Price of gas shoots up 11 cents overnight

MORNING HEADLINES | The average price for a gallon of gasoline jumped 11 cents overnight to about $3.11 in the U.S., according to motor club AAA. In South Carolina, the average price for regular unleaded is currently $2.83 per gallon.

Benchmark U.S. crude jumped 8.6% to $77.36 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 6.7% to $81.29 per barrel.

The price of crude is the single largest factor in how much U.S. drivers pay for fuel. And higher oil prices are usually felt at the pump within a couple of weeks at most.

Gas prices were already on the rise ahead of the military strikes on Iran as refiners switch over to summer blends of fuel, but crude futures rose sharply due to the conflict in the Middle East. Prices soared Tuesday to levels not seen in more than a year after Iran launched a series of retaliatory attacks, including a drone strike on the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

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In recent headlines

CP NEWS: The return of PechaKucha: 20 slides in 400 seconds. Eight creative people will stand on the stage of Charleston Music Hall to share what drives their art and what inspires their lives. From photographers to chefs to vocalists, audience members will be transported into the minds of artists in just 400 seconds.

Charleston Co. seeks $1.9M grant to add drones to emergency management. Charleston County is pushing for a nearly $1.9 million grant to add drones to its emergency management operations, giving first responders a faster way to search for missing persons, assess damage and respond to incidents across the region.

Charleston RiverDogs welcome a new voice for the 2026 season. The RiverDogs, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, have named Max Tanzer as their new voice of the RiverDogs, who will also serve as the team’s broadcast and media relations manager.

Judge rules Folly Beach’s short term rental cap isn’t a zoning change. The city has long maintained the referendum, which was written by a citizen and voted into law by 53 percent of island residents in 2023, was a business license change, not a zoning one. The S.C. Supreme Court previously ruled that zoning provisions cannot be enacted by the referendum process.

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