Utilities, Watchdog Warn Customers Of Scams
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.
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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 Illinois Commerce Commission on Wednesday announced an investigation into Peoples Gas' controversial and pricey gas-main replacement program in Chicago after allegations by two whistleblowers.
A couple years ago, you could save decent money on your electric bill merely by switching to an alternate energy supplier, but Citizens Utility Board spokesman Jim Chilsen said not anymore. That is because those companies have started hiking rates, and ComEd has gotten out from under an expensive contract.
Illinois lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow ComEd to charge customers about $2 more per month to cover the costs of its nuclear power plants, drawing criticism from a utility watchdog group that says ComEd's parent company already makes plenty of profit.
People's Gas and North Shore Gas customers can expect to see an increase in their monthly heating bills, reports WBBM's Mariam Sobh.
Have a customer service horror story that involves dealing with a utility company? The Citizens Utility Board wants to hear from you on social media.
Illinois state regulators and a consumer watchdog group were looking at a $9 billion deal for the sale of two local natural gas suppliers to a utility company in Wisconsin.
City officials and a utility watchdog group have requested a state investigation into some alternative power that may be tricking or confusing Chicago customers with their prices.
Ahead of an energy rate hike at ComEd next month, a utility watchdog group said it's seen a dramatic increase in complaints about some of the practices of several alternative electricity companies.
ComEd customers will be getting socked with higher electric bills this summer.
ComEd is asking for another rate hike, but the Citizens Utility Board says it will fight it every step of the way.
The increase amounts to about $5.50 per customer and is on delivery charges so it doesn't matter if you have another electric supplier.
The nearly 800,000 customers who switched electric companies have been seeing a savings of about $10 a month.
Power activists will ask Illinois to equalize electrical rates between the city and suburbs. WBBM's John Cody has more.
Smart phone users may want to take a closer look at their data plans.
Thousands of dollars in fees on a water bill may force a family to become homeless. The desperate parents say their village is charging excessive fees, more than many other municipalities. CBS 2's Dave Savini has been looking into their plight and has this original report.
The Citizens Utility Board on Monday released its first-ever report card on the state of Illinois' electricity competition.
Don't get scammed or slammed into signing up for alternative electric service you might not want.
One of dozens of alternative energy suppliers now fiercely competing for your business is a company with a bad track record the CBS 2 Investigators have been reporting on for years.
Read your phone bill carefully. The Citizen's Utility Board is calling Illinois cell phone bills the new frontier for an old fraud called cramming.
Chicago residents likely will be able to get cheaper electricity from an alternate supplier, after approving a measure allowing City Hall to negotiate cheaper rates on behalf of residents and small businesses.
A consumer watchdog group says this summer's extreme heat boosted the bills of Commonwealth Edison customers by about $64 million.
A utility watchdog group says a combination of factors could lead to big savings on your natural gas bills this winter.
The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved a rate hike for Peoples Gas, but not as much as the company wanted.
December may have been gloomy, but it was about 7 1/2 degrees above average – meaning a break for consumer checkbooks.
Inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are partially blocked by hanging metal after a three-vehicle crash, state police said.
Some customers in the area are still without power from the June 11 storms.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body camera footage showing the late officer's final moments.
Gary and Roxanne Rymeck tried to take shelter in their closet when the house collapsed around them after an EF-3 tornado rolled through Streator, Illinois, on Thursday, June 11.
As another round of heavy rain and possible flooding moves through the Chicago area on Wednesday, some homeowners on the West Side said they're still waiting for help from the city nearly three years after historic flooding damaged their homes.
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a plan to buy the city's Greyhound bus station in the West Loop to avoid its possible closure.
Lawmakers have a busy summer of negotiations ahead of them with pressure from both the governor's office and their constituents to craft data center regulations that stakeholders and legislators can live with.
The agreement, as read by senior U.S. officials, allows Iran to immediately begin exporting oil and petroleum products.
After more than a decade since it was announced, the Obama Presidential Center and Library officially opens to the public in Chicago's Jackson Park on June 19, 2026.
Lawyers for the "Broadview Six" are trying to uncover communication between the White House and Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office regarding prosecutorial misconduct in their now-dismissed case.
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.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
After Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia, his wife Emma Heming Willis found a new purpose as a health advocate.
The North Shore suburb of Wilmette this week became the latest Chicago-area municipality to discover mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus this year.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
June is World Infertility Awareness Month, and Northwestern Medicine on Monday shared the story of a woman who is celebrating the birth of her second child after a tumor disrupted her fertility.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Tom Dreesen, a pioneering actor and comedian and Chicago-area native, died Wednesday.
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from the "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back" is expected to sell for at least $1 million at an upcoming auction.
Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed in the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker addressed the Class of 2026 at Northwestern University at their commencement ceremony at the United Center Sunday.
Forty years ago last weekend, crowds turned out for the Chicago Blues Festival — an event studded with a roster of stars for a spectacle that's still talked about today.
The Trump administration on Wednesday released the 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.
Inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are partially blocked by hanging metal near W. Grand Avenue.
Days after the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool was refilled with water following a multi-million dollar renovation and paint job ordered by President Trump, an algae bloom has again turned it green.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body camera footage showing the late officer's final moments.
A tornado risk lingered all day on Wednesday, but Merrillville appears to now be in the clear. This as recovery efforts from the June 11 storms continue, with some still without power.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, COPA released bodycam footage showing the late officer's final moments.
Flooding is now the greatest widespread threat from two rounds of strong storms that will move through the Chicago area Wednesday.
Inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are partially blocked by hanging metal after a three-vehicle crash, state police said.
Some customers in the area are still without power from the June 11 storms.
Gary and Roxanne Rymeck tried to take shelter in their closet when the house collapsed around them after an EF-3 tornado rolled through Streator, Illinois, on Thursday, June 11.
Kindbody entered into an agreement with a cryogenic storage facility in Massachusetts, but not all patients received the email.
A Chicago woman says a life insurance policy she paid into for 25 years was cancelled over a $112 shortfall that she never knew existed, and now, at 82 years old, she's uninsurable.
The Crisis Alternative Response Evanston, or CARE, team responds to calls that, before July 2024, would have been lumped into police calls.
The system will provide all heating, cooling, and ventilation for the high school's new physical education facilities and contribute to the school system, saving the district nearly $400,000 a year.
The forecast for a summer reopening of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is growing cloudy, as negotiations continue between the owners and landlord, after the safety net hospital abruptly shuttered its doors in March.
The three-game series wraps up Wednesday with Rockies LHP Sean Sullivan facing Cubs RHP Javier Assad.
Spencer Jones homered in the second inning, Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt each added a two-run drive in the fourth, and the Yankees rocked the White Sox 12-2 on Tuesday night.
Former NHL player Kyle Calder has died at age 47. The Alberta native spent a majority of his 10 years in the league with Chicago and also played for Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
The Chicago Bulls have officially named Tiago Splitter as their new head coach.
Crow-Armstrong extended his on-base streak to 19 games with his second leadoff home run in three games, a 434-foot shot to center field off Michael Lorenzen.
A sport-utility vehicle rammed into a Shell gas station mini mart in what was believed to be an attempted crash-and-grab burglary in Chicago's East Pilsen neighborhood.
Luigi Mangione's lawyers will argue that he was suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance when he allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the series of murders known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
A man from Chicago's south suburbs was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison last week for running an online chat group that trafficked in child pornography.
Chicago police on Tuesday released surveillance images of three attackers who they say beat a man on a downtown CTA Blue Line platform last week.
