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CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Chicago woman billed more than US$233,000 for water she never used in vacant home with no plumbing
A Chicago woman was billed US$233,000 for water she never used in a vacant home with no plumbing. WBBM via CNN Newsource A senior citizen's vacant home in the Back of the Yards neighbourhood racked up a staggering $233,000 water bill, despite not having any plumbing for years. Diane Carli, 82, said the city of Chicago is threatening to garnish her pension, and she's looking for help because the Water Department isn't backing down on an outrageous bill she says is clearly an error. You don't need 20/20 vision to see this house in the Back of Yards neighbourhood is abandoned. 'It's gutted. … There's nothing in there,' Carli said. It has sat vacant for years, with no plumbing. Diane inherited the childhood property of her late husband in 2017. In December 2024, the city contacted her, telling her a new water meter needed to be installed. 'Why would you need to come in when there's no water there, and I'm not asking for water,' she said. She allowed the city to install a meter, and within six months she got a water bill that was out of this world. 'I said, 'A bill for what?' And they said for water,' she said. Despite the vacant home having no plumbing, she's been billed for $233,439.90 since the city installed the meter. 'This is unbelievable. This is totally wrong,' she said. After the meter was installed, the Water Department said she used more than 500,000 gallons. They have placed her account in collections, and threatened to garnish her pension. 'I'm slow, I'm dumb, whatever you want to call me, but it's going to take an Einstein to figure this s*** out. I don't care what you say,' she said. Her daughter, Lisa, went to City Hall to fight the bill, with no luck. 'As soon as you touched our property and made entry into our property, now we have water bill of $233,000,' Lisa said. The family turned to Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) for help, but he couldn't get the Water Department to back down. 'The most we got was yesterday, they said, 'Well, we'll take off $25,000 in penalties for late charges,'' he said. 'I've never in my lifetime seen a bill like that,' Diane said. For years, CBS News Chicago has uncovered countless Chicagoans who all got hosed by outrageous bills for water they never used, and it continues. 'One would think that, after six years of seeing your stories on Getting Hosed, people within the Water Department, people within the Law Department, and people within Finance would understands mistakes happen,' Lopez said. 'They're going to put me in the grave with this, because what do I do?' Diane said. The city recently came back and replaced Diane's water meter, which is registering zero water usage. Lopez and the family are fighting the city to eliminate the entire bill. Diane is far from alone with her water bill woes. For years, CBS News Chicago has reported on this issue with our Getting Hosed series, leading to the Chicago City Council approving a water bill relief program last year.
CTV News
8 hours ago
- CTV News
Longevity Summit Canada
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CTV News
8 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Make every day count': Insights on having a happy life from a 101-year-old lawnmower
Adam finds out a century of insights from a 101-year-old lawn mower. LANGLEY, B.C. — Although today is a special day, Dave Faulkner began it in an ordinary way. 'I get up every morning about 6 o'clock,' Dave says. 'And I make porridge.' It's the same breakfast the 101-year-old has been eating since he could show his age with one hand. 'We didn't even have a telephone,' Dave recalls. While Dave remembers communicating through postcards and travelling on horses, he will never forget enduring the Great Depression. 'You couldn't afford to buy a new thing,' Dave says, adding he was taught how to maintain everything. 'You gotta have old stuff and fix it.' Now instead of using a walker for stability, Dave pushes a cart filled with tools, so he's prepared for any possibility. 'You never know what I'll run into in a day,' Dave says. Dave's especially grateful to be good with his hands, since things have gone so bad with his eyes. 'I got a spot in the middle of my vision that blacks out.' Dave says he's almost blind, and 'feels' how to prepare his ride-on lawnmower. While his limited peripheral vision is foggy, Dave's passion for mowing couldn't be clearer. 'I like it,' Dave smiles. 'It's exciting.' When asked how excited he is, on a scale of one to 10, Dave takes a moment before answering, 'Eight.' While lawn-mowing day's score is strong, Dave's work ethic is even stronger. 'Make every day count,' Dave says. But if you ask Dave what he's learned at the end of the day really counts, he'll tell you about the 75 years he spent with his beloved Elsa. 'I married a lovely lady,' Dave says. 'She looked after me and I tried to look after her.' Dave will also tell you how proud he is of his three kids, including Jan, who's visiting today. 'I love when they visit,' Dave says. 'Something will happen, and you get a little laugh or a giggle.' While Dave suggests you always put family first and never think twice about doing the right thing. 'Just try to be honest about everything,' Dave says. And help people whenever you can. Although Dave's too humble to mention it, his son says his dad volunteered in the community for decades. While Dave doesn't know the secret to his longevity, he has no doubt about the meaning of life. 'Try to be happy,' Dave says, before adding the best way to do that. 'Try to make other people happy.' And that is how you make every day, no matter your age, feel like 10 out of 10.
