OLYMPIA…State Attorney General Rob McKenna and state auditor Brian Sonntag are teaming up once again to increase access to government information through public records and open public meetings.

Attorneys General and Oprah take on supplement sellers

SEATTLE – Washington consumers looking to lose weight or wrinkles have jumped at “free trial” offers for açaí berry and resveratrol products. But the fruity supplements came with unexpected costs, say officials at the Washington Attorney General’s Office who want to warn shoppers about deceptive advertising practices.

OLYMPIA– On Monday, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will announce their partnership with the Entertainment Software Association Foundation and the non-profit Web Wise Kids to introduce an innovative youth Internet safety program that will be used in 70 Washington schools.

Public comments welcome at Oct. 12 hearing in Yakima

SEATTLE  –  A proposed all-party settlement has been reached that would substantially reduce the size of  Pacific Power’s proposal to raise electric rates.

The Attorney General’s Public Counsel Section, which represents the public in utility rate cases, was prepared to challenge Pacific Power’s filing for a $38.5 million increase in revenues but believes that the agreement reached is a positive result for consumers.

New task force zeros in on businesses that deceive or discriminate

OLYMPIA – Mortgage scammers and others seeking to prey on homeowners had better watch their backs. Attorney General Rob McKenna and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller are co-chairing a new State-Federal Task Force on Mortgage Enforcement which is an unprecedented partnership to target fraudsters.

Experts also say utility’s “decoupling” surcharge program should end

SEATTLE – The Public Counsel Section of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office today challenged electric and gas rate increases proposed by Avista, saying the Spokane-based utility’s request is not justified and that, in fact, the company might be charging its customers too much for service.

Agreement also reached with State of Oregon

Promise of easy money and a free lunch proved costly for Washington consumers

SEATTLE – All they wanted was to start an online business. But many Washington residents who agreed to pay thousands of dollars to a company called StoresOnline claim they were suckered.

More than 58 million acres of forest land protected from logging, development

OLYMPIA— State officials are celebrating a court victory that walls off millions of acres of public lands from new development. On Wednesday the 9th Circuit Court ruled in favor of a lower court’s decision to turn back a 2005 effort to open up some federal lands to new road construction and the harvest of timber.

Company agrees to Attorney General’s restrictions on its collection practices and to reform its consumer contracts

SEATTLE – Seven months after the Washington Attorney General’s Office sued Rent-a-Center and accused the national lease-to-own chain of crossing the line with its collection tactics – including cussing at customers, pounding on doors, peering in windows and threatening arrest – the company agreed to settle.