National retailer Urban Outfitters has crossed the line by selling pint glasses, shot glasses and flasks made to look like prescription pill bottles. To equate painkillers with alcohol or even suggest that they be used together is very dangerous and the height of irresponsibility.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and I, along with our colleagues from across the country, will be sending a letter to Urban Outfitters to urge the retailer to stop selling these products. For more information, please see the press release we issued this week.

On Monday, May 13, my Office of Victim Advocacy and I will host the annual Crime Victims' Rights Day Service and the Kentucky Homicide Memorial dedication of names at Louisville's Resthaven Cemetery. Thirty-three names have been added to the homicide memorial. I hope you will keep these families, and all of Kentucky's crime victims, in your prayers.

We will also remember the victims of the Carrollton bus crash during Monday's ceremony. Tuesday, May 14 marks the 25th anniversary of the deadliest DUI crash in our nation's history. Twenty seven people, mostly children, died when Larry Mahoney drove the wrong way, drunk, on the interstate in Carroll County. Thirty four others were injured in the crash.

Karolyn Nunnallee, whose 10-year-old daughter died in the crash, will be the featured speaker at our Victims' Rights Day event. Karolyn's courage and commitment to her family helped turn this tragedy into an opportunity for change. Her efforts helped strengthen the nation's DUI laws, lower DUI limits, and increase school bus safety for all children.

If you're in the Columbia, Ky. area, tune into WAIN Radio on Monday morning. I'll be talking to Lisa Clark about the latest news from my Office.

A former Eastern Kentucky pain clinic owner pled guilty this week to charges he defrauded the Medicaid program. Dr. Lee Balaklaw was ordered to pay more than $140,000 in restitution and is barred from participating in all federally funded health programs for at least five years. I appreciate the hard work of my Medicaid Fraud division in investigating and prosecuting this case. Our commitment to combatting Medicaid Fraud have not gone unnoticed. In 2012, we earned the title of one of the most aggressive Medicaid Fraud Units in the country. For more information, please see our press release.

Also this week, I released a new video public service announcement. These brief video PSAs cover a variety of topics related to the work we are doing in the Attorney General's Office to make Kentucky a safer place to live, work and raise a family. This month's PSA is on our new "Faces of Prescription Drug Abuse" video series.

Visiting the backside of Churchill Downs this week reminded me of how wonderful it is to be a Kentuckian at Derby time. On Tuesday, I enjoyed catching up with more than a dozen radio stations from across the state taking part in the Kentucky Derby Festival's AT&T Morning Line at the Derby Museum. On Wednesday, I talked with Louisville TV and radio stations covering Dawn at the Downs about the work we're doing in the Attorney General's Office.

Churchill Downs and the Derby hold a special place in my heart. My family and I will always cherish the chance we had in 2010 to watch Stately Victor, the horse I co-own with my father, run in the Kentucky Derby. This was a dream come true and a fitting tribute to my childhood friend Victor Perrone, whose life ended far too soon.

This year, Elizabeth and I look forward to making new Derby memories with family and friends. My top pick for Derby 139 is Normandy Invasion.

Whatever your Derby tradition, we hope that you have a safe and enjoyable Derby weekend.

We had two great Keep Kentucky Kids Safe programs yesterday in Perry and Pike counties. I am truly grateful for the incredible support our programs receive from local law enforcement and community leaders. I was particularly pleased to have Pike County Sheriff "Fuzzy" Keesee join me at Mullins Middle School. Elected to office in 1962, he is Kentucky's longest serving Sheriff.

Since I launched the Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program in 2010, I've visited dozens of middle and high schools, warning more than 20,000 students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. I will never forget the students who have quietly and bravely shared with me how prescription pills have affected their families. I heard from more students yesterday, some as young as 11, and my heart continues to break for the children who are bearing the scars of this scourge.

One young boy tearfully shared with me how his mother was attacked by an addict. Another girl sat in the audience with tears in her eyes. She lost her father two weeks ago to a prescription drug overdose. These are 5th, 6th and 7th graders whose lives are forever changed. It was hard not to get choked up as I looked at the pain on so many of their faces.

