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The mayor of Bolingbrook is sounding the alarm over Illinois American Water asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a $134 million rate increase, which would be its fourth rate hike in the past 10 years.
Consumer advocate groups Illinois PIRG and Citizens Utility Board said Peoples Gas' proposed $202 million rate hike is "bloated" and proposed cuts to what they called unwarranted costs Wednesday.
A proposed Illinois law hopes to create more oversight on private companies to protect consumers from skyrocketing utility prices.
An Illinois consumer watchdog group is pushing for new state legislation to prevent utility companies from charging customers tens of millions of dollars in hidden fees on their electric, water, and natural gas bills.
Protesters on Tuesday were set to crank up the heat on Peoples Gas, over a just-announced rate hike that would add another $10 to $11 a month to utility bills. Lauren Victory reports.
ComEd said the spike, combined with an unseasonably warm June, raised the average bill by more than $67. Megan De Mar reports.
Power lines are working overtime with the heat, and some are concerned that blackouts are possible with so much air conditioning running at homes and businesses. Marissa Sulek reports.
The Citizens Utility Board said ComEd is not to blame for the spike, The watchdog group blames the regional grid operator, PJM, for what it calls “years of bad policy.”
This week, Chicagoans saw the coldest winter weather of the season so far, which was likely to have impacted consumers’ gas bills. But so could the nearly $13 billion proposal for gas line replacement — which could have Chicagoans seeing record-breaking increases for the next 15 years. Marissa Sulek reports.
Peoples Gas says replacing the pipes is an urgent safety matter.
The hike was fueled mainly by the company's Safety Modernization Program to replace nearly 2,000 miles of dangerous, old, deteriorating natural gas pipes.
The Illinois Public Interest Research Group and other organizations are seeking to educate the public about where their money is actually going. Megan Hickey reports.
State legislation was passed to pave the way for providers like AT&T to end servicing traditional copper landlines. After the AT&T cell service outage last week, some say landlines are more important than they are being given credit for. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
The $402 million dollar rate hike Peoples Gas is requesting could increase customers' bills by about $140 a year. Advocates said families on the South Side and West Side are already struggling to keep up with payments.
"Failure to invest in infrastructure is the kind of thing that happened in Texas two winters ago during their harsh winter storm. There was no heat and more than 240 people lost their lives."
ComEd is asking for a rate change, but they didn't call it a hike. In fact, in plain English it says, "Customer bills not expected to increase as part of the filing." CBS 2's Andrew Ramos reports.
The bitter blast means many of us are trying to stay warm inside and that means higher gas bills.
Cathryn Harris' power went out, her sump pumps broke, then her basement flooded - and ComEd admitted the outage was because of a failed underground power line. But that's not enough to get the utility giant to pay for damages.
If you're struggling to pay your utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, wants to remind you there is help available.
Get ready for a summer of ripoffs. In the last four years, Illinois residents have overpaid more than $600 million for electricity, and it's about to get worse.
CUB said technology is allowing scam artists to make thousands of calls a minute, and the calls have reached an "alarming level." The telecom services firm YouMail estimates there were a record 47.8 billion automated calls in 2018 -- most scam calls or telemarketers.
A consumer advocacy group is pushing a proposal to protect customers shopping for alternative electric and gas companies.
The Citizens Utility Board, AARP and the Illinois Public Interest Research Group are teaming up in opposition to proposed legislation in the Illinois General Assembly to would let AT&T get rid of traditional landline phones.
The Citizens Utility Board said it has seen a 65% increase in complaints and questions this winter about unregulated natural gas suppliers.
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) released Tuesday its first-ever guide to help TV viewers cut costs.
A former football player for Eastern Illinois University was shot and killed in Harvey south suburban Harvey early Monday morning.
Phil Regan, who pitched for four major league teams over 13 years before spending five more decades in the game as a coach, manager and scout, has died.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is suspending his campaign against GOP Sen. Susan Collins, after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her five years ago.
The Jesse White Tumblers do about 1,500 shows a year, from Fourth of July parades to neighborhood block parties to big event the world over. Now they're on the national stage again on "America's Got Talent."
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is suspending his campaign against GOP Sen. Susan Collins, after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her five years ago.
State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) has been charged with orchestrating an alleged scheme to receive illegal cash kickbacks from her own campaign account and from local nonprofits for which she helped secure state grant funding.
Chicago Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) announced Wednesday that he will not be running for reelection.
The damages were awarded to Carroll, a writer, by a 2023 jury in a civil sexual abuse and defamation case.
A former Wisconsin judge will soon learn her sentence for felony obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week warned residents cleaning up from last month's storms to be on the lookout for scams.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed several new consumer protections into law, including a ban on junk fees.
