How much you wanna bet . . .

. . . this story won't be covered in the South Missourian News?

Thayer, MO--Shannon Johnson Reports

Thayer Couple Says Mold is Making Them Sick and the City is to Blame.

September 22, 2004 -- Posted 9:16 p.m. CDT

THAYER, MO--A Thayer, Missouri couple says mold in their home is making them sick and the city is to blame. They claim it all started when the city accidentally caused raw sewage to blast into their home in October of 2001.

"It was kind of like having molasses thrown all over your house," said Jimmie Conely.

City utility workers were working on sewage lines when they accidentally caused the blast. The Conelys cleaned up the mess, but mold began to grow in the house. They say a few weeks passed before the city's insurance inspector came out to look at the damage. The inspector said the problem could be fixed with $3,800. In the meantime the Conely's insurance company came out to inspect and said the damage was much more complicated. The Conelys turned down the city's $3,800 offer and received $16,000 from their insurance company. The city of Thayer has admitted to the fact that the sewage blast was their fault. But three years later the problem still hasn't been solved because mold keeps growing.

The Conelys' doctor says the mold and mildew is taking a toll on their health. They have advised the Conelys to leave their home, but the family says they don't have anywhere else to go.

The Conely family did file a lawsuit against the city around April of 2003, but so far nothing has come of it. They say as time ticks away, so does their health.

KAIT can report it because the railroad and small clique of politicians that controls Thayer doesn't control Jonesboro.