They don’t admit wrongdoing or guilt, but eight gas retailers in Kentucky have agreed to pay the state more than $100,000 in fines for alleged price gouging.Attorney General Jack Conway says his office received nearly two thousand price gougingcomplaints in the wake of Hurricane Ike, which came ashore last September.“We had emailed digital photos of gas stations and what they were charging. We went and followed up at one particular gas station and the fella said ‘Look, I just put up a really high price to protect my normal customers and keep the lines from forming,’ and he quickly changed it,”Conway said.Pilot Travel Centers in Corbin, Middlesboro, Williamsburg, Franklin and Oak Grove agreed to pay a total of $100,000 dollars in fines. Two T-Marts in Wingo and Franklin agreed to total fines of seven-thousand-500 dollars. An eighth station has not yet been identified. The state will use the money for transportation needs.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.