Salem-News.com Medford articles Page 3

Gas Prices Edge Higher to Kick Off Summer Driving Season

Memorial Day has come and gone, and pump prices are still edging up. Oregon's average for regular unleaded gains eight cents in the past week to $2.51 while the national average jumps up 11 cents to $2.43. Still, prices are about a buck-fifty a gallon less than a year ago.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Memorial Day traditionally signals the start of the summer driving season, and pump prices continue to rise.

Medford Man Dies in Motorcycle Crash on Highway 140E Near Adel

The victim was reportedly enroute to Washington, DC to attend a POW and veteran's memorial event called "Rolling Thunder".

(ADEL, Ore.) - Police investigators say a Medford-area man died Wednesday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into a rock wall on Highway 140E just west of Adel in Lake County.


Oregon State Police Sergeant Steve Yates says that at approximately 1:45 p.m. 64-year old Walter Smith was operating a 2006 Yamaha motorcycle traveling with a friend on a separate motorcycle eastbound on Highway 140E near milepost 25.

Gas Prices Jump in Oregon and Across the U.S.

After five weeks as the fifth most expensive state, Oregon drops to eighth place.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Pump prices show some dramatic gains in the past week with Memorial Day just a couple weeks away. The national average for regular unleaded shot up 17 cents to $2.25, while Oregon's jumped ten cents to $2.36.

Gas Prices Rise as Summer Driving Season Approaches

The national average falls a penny to $2.25, while Oregon’s average drops half a cent to $2.37.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Gas price averages are at new highs for the year, AAA Oregon Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds says, "Even considering this recent uptick, gas and oil prices have remained fairly stable for several weeks.

Crude Prices Jump, but Gas Prices Hold Fairly Steady

Oregon's average for regular unleaded drops half a cent to $2.06 this week.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The price of crude oil reached its highest price in about two months this week, but drivers are not seeing any dramatic swings in gas prices.

Oregon's average for regular unleaded drops half a cent in the past week to $2.06, while the national average gains a penny to $1.94.

Oregon Army National Guard Soldier Receives Purple Heart (PHOTOS)

The soldier is scheduled to deploy to Iraq again later this year with the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

(MEDFORD, Ore.) - Staff Sgt. Aaron Johnson, from Company A, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, was awarded a Purple Heart Medal during a ceremony at the Medford Armory, March 6th, for injuries he sustained four years ago while deployed to Iraq.

Johnson received facial wounds while on patrol in northern Baghdad, on May 20th, 2004, with 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, when his vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device as he returned to Camp Victory.

Pump Prices Dip Slightly after Increasing for Several Weeks

The Oregon average for regular unleaded drops a couple cents this week to $2.10, while the national average falls six cents to $1.90.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Gas Prices are are coming down a little after rising since late December. Oregon's average for regular unleaded drops two cents in the past week to $2.10, while the national average falls six cents to $1.90.

Crude oil prices have increased a few dollars in the past week, but have stayed between about $34 and $48 per barrel since early December.

Oregon Gas Prices Edge Up Over the $2 Mark

Both national and state averages have jumped up about 14 cents in the past month.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Oregon's average for regular unleaded is now more than $2 a gallon, and the national average is close behind. Oregon's average jumps up nine cents in the past week to $2.05, while the national average increases four cents to $1.93. Both averages are up about 14 cents in the past month.

AAA Oregon Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds says, "As pump prices rise, the cost of crude oil is still in the basement at about $40 per barrel. There's been a disconnect between oil and gas prices since the start of 2009 as U.S. refiners processed less crude oil and slashed their gasoline output."

Possibility of Refinery Strike Impacts Gas Prices

Gas prices continue to creep up, with the national average for regular unleaded jumping another five cents in the past week and the Oregon average going up half a cent.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Pump prices show increases over the past week on anxiety over a possible refinery strike by the United Steel Workers Union that would impact about a third of the nation's plants that refine crude oil, according to Oregon AAA.

Crude Prices Fall while Gas Prices Keep Climbing

As a new U.S. president begins his term, there seems to be a disconnect between oil and gas prices. Crude oil has been hovering below $40 per barrel, yet we've seen pump prices increase. In fact, our Oregon average is up 23 cents in the past month to $1.96 a gallon.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Oregon AAA's Marie Dodds says gas prices seem to be defying gravity as they continue to rise, even though crude prices have been hovering below $40 per barrel.

Last Friday, crude closed at $34.78, the lowest price since April 2005, when the nationwide average for regular unleaded was $1.76 per gallon. The national average now is $1.84, up five cents in the past week. Oregon's average increases four cents to $1.96.