As always, I am grateful for the concerned parents, like Mike Donta, who join me at these programs. It was also an honor to have Operation UNITE Vice President Dan Smoot participate in yesterday's programs.

If you have expired or unused prescription medications at home, make sure to safely dispose of them. Law enforcement across Kentucky will be collecting prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow as part of the DEA's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Visit http://goo.gl/YAlRp to find a collection site near you.

I enjoyed speaking this morning to nearly 200 elementary school students attending the Kentucky Junior Historical Society Conference. My parents taught me at an early age the importance of an education, a love of history, a passion for public service and a love for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

I encouraged our junior historians to explore public service. It is a chance to change the communities and world in which we live. And if they leave Kentucky someday, I hope they'll come back home to give back to a place that has given us so much.

I'd like to thank the Courier Journal Editorial Board for inviting me to sit down with them on Wednesday. I am proud of all that my staff and I have accomplished over the past five years. I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch the video.

Our thoughts and prayers this week have been with the residents of Boston and those whose lives have been forever changed by Monday's bombings. On Wednesday, I spoke with my friend and colleague Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley to let her know that Kentuckians were praying for the residents of her beloved city and that we stand ready to assist the victims of this horrific crime.

General Coakley and I want Kentuckians to know that the best way to support the victims in Boston is to donate to reputable organizations such as the American Red Cross or The One Fund Boston. For more information and tips for wise giving, please see our press release.

I updated the Kentucky County Clerks Association this week on my efforts to help Kentucky homeowners who have struggled in the wake of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. That includes the lawsuit I filed earlier this year against MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Mortgage Electronic Registration System, Inc. (MERS) for violations of Kentucky law. Kentucky's statute is clear. It requires mortgage assignments to be recorded with County Clerks. MERS directly violated that law by creating this system that provides no public record of sales or transactions and deliberately circumvents paying recording fees to states. Since MERS creation in 1995, we believe its members have avoided paying more than $2 billion in recording fees nationwide.

Our participation in the historic $25 billion national mortgage foreclosure settlement has brought nearly $58 million to Kentucky to aid homeowners and communities. To date, the five participating banks have reported providing assistance to 1,562 Kentuckians. I am proud of our efforts to hold banks accountable and to provide second chances to those who were wrongfully foreclosed upon.

It was a great day for Lexington and for the entire state yesterday as international law firm Bingham McCutchen opened its global services center at the University of Kentucky's Coldstream Research Campus Business Park. The center will employ 250 people who will support 1,000 lawyers around the world. As Kentucky's chief law officer, it was a privilege to personally welcome Bingham to the Commonwealth and I look forward to a successful partnership.

Also this week, I was extremely pleased that the FDA heeded the bipartisan advice of state attorneys general and blocked generic drug manufacturers from producing a crushable form of OxyContin. This drug has fueled addiction and overdoses across Kentucky and the nation. To have allowed generic, crushable OxyContin on the market would have been a serious step backwards in our efforts against opiate painkiller abuse.

I will be talking to students in Pike and Perry counties next week about the dangers of abusing prescription painkillers. Operation UNITE's Dan Smoot and my friend Mike Donta, whose son lost his battle with prescription drug addiction, will join me at Perry County Central High and Mullins School in Pike County. For more information on our efforts to combat prescription drug abuse, please visit ag.ky.gov/rxabuse.

I also hope you'll take a few moments to check out some of the other press releases we issued this week:

• Attorney General Conway Announces More than $101 Million in Tobacco Settlement Money for Kentucky
• Attorney General Conway Announces Kentucky's Participation in $25 Million Settlement with Drug Company Amgen, Inc.

I appreciated the opportunity yesterday to speak to the State Building and Construction Trades Council in Lexington. I am always glad to talk about our many accomplishments in the Office of the Attorney General. I was particularly pleased to talk about the progress we're making in combating prescription drug abuse in Kentucky and the work we're doing to protect servicemembers and consumers from the predatory practices of some for-profit colleges.

