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Don't shoot the messenger when gas prices climb

 
Published March 26, 2012

Some people call her screaming and some people call her crying, not realizing she doesn't control oil prices and speculators.

Price-conscious gas consumers hang on the words of AAA Auto Club South spokeswoman Jessica Brady. And while she hasn't had much good news to offer lately, she has delivered it well.

Brady, who once worked as an editorial assistant for the Tampa Bay Times, made fuel prices a priority after joining AAA five years ago.

Now she speaks with authority about the market, as if she's studied the subject for decades.

"You have to immerse yourself in it and somehow be able to talk about it in an easy-to-understand manner," Brady said.

Brady does just that, but with empathy for the folks hurt by the rising prices. She loves to report decreases, but for now, she sees gas rising to $4 or $4.25 a gallon before eventually becoming unsustainable and declining.

Hey, she's just the messenger.

Seen on a bumper sticker: Growing Old Is Mandatory. Growing Up Is Optional. …

The launch of Artbook Tampa Bay, an iPad digital coffee table book that promotes local artists, has gone so well the originators are working on a second version. HD Interactive, the St. Petersburg company behind the innovation, is still accepting entries for a second volume at artbookarchive.com and hopes to launch the concept in other art-centric cities.

The Hillsborough Youth Collaborative holds a summit on racism at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E Palm Ave.

With racial tensions rising since President Barack Obama's election, perhaps it's the children who can lead us to more civility.

That's all I'm saying.