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sidewalk outside a normally jammed Carew Tower entrance at
p.m.
Rumors of impending gas price hikes to $3, $4 or even $8
per gallon sent thousands of worried drivers to stations to fill up
their tanks, producing lines 50 to 60 cars long at some spots.
Tuesday night, one station in South Covington was selling
unleaded gasoline for $4 per gallon, but gas still was widely
available in the mid-$1.60s range.
“This is crazy – people are almost having wrecks getting in
here”, said Kim Gardner, the manager of an Exxon station at
Glenmore Avenue and Werk Road in Westwood, where unleaded
was $1.49 per gallon. “My husband’s directing traffic on one side
of the lot, and my cashier’s boyfriend is directing traffic on the
other side, and we still can barely keep up”.
th
At the Speedway at 10 and Boone streets in Newport, a
police officer helped employee Sheila Stephens direct cars in and
out of the pumps while 10 cars waited their turn in the street.
One buyer, Tony Shields of Newport, bought about $10 of
gas- at about $1.63 per gallon- for his ’78 Chevrolet pickup, went
home and brought back his ’84 Toyota Celica, which he topped off
with $13.13. “The way I understood it, it’s supposed to be up to
$4.50, $5 a gallon”, Shields said. “My parents heard it on the
news. That’s why I’m here”.
In a joint statement, Northern Kentucky judges-executive
Richard Murgatroyd of Kenton Country and Steve Pendery of
Campbell Country urged residents to “deal with the emotions of
the hour in a calm and deliberate manner. There is no indication
that there will be any immediate fuel crisis and the last thing we
need now are long lines at the gas pumps, tempers flaring and
increased congestion on our roadways”, their statement said.
The nationwide closure of America’s airports left
thousands of travelers stranded at the Cincinnati Northern
Kentucky International Airport, which normally handles an
average of 570 daily flights. While many scurried to area hotels for

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