Looking for flu myths and facts? Get them straight from the gubmint. [Flu dot Gov]

The Obama administration hosted the Clean Energy Economy Forum with business leaders yesterday. Dozens, if not hundreds, of businesses and groups were represented at the forum. But not a single one was from Kentucky. Interesting that the crew in Frankfort didn’t think it was a priority to get Kentucky representation for the event. Primarily because there are tons upon tons of “green” businesses in the Commonwealth. Blows our mind. [Press Release]

The gun minister in Valley Station is leaving his church to, you know, play with guns 24/7. [Peter Smith]

The City of Louisville and our firefighters have reached a tentative deal in a 9-year overtime pay dispute. Folks who read between the lines will recognize that this should have been resolved seven or eight years ago, but elected officials never want to compensate our public servants appropriately. And this is only occurring now because of pressure put on Jerry Abramson from Steve Beshear’s crew, as they can’t afford not to have the firefighters union at their backs. [WLKY]

The Louisville Clock? Yeah, it makes me want to cry a little and/or throw up. Not sure which. What are your thoughts? [Broken Sidewalk]

Mitch McConnell likes the CBO score until it doesn’t suit his needs. Then it’s ‘much ado about nothing.’ [Washington Independent]

Some day Louisvillians won’t want to gouge their eyes out over gas price gouging. And maybe some day Kentucky’s officials and the courts will actually do something about it. Until then, we can play pat-a-cake and twiddle our thumbs. [C-J]

Tomorrow morning the University of Louisville’s planetarium will host a live broadcast and discussion about a planned crash into the moon. It’s free. And you should go. [The 'Ville Voice]

The 1997 Marathon/Ashland merger, he told us a year ago, may have led to a wholesaler monopoly on the market. In other words, he thinks the wholesalers are jacking up prices here, because they can get away with it.

And in bigger news, he says he doesn’t color his hair.

Conway says his opinion on the Jerry Abramson giveaway to Cordish, and whether he could legally divert funds to a downtown agency, is nearly finished. He’s read a draft, he says, but has sent it back for some tweaking. He says it will be lengthy, and will lay out what the Mayor’s authority is.

It will take another week and a half before it’s released, he says.

Without further ado…

The recent rash of automated vehicle warranty calls that has plagued Kentucky consumers is another reminder that scam artists are constantly looking for new ways to victimize consumers. They utilize the latest technology and go to great lengths to perpetrate their crimes.

Despite being on the federal “Do Not Call” list, I too have received these annoying “robo calls” alerting me that my vehicle warranty is about to run out.

These calls have not only been a nuisance, they are misleading, deceptive and a violation of the telemarketing “No Call” law and the Consumer Protection Act. Their real purpose is to deceive consumers into providing important financial information.

Over the past couple of months, my Office of Consumer Protection has received more than 400 complaints from consumers who have received these “robo calls” on both cell phones and land lines. With the information provided to us by consumers, we were able to subpoena telephone records to identify the alleged perpetrators of at least some of the phony warranty calls.

Peep the rest – including details of gas price gouging investigations – after the jump…

On May 14, I filed suit against SVM, Inc., Fortress Secured, Inc. and their principal owner, Bruce Moneymaker, to stop these calls. The following day, Fayette Circuit Judge Kim Bunnell granted our request for a restraining order. I, and many others, appreciate Judge Bunnell’s quick consideration of this matter. The Federal Trade Commission has also taken action against several of these telemarketing companies.

My office continues to identify other potential violators, and we have issued subpoenas to determine those responsible. These companies are on notice that this type of harassment and disregard for the law will not be tolerated in Kentucky.

If you have not yet registered your home or cell phone on the “No Call” list, please visit www.nocall.ky.gov or call 888-382-1222. If you are already on the “No Call” list and receive any telemarketing call you believe is in violation of the law, file a complaint with my office at the above web address or call 1-866-877-STOP (7867) to request a complaint form.

Gas Prices

One of the most frequent questions I get when I travel the state is “what can I do about rising gas prices?” Be assured, we are constantly monitoring the price of gasoline in the Commonwealth.

My office currently has multiple gas price investigations. We have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review data my office gathered regarding the merger of Ashland and Marathon back in the 1990s. I have requested a meeting with the FTC’s new chairman, Jon Leibowitz, to discuss what we believe is a potentially illegal monopoly in Kentucky’s petroleum market that has affected the price of gasoline. I look forward to working with Chairman Leibowitz and with Congressman John Yarmuth in addressing this important issue.  (ED NOTE:  Bold emphasis ours)

We are also seeking more than $90 million in penalties from Marathon for alleged price-gouging in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In January, we issued fines against retail stations in seven different Kentucky communities over price-gouging at the pump in the wake of Hurricane Ike and the subsequent wind storm.

During these tough economic times, no one wants to see higher gas prices. And no one wants to be harassed by scam artists trying to make an extra buck. Be assured, I remain committed to protecting Kentucky consumers, both at the pumps and from deceptive business practices.

