Problem Solvers

Problem Solvers Property owner surprised when utility crew digs up his yard (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU Problem Solver and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 24, 2013 at 10:49 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 2:00 PM PDT

John Huszar owns a rental house. On day he went over to talk to the renters, but to his surprise he found a construction crew installing large utility boxes on the lawn.

Problem Solvers Scammers posing as your friend on Facebook out to rip you off (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU Problem Solver Published: Apr 23, 2013 at 5:50 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 23, 2013 at 6:58 PM PDT

They take over your friends' identities. Then they start chatting with you as your friend. And soon they're trying to trick you out of your money.

Problem Solvers Brewing at home: 'It's super-easy to make really good coffee' (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson, KATU Problem Solver and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 22, 2013 at 6:01 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:46 PM PDT

Are you paying too much for your café-crafted drinks? We went on a tour of five different coffee-making methods, each with its own flavor, that you can make at home.

Problem Solvers Are food carts subject to health inspections? (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson, KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 16, 2013 at 5:48 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:06 PM PDT

The Problem Solvers get a lot of questions about food carts: For instance, who’s checking up on them to ensure the food is safe? To answer your questions and understand the healthy-cooking process, we followed an inspector along as he scooped out a Tigard food cart, 808 Grinds.

Problem Solvers Get ready to pay more if your dog or cat gets sick (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU News Published: Apr 12, 2013 at 8:37 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 12, 2013 at 8:37 AM PDT

The price of medications for pets has increased in a big way and that means some owners will have to make very difficult choices about the animals they love. Watch the video for the full report.

Problem Solvers Woman's grieving disrupted by automated calls about deceased mother (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson, KATU Problem Solver Published: Apr 10, 2013 at 4:36 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:54 PM PDT

Elena Foster said she received recorded claiming to be from her mother’s health insurance provider and the AARP just days after her mother passed away. They asked personal questions for a survey as if Eleanor was still alive.

Problem Solvers Major portrait studio closes, leaving some without pictures (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU Problem Solvers Published: Apr 8, 2013 at 11:29 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 8, 2013 at 11:29 PM PDT

The studios inside Sears and Walmart stores shut down all of a sudden on Thursday. The company called CPI could not handle the competition from phone cameras and digital images. But some local customers want to know where the pictures they paid for are.

Problem Solvers Lose weight and win money? There's a website for that (Video)

By Shellie Bailey Shah, KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 4, 2013 at 5:33 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 4, 2013 at 6:01 PM PDT

People are using the website HealthyWage.com for a little motivation to lose weight. You pay in to the program then compete with other people for cash prizes to see who can lose the most weight.

Problem Solvers Preview: Fluoride and kids' teeth - what does the data show?

By Shellie Bailey-Shah KATU News Published: Apr 25, 2013 at 11:01 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 25, 2013 at 11:03 AM PDT

The KATU Problem Solvers pressured the state of Oregon to release data that could influence your vote on the fluoridation measure in Portland.

Problem Solvers Your kids are using Instagram: Is it safe? (Video)

By Shellie Bailey-Shah, KATU News Published: Dec 27, 2012 at 7:08 PM PDT Last Updated: Dec 28, 2012 at 1:40 PM PDT

Instagram is the latest social media craze. With more than 100 million users, the social media phone app is especially popular with tweens and teens. But parents should know it’s not immune to the problems that plague other social media. KATU's Shellie Bailey-Shah takes a look at the latest craze.

Problem Solvers Is it mold? Store says no, pulls baby food anyway (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson, KATU Problem Solver Published: Apr 3, 2013 at 5:10 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 3, 2013 at 5:31 PM PDT

Melissa Watson bought the O Organics beef with beef gravy baby food for her 8-month-old son. When she opened it up Monday night to feed him she was so disgusted she couldn’t eat dinner

Problem Solvers It's 'robbery,' woman says about charge to get towed car back (Video)

By Shellie Bailey-Shah KATU Problem Solver and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 2, 2013 at 8:48 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:01 PM PDT

But now Oregon legislators may be finally reeling in towers' exorbitant rates as they consider a bill that would limit the amount tow companies could charge.

Problem Solvers Ex-counterfeiter says stealing personal information was easy (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU Problem Solver Published: Apr 1, 2013 at 11:05 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 1, 2013 at 11:05 PM PDT

Mary says on a slow day she would cash $500 in counterfeit checks, and on a good day, $2,000. In all, 250 victims were scammed out of almost $50,000.

Problem Solvers Even the skeptics are falling for this timeshare scam (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU Problem Solver Published: Apr 1, 2013 at 9:44 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 1, 2013 at 9:44 PM PDT

A new scam is tricking people out of money over timeshares. A local couple lost almost $50,000. Click on the "Play Video" button to watch this story.

Problem Solvers Man says his scooter is dangerous, can't get help from company (Video)

By Kerry Tomlinson KATU Problem Solver Published: Mar 25, 2013 at 11:02 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:31 PM PDT

Bob Bennett, 81, of Southeast Portland says he got a chair from The Scooter Store at a cost of $3,000 with Medicare paying that bill. But he believes his chair is dangerous and says he can't get help from the company.