Gas prices in the U.S. are now lower than they were a year ago
CBSN
The average cost of gasoline in the U.S. has dropped below the price a year ago, the first time that has occurred in 22 months.
The average price for regular gas stood at $3.33 a gallon on December 8, compared with an average of $3.34 on the same date in 2021, AAA said Thursday. The last time gas dipped below its year-earlier price was on Feb. 4, 2021, when drivers were paying $2.44 a gallon, compared with $2.46 a gallon on the same date in 2020, AAA told CBS News.
Fuel prices have plunged over the last several weeks amid slowing consumer demand across the globe, providing some relief to Americans walloped this year by the highest inflation in four decades. Price hikes for other consumer staples are also easing, from cars to some food products, which could signal that the Federal Reserve's efforts to tame inflation are bearing fruit.

The peace and tranquility of Muir Woods, just north of San Francisco – home to 500+ acres of old-growth redwoods – make it just about the last place you'd expect to find a fight brewing. "The fact that they're taking down whole groups of signs about climate change and our nation's history is disappointing, and embarrassing," said retired U.S. Park Ranger Lucy Scott In:

We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help identify them, millions of people are using a free phone app. "Currently we have about six million people using the platform every month," said Scott Loarie, the executive director of iNaturalist, a nonprofit.

At ski resorts across the West this winter, viral images showed chairlifts idling over brown terrain in places normally renowned for their frosty appeal. Iconic mountain towns like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, were seen with shockingly bare slopes, as the region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. In:










