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Roads expected to be hazardous
Pitt County School will operate on a two-hour delay on Thursday because of poor conditions expected on county roads.
School officials said this afternoon they will continue to closely monitor road and school campus conditions.
Any closure or other changes will announced by 7:30 a.m. Thursday through the school system’s phone notification system, the local news media.
Parents also can check school’s Web site at www.pitt.k12.nc.us or call our information hotline at 830-3535.
Roads in the Greenville area remained hazardous this morning and officials were expecting them to be bad again on Thursday morning.
Police in the city responded to 50 calls on Tuesday because of wrecks and disabled vehicles. The State Highway Patrol responded to 10 wrecks in the county.
None caused injuries. The worst was an overturned van on Greenville Boulevard near Hastings Ford.
Authorities said snow and ice should melt into a slush on roads this afternoon, but that slush will refreeze tonight creating hazards tomorrow morning.
Several closings and delays were in effect today.
East Carolina University had announced that it would not open until noon. Officials later closed campus for the day. No word on Thursday yet.
People are encouraged to stay off campus today so that facilities services personnel can continue clearing sidewalks, roads, and parking lots.
Pitt County Schools were closed to students today because of a teacher workday. The schools this morning told teachers to stay home as well.
Greenville city buses were to start running at 8:20 on drivable routes. The City of Greenville said this morning it will open its offices at 10 a.m.
Tuesday’s sanitation routes were to be picked up today beginning at 8 a.m., road conditions permitting, the city reported. Pitt County government reports it operated on a two-hour delay, although many offices including those at the courthouse remained closed.
The National Weather Service reported that up to 4 inches of snow fell in the Greenville area as of 5 p.m.
The snow coverage was expected to stay through Wednesday morning as temperatures remain well below freezing, the Weather Service said.
Driving will remain very hazardous and residents are urged to travel only if necessary, the Weather Service said.
This morning, the Weather Service said hazardous conditions will remain at least through Thursday.
Untreated and secondary roads will remain icy and snow-covered as teperatures struggle to reach the freezing mark, according to a weather service warning.
Any melting that does occur will refreeze tonight and form layers of ice on roads. The ice will be difficult for drivers to see and makes for extremely dangerous driving conditions.
The high on Wednesday was expected to reach 36 degrees. The high Thursday was expected to reach 50.
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Hospital says no weather-related health issues reported
Pitt County Memorial Hospital has had no weather-related medical emergencies despite dozens of wrecks reported by the police, an official there just reported. “There have been no medical emergencies at the hospital related to today’s snow storm,” said public information officer Beth Ann Atkins at 5 p.m.
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Airport Open; Pirates await flight
Pitt-Greenville Airport is open and planes are flying in and out today, an official there said.
“We’ve got the runways cleared and we’re not expecting any cancellations or delays out of the airport,” said Carolyn Travis, the airport’s office manager.
Several plows and a crew of six were pushing snow off the tarmac about 3:30 today.
While they did that, the East Carolina University men’s basketball team watches and waits for their flight out to Texas for a weekend schedule of games against the University of Houston tomorrow and Southern Methodist University in Dallas on Saturday.
John Moseley, director of basketball operations for ECU, said he isn’t fearing weather conditions.
“I know the flight crew wouldn’t put us in any danger. We’re comfortable trusting their expertise,” Moseley said.
This kind of travel isn’t new to coach Darryl LaBarrie.
“I’ve landed in Chicago in weather like this. We’ll be fine,” LaBarrie said.
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Check here for snowstorm news
Reflector.com will be providing updates on snowstorm news through Wednesday morning. Check the breaking news blog for news developments. Updates will be posted here.
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Duck Thru and Fuel Doc and some Kangaroo locations still have gas at 5 p.m.
Duck Thru stores on Greenville Blvd. and Charles Blvd. reported having all grades of gas available at 5 p.m.
The price at the Greenville Blvd. location was $3.99 per gallon. The price at Charles Blvd. was $3.95.
The Fuel Doc locations on Greenville Blvd. and Memorial Drive also have all three grades of gas. Regular gas is at $3.99 at both locations.
The Kangaroo station on Fire Tower Road only had premium gas available after 5 p.m. at #3.77 per gallon.