Kentucky is lucky to have an organization like the Building and Construction Trades Council which has provided a powerful voice for hard working Kentuckians for 75 years now.

On Wednesday, my Office of Special Prosecutions obtained an indictment of a former Eastern Kentucky University director on tax fraud charges. The charges against 44-year-old Michael Jones of Lexington were the result of an investigation by the Department of Revenue's Division of Special Investigations. Please see our press release for more information.

A child pornography case investigated by my Cybercrimes Unit in the fall of 2011 has resulted in the sentencing of a Lexington man in U.S. District Court on charges he received child pornography. Thirty-three-year-old Jason Meade was sentenced yesterday to 103 months in federal prison. Meade was also ordered to remain under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for the rest of his life.

Finally, I'm looking forward to receiving a "Pure Michigan" gourmet basket from Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette after the U of L Cardinals defeated the Wolverines Monday night to win the NCAA Championship title. What a game and what a night it was in Atlanta. Congrats to the Cards for keeping the National Championship trophy in Kentucky. Elizabeth (a U of L graduate) and I are also so proud of the U of L Women's team and their stunning season.

It was a privilege to again join Holly Petraeus, Assistant Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to focus attention on consumer issues facing our nation's servicemembers and their families. Mrs. Petraeus, Brig. Gen. David Ehrhart (USAF, Ret.) and Francis King with the U.S. Department of Justice were guests on a panel I moderated in Nashville, TN this morning at the National Association of Attorneys General-Southern Region meeting.

In 2011, Mrs. Petraeus, Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper and I co-hosted an event at Fort Campbell to provide soldiers and their families with the tools and information they need to protect themselves against unscrupulous businesses.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of serving as guest lecturer at the University of Tennessee's College of Law. I talked about a variety of consumer protection issues and my investigation of the for-profit college industry.

My Keep Kentucky Kids Safe partners and I received a warm welcome at West Jessamine and George Rogers Clark high schools yesterday. We were able to talk to nearly 2,000 students about the heavy toll that prescription pill abuse has taken on our state and on our families.

I was grateful for the strong show of support from community leaders in both Jessamine and Clark counties, including State Senator Tom Buford and State Representative Donna Mayfield, who took time out of their busy schedules to attend our program. Although we don't always see eye-to-eye politically, Sen. Buford and Rep. Mayfield, who are Republicans, are in agreement that prescription drug abuse is an epidemic that knows no political or socio-economic boundaries.

Sadly, I was reminded again of the heartbreaking toll prescription pill abuse has taken on our children. After our program in Clark County, a young woman shared with me how prescription drugs and other substance abuse tore her family apart. Her parents, both addicts, were incapable of raising her. Fortunately, family members stepped in to help, but it has been a painful road for this young girl. Far too many children in Kentucky are bearing this difficult burden.

That's why I'll continue traveling the state with concerned parents, like Karen Shay and Mike Donta, and my state and law enforcement partners to urge students to say no if someone, other than their doctor, offers them a prescription medication. Our next school program is Tuesday, March 26 at Camp Ernst Middle School in Boone County. For more information on our visit to Clark and Jessamine counties, please see our press release.

If you or your family has been touched by prescription pill abuse, share your story through my Prescription Drug Abuse page. Videos may be submitted as a video response to any of our video clips.

I was pleased today to join 13 of my colleagues in support of the Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act sponsored by Senators Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Tom Harkin (D-IA). This bill ensures that federal education dollars will be used to serve and educate students rather than to finance advertising campaigns.

Why is this important? In fiscal year 2009, 15 of the nation's largest for-profit education companies spent $3.7 billion on advertising, marketing and recruitment. They also received at least 86 percent of their revenues from federal student aid programs.

As I have examined the questionable business practices of some for-profit institutions and led a national working group of state Attorneys General examining issues surrounding for-profit colleges, I have seen far too many students left with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and no degree. Dreams of a better life have turned to nightmares for many.

