Recovering teenage addict Steve couldn’t imagine going back to his old high school after gaining the courage to go through rehab.

"If I would have went back to my old school, it would have only been a matter of days or weeks before I relapsed and went right back to where I was. Probably even worse," said the 17-year-old, whose last name we’re withholding at his request.

Fortunately, Steve, who bounced back and forth between using alcohol, marijuana, prescription painkillers and heroin since he was 12, found his way into a new, unique high school built just for teens battling the same demons – a recovery high school.

"I actually come to school and do my work where at my old school I would be passed out and drooling in class," he said. "I would only stay for like two periods and leave."

Called The Bridge Way School, the specialized high school in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia focuses on getting teenagers back on track with their education and lives after exiting rehab. It is the only school of its kind in the region – one of only some three dozen nationwide.

"We have kids come in with 30 days [sobriety], they’re not sure how school is going to go, they haven’t done well in school for a while and then they see the environment that we have here," says Rebecca Bonner, who runs the school. "And in two or three weeks, you see kids who haven’t worked in class for years who say ‘Oh, I’m getting a B’ and they’re actually working."

Ranging from 9th to 12th grades, every student is recovering from some type of addiction and goes through regular coursework like English, Math and Science. But unlike typical schools, the teens talk about their recovery regularly.

Students begin their day with a 20 minute face-to-face with a counselor and staff to discuss how they’re feeling and whether they’ve been triggered to use again.

"If it’s serious enough, our counselor may just pull that kid for 20 minutes. It is so different from what a regular school does where a kid might sit on something all day,” Bonner said. “They learn nothing because they’re processing whatever that is. We try to catch it early so they can process that and get right back on track."

Before leaving for the day, the students have another sit down to discuss their plans for the afternoon and evening. They also spend about 50 minutes, four times a week, in group sessions talking about their addiction and recovery with peers.

"The adults can say whatever we say and we can be supportive and encouraging, but the kids are the ones that give each other the support. That is positive peer pressure," Bonner said.

Calie, a 15-year-old student, agrees. Like Steve, she was also 12 when she began using alcohol and marijuana. The teen eventually graduated to using Percocet, many times getting high in her old high school. Following rehab, she found Bridge Way and is marking one year at the school this month.

"It felt nice to have like people who were around the same age going through the same thing as me," she said. "It’s kind of weird letting people support me, I guess, but I’m getting better at it. It makes me feel like it’s getting better."

It’s a continuum of support, Bonner said, that educators and counselors know sets up students for success – better than going it alone.

"We know that kids when they go back to their prior high school after treatment, 8 out of 10 of them will relapse within the first six months. If there’s any kid of co-occurring thing going on – depression, bipolar, ADHD even – the average time for relapse is 19 days.”

"It is providing as much of wrap-around support as possible," she adds.

Steve said he’d expect to be dead or in prison by the age of 20 if he hadn’t been given this new path. He’s overdosed once, spent time in a juvenile detention center and it wasn’t until after he assaulted a police officer – staring at up to five years in prison – that he realized he needed help.

“I remember I was sitting in the hospital bed, covered in blood and yelling at the cops and then I looked over at my mom and said ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ he said. “I did drugs the way…I was trying to kill myself.”

Bridge Way grew out of Bonner’s family’s own personal struggles. Her teenage daughter was coming out of rehabilitation for a prescription pill addiction and were advised not to send her back to her old high school.

"Like most kids, her high school had been her pharmacy of choice and that’s where she was buying her stuff…and we got the recommendation not to send her back there, but there were no really good alternatives," Bonner said.

Looking around, Bonner eventually found recovery high schools in other parts of the country, but none in our area -- the next closest school at the time was in New England. So she and other educators set out to remedy the issue. Three years later, Bridge Way is serving teens from Philadelphia and the suburbs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Currently, Bridge Way has eight students, but can serve up to 25 at a time. Teens who enroll must spend at least five months at the school. Bonner said most attend for a year or longer before being mainstreamed back into a regular high school, if they’re young enough.

The recovery school is not free to attend, however. The tuition is $2,800 a month, which covers the seven staff and school costs. Bonner said the many students get discounts through tax credits and some are given scholarships through Stroehmann Bakery. She says no one has ever been turned away for being unable to pay.

