There is some good news to report when it comes to the summer travel season. AAA East Central notes fuel prices are eight cents lower in our region than they were a week ago.

That is still not good enough for too many of us. Nationally, the average for a gallon of regular gasoline is down 16 cents since last week to $4.16. This marks the second straight week of decline.

Pump prices are cooling off as the price of crude oil remains below $100 per barrel. But uncertainty lingers over when the Strait of Hormuz will fully reopen and resume traffic.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.25 million barrels per day to 8.59 million. Total domestic gasoline supply increased from 211.6 million barrels to 215 million. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.4 million barrels per day.

Wednesday’s developments regarding the Iran crisis will likely impact prices in the coming days as well. At the start of the week, prices in Warren County were $4.49 per gallon. At the time, Mercer County had the highest prices.

As for readers, there’s not a lot of faith that the cost will go down in the coming months. Last week’s poll question was: Do you think gas prices will drop below $4 per gallon before the end of summer? More than 69% said “no” while 31% were hopeful with “yes.”

This week’s poll question, which can be found on the website, asks: Do you think it is time to increase the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour in Pennsylvania?