Chicago woman billed $233,000 for water she never used in vacant home with no plumbing
A senior citizen's vacant home in the Back of the Yards neighborhood racked up a staggering $233,000 water bill, despite not having any plumbing for years.
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A senior citizen's vacant home in the Back of the Yards neighborhood racked up a staggering $233,000 water bill, despite not having any plumbing for years.
Eligible homeowners and business owners would be able to have their water bills lowered if they can prove their higher bill is the result of leak in the underground service line.
David Steele got the $5,000 refund he'd been wanting for months, but didn't get an explanation why the city suddenly changed its mind.
Glenn Jones can't sell the vacant house until he figures out the water bill issue with the city.
Through our "Getting Hosed" series on bad water bills, we have found that often communication issues between different city systems have often been the source of the headaches.
Even after David Steele won the first round in his dispute over his bogus water bill, the city figured out a way to hose him again.
The Chicago City Council Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday with the heads of the Water Management and Finance departments.
A week-by-week log of meter readings showed zero water usage on some entries. Other times, the report came back at 6 million gallons used in a week.
The family knew they had unpaid water charges to settle before selling their three-flat in Roseland, but nothing like the amount they got.
The circumstances vary from case to case, of course, but in short, the pattern involves Chicagoans getting socked with bills for water they didn't use.
"You've got people walking around on fixed income and they can't afford to pay a $500 bill," Burns said. "I would like to see mistakes corrected and I would like to see communication. There's no communication!"
"It's just nuts to me that we have this issue that continues to be reported, on and the city departments are not doing anything about it," Villegas said.
Numerous people whose stories we've reported over the past four years have been getting hosed by bogus bills - often rising into the tens of thousands of dollars.
This did not happen until the CBS 2 Investigators got involved.
Connie Abels has been waiting five years for her hearing.
The homeowner was just being an honest guy and alerted the Chicago Department of Water Management to his unusually low bill.
"The issue with being a city employee is we are obligated to pay any city obligation," said paramedic Lisa Beard.
In Chicago when you die, ComEd shuts off your electricity, and Peoples Gas shuts off your gas. But the city does not stop your water.
Illinois' lead pipe situation is the worst in the country.
Yasser Almanaseer said he has had no luck in getting it fixed.
How does a City of Chicago water bill for $70 turn into a $10,000 tab from one bill to the next?
Getting Hosed, our exposé on Chicago's bad water billing, has saved consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars. So we wanted to know - what happens if you take on the City yourself?
"They told me to hire a good lawyer, that this is probably a billing issue with the city."
Aldermen voted against Ald. Daniel La Spata's proposal for helping low-income residents with water bills, while a competing proposal from Mayor Lori Lightfoot remains bottled up in a separate committee.
Hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans with unmetered accounts pay inflated bills – and you can't get a meter for a fair bill until you get a non-lead service line.
Police said the victims were approached by the suspect, who allegedly participated with others in taking one person's belongings, and tried to rob another minutes apart.
The Blackhawks announced on Saturday that Murray had died earlier in the day, without specifying where.
An EF-3 tornado moved through Union City, Michigan, during Friday night's severe storms in the southwest part of the state, according to the National Weather Service.
At least two mechanics were called to try to stop the blaring sound.
Rev. Jesse Jackson's children gave loving, personal and often emotional eulogies Saturday at his private homegoing services at Rainbow PUSH Headquarters in Chicago.
In July, Prasad was briefly forced from his job, but was reinstated less than two weeks later.
Activists and immigrant advocacy groups who came face-to-face with federal agents during "Operation Midway Blitz" welcomed the removal of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, but remain wary about the department's future.
Former President Barack Obama, speaking at the funeral services for Rev. Jesse Jackson Friday afternoon, credited Jackson's presidential runs in the 1980s with setting the stage for other Black leaders, including his own successful 2009 presidency and re-election.
Gov. Pritzker told mourners that, while Rev. Jesse Jackson "was an ambassador of hope for the oppressed, who met with kings and queens and presidents and dictators and clergy of all the great religions," in Chicago "he was our neighbor."