Encouraged by the results seen at Bridge Way, public health officials from the State of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia have met with Bonner and her staff to discuss ways to expand the school and build others like it.

Philadelphia and suburban towns, like many others across the nation, have seen an explosion in addictions to opioid painkillers and heroin recently.

Dr. Arthur Evans, Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, says his department has been trying to embed recovery services in communities to achieve better outcomes and believes recovery schools fit into that plan.

“One of the big advantages of having a recovery high school is that it allows us to treat those kids in their own communities where they have their families, where they have their social support and frankly they’re ultimately going to live,” he said. “I would hope that we could have more schools across the city. I do believe we have the need within the city that we can certainly support schools in the major geographic regions of the city – you know the Northeast, the Southwest, West Philly, North Philly.”

As for Calie and Steve, both are now getting good grades and plan to go to college with the hopes of becoming counselors for teens dealing with the same addictions they did.

"I never thought I would go to college and now I’m doing the dual enrollment program at CCP (Community College of Philadelphia) which is starting in January,” said Steve. "I’m going to high school and college where a few months ago, if you said I would be going to college, I would have laughed in your face."

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Comedian Jon Stewart has weighed in on the now infamous stun gun fight at the Franklin Mills Mall on Black Friday.

On The Daily Show Monday night, Stewart replayed the video clip of the fight -- first brought to light and shown by NBC10.com -- and piped a little Christmas tune about what transpired.

"My nuts roasting on the floor of the Costco, guard dogs ripping at my face; but the deal I got on these set of pants, totally worth it," he sang in the tune of Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song.

The fight between what appeared to be two couples, one with a baby in a stroller, took place at 2:30 a.m. on Friday, not long after the Northeast Philadelphia mall opened for Black Friday shopping.

In the brawl, which was recorded by a fellow shopper, two women go at it, with one clearly using a stun gun. Bright light and the crackling sound produced by the defensive device can be seen and heard on the video.

"Just something about the holidays; reminds us how we like to gather with our loved ones around the crackle of a stun gun," Stewart said in the segment.

Video of the fight went viral on Friday and over the weekend, garnering nearly 1 million streams on NBC10.com alone, from locations across the United States and around the world.

Stun guns are illegal in Philadelphia and Philadelphia Police are investigating the incident, which was not reported to authorities until the video aired online.

Stewart's final quip sums up how the rest of the nation views the city -- thanks to fights like this.

"That's just Philly though man, we just know that's just a little spirited," he said.

An elderly couple trying to stay warm was torn apart by a fire.

The two-story house blaze left an elderly woman dead and an elderly man hurt this morning.

Firefighters responded to the 1900 block of N Stanley Street in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia just before 9 a.m. to find a two-story home on fire.

Light smoke could be seen coming from the structure when firefighters arrived, according to Executive Chief Richard Davison.

An elderly man was outside the home. Authorities searched the home and found the woman, believed to be his wife, dead.

Medics rushed the man to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.

Neighbors identified the woman as Martha Frazier. They say she was in her 90's, had poor vision and little to no heat inside her home.

None of the six smoke alarms in the home worked at the time of the blaze.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

"We know that the fire started in a first-floor front room, said Deputy Commissioner Derrick Sawyer. "We know that they were using a portable heater and the fire marshal is investigating at this time -- trying to determine a cause."

Sawyer said it's possible the heater caused nearby items to catch fire.

An accused teenage rapist remained jailed Tuesday after a scheduled court appearance to face multiple sexual assault charges against minors was continued.

A preliminary hearing for Joshua Benson was scheduled for Tuesday morning in Bucks County, according to court records.

Local officials however said the court appearance was pushed back to a yet-to-be-determined date.

In the past couple weeks, at least eight victims came forward and accused Benson of sexual assault.

Benson, 18, remained held on $5 million bail after being charged with raping and sexually assaulting multiple underage girls -- some who he met online.

Benson was arraigned last month on charges that he raped two young girls.

Originally, authorities said the Bensalem, Pa., native also violently sexually assaulted five other girls over a five-month time period when he was under the age of 18. All of the victims were between the ages of 14 and 16, officials said.

