WRECK SENDS ONE TO THE HOSPITAL

By Jon Mayhew

LINCOLNTON – Authorities were called to East Main Street in front of the KFC restaurant to reports of an auto accident. Around 9:20 a.m. Saturday, Lincolnton Police rolled up on the accident and called for assistance from fire and Lincoln County EMS.

Authorities at the scene reported one person may have suffered a head injury. It’s the latest in a string of accidents since Friday afternoon, when people jammed Lincolnton roads looking to gas up vehicles due to hourly-increasing prices.

The Carolina Scoop has learned that one station may be under investigation by the state. The Country Market in Maiden has received several complaints of rising gas prices and misrepresenting gas prices by as much as 30 cents between the sign and the price on the pumps. As of Friday, the problem had not been corrected.

One source even talked to the owner of the store, who smiled when confronted and said “I can make more money right now.” It’s illegal for a gas station to display one price then charge another.

Questions are also being raised about the Times Turn Around in Boger City, where the price shot up more than 50 cents within an hour. As of Friday afternoon, the price was around $4.699; as of Saturday morning, the price was back down to $4.199.

Some stations didn’t anticipate raising prices. For example, the Petro Express in front of Lowe’s Hardware has maintained a $3.569 price as of Saturday morning. Other stations, like the Raceway next to Food Lion across Highway 321, had run out of gas as of Friday afternoon.