From midnight raids to shootings, Kristi Noem, who was ousted as DHS secretary by Trump today, was at the center of many of the controversies of Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
There's no relief in sight for drivers at the pump as the war in Iran is directly driving up the cost of gas. Analysts expect more of the same unless something changes soon.
Drivers in the Chicago area can expect to start paying more at the pump this week, as oil prices have spiked amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Palatine, Illinois-based Weber has issued a recall of more than 3.2 million metal wire bristle grill brushes because you could ingest the bristles.
This is after Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an ordinance that would have banned most hemp-derived products this weekend.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A new development at the southeast corner of Chicago's East Lakeview community would clear away a medical office building and replace it with a residential high-rise.
The City of Aurora, Illinois, is seeking input from residents about data center development.
Not one, but two hotels are now planned or proposed for Chicago's Northalsted LGBTQ+ nightlife district.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
Actor and filmmaker Bruce Campbell told fans that he is in treatment for cancer and will cancel some upcoming public appearances.
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, known for his hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Calendar Girl," has died.
A 19th-century George Méliès film, thought to be long lost, has been found among a box of brittle movie reels that a Michigan donor brought to the Library of Congress, officials said.
Streaming giant Netflix declined to match Paramount Skydance's $31 per share offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
Both incidents occurred after 7 a.m. on Feb. 21 near the Cermak-Chinatown stop in the 100 block of West Cermak Road, and close to the 47th Street stop in the 200 block of West 47th Street.
Metra said that they received multiple calls about the horn going off at the train yard near California and Chicago Avenue in Humboldt Park.
A procession will be followed by a private burial at the Oakwood Cemetery.
Actor and comedian Chris Tucker spoke at Rev. Jesse Jackson's private service on Saturday at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jesse Jackson Jr. gave a heartfelt and deeply emotional eulogy for his father Rev. Jesse Jackson at his private homegoing at Rainbow PUSH headquarters.
The final celebration of life services for Rev. Jesse Jackson was at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters Saturday.
An EF-3 tornado moved through Union City, Michigan, during Friday night's severe storms in the southwest part of the state, according to the National Weather Service.
Police said the victims were approached by the suspect, who allegedly participated with others in taking one person's belongings, and tried to rob another minutes apart.
At least two mechanics were called to try to stop the blaring sound.
At least four people have died, and several others were injured after multiple tornadoes ripped through Southwest Michigan on Friday, authorities say.
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
A proposed Illinois law hopes to create more oversight on private companies to protect consumers from skyrocketing utility prices.
The three women said they are working to make their way back home, but without any help from the U.S. State Department.
If you feel like you're drowning in a sea of text alerts and desperate email pleas for "just $5" this election season, you are far from alone.
A north suburban school bus driver became a victim of sophisticated scammers who are targeting more people and more vulnerable populations to make more money.
The Blackhawks announced on Saturday that Murray had died earlier in the day, without specifying where.
Brock Boeser batted the puck in to break a tie at 2:40 of the third period and the NHL-worst Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Friday night to end a seven-game losing streak that started in January.
Chicago's sports scene has endured decades of heartache offset by pockets of championship glory, and some of the most pivotal figures in American sports history.
Just three days after losing Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman to a stunning early retirement, the Bears have found his successor, acquiring Garrett Bradbury from the Patriots for a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Nick Foligno is joining his brother Marcus with the Minnesota Wild, who made several moves on NHL trade deadline day Friday.
At least five people are in serious condition, an official said. Three minors - a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds - are among the wounded.
Ian Huntley, 52, had been on life support after being hit repeatedly over the head with a metal bar in a U.K. prison on Feb. 26.
A Chicago man has been charged with a string of burglaries targeting video gambling terminals at businesses in Chicago's southwest suburbs.
An 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by three juveniles on Chicago's Near South Side this week.
A woman was held up by gun-wielding robbers in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood early Thursday morning.