After media coverage of Benson's arrest, another woman came forward and said he assaulted her in 2011 when she was just 17. Since the alleged assault occurred when Benson was also underage additional charges were filed in juvenile court, according to police.

Benson moved to the area from Utah about three years ago, shortly before the alleged assaults began, officials said.

Benson, who cursed at reporters on his way into court following his arrest, met some of his victims on a dating website and others through friends, authorities confirm. They say the teen would befriend the girls and make them trust him before violently forcing himself on them.

"Once he befriended them and gained trust in them where they agreed to have a very short-term relationship with him. Once he began engaging in sexual contact it immediately turned violent," Bensalem Police Sgt. Andrew Aninsman said.

The most recent victims say they were forced to perform sex acts in the basement of a townhome along Arrowood Drive in Bensalem, officials said.

Benson was locked up in a juvenile detention center on charges he assaulted the five girls while he was underage he was then transferred to the Bucks County Prison since he is now 18.

Police believe there could still be more victims. They urged any girls to come forward.

"We do believe there are many other victims out there and if you see this, and your gut is wrenching as to what happened to you, pick up the phone and call Bensalem Police and we will make sure that we do everything in our power to make sure you get justice," said Aninsman.

Bird watchers from the tri-state area are flocking to local beaches, farms and parks to catch a glimpse of some special white owls that have been spotted recently.

Snowy owls hailing from the Arctic tundra have been seen all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, and though it's not unusual for the owls to fly south for winter, the number of birds relocating is.

"It seems like somebody’s opened the floodgates, and there are multiple reports, all up and down the east coast..." American Birding Society President Jeffrey Gordon told KYW radio.

In fact, Delaware enviromental officials believe there could be as many as seven snowy owls across the state, according to DelawareOnline.com

One reason for the influx of Snowy Owls in our area could be due to a boom in their population. Lemmings are the owls' food of choice and when the Lemming population booms, so does the snowy owls'. 

On the flipside, a shortage in Lemmings could also prompt a move south, according to National Geographic.

The white bird also eats fish, rabbits, rats, other birds.

More NBC10.com stories:

• Deadly Crash After Plane Departs NJ
• Marine Killed Trying to Break Up Fight
• Jon Stewart Sings About Philly Stun Gun Brawl

There are a lot of stores like Jinxed. The retail store sells vintage and second-hand stuff — like a 1960s style couch, a vintage sign, or that funky lamp that looks like it came from your grandma's house.

But Jinxed has something the competition doesn't: 9,400 Instagram followers.

Jinxed staff members post photos of new items with simple instructions: Call to buy. Staple items like mirrors, dressers, or sofas rarely last more than 30 minutes, they say.

"You're dealing with a pool of potential customers, everybody has something in mind that they're looking for," said owner Mike Supermodel (yes, he goes by Supermodel). Read more about this story on PBJ.com

More NBC10.com stories:

• Morgue Freezer Breaks
• Marriage Equality Hits Home for Friends School
• Jon Stewart Sings About Stun Gun Brawl

For more breaking business news go to PBJ.com

Companies can force employees to sign arbitration agreements that prohibit class action lawsuits, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the National Labor Relations Board, which decided that home builder D.R. Horton Inc. violated its workers' rights by forcing them to agree to resolve all employment-related disputes individually through arbitration. The arbitration agreement prohibited workers from making class action claims against the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.

The NLRB concluded the company's mandatory arbitration agreement violated the National Labor Relations Act because it required employees to waive their right to join together to challenge company decisions. The board also ruled that the agreement would lead employees to believe that they couldn't file unfair labor charges with the NLRB. Read more about this story on PBJ.com

More NBC10.com stories:

• Local Shop Model for Selling on Instagram
• Free Tickets, Coupons in Live Nation Settlement
• PHOTOS: Comcast Holiday Spectacular

For more breaking business news go to PBJ.com

Firefighters are at the scene of a burning home in the Germantown section of the city.

Officials on scene say the fire broke out in the basement of the twin home on the 400 block of East Tulpehocken Street around 2 p.m. A firefighter was briefly trapped inside the home but managed to escape unharmed.

No injuries have been reported so far.

Firefighters are working to get the blaze under control.

