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November 30th, 2008 at 12:01 am

City threatens to put a lien on the home of a woman over an unpaid 1-cent bill

Did you hear about this?

A 74 year old blind woman was sent a letter by the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts, stating that a lien would be placed on her home if she didn’t pay her overdue water bill.

The worst thing about this?  Her overdue bill was only 1 cent … yeah, that’s right. She owed the city one penny so they were about to put a lien on her home if she didn’t pay up!

Geez, I wonder how hard the city of Attleboro is on real criminals!

Isn’t that disgusting?

Eileen Wilbur told the Sun Chronicle of Attleboro that the letter sent her blood pressure soaring.

City Collector Debora Marcoccio says the letter was among 2,000 sent out.

She says a computer automatically prints letters for accounts with an overdue balance, and they are not reviewed by staff before being mailed, she said.

The letter warned of a lien and a $48 penalty if the overdue bill is not paid by Dec. 10.

The charge was from the previous fiscal year, which ran from July 2007 to July 2008.

Wilbur’s daughter, Rose Brederson, who discovered the bill in her mother’s mail, called the situation “ridiculous.”

But she said her mother, who has lived in the home since 1959, would likely end up paying the penny.

I think the city needs to review their billing process!  Imagine being threated to have a lien on your home for a 1 cent bill!

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June 16th, 2008 at 3:42 am

Mow your lawn… or risk jail time in Canton, Ohio

Homeowners who don’t mow their grass in the northeast Ohio city of Canton now face stiffer penalties — including possible jail time.

The city council unanimously passed a law Monday that makes a second high-grass violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $250 and as many as 30 days in jail.

The previous law only made the first violation a minor misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $150 but no jail time. The new law is to take effect in 30 days.

“This is the type of action we need to take in order to clean up our neighborhoods and our city,” Mayor William J. Healy II said.

The laws are an effort to reduce the roughly $250,000 the city spends to cut about 2,000 private lots each year and to address public complaints, Councilman Greg Hawk has said.

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April 15th, 2008 at 12:43 am

Another person’s garbage could be your big find

Do you ever dream of finding something that’s worth big bucks? Well, for one woman that dream came true.

An abstract masterpiece was found in the trash by a woman who really didn’t know much about modern art. The painting subsequently sold for a million dollars.

The painting was discovered back in 2003 by Elizabeth Gibson. She spotted the canvas on her morning walk as she strolled Manhattan’s upper west side. She felt the painting was powerful.

It turns out that the painting was “Tres Personajes” by Rufino Tamayo. It’s a brightly colored abstract and it was purchased by phone at Sotheby’s Latin American art sale.

The painting was actually stolen. Gibson searched for years for information about the painting. She finally came across an article about the painting on Antiques Roadshow’s website. The article stated the painting had been stolen in 1989.

Gibson received a reward of $15,000 for returning the valuable painting and she’ll also get a portion of the sales price.

It certainly pays to keep your eyes open when walking through city streets!

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