The Kangaroo station on Evans Street had all three grades available shortly after 5 p.m.
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Wilco-Hess on 10th Street out of gas
The Wilco-Hess on 10th Street is out of gas.
An employee said that the store ran out of premium around 4:45 p.m. and ran out of regular and plus earlier in the day.
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Sheetz on Charles out of gas
The Sheetz on Charles Boulevard is currently out of all gas, as of 4:30 p.m., an employee said.
The store still has diesel at $3.99 per gallon. Currently there is no indication of when a truck will arrive to refill the tanks.
The Sheetz on County Home Road still has gas at $3.65 for regular unleaded, as lof 4:30 p.m.
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ECU economist says gas price jump is no conspiracy
Shane Martin, economics professor at East Carolina University, said the long lines and jump in gas prices is similar to people buying all the milk and bread at a grocery store when a snow storm is coming to town.
People buy more milk and bread than they would ever need with a two-inch snow storm, he said. It is a reaction to the idea of having to go without.
Martin said many people remember the energy shortages of the 1970s and react in a similar way, though those shortages were caused for different reasons.
Now there are more people, and more cars around the world. The supply is about the same. Demand is increasing and the supply is the same, therefore, you get higher prices, he said.
Martin said people often interpret a jump in price related to a coming storm as an indication that there may not be any gas available in the coming days and rush out to fill their tanks.
“Since they don’t want to be without it, they will say “I don’t want to pay the price, but I can’t be without it,” and buy it anyway,” he said.
“Paying a little more than you feel is fair but being sure that if you need to get out of town you have the gas to do it is like buying insurance,” Martin said.
But we are not likely to see any real shortages of gas from the storm, Martin said.
The fact of the matter is, unless the storm keeps the trucks from running and getting to us, there will be gas to buy,” he said.
Many people speculate that the jump in prices is just the oil companies taking advantage of consumers. But Martin disagrees.
Martin said the jump in prices is not a conspiracy by the oil companies.
“There is no evidence of an oil industry conspiracy,” Martin said. “These oil companies do have market power, but thinking they have the ability to dictate the price — I don’t think is accurate.”
One of the first principles of economics that learn is that no one can dictate prices, Martin said. The price is a complicated reflection of what someone is willing to pay and what a seller is trying to charge, he said.
Martin said to look at gas prices from the perspective of the oil companies.
“If you charge a price and people are willing to pay it — why would you not charge that price?” he asked.
Discussing the fact that gas prices were around $1 a few short years ago, Martin said people are not used to living with high prices and sudden jump can bring them to anger.
“I think people are still adjusting to the idea that gas is not cheap,” Martin said. “Things that we expect to be expensive, we don’t get upset when it is expensive.”
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Oil prices drop and gas prices rise
Crude oil on the futures market briefly sank below the $100 a barrel mark Friday for the first time in five months as gas prices are jumping all over the country.
According to Associated Press reports, investors believe a worsening global economy will continue to drive down demand for some time in the United States and elsewhere.
To read the full story : click here.
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AAA urges motorists to show restraint
AAA Carolinas issue a press release urging motorists to show restraint until the results of Hurricane Ike’s impact on the Texas refineries is assessed this weekend.
“The fear of what might happen if these refineries are severely damaged has caused widespread panic resulting in some stations running out of product, some stations raising prices dramatically in anticipation of high fuel replacement costs, and some stations trying to restrict the number of gallons being purchased,” said David E. Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas.
“The run on gas stations in both Carolinas is creating a crisis before one actually exists,” said Parsons. “We are making a possibly bad situation reality when motorists top off their tanks.”
North Carolina continues under a state of emergency called for Hurricane Hanna. That means stations should not charge more for gasoline than what the gasoline in the ground cost the station plus the margin of profit that existed 60 days before the state of emergency was declared.
South Carolina is also in a state of emergency. If any contiguous state is in a state of emergency, South Carolina’s Attorney General can impose one in his state, and he has done so.
“Until we know what the damage from Ike is, people should remain calm,” urged Parsons.
If damage is minimal, then prices should come down fairly quickly, Parsons said.
If damage is severe, there are various options that can ensure adequate supply, such as getting product from the nation’s Strategic Oil Reserve and asking nearby oil producers to increase output.
