Interstate Crash Sends One to Hospital

Interstate Crash

A crash on the connector ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to eastbound Interstate 8 Saturday sent one person to a hospital and prompted officials to temporarily close the connector near Old Town.

A witness reported a black Subaru Legacy was on its roof and blocking the transition bridge's two lanes just after 10 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol, who closed connector about 10:15 a.m.

One person involved in the crash was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center in an unknown condition, according to a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department dispatcher.

Comic Con Tickets

Single Comic-Con tickets and four-day packages go on sale online Saturday for fans who registered for early ticket purchases.

Only those who registered with Comic-Con's "Member ID preferred E- list" will get chance to buy badges, starting at 8 a.m., according to U-T San Diego.

Ticket sales for last year's Comic-Con did not go smoothly. The first two attempts to sell tickets for the event ended with only a handful being bought before computer systems were overwhelmed. A third attempt, which spread sales simultaneously over three websites, was more successful, with 1,000 four- day badges being sold within minutes.

On Wednesday, those on the preferred 'E-list" were sent a link to buy badges, along with a warning not to share the link with anyone else. Organizers feared link address would be passed around, and that people who did not sign-up would snatch up the early tickets.

The convention is set July 12-15. Single-day badges range from $23 to $40. Four-day badges are $175.

Comic-Con began as a modest comic book fair in 1970 and has since grown into a pop culture extravaganza, with about 125,000 people attending each year. Hollywood has latched onto the event as a marketing tool and regularly uses it to stage film premieres.

Comic-Con has been held in San Diego since its inception, despite aggressive attempts by Los Angeles and Anaheim to lure it away. Organizers last year committed to remaining in San Diego until 2015 at least.

According to the San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the event spurs $162.8 million in related spending and generates $2.8 million in tax revenues.

Gas Prices

A 37-day streak of increases to the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County ended Saturday when it was unchanged, remaining at $4.372.

The average price increased 63.5 cents during the streak, including six- tenths of a cent Friday, rising to its highest amount since July 23, 2008, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

The average price is 8.7 cents more than one week ago, 58.3 cents higher than a month ago and 53.7 cents greater than a year ago.

Analysts have credited the increasing prices to rising oil prices which stem from fears of shortages because of elevated tensions in the Middle East over Iran's nuclear program and speculation by investors, along with the closure of some California refineries for maintenance and a major fire at the Cherry Point refinery near Blaine, Wash., that will cause its closure for at least three weeks, both reducing the supply.

Crude oil costs account for two-thirds to three-quarters of the price of a gallon of gasoline, according to Tupper Hull of the Western States Petroleum Association, a trade association representing oil companies in six western states.

-City News Service