Spotlight: Station Owner Slashes Pump Prices in Protest

Police shut down a penny-a-gallon gasoline sale at an Exxon station in Fremont after the stunt attracted throngs of motorists who clogged local streets. The owner of Hub Exxon caused pandemonium at the pump as he slashed prices to protest what he called price-fixing by oil companies. By midmorning, a line of at least 60 cars stretched around the block. Oil company officials deny that they are jacking up prices, saying wholesale prices are dictated by economic supply and demand.