The Cool Down

San Diego tenants paid $60 for utilities, then got $289 bills, formed a council, and won

The surprise bills helped spur Parker and his neighbors in San Diego to organize, withhold bill payments, and negotiate a ...
The Cool Down

Virginia unlocks $67 million once withheld, helping 1,000 homes cut energy bills

More than $67 million in Virginia climate-program funding that had been held back is being steered into home repair and ...
The Cool Down

Texas homeowner pays $12,000 for new AC, then gets told to buy a dehumidifier

A Central Texas homeowner expected a $12,000 AC replacement to make the house more comfortable. Instead, the new Carrier ...
The Cool Down

California hikes guest farmworker pay to $19.75, and growers say shoppers will pay

In January, California will raise pay for H-2A guest farmworkers to $19.75 an hour from $16.90 per hour after Gov. Gavin ...
The Cool Down

In Oregon, woman tracks a foul smell beneath her house, finds skunk 'blasting every ounce of stank'

In Lakeview, Oregon, a foul odor sent a homeowner looking under her home, where she found an unexpected critter.
The Cool Down

Boston opens hearing after homeowners question how the city sets residential tax assessments

Boston homeowners who have looked at a property tax bill and wondered how the city landed on that number had a public forum ...
The Cool Down

Kentucky tenants say mice, mold, and years of repair delays pushed them to form a union

Tenants at seven Shelbyville properties owned or managed by Winterwood Inc. launched a tenant union and planned to begin ...
The Cool Down

Arizona firefighters responded to 1,100 snake-related calls as summer heat drove snakes to homes

Fountain Hills firefighters in Arizona handled six snake calls before noon on a single summer shift as heat pushed the ...
The Cool Down

Homebuyer anxiously eyes century-old home as the internet flags 2 must-checks

A first-time homebuyer who was under contract on a 100-year-old house got a case of cold feet ahead of the inspection.
The Cool Down

First-time Goodwill Bins shopper asks for tips, gets warnings about bedbugs, theft, and dust

A shopper preparing for a new Goodwill Bins location in town turned to Reddit with a simple question: What should a ...
The Cool Down

West Texas farmers fear water sale plan could drain ancient Capitan Reef aquifer

Near Alpine, Sibley Glass Mountain Ranch managing partner Sarah Sibley-Klein said the Colorado River Municipal Water District ...
The Cool Down

Massachusetts woman follows crying in the woods, finds 3rd orphaned fawn after mother deer is hit

Westford resident Amanda Bashford's walk to her Community Gardens plot turned into a rescue mission after she heard crying in the woods and followed it to a third orphaned fawn.