Gas

More people are grilling with gas these days. Consumer Reports tested more than 100 gas grills costing from less than $200 to more than $2,000. Some grills do more than the basics, including one with a rotisserie that also has a side burner, perfect for keeping a pot boiling. And you'll find an oven in one Kenmore grill! Consumer Reports was able to bake a pretty good cake in the oven, though the bottom was darker than one baked in a regular oven. Things can heat up in Consumer Reports labs.

Wichita police are investigating after two cases where thieves drilled through gas tanks to steal gas from cars. One happened in the 2900 block of S. Emporia.  A 73-year-old man says someone drilled a hole in the gas tank of his 2001 pickup. In another case, a 39-year-old man heard a noise outside in the area of 2100 E. Maywood.  He went out to figure out what was going on and saw two men drilling a hole in the gas tank of a car.  The two thieves were scared off, but they did manage to steal some gas.  The rest spilled out on the ground.

(WICHITA, Kan.) Drivers in Wichita haven't seen the price of gas this low for some time.   The price dipped to $3.63 a gallon for regular unleaded this week. That's 26-cents cheaper than a week ago. When you add it up, that amounts to over five bucks a fill up if you have a 20 gallon tank. But if you now think that because gas is more affordable you should start driving more, think again. The government says the very reason the price has dropped is because we're all driving less.

A tense situation at the Sedgwick County Jail turns out to be just a misunderstanding.  It all started around 3:00 Friday morning when a driver ran out of gas near the jail. He left his vehicle there and went to get gas.  By the time he returned around 6:00, his car had been towed.  He was upset and concerned that his car wasn't there. Authorities tell us the man went into the jail, with gas can in hand, and got upset with workers inside about his missing vehicle. Jailers became concerned because he had a gas can.   The situation was diffused and under control a short time later.

Early Friday morning someone robbed a Dillons gas station.  It happened around six o'clock at 37 and Woodlawn. Police say a man with a ski mask walked up to the clerk in the kiosk.He showed a gun, the clerk handed over an unknown amount of money and the suspect fled on foot.  If you have any information about this robbery, call Wichita police.  

Workers hit a gas line in Topeka, causing a home to explode.  The explosion happened Monday morning in the 1900 block of SW Navajo. Topeka fire investigators say a sprinkler system was being installed when a gas line was struck, causing the explosion.  The house was leveled and one victim, an unidentified female, was taken to a nearby hospital. The extent of the victims injuries are unknown at this time.  Eyewitness News is following the story - look for updates as they become available.

The price of gas continues to rise.  We wanted to know what you think of the price of gas and how it affects your life.  In an exclusive FactFinder 12 Scientific Survey, SurveyUSA asked Americans the following questions: Asked of 1000 Adults: Which do you think will happen first? The cost of gasoline will rise to $5 a gallon? Or the cost of gasoline will drop to $3 a gallon? 80% Rise To $5 18% Drop To $3 3% Not Sure Margin of error: ± 2.5% Asked of 890 who own or lease a vehicle: Have you ever thought about the price of gas getting so high that you truly might not be able to afford driving anymore?

A gas line ruptured Thursday afternoon on the east side of the Rhatigan Student Center at Wichita State University. Campus police evacuated Rhatigan, Elliott Hall, Jardine Hall, the Geology Building and HR Resources around 2:30. The buildings have since reopened and the gas line has been capped. The Rhatigan Student Center is currently undergoing a two and a half year renovation project. The rupture interrupted an open house marking the project. Evening events on campus will continue as scheduled.

Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams says his supervisor was justified in setting off tear gas in Old Town early Friday morning.  The small canister of tear gas was released in the 200 block of North Mosley.  Williams says a supervisor made the call to use the tear gas to help help break up a fight and disperse a large crowd.  He says the crowd wouldn't leave and there were several fights in the area. "That sergeant utilized the training that he's gone through as far as crowd management," Williams said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas coming out of the final turn of the Coca-Cola 600, giving Kevin Harvick the win in NASCAR's longest race of the year. Earnhardt had jumped out to a sizable lead on the final restart of Sunday night's race. It was a two-lap "overtime" sprint to the finish, and Earnhardt knew stretching his gas to the finish was going to be tough. His Chevrolet ran dry as he roared through the final turn, and Harvick sailed past for his third win of the season.

