Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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| Area residents feel pain while at the pump |
Above, Rhonda Ray of Ridgeway pumps gas at FasMart (Valero) on Memorial Boulevard in Martinsville. Ray said she might have to cut back on unnecessary driving due to rising gas prices. |
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Monday, May 11, 2009
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
Some local motorists were not exactly happy as they pumped gas into their vehicles over the weekend.
Retail gasoline prices continue to rise, topping $2 a gallon for regular unleaded at many stations in Henry County and Martinsville.
For example, the price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas went up 6 cents Friday morning — from $1.999 to $2.059 — at Fas Mart (Valero), 1118 Memorial Blvd., Martinsville, said cashier Brittney Niblett.
She said customers “come in and complain” about the price increases and say “the government doesn’t care about them ... the low-income (people) ... I guess everybody. It’s hard on them.”
Outside, Rhonda Ray of Ridgeway was pumping gas in her car. “I don’t like it,” she said of the price increase, adding that she probably will have to cut back on unnecessary driving.
According to Internet sources, the average price for regular self-serve unleaded regular gas was $2.005 Thursday in Martinsville, up from $1.857 a week before, with similar averages in a number of areas in Henry County.
Pump prices jumped 6 percent over last week to a new national average of $2.17 a gallon Friday, according to auto club AAA. The national average cost of gas was 14 cents more per gallon than last week, but $1.48 a gallon less than a year ago, AAA reported.
AAA reported Thursday that for the first time in nearly seven months in Virginia, the price of gas crossed the $2 threshold overnight. The average prices Sunday for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline were $2.21 nationally; $2.10 for Virginia; $2.09 for Charlottesville; $2.07 for Norfolk; $2.09 for Richmond; and $2.03 for Roanoke, AAA said.
Those prices were up 14 cents to 17 cents compared with the week before, AAA reported.
At Kangaroo Express (Citgo) at 1560 Virginia Ave., Martinsville, Randy Harris of Horsepasture was pumping regular gas on Friday.
“Right now, I can’t hardly afford it. I’m on fixed income. It’s (living) week to week,” he said.
He said he and his wife, Carol Harris, lost their jobs a few years ago at Ridgeway Furniture, where they had worked more than 20 years, when the plant closed. He said he eventually got on disability because of some health problems, and his wife found another job at lower pay and no health insurance.
Randy Harris said that because gas prices are increasing, the couple is making fewer trips around the area to do necessities. When they do go out, they complete more errands each trip.
The price for regular unleaded at that Kangaroo Express was $2.019 a gallon Friday. An official or spokesman for that company and a number of other gas stations and convenience stores either were not authorized to comment, declined to comment or could not be reached for comment.
At Steve’s Ezee Inn (Marathon) at 2575 Virginia Ave. in Collinsville, manager Robin Westmoreland said the price has gone up 10 cents or so recently, but the price of regular had been holding steady at $1.999 for two or three days, including Friday. “We try to compete with others,” she said.
“Customers are telling me they don’t understand why” prices are rising, and “they are afraid it’s going to get back to $4. ... I don’t think so,” Westmoreland said.
The Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy stated in its April forecast that during the summer driving season (April through September) regular gasoline retail prices are projected to average $2.23 per gallon, peaking at about $2.30 per gallon in late summer.
Last summer, regular-grade gasoline retailed at an average of $3.81 a gallon, almost $1.60 more than the average price forecast for this summer season. The average regular gasoline price for all of 2009 is expected to be $2.17 per gallon, increasing to an average of $2.42 in 2010, the release said.
David Pritchett, who lives near Fieldale, was pumping regular gas into his truck at Steve’s Ezee Inn.
“I have mixed feelings as to why gas prices go up and down,” he said, but added that he thinks “companies want to make more money” and when people travel more during the summer for vacations, it’s a good time to raise prices. If prices continue to climb, he will cut back on nonessential driving, he said.
According to The Associated Press, analyst Phil Flynn said, “There’s shock and disbelief that oil and gas can defy the normal reactions to supply and demand. Traders are calling me and stunned with no idea of what is happening.”
Less than a year ago, oil prices soared to nearly $150 a barrel and retail gasoline hit a national average of more than $4. Then energy prices plunged after July, and just two months ago crude oil was trading at five-year lows, according to the AP.
Thomas K. Clay of Collinsville was one of a number of motorists buying gas at Quality Mart (Shell), 2629 Virginia Ave., where the price for regular was $1.999 Friday.
“I think it’s a shame and a disgrace. There’s no reason to go up,” Clay said of the price increases. “These oil companies are taking all our money for nothing, because they know we have to have it. So they can put any price they want to it.” |
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