BUSINESS NEWS DIGEST | Hawaii hits $4 average for gasoline

Hawaii hits $4 average for gasoline

HONOLULU

Motorists in Hawaii are feeling the pain at the pump.

Hawaii on Monday reached the dubious milestone of being the first state in recent years to reach the $4 average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

According to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the Aloha State’s $4 a gallon is the highest in the nation and a few cents higher than California’s average of $3.959. Alaska was third at $3.902.

Some cities already have hit the $4 mark, including San Francisco, but Hawaii is the first state to reach the mark since 2008.

The national average is $3.558 a gallon, up a nickel from a week ago and 43 cents higher than a month ago.

Wyoming had the cheapest gas in the nation at $3.268.

Probe of Mass. blast at plant begins

MIDDLETON, Mass.

Investigators working to determine the cause of a chemical-plant explosion that shook a neighborhood and sent four people to the hospital were still waiting Monday for clearance from structural engineers to get into the building.

The blast and fire happened Sunday night at Bostik Inc., which makes adhesives and sealants. The state fire marshal’s office, other state agencies, local authorities and federal agencies are investigating, and officials are also talking to plant workers, Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said.

The explosion and fire in Middleton are not considered suspicious at this point, he said.

Feds to court: Slow health-care dispute

WASHINGTON

The Obama administration says the Supreme Court should not permit Virginia to sidestep a federal appeals court in the state’s challenge to the health-care law.

In court papers filed with the justices Monday, the federal government says there is no reason to take the extremely rare step of “short-circuiting” review by appellate judges, which already has been accelerated.

A federal judge in Virginia struck down the centerpiece of the health-care law, the requirement that citizens buy health insurance or pay a penalty starting in 2014.

The Obama administration urged the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., to reverse the ruling, saying the requirement is within Congress’ powers.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking to leapfrog the appeals court.

HP to hike dividend

SAN FRANCISCO

Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday it plans to raise its dividend for the first time in more than a decade and one day soon sell “cloud computing” services to the public.

The changes are part of CEO Leo Apotheker’s efforts to chart a new course for the world’s biggest technology company by revenue. Apotheker took over at HP four months ago after his predecessor, Mark Hurd, was ousted in a sexual-harassment scandal.

Associated Press