During these tough economic times, it is vital that taxpayer dollars be spent wisely and that those seeking a better life for themselves through higher education not fall victim to the abusive and deceptive marketing practices employed by some for-profit colleges. For more information, please see our press release.

I was among 47 Attorneys General this week who urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make generic pain pills harder to abuse. I hope you'll take a moment to see our press release on this important issue.

Also this week, I announced Kentucky's participation in a $7 million multistate settlement with Google over privacy concerns involving the Internet giant's "Street View" program. From 2008-2010, Google collected information from unsecured WiFi networks as it captured images for its "Street View" service. This is a fair settlement that recognizes the privacy rights of individuals whose information was collected without their permission, and requires Google to help educate consumers on how to better secure their personal information.

I had the privilege this week to attend the Kentucky Women Remembered event in the Kentucky Capitol to honor Lois Howard Gray, Thelma Stovall and Mary Eugenia Wharton. These distinguished women have changed our state for the better. To learn about their contributions check out this link, and the next time you visit the Capitol, stop by and see their portraits now hanging in the West Wing.

I'm looking forward to visiting with students in Jessamine and Clark counties on Thursday, March 21 as part of my Keep Kentucky Kids Safe prescription drug abuse awareness initiative. As always, I am grateful to be joined by Kentucky's drug czar, Van Ingram, and two courageous parents, Dr. Karen Shay and Mike Donta.

Finally, I hope you'll take a moment to watch my recent visit with WKYT's Bill Bryant on Kentucky Newsmakers.

The men and women of the United States Armed Forces risk their lives every day to defend our great nation and preserve our freedom. As Kentucky's chief law officer, I want to do what I can to help our nation's heroes and their families. That's why I joined with the Department of Justice and the Attorneys General from Illinois, Indiana and North Carolina to develop a legal "toolkit" to protect our servicemembers and veterans from unscrupulous businesses and scam artists.

This toolkit will be provided to all Attorneys General to assist their offices in identifying and addressing common consumer protection issues facing servicemembers, including abusive lending practices, student debt and for-profit colleges that prey on military men and women, as well as identity theft. For more information, please see our press release.

Earlier this week, I joined Governor Beshear, House Speaker Stumbo, Senate President Stivers and others as House Bill 217 was signed into law. This measure makes common sense improvements to Kentucky's landmark prescription drug legislation. These changes will make it easier for doctors and patients to live within the confines of the law, yet it upholds the original intent to fight prescription drug abuse in Kentucky.

This law is working. Approximately half of the state's pain clinics have shut their doors and for the first time in a decade prescriptions for the most abused/diverted drugs like Oxycodone, hydrocodone and Opana are down, in some cases nearly 50 percent. (More information here.)

My Office of Consumer Protection announced this week the recovery of lost membership fees for hundreds of former customers of a Lexington, Ky. health club. We have sent refunds totaling more than $36,000 to nearly 600 consumers for the unused portion of membership fees at the former Shapes New Dimensions, Inc.

We also joined with other states and the federal government in reaching a $22.5 million criminal and civil settlement with Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. I am proud of the work we are doing to recover money for Kentucky taxpayers and to bring to justice to drug companies that put profits ahead of patient care. We've recovered or been awarded nearly $300 million for the state and federal Medicaid program. That's why my Medicaid Fraud Unit was named one of the most aggressive unit's in the country for fighting fraud.

It was great visiting this morning with WKYT's Bill Bryant during a taping of Kentucky Newsmakers. We talked about a variety of issues including the advisory opinion I issued yesterday on industrial hemp in Kentucky, our investigation of Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing and how our participation in the national mortgage foreclosure settlement has provided second chances to thousands of Kentucky homeowners. Kentucky Newsmakers airs this weekend on WKYT Channel 27 in Lexington or you can watch it online at WKYT.com.

