FUEL

FUEL
Oil supply increases,gas prices decrease
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- An increase in the crude oil supply has contributed to another drop in gas prices in the past two weeks, continuing a downward trend that began two months ago, an industry analyst said Sunday.
Between Dec. 3 and Dec. 17, the combined national price for all grades of gasoline dropped more than 10 cents per gallon to $1.86, bringing the total decrease since Oct. 22 to more than 21 cents per gallon, said analyst Trilby Lundberg, who publishes the semimonthly Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations across the country.
As of Dec. 17, the average price at the pump for self-serve regular gasoline was $1.83, with mid-grade at $1.93 and premium at $2.02, she said.
The lowest average price for regular on Dec. 17 was in Tulsa, Okla., at $1.56 per gallon; the highest was in Honolulu, at $2.32.
Self-serve diesel prices also fell more than 9 cents nationwide, to $2.11 per gallon -- nearly 48 cents more than a year ago, Lundberg said.
LEGAL
Toy guns pulled of shelves
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Thousands of toy guns have been pulled from the shelves of costume shops across the state as part of a settlement between the New York attorney general's office and two national wholesalers.
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had accused the wholesalers of distributing more than 12,000 toy guns in 2001 in violation of a state law that previously applied only to retailers. Most of the wholesalers dealt with costume and novelty shops.
The state law bans realistic toy guns from being sold in stores unless they have permanent, usually inch-wide orange stripes running down both sides of the barrel.
Without admitting any wrongdoing, Rubie's Costumes Co. agreed to pay $27,000 in civil penalties and costs and Franco American Novelty Co. agreed to pay $10,000.
AUTOMOTIVE
Kia model gets bad rating
WASHINGTON -- The Kia Spectra is the first vehicle since 2001 to get the insurance industry's worst safety rating in a frontal crash test, according to results released Sunday.
The Spectra, a small, four-door sedan that starts at $13,240, got the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's lowest rating of poor after a crash test dummy's head, chest and legs were injured in the 40 mph crash test. The last car to get that rating was the Chevrolet Cavalier in 2001.
"Most manufacturers have figured out how to design vehicles to do a good job protecting people in frontal crashes," said Adrian Lund, the institute's chief operating officer. "Kia lags behind its competitors."
Kia Motors America Inc. said it has met with institute officials to determine how to improve the vehicle's performance. The company also said it was comfortable with the level of safety the Spectra provides.
Associated Press