Jack Conway
Kentucky Attorney General

Saw This One Coming: The police union is now complaining that its members, relieved of some of their obligations to show up for court duty, count on the overtime pay they get and, well, going to court wasn’t so bad after all. Government spent $833K in six months paying cops to show up in court, money better spent elsewhere. [Fox41]

Old-Fashioned Newsman: Congressman John Yarmuth paid tribute to WHAS-TV’s Mark Hebert on the floor of the House yesterday. [WHAS-TV]

Leaving Las Vegas: Yes, it was a pretty big deal, this ABC Kids convention that Louisville’s CVB lured here and announced yesterday. But we’re not really buying Jim Wood’s logic — that Louisville won out because it has fewer distractions for visitors than Las Vegas. Let’s see if any other big shows make the Vegas to Ville switch. [Joe Arnold]

Johnson, Trees, Pissed: Councilman Dan Johnson is holding a press conference at 10:45 this morning at 6th and Ashland, where we can assume there are still storm debris lying around. We’re anxious to hear if Johnson is going to criticize the Mayor. [press release]

No Poe Development in Irish Hill: Remember all that controversy over moving a creek in Irish Hill to accommodate plans by Poe Companies to bring some retail to the area near Breslin Park? Well, never mind. Poe is walking away from the project. [Broken Sidewalk]

Not in Church: We saw the WHAS-TV report on religion and weren’t impressed.  The two-part series featured comments from locals on what we already knew – there’s a big decline in the number of people who identify themselves as Christians. But Gary Roedemeier’s series barely mentioned controversial church positions on sex and politics and how they might factor into the decline. [WHAS-TV]

“They’re Just Completely Full of Shit.” — Quote of the day from LEO’s piece on downtown entertainment, from Ward Plauche, who recently closed the CityBlock nightclub. Plauche, as you might guess, was referring to city economic development officials. [LEO]

Don’t Hire a Guy Named Ramon: Local wedding photographer Ramon Rodriguez has some DUI problems and seems to have skipped town with deposits from dozens of clients. Even his attorney doesn’t know where he is. [WAVE]

Olmstead Way: There’s a ceremony later today unveiling new signs at Armory Place honoring the late WHAS reporter Chuck Olmstead. [WHAS-TV]

Kentucky consumers can be assured that my office is continuing to investigate allegations of price gouging in the wake of January’s ice storm. We have received more than 550 complaints related to gasoline prices, hotel rooms, generators, kerosene and other storm related necessities.  My Office of Consumer Protection is currently investigating each complaint and sending notices to retailers to allow them to respond. If we find that these retailers were reaping excessive profits during the time of a disaster, I will take action.

Because of the extent of the storm damage across the Commonwealth, Governor Steve Beshear has extended the period for filing price-gouging complaints for another 30 days. If you suspect that you’re a victim of price gouging, send us the information at icestormcomplaints@ag.ky.gov.  When possible, please include digital photos or scanned copies of receipts.  You may also call my office at 888-432-9257.

Cybercrimes Legislation Passes House 97-0

I am also pleased to report that we are a step closer to enacting legislation that will better protect Kentucky children from Internet predators. The Kentucky House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the cybercrimes legislation that Representative Johnny Bell and I are promoting during this legislative session.  I am hopeful that the bill will find the same bi-partisan support in the Senate.

Budget Cuts

While protecting consumers and improving cybersafety in the Commonwealth have been top priorities, I have also been tasked with maintaining the mission critical services of the Office of the Attorney General during a time of unprecedented budget cuts and a lingering economic recession.

I have joined many Kentucky families in doing some serious belt tightening.  Since taking office, my budget has been cut by about  20%, taking this office back to funding levels last seen in 1999. However, I assure you our budget cuts and streamlining of operations have in no way affected our commitment to uphold the laws of the Commonwealth, pursue our priorities and protect our citizens.

The following are some of the cost savings we have realized in the Office of the Attorney General:

•     Completed a re-organization of the Office of the Attorney General to streamline and consolidate operations.
•     Created new Cybercrimes Unit utilizing existing investigators.
•     Saved $46,000 in rent and utilities by streamlining our divisions and obtaining free rental space for our field offices.
•     Saved $75,000 in vehicle expenses
•     Saved $50,000 in travel expenses.
•     Distributed Open Records/Open Meetings materials to all elected county officials via email
•     Office of the Attorney General Biennial Report will be available online rather than printed, saving $2100.

Our new and improved website is also helping us realize additional cost savings. We are communicating with the media and constituents via email, my weekly blogs and our monthly newsletter, which are available here. Audio and video from our press conferences is uploaded to our multimedia page. Our brochures, pamphlets and other informative materials can also be found on our website. Soon, consumers will be able to fill out complaint forms and submit them electronically via our website.

We are improving services for consumers, expanding our cybersafety initiatives, forming new partnerships that will help us combat the growing prescription drug problem in Kentucky and over the next two years, we will train nearly 200 prosecutors, social workers and law enforcement to improve the investigation and prosecution of child sexual assault cases in Kentucky.

I invite you to visit our website and see firsthand the work we’re doing to protect our citizens and make Kentucky a safer place to live, work and raise a family.