CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush prodded Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah on Monday to help curb skyrocketing oil prices, and the White House expressed hope that the kingdom's plans would ease U.S. gasoline prices that have shot above $2.20 a gallon.

VIENNA, Austria - OPEC will increase its oil production target by 1 million barrels a day later this year in a move widely viewed as more symbolic than significant, given that the cartel has been exceeding the new output limit since the beginning of the year.

VIENNA, Austria - OPEC will cut its production target by 4 percent as scheduled, several oil ministers said Wednesday - a move that analysts say could drive crude oil prices higher even as U.S. customers are already facing high gasoline prices.

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - The U.S. energy secretary said Saturday that insufficient oil production, not financial speculation, was driving soaring crude prices.

OPEC’s clout in world oil markets ebbed for at least a day as oil prices rose again Wednesday despite the cartel’s decision to lift its official production levels.

CAIRO, Egypt - Seeking to keep prices up without having them explode, OPEC agreed Friday to reduce its daily oil output by 1 million barrels a day — and reserved the right to cut deeper early next year if crude turns much cheaper than now.

Permit a little reality check on just how long it takes to get things done in south Scottsdale since we are now in an election year and the folks running for office just might have some explaining to do.

DEARBORN, Mich. - The relatively quick-and-easy answer to foreign oil dependence and automotive greenhouse gas emissions is circling the grounds every day at Orlando International Airport in Florida, according to a top Ford Motor Co. official.

KUWAIT CITY - OPEC oil ministers agreed Monday to keep oil spigots wide open and maintain production at the organization's highest-ever levels - at least for now - while reserving the right to consider cuts in early 2006 should robust demand flag and high prices fall.

Gerard Windstein’s persistent skin rashes and kidney infections disappeared when the Scottsdale man finally put a halt to his carpet-cleaning business more than a decade ago.

ABOARD THE DISCOVERER DEEP SEAS - Nearly three football fields long, the ship appears to be sitting idle on the turquoise blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps even abandoned.

WASHINGTON - Oil prices rose Thursday despite reports that refineries along the Gulf Coast, as well as production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, that had been shut down were slowly being restaffed, as Hurricane Ivan proved to be less disruptive than feared.

HOUSTON - The punch of Hurricane Gustav appeared to fall softly Monday on the vast energy complex along the U.S. Gulf Coast, alleviating fears of a fuel shortage and potentially delivering a break to businesses and consumers.

When Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez survived a vote to oust him last week, the victory eased worries that the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter might erupt in political turmoil.

WASHINGTON - Oil prices inched closer to $50 a barrel Thursday even as the Bush administration offered to tap the nation’s emergency stockpile of crude on behalf of refiners whose supply was disrupted by Hurricane Ivan.

PRUDHOE BAY, Alaska - Oil companies are betting that heavy oil in Alaska will result in a big payoff. Heavy oil, which has the consistency of thick molasses, lies in sandstone above the huge reservoir of light oil that has been flowing down the trans-Alaska pipeline since 1977.

Oil prices fell slightly on Monday following a commitment from OPEC’s president that the group was prepared to keep the market well supplied.

LONDON - Oil prices retreated from record-highs on Friday as concerns about Russian supplies dissipated somewhat and OPEC said it was prepared to raise daily output by more than one million barrels.

WASHINGTON - The price of oil reached a new high Monday, settling at $41.72 per barrel as traders shrugged off Saudi Arabia’s pledge to immediately pump more crude because other OPEC members refuse to formally increase the cartel’s daily production quota.

Here’s the good news for the Coyotes to come out of their 3-2 preseason victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at Glendale Arena: Ladislav Nagy, the team’s most talented offensive player, scored for the first time since Jan. 14, and Phoenix finally started to find some rhythm on the power play.