A letter from an 87-year-old West Virginia woman has the watchdog panel for the U.S. Postal Service looking into whether the agency wrongly closed nearly 100 rural post offices.

Retha Casto's handwritten complaint asks the Postal Regulatory Commission to reopen the tiny branch in Hacker Valley. Now the investigation includes branches in 34 states.

Casto says she and her neighbors now have to drive 21 miles on winding roads to the closest post office.

The commission plans hearings to determine whether the Postal Service broke its own rules in closing the branches. The rules are designed to give residents a chance to object.

The commission is accepting public comments through February 16.

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