Related Stories:

• Elderly Woman Dies In House Fire
• Fire Guts Home
• Restaurant Owner: We Are Rebuilding After Fire
   

First there was Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and then Cyber Monday. Today, it's Giving Tuesday. The dogooders day was a big success in the Philadelphia area. From hands-on service projects like Achieveability's home repair project to individual giving, such as a Tania Ghee's support of Maternity Coalition, a barrage of people and projects embraced the "unselfie" theme. 

According to NBC News, the average American donates around $2,500 per year to charity. Wealthy households gift more than $14,000. But if you don't give wisely, not much of that money will make it to those in need. To make an impact, follow these smart tips for giving. 

Pennsylvania is one step closer to banning kids and teens from being able buy and use controversial electronic cigarettes.

A bill that adds electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, and other alternative nicotine products like nicotine gum to the current state law barring the sale and promotion of tobacco products to minors, cleared the Pa. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

"Even though it’s not a quote, unquote nicotine product, it does contain nicotine, which is the addictive part, for the most part, of smoking," said State Sen. Tim Solobay (D-Allegheny), who introduced the bill. "We’re just trying to say that this, like any other type of tobacco product, should be off-limits to those under 18."

Electronic cigarettes have been promoted as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes because they do not contain tobacco or produce smoke. Instead, liquid nicotine, which is known to be highly addictive, flavors, or other chemicals are heated up through a battery-powered device and vaporized. That vapor is then inhaled by the user.

"Because of the flavors and the novelty of it, kids can act like they’re smoking, but they’re not smoking, but what they’re not realizing is that they’re actually getting the nicotine," Solobay said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a recent survey found the use of electronic cigarettes doubled among middle school students – from 0.6 percent in 2011 to 1.1 percent in 2012. For high schoolers, use jumped from 1.5 percent to 2.8 percent, year over year.

All told, more than 1.78 million American tried e-cigarettes in 2012, according to the CDC. The survey also found 1 in 5 middle school students who tried e-cigarettes said they never smoked regular cigarettes – an alarming stat, the CDC says.

CDC officials are also concerned nicotine could hinder adolescent brain development and lead to use of traditional cigarettes or other tobacco products.

“E-cigarettes are perceived…particularly by youth, but across many people as less harmful. So the questions we need to think about for youth is: Is this a product that may encourage a non-smoker to start using nicotine? In which case, it becomes more harmful, than if they remained abstinent,” said Dr. Andrew Strasser, who runs the University of Pennsylvania’s Biobehavioral Smoking Laboratory.

"It may be viewed, for some segment of the youth population, as a gateway to using regular cigarettes," he adds.

Strasser and his team have been studying the usage of electronic cigarettes. He agrees that the use of flavorings, which were all banned -- except for menthol -- in traditional cigarettes in 2009, could make electronic cigarettes more attractive to young people.

"There was significant evidence to show that the flavorings attracted youth. When people were starting to smoke, the flavorings minimized some of the harshness of the smoking experience, so in a sense, it made smoking easier," he said. "It stands to reason that these flavorings would have similar attractiveness in an e-cigarette to youth as well."

As for what users are inhaling, Strasser and the CDC say information thus far has been scarce. The devices and fillers are not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so researchers do not have a good handle on what is actually in the products.

"There is some research to suggest that there are low-levels of toxins and, of course, nicotine, which is addictive. So we need to be aware that there is just not a sufficient amount of data to make strong conclusions. And being cautious and protective is a reasonable approach," he said.

Blu electronic cigarettes, one of the most widely known e-cigarettes makers, recommends children, breast feeding women, and those with health troubles like heart disease or diabetes not use their products, according to its website. They also list six key ingredients for their flavor cartridges: distilled water, nicotine (in some cases), vegetable glycerin, natural flavors, artificial flavors and citric acid.

NBC10 reached out to Blu for comment on the new legistlation. We are awaiting a response.

The FDA has said it would like to add electronic cigarettes to its purview with other tobacco products, but has yet to move forward.

The Pa. law now goes to the senate’s Appropriations Committee for consideration. Solobay hopes to get the law through both sides of the General Assembly by early spring of 2014.

Should the law pass, Pa. would be following the footsteps of other states and municipalities who’ve banned e-cigarette use. Solobay says 28 other states have already passed similar laws.

