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AUGUST 21, 2025 • Vol. 37, No. 17
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New firefighters sworn in amid staffing level concerns House fire injuries ‘shot across the bow’ says union official BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com
MACOMB TOWNSHIP — As concerns surrounding staffing levels in the Macomb Township Fire Department escalate, five new part-time firefighters were sworn in on the morning of Aug. 14. Tyler Miller, Joshua Palmer, Derek Gapczynski, Joshua Morton and Trevor Lesnau were sworn in by Township Clerk Krisit Pozzi and given their helmets by Fire Chief Robert Phillips during a ceremony held in the Township Hall’s meeting room. Families and friends of the sworn-in firefighters attended the ceremony and were
See FIREFIGHTERS on page 6A Photo by Dean Vaglia
Macomb Township elected officials and Macomb Township Fire Department leadership pose for a photo with five new part-time firefighters at a swearing-in ceremony on Aug. 14.
Priority Waste fees delayed as township sees improvement MACOMB TOWNSHIP — After a month of observation, the Macomb Township Board of Trustees on Aug. 13 found Priority Waste’s performance improved enough
to keep its waste hauler contact, at least for another month. Trustees voted 6-1 to delay implementing fines for missed pickups for 30 days. The decision came after a public hearing where residents aired their grievances with Priority Waste, a discussion with Priority Waste
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CEO Todd Stamper and a month’s worth of results from Priority that showed service improvements. “I do think they’ve made a very strong effort to get things right,” Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said. “I am still disappointed that we got in this position to begin
with, and we’ve had that discussion, but I can’t in good conscience say that we are back on par with the expected level of service given that we’ve had a few larger misses in the last week. But I am inclined to delay an imposition of liquidated damages for anoth-
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BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com