One year after I announced Kentucky's participation in the $25 billion national mortgage foreclosure settlement, I am proud to report that more than1,500 Kentucky homeowners have received $55.5 million in consumer relief from the nation's five largest mortgage servicers as of December 31, 2012. Additionally, relief claims totaling more than $2 million are in process, bringing Kentucky's total consumer relief to $57.5 million.

Nationally, the third post-settlement report released yesterday shows that the banks have provided more than $45 billion to 550,000 borrowers. This direct relief has helped keep people in their homes and provided second chances for struggling families. For more information, please see our press release.

We have taken action this week against another drug company that has put profits ahead of patient care. We filed suit on Feb. 20 against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the manufacturer of Avandia, a prescription drug used to treat diabetes. Our lawsuit alleges that GSK violated Kentucky's Consumer Protection Act by engaging in deceptive advertising, overstating the effectiveness of Avandia and hiding the drug's risks from Kentuckians. In fact, doctors from the Mayo Clinic found that 87 percent of the authors who wrote scientific articles about the safety and effectiveness of Avandia had financial ties to GSK.

Our complaint seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation against GSK. For more information, please see our press release.

Kentucky families struggling to heat their homes this winter have received additional assistance as a result of a coordinated effort between my Office of Rate Intervention, the Kentucky Public Service Commission and Community Action Kentucky. We've obtained nearly $50,000 in additional aid for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) thanks to a payment from a March 2012 settlement between federal regulators and Constellation Energy over its alleged manipulation of the wholesale energy market.

This additional funding was used immediately to assist Kentucky households who were facing the loss of their electric services. More information is available in our press release.

I'm looking forward to attending next week's annual meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). The prescription drug epidemic will be among the topics of discussion. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and I are co-chairing the NAAG Substance Abuse Committee and will lead a panel discussion on prescription pill diversion, national trends, law enforcement response and treatment options on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 3-4 p.m.

We are honored to have Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, among our panelists. A video from the panel discussion will be available through NAAG's website at naag.org under the 2013 Winter Spring Meeting.

There is no greater pain than that of a parent who has lost a child. Because of the epidemic of prescription drug abuse, far too many Kentucky parents have endured this heartache. Many, like my friend Mike Donta of Ashland, Ky., have courageously stepped forward to share their stories. Mike's son lost his three-year battle with prescription drug addiction in 2010. Since then, Mike has traveled with me through our Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program to warn middle and high school students about the dangers of abusing prescription pills.

Mike Donta also shares his son's story in a video we posted as part of our "Faces of Prescription Drug Abuse" video series. We posted the video on what would have been his son's 27th birthday. I encourage you to take a few moments to listen to Mike's story. And if you or your family has been affected by prescription drug abuse, please share your story. Videos may be submitted as a "video response" to any of our "Faces of Prescription Drug Abuse" clips, which can be viewed on our Prescription Drug Abuse page.

I announced a $12 million multi-state settlement with Victory Pharma earlier this week. The settlement resolves allegations Victory Pharma provided illegal kickbacks to health care professionals to induce them to prescribe four of its drugs. Under the settlement, the Kentucky Medicaid program will receive more than $426,000. Please see our press release for more information.

I am proud of the work my Medicaid Fraud Unit is doing to protect taxpayers and consumers from drug companies that engage in these types of illegal business practices. Since 2008, we've recovered or been awarded nearly $300 million for the state and federal Medicaid programs and last year we were named one of the most aggressive Medicaid Fraud Unit's in the country.

The hard work of my Office of Special Prosecutions resulted in the maximum sentence for a Marshall County man during his retrial on murder and arson charges. A Trigg County jury recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole for 42-year-old George Luna in the 2007 beating death of Debra Hendrickson of Benton, Ky. I hope this verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victim's loved ones. More information is available in our press release.

Drug companies that market their products for non-FDA approved uses are not only breaking the law, they're putting the public's health at risk. Yesterday, I announced a $5.5 million settlement with AstraZeneca to resolve allegations of off-label marketing of Seroquel, a drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia and various bipolar disorders in adults.