Gas prices in Wichita hit their highest price since July of 2008, when the city set a record. Tuesday morning, the price of regular unleaded jumped 10 cents at most stations around Wichita to $3.89 a gallon. Jim Hanni with AAA Kansas says the last time Wichita saw an average price of $3.89 a gallon was July 5, 2008. Wichita's record is $3.90, set July 15, 2008. Hanni says the spike in gas prices is mostly driven by extensive refinery maintenance across the midwest. The large BP Whiting, Indiana, refinery and ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, Illinois, have been down for maintenance.

More people are grilling with gas these days. Consumer Reports tested more than 100 gas grills costing from less than $200 to more than $2,000. Some grills do more than the basics, including one with a rotisserie that also has a side burner, perfect for keeping a pot boiling. And you'll find an oven in one Kenmore grill! Consumer Reports was able to bake a pretty good cake in the oven, though the bottom was darker than one baked in a regular oven. Things can heat up in Consumer Reports labs.

Wichita police say someone used bolt cutters to breach a gas tank at a local gas station...and made off with 150 gallons of gas. It happened at D&T Gas in the 800 block of S. Woodlawn. Police believe the theft happened between Monday and Wednesday. Authorities are going over video from that gas station, but have not yet found anything suspicious. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Wichita police are investigating after two cases where thieves drilled through gas tanks to steal gas from cars. One happened in the 2900 block of S. Emporia.  A 73-year-old man says someone drilled a hole in the gas tank of his 2001 pickup. In another case, a 39-year-old man heard a noise outside in the area of 2100 E. Maywood.  He went out to figure out what was going on and saw two men drilling a hole in the gas tank of a car.  The two thieves were scared off, but they did manage to steal some gas.  The rest spilled out on the ground.

A gas main has been shut off allowing firefighters to put out a fire after a construction accident in northeast Wichita. It happened near 13th and Fountain just before 1 p.m. Saturday. Police said a construction crew was working in the area, when it hit a gas line and ruptured it. A fire erupted, prompting evacuations. Click here to see photos of the fire Nearby residents took shelter in the fire department's rehab bus to stay warm. Officers closed off traffic in the area for several hours while crews worked to turn off the gas and put out the flames.  No one was hurt.

A gas main was hit in the town of Cunningham Friday night around 10:30. Kingman County Sheriff's office tells us an excavator was replacing a water main when the line was struck. 12 people in 7 homes were taken to the town's community center as a precaution. The line has since been repaired and folks are back in their houses. No was hurt.

For a lot of people in Hutchinson on Monday, a trip to the doctor's office turned into a lot more than they bargained for. A construction crew accidentally punctured an underground natural gas line near the Hutchinson Clinic and not too far from the hospital.  It was also right next to an electrical transformer.  The fire department determined the hospital was still safe, but evacuated everybody out of the main clinic building.  About...

Construction work in an east Wichita parking lot caused a gas line break, forcing officials to close off the area for a few hours. It happened at Grove's Liquor, near Kellogg and Webb around 5 p.m. Saturday. Dispatchers said crews were working in the parking lot, when they struck a pipe while digging.  No one was hurt. Officials closed traffic on eastbound Kellogg while crews repaired the ruptured gas line. Turnpike authorities also diverted traffic on I-35 at the Kellogg exit ramp due to the leak.

Wichita police are investigating an armed robbery at a Quik Trip.  The robbery happened around 5:30 Tuesday morning at the Maple and West gas station. According to our news partners at KFDI, a robber walked into the gas station and demanded money.  He then walked out the back door. They say he then got on a silver ten speed bike and took off.  

A car crash leads to a large gas leak in Hays Tuesday evening. Shortly before 10:30, emergency crews were called to the 1600 block of E. 22nd St. They found a vehicle that had crashed into a large commercial gas meter. The meter serve Roosevelt elementary School. No one in the car was hurt, and they were able to get out of the car before crews arrived. Due to where the car crashed, firefighters could not control the gas leak using their standard procedures. Investigators say, since it was leaking in a large, open area, there was minimal threat to surrounding buildings.