Tampa, FL -- The trading price of crude oil inched up slightly last week as news of Tropical Storm Lee threatened Gulf refineries, according to a AAA Club South report.

AAA reports Tropical Storm Lee caused multiple companies to shutdown and evacuate refineries in the Gulf of Mexico cutting off 48 percent of output quotas.  Hurricane Katia has yet to make landfall, but is threatening the East coast of the U.S.

Currently a Category 2 hurricane, Katia has the potential to damage refineries along the East coast, which could push oil and gas prices higher. Crude oil closed Friday at $86.45 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange--$1.08 more than the week prior. 

"Retail gas prices rose an average of 5 cents last week in the Southeast and are expected to increase further this week after Lee disrupted Gulf refining," said Jessica Brady, spokesperson, AAA Auto Club South. "Normally, oil would trade at higher prices as a result of the storms, but bearish economic news is keeping downward pressure on prices."

Tampa, FL -- Average retail gasoline prices in Tampa rose 0.2 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.46/g yesterday.

This compares with the national average that has increased 2.8 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.61/g, according to gasoline price website, TampaGasPrices.com.

"Retail gasoline prices finished last week quite strong in some areas on concern surrounding Hurricane Irene," said Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst. "The concern surrounding refinery production on the East Coast helped boost gasoline prices outside that area as well. The good news for motorists is that damage to refineries was likely minimal and gasoline production will resume soon. However, with Labor Day weekend fast approaching and these refineries taking days to resume production we still may see retail prices gradually climb during this week," DeHaan adds.

Temple Terrace, FL -- The Temple Terrace Police Department is hosting a multiagency Comprehensive Roadside Safety Checkpoint this Friday night, Aug. 26 starting at 10 p.m.

This initiative coincides with the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown, which began Aug. 19 and runs through Sept. 5. The checkpoint location is 50th Street, south of Fletcher Avenue.

The safety effort will include the Temple Terrace Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the University of South Florida Police Department.