Jolted firefighter's name released
Gasoline prices zip toward $3 mark
MARK WILLIAMS,AP Energy Writer
Gasoline prices on Monday continued their push toward $3 per gallon. The only question now is when?
Prices have been jumping on the back of a strong oil market where the cost for a barrel has spiked 20 percent in the past month on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Skyrocketing gasoline prices couldn't come at a worse time for motorists, who will see heating bills jump after the worst cold spell in years.
Oil prices are now about three times what they were a year ago.
"There is a long history of tripled oil prices causing consternation among consumers," Peter Beutel of Cameron Hanover said in his report Monday. "We are not there, yet, but gasoline prices at more than $3.00 is certainly an unwelcome sign of consumer distress."
Prices rose 1.4 cents overnight to $2.749 per gallon, according to auto club AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. Prices have climbed 8.4 cents a gallon in the past week and are 95.5 cents higher than a year ago.
The survey shows prices have jumped 8 cents or more in the past week in many parts of the country, including Dallas, Chicago, Miami and Columbus, Ohio.
The government will release its weekly survey of retail gasoline prices later Monday.
Motorists are paying about $50 more a month for gasoline than a year ago, and the total fuel bill for Americans now tops $1 billion per day compared with $650 million per day last year. Add in heating oil and diesel fuel, and the total fuel bill is probably $400 million to $550 million more each day than a year ago, said Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Services.
Kloza said in an e-mail that he sees prices rising by another 5 or 10 cents a gallon for now, but that drivers will not pay $3 for gas until spring.
Benchmark crude for February delivery fell 15 cents to $82.60 a barrel on the Nymex Friday, despite signs of strong demand from China and a weak dollar.
China said Sunday that oil imports rose 14 percent last year to a record high in December, part of a 56 percent surge in overall imports last month.
In other Nymex trading in February contracts, heating oil fell less than a penny to $2.1924 a gallon while gasoline gained less than a cent to $2.1596 a gallon. Natural gas futures fell 27.4 cents to $5.475 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude for February delivery fell 34 cents to $81.03 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
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JFD fireman electrocuted at incident site
A member of the Jacksonville Fire Department was electrocuted around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening while working on the scene of what was first reported to be a structure fire on Fort Worth Avenue.
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Lake Columbia public meeting tonight
The Angelina and Neches River Authority will hold public meetings Monday and Tuesday night, 5-7:30 p.m. at the Norman Activity Center in Jacksonville, 526 E. Commerce St.
Monday night's meeting is a public information meeting set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Tuesday's will be a formal public hearing designed to gather public comments about the project.
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JISD dismisses early Feb. 23
Jacksonville ISD plans an early dismissal for today, Tuesday, Feb. 23. All JISD schools will release one hour ahead of schedule. Busses will also run one hour early.
Schools will resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, weather permitting.
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Alexander Haig remembered as soldier-statesman
Soldier and statesman, Alexander Haig never lived down his televised response to the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. Haig died Saturday at age 85 having held high posts in three Republican administrations and some of the U.S. military's top jobs.
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Flight diverts to Salt Lake after threatening note
United Airlines says a threatening note that diverted a plane mid-flight to Salt Lake City on Thursday did not contain a reference to a bomb as officials reported earlier.
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White House: Awaiting inquiry on Texas plane crash
The White House says it will await the results of an investigation before deciding whether to call a plane that crashed into a Texas office building an act of terrorism.
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Officials investigating Texas crash as a crime
A low-flying small plane crashed into an office building that houses the Internal Revenue Service in Texas on Thursday, and officials said they were investigating whether it was an intentional act by the pilot.
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LMC adds ag program
First sports programs and a set of hospitality management courses, now an agriculture program.
Lon Morris College announced Wednesday it plans the new classes for fall 2010. -
Child sex abuse conviction upheld
The conviction of George Henry Williams Jr. was upheld by the Sixth Court of Appeals last week.
Williams was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child in December 2008 by a Cherokee County jury and subsequently sentenced to 35 years for the offence. - More Jolted firefighter's name released Headlines
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JFD fireman electrocuted at incident site
