// a href = ./ //

As people continue work to clean up after Friday's storms, Missouri Attorney General is warning homeowners and businesses to be on the lookout for price gouging.

Koster reminds everyone that suddenly and artificially raising prices is illegal. Anyone who feels they have been the victim of price gouging should call the attorney general's office at 800.392.8222.

Anyone found to be in violation of price-gouging laws faces a fine of up to $1,000 per violation.

 

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Attorney General Chris Koster says he won't appeal a federal court ruling striking down a Missouri law that exempted moral objectors from an insurance requirement to cover birth control.

But Koster does want a judge to revise the ruling, so that religious institutions can receive the same exceptions they currently have under federal law.

At issue is a law enacted by Missouri's Republican-led Legislature last year that requires insurers to issue policies without contraception coverage if people or employers assert that birth control violates their "moral, ethical or religious beliefs."

A judge ruled last month that the Missouri law conflicted with an insurance requirement under President Barack Obama's health care law.

Koster, a Democrat, said Thursday that the Republican-backed bill "is just plain foolish."

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster says he is making preparations to run for governor in 2016.

Koster, a Democrat, has served as attorney general since 2009 and previously was a state senator and local prosecutor.  He has the potential to move up because Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is prohibited by term limits from seeking re-election again.

Asked Tuesday by The Associated Press whether he will run for governor in 2016, Koster replied: "We are making the necessary preparations and building consensus around the state toward that end."

Koster's statement came a day after the campaign manager for Democratic State Treasurer Clint Zweifel said that Zweifel will not run for governor in 2016. He cited Zweifel's desire to spend time with his teenage daughters and avoid a contentious primary.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is suing the operators of a St. Louis County landfill, alleging violations of state environmental laws.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday stems from an underground fire at the Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill near Lambert Airport. The fire is causing a foul-smelling odor that is drawing complaints from nearby homes, businesses, hospitals and senior care centers.

The suit against the landfill owner, Republic Services Inc., asks that Republic bear the cost of cleanup, remediation and monitoring.

Messages seeking comment from the landfill and Republic were not returned. In a statement on its website, Bridgeton Landfill says it is working to fix the problem. Forty wells will be added by April 15 to remove odor-causing gas, then a cap will be installed over the odor-causing area of the landfill.

Missouri's attorney general is looking for new ways to curb mathamphetatime use in the state.

At a news conference today, attorney general Chris Koster will outline initiatives against "smurfing," a practice that involves recruiting people to purchase medicines containing pseudoephedrine.

The campaign calls partly for Missouri pharmacies to display warnings at cash registers letting would-be smurfers know their actions have serious consequences.

Two Nevada companies have agreed to pay Missouri $41,500 in penalties for violating the state's no-call law for telemarketers, according to the Missouri attorney general's office.

Attorney General Chris Koster said in a statement that his office received more than 175 complaints about the companies, Firebrand Group SL and Worldwide Commerce Associates. Consumers reported that the companies were trying to sell services such as cruise packages and tax services.

In addition to the cash penalty, the companies have agreed to stop making telemarketing calls to any consumer in the state of Missouri who has placed his or her phone number on the Missouri do-not-call list without the consumer's express consent, Koster's office said.

Missourians can sign up for the do-not-call hotline on Koster's website at ago.mo.gov or by calling (866) 662-2551.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP) - A Florida man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a sweepstakes scam that cost an eastern Missouri couple more than $250,000.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced Thursday that Patrick Percival Wilson pleaded guilty to two felony counts of exploitation of the elderly, one count of stealing by deceit and one count of unlawful merchandising practices. The attorney general's office was appointed special prosecutor in the case.

Koster says an elderly couple from Perryville was scammed into believing they won a sweepstakes of $85 million. Wilson and his colleagues convinced the couple to send money to pay taxes and fees for their winnings.

Wilson told authorities that he received at least $67,000 of the money. The rest was sent to Jamaica.