Cost too much for some

By Deborah Goodwin

The Selma Times-Journal

Richard Lee&8217;s holiday trip consisted of errands to the grocery store.

With the rising cost of gas, out-of-town travel was out of the question for some local residents.

Lee said he tries to stay home as much as possible, and when he goes to the gas station he doesn&8217;t always fill up. It costs him more than $50 to fill his 2004 Chevrolet Impala.

Rising gas prices made Frederick Whitt reconsider taking his children to the beach.

Whitt canceled a trip to West Palm Beach, Fla., because it&8217;s too expensive to drive. It costs him around $55 to fill up his 2006 Chevrolet Impala and $100 to fill his 2004 Chevrolet Silverado truck.

The price of gasoline continues to inch up, and Alabama&8217;s average gas prices were more than a dime lower than the national average on Saturday:

Of the surrounding states &8212; Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi &8212; Mississippi&8217;s gas prices were lowest at $4.162 for mid-grade and $4.349 for premium. The price for regular was lowest in Tennessee at $3.934. Florida was the highest at $4.065 for regular and $4.403 for mid-grade. Premium gasoline was highest in Georgia at $4.523 per gallon.

Prices did not affect travel plans for SUV driver Clarice Brown. She pulled out of Selma for a trip to Montgomery on Saturday in her 2000 Ford Explorer. It costs her around $90 to fill up.

Brown said she and her family didn&8217;t plan on going too far from home during the holiday weekend, but &8220;if we have to go out of town, we&8217;ll fill it up, and keep going and trust God.&8221;