AstraZeneca illegally promoted Seroquel's off-label uses in children and adolescents well before establishing that the drug was not safe or effective for any use by that age group. This type of deceptive marketing is not tolerated in Kentucky. I'm pleased that we were able to reach a settlement that recovers millions of dollars for vital state programs and for Kentucky taxpayers. Please see our press release for more information.

It was a privilege to speak to Commonwealth's Attorneys and County Attorneys gathered in Lexington yesterday for their annual conferences. Working together with members of the prosecutorial community, we have accomplished a great deal for Kentucky families. We've implemented the Electronic Warrant Management System (eWarrants) system in Kentucky's rural communities, warned kids about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, made the Internet a safer place for our kids and we've been a voice for the Commonwealth's most vulnerable citizens.

While in Lexington, I also had the opportunity to address the winter meeting of the Kentucky County Judge Executive's Association. I've worked with many of our Judge Executives to tackle issues that affect families, local communities and our Commonwealth. I truly value the friendships I have forged with community leaders across the state and look forward to our continued efforts to make Kentucky a safer place to live, work and raise a family.

I'd also like to thank the members of the St. X Business & Professional Association for their warm welcome at the Olmstead in Louisville this morning.

Don't forget you can follow all of the latest news and events from the Office of the Attorney General on Twitter @kyoag, our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, and now on Instragram at instagram.com/kyoag.

Since 2001, one of the most prolific alleged pyramid schemes in North America has operated right here in Kentucky. Earlier this week, I joined with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to announce legal action against Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing following a two-year investigation by my Office and the FTC. The Attorneys General from Illinois and North Carolina joined us in filing a federal lawsuit against the Lexington-based company last week and on Monday, Jan. 28 we were able to secure, with a court-appointed receiver, Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing's corporate headquarters in Lexington and a warehouse in Danville. The court-appointed receiver is now in control of FHTM's assets.

Our investigation of FHTM began after North Dakota, Montana and Texas took legal action against the alleged pyramid operation. After receiving about a dozen complaints, we issued subpoenas to the company in August of 2010 and August of 2011 to look into possible violations of Kentucky's Pyramid Sales Act and the Consumer Protection Act.

What we have uncovered is troubling. We believe Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing has operated a massive pyramid scheme involving more than 100,000 people across the U.S. and in several other countries with damages to consumers in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

More than 90 percent of those who bought into FHTM lost their money. Be assured, we will try our best to get it back.

I appreciate the assistance we received from Lexington Police and Kentucky State Police and the City of Lexington as we initiated this action. For more information, please see our press release.

Yesterday, I announced Kentucky's participation in a $120 million multi-state settlement with Lender Processing Services, Inc. (LPS) to resolve allegations that the company "robo-signed" documents and engaged in other improper conduct related to the mortgage loan default services it provides. Kentucky will receive nearly $1 million under this settlement. This is part of our ongoing effort to ensure that the nation's largest banks and mortgage servicers are held accountable for the mortgage foreclosure crisis that has harmed so many families.

This week marks the end of one of the busiest months for my Office that I can recall as Attorney General. In addition to the LPS settlement and our efforts to shut down an alleged global pyramid scheme, we've filed suit against the Mortgage Electronic Registrations Systems, Inc. (MERS) as part of our investigation of mortgage foreclosure issues in Kentucky; sued our fourth for-profit school (Spencerian College) for misrepresenting job placement numbers to consumers and alerted thousands of students in Bullitt and Marion counties to the dangers of prescription drug abuse through my Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program.

I was thrilled to see the latest report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which shows a decline in the non-medical use of prescription pain relievers among all age groups in Kentucky. For the first time in years, we are below the national average for prescription drug abuse. Our efforts are paying off.

Our many accomplishments over the past month and years are a testament to the hard work and dedication of my staff and our partners in cities and counties across Kentucky. I appreciate your commitment to making a difference for families in every corner of the Commonwealth.

I look forward to talking about all of the news from my office with WTTL Radio in Madisonville, WLGC in Ashland and WKDZ in Cadiz on Monday morning!

