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Crude and unusual punishment at gas pumps?

Posted at 8:18 PM, Feb 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-19 07:27:05-05

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The price of gas in Richmond keeps going up and up. Gas prices have risen for the past 32 days and the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is around $3.60.

Locals say the rise in prices couldn’t come at a worse time. Some are already reeling from higher heating bills and lower paychecks.

“I asked my boss for more money and he just laughed at me,” Jim Grossett said. “Somehow or another I’m going to have to make due because I have no other way of getting around.”

“You don’t get more money, but everything else goes up,” Beverly Bruno argued. She was commuting from Virginia Beach on Monday.

Analysts said it's unclear if prices will continue to climb through the spring, like they did last year.

“It’s really very similar, almost a mirror image of what we saw last year,” Mike O’Connor with the Virginia Petroleum, Convenience and Grocery Association, said.

O’Connor said gas prices tend to follow the same trends of crude oil prices. Crude oil prices, reduced oil production from refineries and OPEC, and the stock market are all contributing factors, he said.

However, crude oil prices decreased last week for the first time since January, which could have a positive impact on gas prices in the coming weeks.