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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.
Rodney Andrews — a Vietnam Veteran, a Chicago cabbie, and our main protagonist — was among those "Getting Hosed" by the City until we fixed his water bill. Then, out of the blue, the City had his garage bulldozed.
About 500 workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 1 – including cooks, cashiers, dishwashers, and catering staff – ratified the new contract on Friday with Compass Group, the university's food service provider.
SUE is the world's largest and most complete adult Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.
The car crashed into a home around 2 a.m. in the 4100 block of North Kostner Avenue.
The storms were part of a weather system Friday that touched down in Missouri and Wisconsin and left several hundred thousand customers without power in the Great Lakes region.
Police said the victims were standing outside the gas station in the 600 block of South Homan Avenue shortly after 9 p.m., when an SUV pulled up and someone inside started shooting.
The Supreme Court on Friday said it will continue to block the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan men detained in northern Texas.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker even singled out Mike Baker of Schaumburg for his efforts.
The FBI accused Hannah Dugan of allegedly helping a man evade immigration authorities during a federal law enforcement operation at her courthouse.
Currently, Mayor Johnson has strong crime numbers to boast about — a 24% drop in homicides since taking office. But his poll numbers are currently terrible.
A Republican-backed House bill includes a range new tax breaks, including a $4,000 deduction for seniors. Here's what to know.
Sara Hovey and her husband were paying for a mortgage, rent and a litigation attorney, who apparently told her she should have been protected.
Thomas McPeek placed stacks and stacks of bets last year — complicated wagers on football called parlays, where several events all have to happen for the gambler to win.
Back in February, Heather Radin had planned to give only $10 to someone she thought was really in need. She is out $5,000.
The iconic Chicago chain known for its hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches launched its brand new breakfast offerings in five restaurants Tuesday morning.
The application website is expected to open this summer.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker even singled out Mike Baker of Schaumburg for his efforts.
Salud was the only group in Chicago to receive grant money, and the group held an event full of art, music, and conversations about mental health Thursday night.
Northwestern has unveiled a new biomedical device to help new parents track breastfeeding and ensure their baby is getting enough to eat.
Ticks can be dangerous, and there are reports that this is shaping up to be an especially bad year for the parasitic arachnids.
Cornelia Tischmacher's lungs were failing because of advanced cancer. Everything changed with a double lung transplant.
The restaurant was recommended to Jay-Z by word of mouth. He specifically asked for short ribs and pound cake.
The new Foxtrot location will open Thursday at 935 W. Webster Ave. — at the southwest corner of the intersection with Bissell Street.
In their college entrepreneurship class, seniors Lexi Kuzak and Neve Pomis and junior Molly Beyna invented a product that solves a common problem.
No Illinois industry does more business with China than the agricultural sector.
Wade-Smith said keeping kids engaged is what keeps them safe.
The restaurant was recommended to Jay-Z by word of mouth. He specifically asked for short ribs and pound cake.
The show was supposed to start at 7 p.m.
The recent surprise visit from the Chicago Sinfonietta was inspired by the recent naming of the Shedd's new beluga calf, Opus.
The growth and evolution of downtown Aurora is in large part anchored by performing arts entertainment venues, the City of Aurora noted.
Jury selection in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial started Monday in New York City.
Meet the PAWS Chicago Pet of the Week. Pitt is a 5-month-old bundle of charm, smarts, and energy. He would thrive in a family ready to invest in his training, shower him with love, and take him out to explore. He’s up for adoption at PAWS Chicago’s Lincoln Park Adoption Center, which is hosting its annual Spring Adopt-A-Thon this weekend.
Food service workers at Northwestern University have agreed to a new contract, after going on a 12-day strike earlier this year.
The Field Museum is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its most famous exhibit, SUE the T-Rex.
At least one person was in custody after a car crashed into a house early Saturday in the Irving Park neighborhood in Chicago, following a chase from northwest suburban Park City.
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
A fast-moving dust storm swept across the Chicago area Friday evening, creating an eerie sight as a thick haze quickly blanketed the region.
The storms were part of a weather system Friday that touched down in Missouri and Wisconsin and left several hundred thousand customers without power in the Great Lakes region.
Police said the victims were standing outside the gas station in the 600 block of South Homan Avenue shortly after 9 p.m., when an SUV pulled up and someone inside started shooting.
The good Samaritans, a father and son, took their jet skis out on Lake Michigan for the first time this spring, when an inflatable far offshore along Porter Beach caught their eye.
About 500 workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 1 – including cooks, cashiers, dishwashers, and catering staff – ratified the new contract on Friday with Compass Group, the university's food service provider.
A new playground in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood can capture more than 300,000 gallons of water — which won't flood homes or streets in the community.
The retailer claims he is a victim of SNAP fraud after a rash of bad reviews from theft victims.
The task force addressed its progress for the first time this week, nearly a year after the formation of the unit was first announced.
The lawsuit accuses Chicago Police of using excessive force on children.
The botched raid on the innocent Mendez family in November 2017 sparked CBS News Chicago's yearslong investigation into Chicago Police officers raiding the wrong homes.
The Cubs earned their sixth consecutive win against the White Sox, matching a franchise record for the series.
The Bears have been talking about a move from their home of more than 50 years at Soldier Field since 2021.
The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox will face off Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field in the first game of the Crosstown Classic this weekend.
A lot of that dirty laundry is being dredged up in the soon-to-be-released tell-all book by author Seth Wickersham of ESPN.
Maddy Taylor set the NCAA single-season record Thursday at 105, and counting.
Police said the victims were standing outside the gas station in the 600 block of South Homan Avenue shortly after 9 p.m., when an SUV pulled up and someone inside started shooting.
Police said the shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. as three teens were near the sidewalk in the 9000 block of South Exchange Avenue.
Police and an ambulance were seen at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield avenues right outside Murphy's Bleachers.
A 25-year-old man and two 26-year-old men got into a quarrel with someone along Crilly Drive in the park, and that person took out a gun and shot them all, police said.
The woman was shot in the head and torso and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