New Jersey is one of three states to also include electronic cigarettes in its non-smoking law – which prohibits smoking inside workplaces, bars and restaurants.

City councilmembers in New York City are considering adding e-cigarettes to the city’s current no smoking policy in public places.

Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.

Longtime Philadelphia homeowners could be getting some tax relief on their houses thanks to a new program.

• WATCH: Seniors May Be Able to Work Off Property Taxes

Mayor Michael Nutter announced the launch of the PHL Tax Longtime Owner Occupants Program(LOOP).

“Our new property tax system is fair and accurate for all Philadelphians – but fairer and more accurate values meant large Real Estate Tax increases for some homeowners,” said Mayor Nutter. “In the current budget, working with City Council, we set aside $20 million to help longtime homeowners by offering Real Estate Tax relief.  PHL Tax LOOP is an opportunity for property owners to receive savings on their Tax Year (TY) 14 Real Estate Taxes.  I want to encourage every eligible Philadelphian to apply for this important discount.”

This week, information packets were sent to 80,000 properties based on preliminary eligibility requirements. The application deadline is Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

In order to qualify for LOOP, all applicants must meet the following requirements:

• The TY14 market value of the property minus the $30,000 Homestead Exemption is triple the TY13 property value;
• The property must be either a single-family dwelling or a multi-unit property with up to three residential units and one commercial unit;
• The property must be the primary residence of the owner since  at least July 1, 2003;
• The property does not currently have, or ever had, a tax abatement;
• The Real Estate Taxes for the property must be up-to-date; the owner must be current on an existing payment agreement or the owner must have applied to enter into a payment agreement;
• And the homeowner meets income requirements based on household size.

Applicants will be notified by a decision letter in March of next year. Those who are approved and enrolled in the program will then receive the real estate taxes discount for 10 years. Officials say the LOOP discount will vary from person to person but will be based on property values.

For more information on the program and to find out whether or not you’re eligible, visit the LOOP website.
 

Police have identified the man accused of fatally shooting a U.S. marine who tried to break up a fight outside a Camden bar.

Police say Timothy Loper Jr., 27, a marine who served in Afghanistan,witnessed a fight in the parking lot of the restaurant 20 Horse Tavern on 2nd and Spruce Streets in Camden around 2:45 a.m. on Sunday and tried to intervene.

"That's Tim," said Loper's wife Beverly Loper. "He's like a peacemaker. He's everybody's therapist in the family."

As he tried to break it up, police say a gunman, identified as 31-year-old Darrell Crone, opened fire and struck Loper several times. Loper was later pronounced dead.

Police say Crone, who is still on the loose, is charged with murder. He is described as a bearded, muscular man who was wearing a sweater.

Police released pictures and surveillance video which they say shows Crone inside the restaurant.

Credit: Camden County Prosecutor's Office

"I would call him a coward," said Loper's father, Tim Loper Sr. " "He's a coward. Turn yourself in."

Family members say Loper Jr. was originally at the bar to celebrate a friend's birthday.

"It just kills me to know that he called me to come to this party," said Loper's cousin Ciara Blue. "He was so excited to come to this party and this is how it turned out."

"I never thought that would be the last time I would see him," said Loper's other cousin, Faith Murray. "I wish I had taken him with me. It's senseless."

Monday night, heartbroken friends and family gathered at the crime scene for a candlelight vigil.

"Tim had the biggest heart in the world," said Blue. "He would do anything for anybody."

"Every time there was something going on, he's the one who gave me the good advice," said Loper's sister Amber. "He's the one who got me right back up on my feet. He was the one who was there for me."

Loper Sr. says his son was in school part-time while working as a supervisor at a chemical plant in Cherry Hill. Loper says it's difficult for him to come to grips with the fact that his son survived Afghanistan but was killed in his hometown.

"It's tearing me apart," Loper said. "I'm just trying to be calm for my family."

If you have any information on Crone's whereabouts, please call the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective John Hunsinger at (609) 548-1056 or Camden County Police Detective Lou Sanchez at (856) 757-7420.

Doomsday was delayed on Tuesday for the Atlantic City Fire Department but not averted.

