Service is funded by itself with no tax dollars to help - whatsoever."

Ferguson said the high price of gas also is a problem for the post offices.

"Think about it: Everything we do has to do with gas," Ferguson said. "The postal service has lost millions of dollars this year. Everything we deal with has to do with transportation, from automobiles to airplanes. It's been a major issue."

Ferguson said the new hours take effect Tuesday, October 14.

She also said she wants customers to use their, post office box keys.

"If the window doesn't open until 10 a.m. and they want their mail earlier, they need to use their key," Ferguson said. "We've been real lenient and have just been handing people their mail over the counter and they go back and get business mail, but now we don't have the staff nor the hours to do this, so we cannot give out mail until the window opens at 10 a.m."