When I announced Kentucky's participation last year in the historic $25 billion national mortgage foreclosure settlement, I vowed to consumers that our work was not over. During the negotiations for the national settlement, I felt Kentucky had significant civil claims against the Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS).

On Jan. 23, my office filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court against MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, MERS, for violations to Kentucky law.

By law, mortgage assignments must be recorded in the appropriate County Clerk's office with a $12 fee that is collected by the clerks on behalf of the Commonwealth. Our lawsuit alleges that MERS violated Kentucky law by failing to record mortgage assignments with County Clerks when mortgages were sold or transferred from one bank to another. We also believe MERS ripped off the Commonwealth of Kentucky by failing to pay recording fees to the County Clerks.

By creating a system that provides absolutely no public record of sales or transactions, MERS has destroyed the integrity of the public land recording system in the Commonwealth. Hundreds of thousands of Kentucky loans are registered in the MERS system. When homeowners struggled to pay their mortgages at the height of the housing crisis, many couldn't find out who owned their loans or who to call to request a loan modification.

Our lawsuit also alleges that MERS violated Kentucky's Consumer Protection Act by committing unfair, false, misleading or deceptive conduct. MERS could be fined up to $2,000 per violation.

For more information on our lawsuit against MERS, please see our press release or watch the video of our press conference.

It was an honor to speak yesterday at the Different Faces of Substance Abuse conference in Lexington. This annual event brings together prevention and treatment specialists, social workers and law enforcement from across the Commonwealth to develop and improve strategies to combat drug abuse in Kentucky communities.

I am grateful for all these folks are doing to help families that have been torn apart by addiction and illicit drug use. I also appreciate all they are doing to help me combat the fastest-growing drug problem in the U.S., prescription drug abuse.

I was pleased to report that we are making progress. Nearly half of the state's known pain clinics have shut down in the wake of tougher regulations. For the first time in a decade, prescriptions for the most abused/diverted drugs, like Opana, Oxycodone and Hydrocodone, are down. And after years of delays, Purdue Pharma will finally have to go before a Kentucky court and jury to respond to our allegations that they misrepresented the addictive nature of Oxycontin.

To learn more about the progress we've made combating prescription drug abuse in Kentucky, watch our video from yesterday's Different Faces of Substance Abuse conference.

You can also visit our Prescription Drug Abuse page.

It has been a very busy week with new developments in our investigation into the questionable business practices of some for-profit colleges in Kentucky, our fight against pill mills and prescription drug abuse.

On Wednesday, my Office filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Spencerian College alleging that the for-profit school misrepresented job placement numbers to consumers. This marks the fourth lawsuit we've filed as part of my ongoing investigation of the for-profit college industry.

Spencerian, which is owned by the Sullivan University System, provided students with information that it knew was false. Our investigation found that the job placement numbers Spencerian promoted publically were, in many instances, 30 to 40 percent higher than the numbers it reported to its national accreditor.

I believe Spencerian was more concerned about getting its hands on student loan money than in educating students and placing them in jobs. They preyed on people who were trying to build better lives. Our complaint seeks an injunction against Spencerian to prohibit further deceptive trade practices and civil penalties of $2,000 per violation.

If you attended Spencerian from 2007 until the present and want to file a complaint or provide information to my Office, please visit ag.ky.gov and click on "Student Complaints."

On Monday, we announced the arrest and indictment of 44-year-old Ernest "Will" Singleton and several of his business entities for prescription drug and money laundering conspiracies.

The charges against Singleton, who operated pain management centers in Georgetown and Dry Ridge, are the result of an 18-month investigation by my Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) working in partnership with the DEA, IRS and Kentucky State Police. The U.S. Attorney's Office is handling the prosecution. Please see our press release for more information.