CBS News Chicago has learned that Illinois home insurance premiums are not only higher than the nation's average, but going up faster too.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
In a major turnaround in the opioid crisis, overdose deaths are falling across Chicago and Cook County.
The north Chicago suburb of Glenview became the latest Illinois municipality this week to confirm mosquitoes testing positive for the West Nile virus this year.
Environmental and community groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to act on a petition challenging U.S. Steel Gary Works operating permit renewal.
In the four years since Roe v. Wade was overturned and Illinois became a destination for abortion care, Illinois providers and advocates have rebuilt the state's infrastructure to support the tens of thousands of people who travel to the state for abortion services every year.
June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, raising awareness of a disorder that affects a person's ability to speak, write, and understand both spoken and written language.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
Chicago Soul Café opened Monday at 6248 S. St. Lawrence Ave.
The Chicago Bears this weekend said they are assessing land at Wolf Lake Terminals in Hammond, Indiana, for a possible new stadium.
As an alternative to legalizing video gambling terminals citywide, Bally's offered to open slot machine lounges at O'Hare and Midway, saying the move would replace the $6.8 million the city budgeted from VGTs.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
The nominations for the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, with the final season of HBO Max's "Hacks" setting a new record for the most nominations in a single year for a comedy series.
Nikki Glaser, Michelle Wolf, Ali Siddiq and Bert Kreischer are among the comedians coming to the city to perform from Nov. 5 to Nov. 15.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Renowned singer-songwriter and Chicago-area native John Prine will be honored with a mural at the Old Town School of Folk Music in the Lincoln Square community.
Victor Willis, lead singer of the disco group Village People, whose hit "Y.M.C.A." became a fixture at rallies for President Trump, has died at the age of 74, his wife and the band said.
The Jesse White Tumblers do about 1,500 shows a year, from Fourth of July parades to neighborhood block parties to big events all over the globe. Now they’re on the national stage again, trying to get to the winner’s spot on “America’s Got Talent.”
State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) has been charged with orchestrating an alleged scheme to receive illegal cash kickbacks from her own campaign account and from local nonprofits for which she helped secure state grant funding.
Increasingly cloudy overnight Wednesday. Lows in the low 70s.
Neighbors said they got some relief on Wednesday from what the foul smell near the reservoir, but it something they’ve had to deal with for days and worry will ramp up again when it rains next. Marissa Perlman reports.
The mayor of Bolingbrook is sounding the alarm over Illinois American Water asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a $142 million rate increase, which would be its fourth rate hike in the past 10 years, watchdog groups say.
A 2.9 magnitude earthquake has been recorded in Lake Michigan off the coast of Chicago's northern suburbs Wednesday afternoon.
An animal hospital in Lowell, Indiana, was searched by DEA agents, shutting it down for hours Wednesday.
Two of the three children who died when a boat capsized on Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, during a sudden severe storm have been identified.
One person was killed, and another was injured after two shootings less than a mile apart on Tuesday night.
A former football player for Eastern Illinois University was shot and killed in Harvey south suburban Harvey early Monday morning.
On Tuesday evening, CBS News Chicago reported on wild weeds taking over a property in the South Side's Washington Heights neighborhood, and neighbors who said they spent months trying to get help.
Kevin Jackson was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 22 years in prison before he was freed. Now he has realized his dream by starting a landscaping business. But his quest to be declared innocent continues.
The weeds keep growing, and the complaints keep piling up, but neighbors on one street in the Washington Heights community on Chicago's South Side say nothing is changing.
City officials unveil underground stormwater storage units to reduce flooding on the West Side
Crown Point Mayor Peter Land says that flooding has been an issue for years and that the construction plan has been in the works for almost 10 years.
Phil Regan, who pitched for four major league teams over 13 years before spending five more decades in the game as a coach, manager and scout, has died.
New Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Ian Cole called the team an up-and-coming group.
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard will be out for four months after undergoing shoulder surgery, the team announced Wednesday.
Sam Antonacci had three of Chicago's four hits.
Matthew Boyd pitched six shutout innings, Alex Bregman drove in two runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 Tuesday night.
The men accused in a crime spree that involved an attack on a CBS News Chicago crew last week were back in court Wednesday morning.
A former Wisconsin judge will soon learn her sentence for felony obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers.
One person was killed, and another was injured after two shootings less than a mile apart on Tuesday night.
Two people were shot, and one of them died, in an apartment in the north Chicago suburb of Mundelein on Tuesday morning.
Mexico said it is investigating whether its sovereignty was violated by the United States in the 2024 capture of drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.
