2/12**Stimulus Alert:** Senate removes E-Verify requirement from Bill. E-Verify may expire unless renewed in March. Illegals may be eligible for jobs and rebate checks under Stimulus plan.

Gasoline Prices Up - Oil Prices Down
Local gasoline prices have gradually risen over the past several weeks and are now above $2.01 a gallon at many stations. Meanwhile oil prices on the futures market have been sinking and had dropped below $40 per brl last week. It would seem that the speculators are at work and showing concern for the usual Middle East trouble spots. Check your local gas prices (column right). You may find as much as a 10 cents per gallon difference in the Riverhead area.

Sudden Warming Exposes Potholes
Ice and cold have done a job on Riverhead streets. The sudden rise in temperature and melting of ice and snow have exposed a lot of trouble for motorists. You are in for a rough ride on some streets. Struts, shocks, tires will all take a beating. We need some permanent paving jobs right now, not just patchwork fixes that look the same a week from now. Some roadways look like combat zones. (Have you been down Reeves lately?). Some of that stimulus money would pay for new workers, equipment and materials.

LIPA Going Private?
Assemblyman Mark Alessi has been quoted as saying that selling LIPA to a private corporation would save the public a lot of money. Lets hear more.

Peanut Butter Recall List
Go to column right and click on the Peanut Butter recall item. Will take you directly to the FDA recall list. Too much to list in this little ol' blog.