I I ’HRONICLEA CASS CITY, M Springport +K’tii THIRTY CENTS FOURTEEN PAGES PLUS 2 SUPPLEMENTS End not. in sight / Everyone hurt as gas prices jump Area motorists, farmers trophe in Alaska in which “It may sound small, but it pricesonlyaddtodwindling and businessmen alike are the Exxon Valdez spilled 10 can make a tremendous dif-- profit margins, forcing expected to continue feeling, million gallons of oil into the ference in the bottom line.” small town stations to close, the pinch of climbing gaso- Ocean* Also expected to impact headded. line prices into the summer In the 3 weeks following that bottom line, Bortel “The people in the gasoline months. that spill, gasoline prices pointed out, are related price industry are experiencing That’s the word from area across the country jumped increases for agricultural their worst time in years and oil and gas company off“- lo to 30 cents a gallon* chemicals, including fertil- years.” cials and gas station owners, While the increases will izer, herbicides and insecti- Floyd Luetkc, Owner of L who say they’ve never seen force motorists to dig a little tides, most Of which are & s Mobile Service in cass gas prices increase as much deeper for gas money or do a derivatives of ptdeum or City, agreed. in as short a time as they little less traveling, area require ~~oleumto IXUIU- Luettke, who’s been in the have Over the past month. farmers have little choice facture. busincss for some 25 years, City oil and G~~c0. but to absorb the price hikes. reported a price increase of Owner D~~~~ Chippi, who Although the price of die- DEPENDENCE 18 cents a gallon for gas in has 6 gas stations in the sel fuel hasn’t caught UP recent weeks, and said k Thumb, including Mr. with gasoline, Chippi said Although no one Wan& to believes the price could Chip’s servicecenter in farmers willprobablyendup $=Prices increase,the hikes jump much as another 25 Cass City, =id he’s Seengas paying 20 to 25 cents more a shouldn’t be that much of a cents or more. prices,ump by 20 to 22 cents gallon for diesel this Year. surprise, according to “It’sjust a good way for the per gallon over the past 30 According to Tuscola Chippi, who commented oil companies to get on the days. County Cooperative Exten- that a lot Of the problem lieS band wagon,” he remarked. FIRE LEVELED A large barn and utility shed Thursday morning at the Randy That translates into an in- sion Director Bill Bortel, in this country’s dependence . “It’s hurling because of $150 to $165 farmers are facing a double on foreign crude oil. people aren’t going to drivc, Rabideau residence, located about 5 1/2 miles east of Cass City at 5851 Cass City per year for a motorist who whammy-fuel andchemi- “The Only way the price is 1 can feel it already. People Rd. drives 15,000 miles mnu- cal price increases* going to come down is if One drive in and instead of say- ally and gets 20 miles to the “No question, a big Of the Arab nations begins ing fill it Up, they say put $3 gallon, assuming the current . impact;’ he remarked* OvWroduction, and that or $4 Or $5 in,’’ Others, he Although the effects Of may happen,”heconcluded. added, “look at the price on Pair slightly injured in crash priceUnfortunately, holds. chances =e higher Prices Probably In the fuel dis- the pump and keep going.” good the price will continue won’t be seen immediately tributors and stations, par- Luetke, who recently Two arca rcsidcnls sus- failure to yield. p.m. April 17. Thompson was stopped,a to creep upward. because quite a few Of the ticulady Smaller Operations, ended traditional garage Also ktWcCk, police W- Uincd minor injuries last Eartier thc same da;, vc- Main Strect ncar Ale Strec Chippi says he believes the farmers have had their tanks will continue to struggle, service at his business, rested Philip A. Thompson, at about 11:90 p.m. April 1 Wcdnesday whcn their vc- hiclcs drivcn by Donald N. current pump price could filled, Bortel noted, farmers PmiCUlZUly with insurance pointed out that his profit hicles collided at the inter- McIntyre of Bad Axe and 36,ofBadAxe,onsuspicion after policc observed hii increase by another dime in use a lot of fuel this time of rates that have skyrocketed mugin on gasoline has gone of operating a motor vchick 45 section of Garfield Avcnue Randy Vollrnar of Cass City driving miles per hour i the near future. year. because of WiWcnvkon- from I 1 to 12 cents a gallon andWestStrcet inCassCity. collided on Main Strcct cast while under the influence of a 30 m.p.h. zone. mental restrictions placed in past to 1 112 to 2 Cass Cily police reports of Leach Street. 