To the editor:

Welcome back to $2.29 gasoline!

At the conclusion of a recent 17-day trip through the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama, I knew I was back home in Lawrence by noting that the gasoline prices were the highest I had seen in the last 3,100 miles. Also on a recent trip through the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Kentucky, the only time I paid “Lawrence prices” for gasoline was in Pittsburgh, Pa. I discovered later that if I had driven a short distance, I could have paid less.

Needless to say, I fill up before getting into Lawrence and, if necessary, purchase only enough to get back out of town before filling up. I would rather shop locally, pay local taxes, support local businesses, but my pocketbook tells me I cannot afford to do that.

Local gasoline retailers, are you listening?

On a completely different subject, why, after the tragedy in Stillwater last Saturday, was there not a press conference from the White House demanding more laws to control the sale and consumption of alcohol? Hmmm.