Newspapers were once bombarded with letters, packages and random crap. But now, with the vast majority of communication happening electronically, opening mail, which was once a full-time job, has been replaced at many publications by forgetting about it.

That's what happened to a box sent to the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. But you can bet staffers are now kicking themselves over ignoring it for so long -- since it was filled with what are described as "suspected psilocybin mushrooms."

According to the Post Independent, the parcel in question was about twelve inches square and eight inches deep -- large enough to contain a plentiful portion of magic.

In mid-July, it was shipped to South Bend, Indiana, home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. But apparently no one in town -- not even the school's magical leprechaun mascot -- wanted what was inside. The box was deemed undeliverable and sent to the Post Independent, where it arrived in mid-August.

It wound up at the newspaper due to a return address listed as 824 Grand Avenue, the location of the Post Independent offices. But because it wasn't directed at any staffer in particular, no one bothered dealing with it for a couple of months.

Then, on Monday, a bold employee opened the package -- and found a shitload of shrooms.

Party time at the Post Independent? Nope. Instead of putting the mushrooms in the office break room and waiting to see what happened, the powers that be at the paper contacted the Glenwood Springs Police Department, which passed the material to the Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team for further investigation.

At least the paper got a bizarre story out of the incident. And you can bet that from now on, strange packages will be checked out a little more quickly....

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