Talk of the Town: These times, they are a’changing...

Well, this isn’t fun. Some U.S. motorists, angered by escalating gas prices, are lowering themselves to stealing fuel, a trend, according to AOL money and finance, that could get worse as we get into the summer vacation driving season.

“It is getting bad. When the price of gasoline goes up, the number of drive-offs goes up,” said Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, which represents about 8,000 retailers.

Drive-off means a motorist pulls up to a gas station’s pump, fills the car’s tank, and then speeds off without paying for the fuel.

Retail gas prices hit record highs for the sixth straight day, auto group AAA’s Web site showed Tuesday.

The latest reading from AAA showed that the nationwide average for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $3.732, up from $3.718 the previous day.

Prices already have soared 24 percent since this time last year, and energy experts have said gasoline could top $4 a gallon in many parts of the country heading into summer, when demand for the fuel typically peaks with road travel as Americans go on vacation.

Gilligan said that some state fuel dealer associations were pressing lawmakers to make it easier to prosecute motorists who fill up and then drive off without paying, while many service stations were starting to require payment up front.

“The last time we had a spike up in gasoline, lots of retailers switched to requiring payment before fill-up,” said Gilligan. “But many retailers still want to preserve the trust relationship they have with their customers.”

Many retailers count on people to spend more money inside the convenience store. Their thinking is that if you pay before you pump, you’ll be less likely to come inside afterward to buy snacks, soft drinks, corn dogs or coffee.

The fact is, 95 percent of gas stations now make more profit on a cup of coffee than on a gallon of gas!

Instead of enforcing a pay-before-you-pump rule, retailers are keeping their fingers crossed that lawmakers will pass stricter punishments for people who steal. So someone who pumps and drives off might face paying a bigger fine, or serving jail time.

Time will tell how the problem of gas theft gets worked out. For now, don’t be surprised if you see more sophisticated camera systems installed at your local gas station - to catch gas thieves in the act. Otherwise, it might not be long before all stations force you to pay up front before you pump.

And then there’s the thieves who steal fuel by siphoning it from other’s vehicles. Now, that’s just dirty pool!

American Legion Post No. 66 is hosting a Memorial Day program at the Green Valley Mortuary & Cemetery, 18751 S. La Canada at 9 a.m. May 26.

Keynote speaker will be Lt. Gen. John T. Myers, U.S. Army retired. David Caballero, a University of Arizona police officer and a retired Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer-3, will speak about Americanism.

KGVY-1080 Radio DJ Joey Lessa will sing the National Anthem.

Everyone is welcome to attend. Please bring a chair for your comfort.

Come join the Friends of Madera Canyon for a Mountain Serenade, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, May 18, at the Proctor Ramada in Madera Canyon.

The concert, to benefit the Friends of Madera Canyon, features Tamara Kahrimanis, Norm Popp, Joey Lessa and Yours Truly, singing popular standards in the beautiful natural surroundings of Madera Canyon.

Tickets are $10 and are for sale at Camilot Flowers and the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce. Seating is limited.

Golden Age or an equivalent pass or $5 is needed to cover the Forest Service use fee.

See you there!

The Animal League of Green Valley’s Fourth Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon was held April 18, at the American Legion Post No. 66.

TALGV is an all-volunteer organization and 125 of those volunteers were in attendance.

Before lunch, the volunteers were recognized by years of service and the area in which they “work.” This includes a wide variety of titles and activities. Each volunteer finds the niche in which he or she can happily serve.

The Attic Thrift Shop, a fund-raising branch of TALGV, has sorters, electronics technicians, sales, pick-up and delivery.

The animal side of TALGV has volunteers who serve as pet pals, dog handlers, pet visitation folk, information technologists, photographer, publications coordinator, maintenance and gardening workers, office personnel, adoption counselors, scrapbook keepers, lost and found coordinator, pet biographer, Web masters, intakes and on-site adoption coordinator, off-site dog/cat coordinators, administrative coordinator, groomer, veterinarian and board members.

Whew! Now, those are dedicated folks!

Volunteer Mary Gay was recognized as the volunteer with the most years of service to TALGV, an impressive 11 years!

Out of respect for the animals, the lunch was vegetarian fare.

During dessert, the luncheon attendees were beautifully entertained by Erika Schmidt who is a nine-year-old harpist and the daughter of Kim Schmidt, a TALGV volunteer.

Two raffle prizes were also drawn. Roberta Hawkins won a doll house created and donated by Colleen Langford and Dawn DeGara won a cat quilt sewn and donated by Mary Hubbard.

The Animal League of Green Valley is an animal shelter dedicated to finding homes for companion animals whose owners can no longer care for them because of illness or other necessary lifestyle changes, as well as many unwanted and abandoned animals.

All animals accepted by TALGV stay until a suitable new home is found for them.

It is a non-profit organization, supported by donations, memberships, grants and revenue from The Attic Thrift Shop. It is located at 1600 W. Duval Mine Road in Green Valley. If you can spare three hours a week to volunteer, stop by or call 625-3170. Perhaps next year, you will be attending this luncheon.

Thanks to TALGV publicity person Trudy Shannon for this great story!

Santa Rita Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 150 N. La Canada Drive, is hosting several events in the next few days in honor of Nursing Home Week.

On Thursday, May 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., the center will host a free community breakfast and car show in the front parking lot of the care center. The event is free and open to the public.

At 7 p.m. on May 15, the center will host a free ice cream social with an outdoor movie screening of the classic family movie, “The Great Race,” a 1965 slapstick comedy movie directed by Blake Edwards, written by Blake Edwards and Arthur A. Ross, with music by Henry Mancini and cinematography by Russell Harlan.

The classic film stars Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, and Vivian Vance.

Again, the event is free and everyone is welcome.

For more information, call Amy Malkin, dietary director at Santa Rita Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 625-0178.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740