“We are urging motorists to eliminate unnecessary trips this weekend, use the family car that gets the best gasoline mileage and wait to see what damage Ike actually inflicts,” said Parsons.
While supply will be adversely affected by refinery shutdowns due to Ike’s approach, the duration and effect of Ike cannot be determined until after the storm has passed.
An affiliate of the American Automobile Association, AAA Carolinas is a not-for-profit organization that serves more than 1.7 million members with travel, automobile and insurance services while being an advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.
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State activates anti-gouging law
RALEIGH — Gov. Mike Easley has declared a state of “abnormal market disruption” and signed an order allowing the attorney general to enforce North Carolina’s anti-gouging law.
The declaration comes Friday as Hurricane Ike bears down on Texas oil refineries, and gasoline prices in North Carolina and other states are rising.
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said Friday the law applies to all levels of the fuel supply chain. Cooper said his office is ready to take consumer complaints.
Easley said wholesale prices were up less than 20 cents a gallon and consumers shouldn’t see prices rise substantially more than the wholesale increase.
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Traffic brisk at low-price stations
A Sheetz employee at County Home and Fire Tower roads was directing traffic as cars lined up to buy gas for $3.65 about 1:45 p.m.
Across the street, the Kangaroo continued to list gas at $3.59, but traffic was light. The station was asking customers to limit purchase to 10 gallons.
The Fill ‘N’ Go on Old Tar Road near Fire Tower was out of regular gas.
The Hess and Kangaroo stations at 14th Street and Greenville Boulevard at 1:45 were experiencing heavy traffic, with gas selling at $3.65, as was the Hess at U.S. 264 and U.S. 264 Bypass.
Most other stations on Greenville Boulevard north of 14th Street were selling gas for $3.99. Traffic was light at those stations.
The Sheetz on Memorial Drive across from PCC at 2 p.m. was placing signs that it only had premium gas left.
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Prices rise to $3.99 at many stations
Today’s gas delivery to Sheetz could be the last one for a while, the manager said.
Prices at many stations around Greenville settled in at around $3.99 per gallon at noon. Some, like Sheetz, are telling customers the supply won’t last.
Kangaroo is asking people to stop at 10 gallons on each trip to their station, to prevent early drain of gas supply.
Dexter Phelps drives a big passenger van for Physician’s East. He said at the Kangaroo that he thinks it’s going to be tough for commercial carriers and truck drivers who have to go far and use a lot of gas.
“I usually put in about $75, but I’ll stop at around 12 gallons here. I understand about the hurricane situation in the Gulf (of Mexico). I’m used to it now,” Phelps said.
Betty Spruill drives a van for Redeeming the Time Ministries. She got $40 worth of gas at the Amoco station on Fire Tower Road, where gas was $3.99, then came to the Kangaroo at Arlington Boulevard and Fire Tower Road to get $40 more.
“I don’t feel too good about this, but you gotta ride, so that’s how it is, I guess,” Spruill said.
Wesley Taylor was filling up at Sheetz directly across from Kangaroo, paying more for gas, but filling up his boat with 150 gallons of gas before heading to the beach. He called ahead to be sure he’d get all he needed.
“It’s BS,” Taylor said about the current gas situation, with prices going up as supply goes down. “There’s plenty of gas available, There’s gotta be.”
Randy Walters, the Sheetz manager, watched the big gas tanker truck roll up with his delivery.
“That’s our last delivery for a while,” he said, “I’ve been told they’re shutting down the pipeline (from the Gulf).”
The folks at Sheetz’ corporate office in Pennsylvania weren’t saying anything except, “Gone to lunch, leave a message.”
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Hurricane Ike churns on
Dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Ike is slamming the Turks and Caicos and Great Inagua Island with 135 mph winds late Saturday night. The storm continues to move west-southwest at 15 mph.
Some of the latest forecasts point to a potential path that would take Ike across Cuba, on a east to west track. This forecast would mean the center of Ike would stay south of Florida and the interaction with Cuba would allow Ike to weaken significantly.
Another scenario that is possible is that Ike will scrape the northern Cuba coast and move through the Florida Straits; keeping most of its strength.