Fifty-one firefighters were slated to lose their jobs on Wednesday due to the expiration of federal grant money. On Tuesday, the city approved $125,000 in the department’s overtime budget which extended the deadline to December 13. Now firefighters are hoping they can be re-approved for $10 million in federal money under a safer grant program.

Cheri Michael, an Atlantic City resident, fears that if the federal funding is not approved, the safety of her children will be in jeopardy.

“I live in an apartment building and if something catches fire I need to get out fast,” Michael said. “I need them to get there. I take no chances when it comes to my children.”

Atlantic City currently has 262 fire personnel who respond to around 40,000 residents year round as well as events that can attract more than 200,000 tourists on any given day.

Atlantic City Fire Chief Dennis Brooks fears both the emotional and safety impact the layoffs would have.

“Emotionally, I’ve been through this before and it’s devastating to me as a chief,” he said. “It’s devastating to each firefighter. From a safety point of view we would be cutting three companies which would be 30% of the department.”

Brooks says none of the fire stations would close their doors entirely. However, he also says two engine companies and a ladder company would have to consolidate and personnel would be reassigned and retrained. Brooks says it’s too early to talk about furloughs however.

“We’d probably have to cancel vacations if things really got scary as a last resort,” he said.

Department officials continue to work on a writing a new grant as the deadline approaches.

With an increasing number of violent incidents threatening to tear his city apartment, the Mayor of Wilmington took to the radio airwaves Tuesday morning and expressed his frustrations.

“If I have to start looking and make some adjustments, I’m gonna do that,” said Mayor Dennis Williams during an appearance on WDEL.

The year isn’t even over yet but Wilmington has already broken its record for annual shootings with 142. Those incidents include the unsolved shooting of a Delaware State Trooper in broad daylight and the double shooting of two women who were caught in the middle of a gunfight.

During his radio appearance, Williams not only claimed he was fed up with the violence but also threatened to make some major leadership changes in the police department if the problem continued.

“I’m talking about the command staff of the police department,” Williams said. “I had a meeting with them yesterday and brought them in and told them this can’t go on any longer. We need to make some adjustments and things have to change. If things don’t change I will be looking for new leadership. You can put me on record as saying that.”

Williams, who is also a former Wilmington Police officer, centered his campaign around the promise of making the city safer. Yet that hasn’t happened during his term with some neighborhoods currently more dangerous than they’ve ever been.

Williams says if Police Chief Christine Dunning and other leaders within the department can’t bring down the violence, he’ll find other people who can. He also called upon Wilmington residents to do their part.

“People who live in these communities need to start anteing up and telling us who these shooters are because they know who they are,” Williams said.

NBC10 tried to reach out to Mayor Williams as well as Chief Dunning. We have not yet heard back from either of them however.
 

After being overcharged more than a year ago, thousands of water customers in New Castle County will finally receive a refund. But many are not satisfied with the payback plan which could prove to be a huge inconvenience during the holiday shopping season.

The Artesian Water Company, which serves New Castle County, Delaware switched from quarterly to monthly billing. During the switch however, they failed to update their billing formula which includes sewer charges that are based on home water usage. As a result, around 21,000 customers were overcharged nearly $700,000 total on their sewer bills.

Tony Prado, the New Castle County Director of Communications, says the refunds for the customers will vary from $5 to $100.

“We’re looking forward to bringing this to a closure,” Prado said. “As I’m sure our customers are.”

But many customers aren’t happy with how they’ll receive the refund. Instead of a cash or check, the refund will come as credit on their next sewer bill. Many customers, including Anne Roseboom, a retired postal worker on a fixed income, are outraged.

“I feel like the people of New Castle County have been lied to,” she said.

“It’s frustrating that they can overcharge you and then try to credit our bill instead of giving your money back,” said Brian Goodyear, another customer. “If they made a mistake they should give you your money back.”

When asked why they aren’t giving people a straight refund, Prado said it would “actually cost more to cut checks and send those to people.” Prado also admits that the mistake could’ve been corrected “more quickly.”

Roseboom isn’t satisfied by his answer.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s nothing,” she said. “These words don’t mean nothing. I want to see action.”

For now however, Roseboom and thousands of others will have to settle with the current refund plan.

To find out if you’ll be getting a refund, log onto the New Castle County website on Wednesday.