Around Oakland: Feb. 2; Old sets accepted in TV Take Back, DTE urges customers to call with power problems

The Recycling Sisters are hosting TV Take Back, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Dixieland Flea Market. Recycle old tube televisions or monitors for $2 each. They contain large amounts of lead in the tube and should not be thrown out with your regular garbage. To avoid the $2 fee per tube TV or monitor, bring one of the following: computer tower, motherboards, computer battery, USB backup battery, marine battery, car battery or microwave. Flatscreen TVs or monitors are free to recycle. Items are accepted in the parking lot, near the Telegraph Road entrance. The Recycling Sisters also offer free appliance pick-ups. Contact Patty at 248-240-4899 for more information.

-- Staff writer Kathy Blake

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Waterford Regional Fire Department receives grant

The Waterford Regional Fire Department has received a $7.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Staffing Adequate Fire Emergency Response (SAFER) grant will go toward the hiring of 39 firefighters over a two-year period. FEMA, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will pay 100 percent of the payroll and benefits for the firefighters. The Waterford Regional Fire Department applied to the grant in 2012 and learned that it would receive it on Friday. "This grant will place 13 more firefighters per day in our fire stations," a press release states. "Life safety and preserving property is our ultimate mission at the Fire Department." The grant is the largest firefighter grant award ever in Oakland County, according to the press release.

-- Staff writer Dave Phillips

DTE urges customers to call with power problems

Pontiac residents are being urged to call DTE Energy if they are having any issues with their electricity following outages on Wednesday and Thursday evening. A resident of Pontiac reported that there was a brownout caused by a lack of voltage, in her neighborhood Thursday evening. DTE Energy spokesman Alejandro Bodipo-Memba said there were no brownouts, but they did have to make repairs. "We didn't have brownouts, what happened is an equipment failure at a substation in Pontiac, and in order to fix the issue we had to take some folks off to make the repairs. It was a situation where we had to go in and fix the problem." Some reported that their electronics may have been damaged during the outages, but Bodipo-Memba said he was unaware of any incidents. He urged residents with complaints to call DTE Energy at 800-477-4747.