After its passage near Cuba and the Florida Straits, Ike is then forecast to turn into the central or eastern Gulf of Mexico.
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Hurricane Ike strengthens
Hurricane Ike is now a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, as the 5 p.m. update indicates the storm’s winds are now at 135 mph. The storm continues to travel west-southwest at 15 mph. The center of Ike is 90 miles east of Grand Turk Island.
Ike will move across the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos beginning late tonight and through Sunday morning. Residents and tourists should take Ike very seriously. Preparations should be nearing completion for the arrival of what very well could be a Category 4 hurricane as it passes through the islands.
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Hanna who?
The rain clouds didn’t last even until 2 p.m. as the biggest regret Pirate fans had today was not being able to get to the tailgating fields until 1:30.
When 2:30 rolled around, the sun showed up, and ECU faithful started putting on hats and shades.
“It might even warm up,” one Pirate fan said as I was making my way back to the press box.
Now, sitting right at the 50-yard line, it looks like any other Pirate game: no rain, just sun. The other reporters are slowly opening their windows to let in a little breeze, and now that we’re just a little over 90 minutes from kickoff, there are not more signs of Hanna that can be seen from here.
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A Viking wears plenty of purple
Styron Wood, who is on the football coaching staff for the D.H. Conley Vikings, was greatly anticipating the East Carolina-WVU game. The Vikings had the week off in the prep football scene, so this was his only chance at gridiron action this weekend.
“I’ve been a Pirate fan for about 30 years,” Wood said. “I help coach (Ken) Whitehurst with the running backs and I also help with the JV team. I was looking forward to a JV game this week, but we didn’t have one. I’m just glad we were able to get this Pirate game in, weather or not.”
Wood never had a doubt about the Pirates chances of taking the field today.
“All week long, I didn’t think there was going to be much to it except for a rainy event, ” Wood said. “Quite honestly, it’s been exactly what this area’s needed, which is some rain. And there wasn’t a whole lot of damage.”
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Roach makes field-to-stand transition
Former East Carolina wide receiver Kevin Roach was out on the tailgating fields before the ECU-WVU game on Saturday. As he looked at the newly sunny sky, he was glad the weather had moved on in time for the pregame festivities.
“We got lucky today,” Roach said. “It’s been a pretty good day with not much rain.”
Roach, who wore No. 80 for the purple and gold, is now a season ticket holder. He admitted that making the move from the field to the stands was a tough one.
“It’s a lot different,” Roach said. “You see the guys you played with every day, and you want to be out there. But now, I can just sit back and watch.”
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Local Pirate plan’s changed by storm, just a bit
Matthew Chappell wore his purple wig out to the East Carolina tailgating fields, and his family never thought twice about showing up.
Going to the game was still the main objective, but the pregame meal was altered just a bit.
“(The storm) had just a little bit of an effect on our plans,” David Chappell said. “We would have been out here a lot earlier. This is the first game, and such a big game. We would have been out here all day. The plan was too cook a pig originally, but that didn’t work out. We just had to change up the plans just a little but. We’re still going to make the most out of it.”
The Chappells even had a prediction to the game’s outcome.
“Pirates by three,” Daniel said.
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Pirates still hit the road
As with the West Virginia fans, Pirate fans who had a good drive in front of them didn’t let Hanna deter their plans.
“I came to Greensboro to pick up a buddy of mine (Bill Yandell) yesterday,” said Daniel Tart, who drove in from Charlotte. “We went to a friend of mine’s house up in Raleigh and partied there until the wee hours of the morning. This morning, we came on down here, and we’re ready to root on the Pirates.”
Tart said he was Greenville-bound no matter what; the weather wasn’t going to change his plans.
“Not at all,” he said. “I wasn’t even paying it any mind. Hurricane, tornado, nothing was going to keep us away from watching our Pirates.”
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Hurricane Ike at 2 p.m.
Hurricane Ike strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds per the 2 p.m. update. The storm continues to move west-southwest with a forward speed of 15 mph.
The projected path continues to move the storm through the Turks and Caicos early Sunday, over Cuba on Monday and eventually moving into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday. Most forecast models have not yet projected where Ike might make landfall once he enters the Gulf. Check back for more updates on this potentially devastating storm.
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