Bitter cold stops mail delivery in parts of Illinois, other states

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - You may have heard that "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ..." will prevent mail carriers from completing their appointed rounds.

But the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service apparently doesn't include the cold. Wednesday, the federal service says it will not deliver mail in all or parts of five Midwest states because of a dangerous Arctic air blast.

The postal service says delivery and other services will be suspended in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and western Illinois.

The suspension also includes picking up mail from businesses and collection boxes, and picking up packages from residences and business.