STATIONS, PUBLIC ARE SETTLING DOWN RE: PANIC

By Jon Mayhew

LINCOLNTON -- Friday looked like a scecne out of a movie about the end of the world, with the "gas panic" of 2008. Saturday and Sunday, however, were a different story.



Not only did prices stabilize at the pumps but so did drivers. No longer were there terribly long gas lines at Lincoln gas stations; tempers were in check and there wasn't a general urgency among drivers.

As of Sunday night, the cheapest gas on the gas tracker was at Shop N Save Food Store at 1210 E. Main Street with $3.499 per gallon of gas; the most expensive is at Times Turn Around, 851 S. Laurel St., which is at $4.199 per gallon.

During the gas panic of Friday, the Times Turn Around at the corner of East Main and Salem Church Roads jumped all the way to $4.699 in a matter of a couple of hours. That prompted several readers of The Carolina Scoop to call the newspaper office and the North Carolina Attorney General's Office.

By midday Saturday, the price had gone back down to $4.099 per gallon. Other stations, like Raceway on East Main, only jumped their prices by 30 cents after running out of gas Friday. As of Sunday night, their price was $3.899 per gallon.

One distributor told The Carolina Scoop he was told to charge the stations he serves more than 80 cents per gallon.

While many stations had gas on Saturday, the A-1 Express Mart in Lincolnton was completely out of gas.

"We don't know when we're going to get another delivery," said an emplyee.

The panic came at a time when crude oil slipped below $100 per barrel, the first time since April 12, 2008.

State attorney general Roy Cooper was given authoritiy by the governor's office to investigate tips on price gouging. The number to call to report gouging in North Carolina ia 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.