AAA: Ohio gas prices up 9 cents from last week

COLUMBUS (AP) — As oil prices rise, Ohio motorists have seen the cost of gasoline go up 9 cents from last week, making for two straight weeks of increasing prices.

A survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express has regular-grade gas averaging $2.54 in the state, up from last Monday’s $2.45.

Ohio gas also costs more than it did a month ago, when the average was $2.47. Last year at this time, gas was a more expensive $2.72.

The cost of crude oil is at its highest levels of the year, approaching $80 per barrel. Last week, crude broke out of a five-month trading range of between $65 and $75 a barrel on a weakening U.S. dollar and expectations that oil demand will eventually recover as the world economy grows next year.