News In Brief

Gasoline prices drop, especially on West Coast

Retail gasoline prices nationwide dropped by more than half a cent during the first week of October, with an especially sharp decline in prices on the West Coast, oil industry analyst Dan Lundberg said Sunday.

Prices below $1 a gallon for regular, leaded gasoline at self-service stations were a new development in the West as the nation's wholesale and retail prices fell for the second consecutive month.