Gasoline prices are heading back up. According to AAA, regular gas in the Valley currently averages $4.21 per gallon, slightly higher than the national average of $4.15. It’s been a volatile year at the pump. We started January at $2.81, followed by consecutive monthly increases that peaked at $4.48 in May during the initial outbreak of war in the Middle East. Prices briefly dialed back through June and July as hostilities eased, but as regional conflict has flared back up, so have prices at the pump—breaking $4 in August and maintaining that upward momentum.