WASHINGTON (AP) -- An extra penny for your thoughts.

Mailing a letter costs a little more, with the price of a first-class stamp rising to 42 cents today. People who planned ahead and bought Forever stamps for 41 cents each can still use them without extra postage.

Forever stamps also are going up to 42 cents. But buyers may want to stock up anyway, looking ahead to next May when prices are expected to be adjusted again.

The cost to mail a post card also goes up a penny, to 27 cents. Certified mail costs a nickel more, at $2.70. Priority and express mail also are getting more expensive.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Posted: 4:13am EST May 12, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) -- The surge in the price of oil continues to push gas prices higher.

A survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service finds that the price of a gallon of regular gas jumped 2.6 cents overnight to a record of $3.67.

The Energy Department expects prices to peak at a monthly average of $3.73 in June, though many analysts say national average prices could rise as high as $4. Consumers in many regions, including parts of California and Hawaii, are already paying that much.

Oil today rose above $126 a barrel for the first time.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Posted: 11:05am EST May 9, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats want the public to pressure Republicans to change directions in the country's energy policies.

In the party's weekly radio address, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow (STAB'-ih-now) says the rising price of oil is no longer just a burden, but a "crisis for every American family."

Oil rose above $126 a barrel for the first time yesterday and gasoline prices rose above an average $3.67 a gallon at the pump.

She used the address to promote Democratic proposals for changing energy policy. Those include ending billions of dollars in tax breaks for big oil companies. Forcing the oil companies to invest some of their profits in clean and affordable alternative energy, and temporarily stopping the diversion of oil to the national Strategic Petroleum Reserve are among other proposals.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Posted: 12:22pm EST May 10, 2008

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gas prices have jumped nearly three cents since yesterday, reaching a new national record of nearly $3.65 a gallon.

That's according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, which also found a nine-tenths-of-a-cent hike in diesel prices.

Meanwhile, oil prices have paused after their own record climb. Crude reached a new record near $124 a barrel yesterday. Analysts say there's little in the way of news to drive oil moves today.

Many analysts feel investment driven by the dollar's protracted decline is the real reason behind higher prices. The dollar fell against the euro today, attracting investors who see commodities such as oil as a hedge against inflation.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Posted: 1:12pm EST May 8, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is being asked to pull the birth-control patch off the market.

The Public Citizen consumer advocacy group says the Ortho-Evra patch is much riskier than the pill.

A 2005 investigation by The Associated Press found patch users suffer higher rates of life-threatening blood clots than women who take birth-control pills.

Nearly 10 million prescriptions were filled in 2004. That number plunged to 2.7 million last year.

The manufacturer insists the patch is safe and effective when used as directed.

Public Citizen is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to phase out patch sales over six months. Existing users could only get refills, allowing them time to switch to another contraceptive.

The FDA says it has yet to review the petition.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Posted: 2:09pm EST May 8, 2008