1iy uor. In 28 years, he rcrnarked, “I’ve secn them (price in- IMPACT On the industry, he said. I-._j,, c- a galbon @day., The creases) this quick before, “On the first Of May Our cost of insurance and taxes, but not Seen them this “They’re estimating it’s insurance 1s going UP 600 meanwhile, hascontinued to steep before. In 2 days we (price) gone up 10 to 15 percent, and it’s not juq US, increase. a.m. when MCIntYre’s vC- about 1:30 p.m. when he The combination of a wash the blaze apparently started got raised 11 cents, 2 weeks cents and it’s going to go UP it’sevevhdy-There’sdnlY “These past 2 years have hide Pulled OVCr inlo thc failed to yield at the inter- barrelandastiffwestwindis as a grass fire, which origi- ago. We get an increase another 10 to 15 cents,” he 2 hsI.Irance Companies in ken the toughest,” he said, section and pullcd into thc outside lane and struck being blamed for a fire that nated from a trash barrel. almost daily.” added. “That’s 20 to 25 the State that Will insure US,” “We’re still surviving, but it path of a wcstbound vchiclc, Vollmar’s vchiclc. Both destroyed a large barn and He estimated damage, in- Ron McComick, manager percent. It’s going to have a he continued. 8 Higher gas isn’t getting my better.” dtiven by Cathcrinc F. vchiclcs sustairwd slight utility shed Thursday about cluding the loss of 2 boats of People’s Oil and Gas Co., tremendous impact On the Kruse, 23, of Dcford. damage, 5 1/2 miles east of CassCity. and 2 wagons housed in the Pigeon, =id his company costAccording side of their to ledger.”Bortel, a Fire chief’s barn, at $2O,OOO. Both drivcrs, whosc vc- Minor damage also was Both buildings were en- zxperienced similar hikes Elkland firemen, who farmer who plants 800 acres hiclcs sustained minor dam- reportcd by Jamcs D. gulfed in flames when over the past 4 weeks. age, were transported to Spcncer, 694 1 Dcckcrvillc spent about 2 hours at the Usually at this time of the - 200 acres of small grains Elkland Township fire f8ht- scene, were assisted by the (wheat, oats, barley), Hills and Dalcs Gcncral Dcckcr, whose vchiclc crs arrived the Randy year prices %e going up 200 Rd., at Elmwood-Gagetown Fire acres of corn, 200 acres of Hospital, wherc they wcrc was struck by a dccr on Rabideau residence, 585 1 Department, which pro- anyway, he remarked, but treatcd and rcleascd. Schwcglcr Road north of not as much in so short a sugarbeetsand200acresof son charged Cass City Road. vided a tanker truck in the Policc citcd Duford for Milligan Road at about 9:30 Fire Chief Dick Root said time. dry beans - will pay an effort. “It was going so fast- the average of about S13 Fr prices - you couldn’t keep acre in costs* Or up with it,” he said. $10,400. with arson Centen n ial farm For that same farmer, a 25- Two Vas= men, *nclud- and Christopher P. Cobb, ’ OVERREACTION percent increase in the price of fuel translates into an the son of Vassar Fire 20, were arrested Friday af- Chippi attributes the in- additional expense of Chief Raymond O.Hess Jr., kmWn in car0 after being Nicol farm started in 1867 creases to a combination of $2,600. were Friday in spotted by Car0 police. factors, including a steadily Fuel makes only about connection With a fire that Preliminary examinations rcccived the land. Earl said. Earl also pointed to a increasingprice,forcrudeoil 10 percent of operational leveled a horse barn and for the pair, who face “Dad quit farming about 25, and overreaction by major cos& on an average farm, killedlOhorsesattheVassar charges of arson of real ycars ago,” Tom remarked, double walnut tree outside a window at the farm and re- oil companies to accidents although the figure varies Fairgrounds mlY the Same property, are scheduled for 9 noting his father had oper- involving their industry, from operation to operation, a.m. May 3. Bond for each ated a dairy operation for called that as boys, he and Raymond 0.Hess 111, 21, WaS Set at $SO,aOO. many ycars. “He quit farm- Tom’s father dug a hole, particUlarly therecent cam- Bortel remarked. He added, each dropped a walnut in ing bccause it wasn’t profit- The charge of arson of real able anymore.” and then covered it up. They were or years old at the property carries a maximum 8 9 sentence of 10 years. FELT RAD * time, he said.