Proposed Illinois law would protect consumers from private utility price gouging
A proposed Illinois law hopes to create more oversight on private companies to protect consumers from skyrocketing utility prices.
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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.
Top officers of Peoples Gas "knowingly misled" state regulators about the ballooning cost of a multibillion-dollar upgrade program to pave the way for a 2015 merger, according to a complaint filed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and a utility watchdog.
It's unusual for three utilities and the Citizens Utility Board to come together for a single news conference, but they did just that Friday to try to prevent customers from being scammed.
The Evanston Skokie School District 65 needs to slash over $6 million, and the future is uncertain for the district-run childcare program.
The Living Wage for All Act would gradually increase the minimum wage to $25 an hour by 2031.
Storms are leaving the area and are expected to wrap up by midnight.
Golden Apple is a prestigious award given to educators, highlighting their excellence in teaching and leadership.
Grandmothers Circle Program pairs community grandmothers with middle school girls to provide them the support they need.
A federal appeals court blocked a FDA rule that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail.
With 60 field organizers, 15 offices, and high-seven-figure spending planned, Iowa Democrats are making their most aggressive midterm investment in years as they target open seats for governor and U.S. Senate.
The 81-year-old former New York City mayor has been hospitalized for pneumonia, his spokesperson said.
Elmwood Park, Center Cass, Oak Lawn Hometown, and Atwood Heights are among the Illinois districts being investigated by the Justice Department over classroom instruction on gender and sexuality.
Negotiations over a $500 million dollar government aid package for Spirit stalled after bondholders balked at the terms.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
Thirty years ago, Advocate Children's Hospital created a specialized team to transport the smallest patients to get life-saving care. On the anniversary of the Neonatal Pediatric Transport Team, they unveiled some a new ambulance.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
The SACC program is offered at 10 elementary schools and two magnets. It employs over 40 people. The district says it's the only one in the area subsidizing a child care program.
The current minimum wage is $7.25 and hasn't increased since 2009.
Leo High School Principal Dr. Shaka Rawls was celebrated for his leadership on Monday, as he is now the recipient of the Golden Apple—a prestigious award given to educators, highlighting their excellence in teaching and leadership.
According to the Illinois Department of Health, nearly all vaccines are “at or above” the desired 95% immunization goal to prevent disease spread. Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and polio had rates below the 95% mark.
The Chicago Police Department is trying to figure out how a man was able to get a gun into a hospital last month before shooting two of their officers, killing one and critically injuring another, after he was arrested for an earlier armed robbery.
Questions remain about how the man charged with killing Chicago police officer John Bartholomew and shooting his partner last month was able to get a gun into Swedish Hospital after he was arrested for an earlier armed robbery.
Chatham residents say they're losing a vital resource as Walgreen's prepares to close its store near 86th and Cottage Grove.
Rideshare drivers say it's getting difficult to continue working as gas prices surpass $6 in the city.
The Evanston Skokie School District 65 needs to slash over $6 million, and the future is uncertain for the district-run childcare program.
The Living Wage for All Act would gradually increase the minimum wage to $25 an hour by 2031.
Rideshare drivers say it's getting difficult to continue working as gas prices surpass $6 in the city.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Violent retail crime is on the rise in Illinois, according to a new report from the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association.
A top administrator in the Libertyville school district has been placed on leave after a fiery school board meeting focused on how the district handled allegations of grooming leveled against a former teacher.
Graham previously served as the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Atlanta Hawks.
Chicago's Derek Hill hit a two-run shot that tied it at 3 in the seventh.
At 22-12, the Cubs are a season-high 10 games over .500.
The White Sox broke through against Michael King (3-2) in the sixth and then chased the Padres' top starter in the seventh.
The Cubs had not won 10 in a row at home since they had 14 straight victories at Wrigley from May 18-June 22, 2008.
Chief Geoff Guttschow, who has an autistic child who drives, says the Blue Envelope Program gives officers a tool to recognize when a driver may need additional communication support.
A woman has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old boy outside an indoor track facility near Gately Park in Chicago in 2024, after getting into a fight with another woman during a back-to-school event in the Pullman neighborhood.
Sexual abuse charges were filed this week against a Park City, Illinois, police officer.
Attorneys for the man convicted of the murders of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, have filed a new brief with the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his case.
Attorneys for a woman convicted of killing her 69-year-old landlord in Chicago's Arcadia Terrace community have filed an appeal.