I appreciate Senator Jimmy Higdon and Rep. Terry Mills joining me at Marion County High School yesterday to talk to students about the devastating consequences of prescription drug abuse. I am grateful for all they are doing to ensure that Kentucky doesn't lose another generation to this scourge. Thanks to Principal Stacey Hall and Superintendent Chuck Hamilton our program was broadcast to all Marion County schools yesterday.

My Keep Kentucky Kids Safe partners and I also received a warm welcome at North Bullitt High School yesterday where we spoke to more than 1,500 high school and middle school students. As always, I am grateful to Dr. Karen Shay, Mike Donta and the other concerned parents who travel with me to talk about the heavy toll prescription drug abuse has taken on their families. For more information, please see our press release.

Also, make sure to watch the new public service announcement we are distributing with the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy on heroin abuse.

On Monday, January 21 my Office will be closed along with other state government agencies in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Whether privately, or as part of a public celebration, let us all take a moment to remember Dr. King's legacy and his message of hope, healing and peace.

After years of delays, Purdue Pharma will finally have to answer allegations that they misrepresented the addictive nature of the drug Oxycontin before a Kentucky court and a Kentucky jury. A decision this week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit returns a lawsuit filed by my Office in 2007 to Pike Circuit Court.

Purdue Pharma's actions helped fuel an epidemic of prescription drug abuse that has taken a heavy toll on families and communities across Kentucky. I believe this trial will result in a big recovery for the state that can be used to enhance treatment for those addicted to powerful painkillers like Oxycontin. Please see our press release for more information.

It was gratifying to see how the $600,000 my office secured from the National Mortgage Foreclosure Settlement has helped rehabilitate a foreclosed apartment complex in Lexington. This was one of many examples of how the $58 million in settlement funds we secured for Kentucky is making a difference for communities and providing a second chance for struggling Kentucky homeowners.

The deadline is nearing for homeowners to apply for cash payments of up to $2,000 under the Mortgage Foreclosure Settlement. Applications are due by Jan. 18. Consumers must have faced foreclosure from 2008 to 2011 and had a loan with or serviced by Citi, Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase or Wells Fargo. For more information, visit NationalMortgageSettlement.com.

It was good to see my friends with the Jefferson County Teacher's Association at the Capitol on Tuesday as the legislative session got underway in Frankfort. I am proud to stand with teachers across the Commonwealth. Education is always a priority when the General Assembly is in town.

Next week, I'm looking forward to joining my Keep Kentucky Kids Safe partners at North Bullitt High School in Shepherdsville and Marion County High School in Lebanon. I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to students about the deadly consequences of abusing prescription drugs.

Struggling Kentucky Homeowners will benefit from a one-year tax relief extension recently approved by Congress. I was among 43 Attorneys General who last November urged Congressional leaders to pass critical legislation to extend the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 prior to its Jan. 1, 2013 expiration. With the extension, borrowers who receive debt relief such as loan principal reduction or short sale loan forgiveness will not be required to pay taxes on the loan amount forgiven.

This tax benefit is a victory for homeowners who have mortgage debt forgiven and is critical to those who are seeking benefits under the National Mortgage Settlement.

I'm looking forward to joining Gov. Beshear and other state leaders in Lexington on Monday, Jan. 7 to showcase what can happen to foreclosed properties when government and the private sector work together. I am proud that a significant portion of the $58 million Kentucky received under the National Mortgage Foreclosure Settlement has helped revitalize Kentucky neighborhoods and has helped provide a second chance to families who have lost their homes.

Securing relief for Kentucky homeowners affected by the mortgage foreclosure meltdown is one of our many accomplishments from 2012. I hope you'll take a moment to see all that we achieved last year for you and your family.

In other news, I am grateful to the attorneys and victim advocates in my Office of Criminal Appeals who fight every day to ensure that justice is upheld and that the voices of Kentucky's crime victims are heard. An Appeals Court ruling this week in the Michael Carneal case is a testament to their hard work and dedication.

Finally, my congratulations to the Louisville Cardinal 2013 Sugar Bowl Champions! Coach Strong and his team showed the Florida Gators and the nation the value of hard work and never giving up.