{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=405800", "Griffith Fights for Big Stone Gap, Announces Return of Postal Office Mailboxes", "2026-08-31", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "VA", "H. Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", "morgangriffith", "https://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/", "scraper", "Thanks to Congressional and local action, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has returned mailboxes to the Town of Big Stone Gap.\n\nEarlier this August, employees with the USPS forcefully removed mailboxes from the historic C. Bascom Slemp Federal Building in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The building, once owned by the General Services Administration (GSA), is now controlled by the Town and is under consideration for historical preservation projects.\n\nU.S. Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) worked with local officials and received support from Virginia\u2019s U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) to secure a solution. The USPS activity to remove and confiscate the mailboxes was discovered to be unauthorized.\n\nFollowing news of the mailboxes\u2019 return, Congressman Griffith issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cI am glad to help secure the return of the Big Stone Gap Postal Office mailboxes! These mailboxes rightfully belonged to Big Stone Gap in the first place.\n\n\u201cThe C. Bascom Slemp Federal Building is a historic site for Southwest Virginia and Wise County communities. The mailboxes, with beautiful designs and popular features, are iconic to the building, and that is a major reason why Big Stone Gap officials are working hard to make the mailboxes a centerpiece in preservation-related activities.\n\n\u201cI appreciate Senators Kaine and Warner for their help to secure this outcome. As always, I will continue to promote the rich history of Southwest Virginia.\u201d\n\nTown Manager Stephen Lawson provided the following comment:\n\n\u201cThe Town of Big Stone Gap would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Congressman Morgan Griffith and his entire office for their assistance in helping secure the return of the historic post office boxes that were mistakenly removed from the C. Bascom Slemp Federal Building.\n\n\u201cThese post office boxes are much more than a piece of the building\u2019s history. For generations, they served as the centerpiece of the lobby and represented an important part of the character and identity of this beautiful historic building. When they were removed, it truly felt as though the heartbeat had been ripped out of the jewel of our downtown.\n\n\u201cThanks to the efforts of Congressman Griffith and his staff, these historic boxes are being returned where they belong. Their return represents an important step in preserving the history, character, and legacy of the C. Bascom Slemp Federal Building for generations to come.\n\n\u201cWe are deeply grateful to Congressman Griffith and his office for recognizing the importance of this historic treasure and for their willingness to help our community. Their support and dedication to the people of Southwest Virginia are sincerely appreciated.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-01T09:48:49Z", "2026-09-01T09:49:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=405800"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9290841408073902, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}