BRIEFLY.

Gas prices down 18 cents, 14 days

CAMARILLO - Retail gas prices continue to plunge across the country, dropping 18 cents in the past two weeks, according to a survey released Sunday.

The weighted average price for all three grades declined to $2.27 a gallon on Nov. 18, said Trilby Lundberg, who publishes the semimonthly Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations around the country.

Self-serve regular averaged $2.24 a gallon nationwide. The price for midgrade was $2.34, while premium-grade hit $2.44.

The lowest average price in the nation for regular unleaded among the stations surveyed was $1.94 a gallon in Wichita, Kan. The highest price was $2.64 in Honolulu.

In California, the average price of self-serve regular was $2.47 a gallon. The cheapest was in Sacramento at $2.41 and the priciest was in San Diego at $2.51.

- Associated Press 

Auto overturns, killing woman, 24

A 24-year-old Huntington Park woman who was not wearing a seat belt died Sunday in a crash on a freeway transition road northeast of downtown, authorities said.

The unidentified woman, driving on the connector from southbound Interstate 5 to southbound Highway 110 about 12:30 a.m., veered inexplicably and smashed through a concrete barrier, overturning in the path of an oncoming car, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The other car, going about 40 mph on the connector from the northbound 110 to the northbound 5, struck the driver's side of the victim's car, police said.

The woman, who might have been speeding, was partially ejected and died at the scene, the CHP said. The driver of the other car suffered minor injuries, and his three passengers were uninjured.

- City News Service

Hit-and-run crash leaves 2 injured

GLENDALE - A hit-and-run driver has hospitalized two people, including one critically, police said Sunday.

The suspect was driving a 1998 Land Rover ``at a high rate of speed'' south on Columbus Avenue near the traffic circle at Riverdale Drive about 9:40 p.m. Saturday, police said. The suspect's vehicle didn't slow down and went through the traffic circle, striking the victims' 1993 Nissan sedan.

An 18-year-old man was in critical condition at a local hospital. The condition of the other passenger was unavailable.

The suspect ran away, and police had no description.

- Daily News

Violence leaves 3 people injured

PALMDALE - Two men were shot and another was stabbed early Sunday in attacks that might be related, authorities said.

About 1 a.m., an unidentified man was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital with a gunshot wound. About 90 minutes later, a 23-year-old man arrived with a stab wound. Then, hospital officials called police about 9:45 a.m. to report that a third victim, a 24-year-old man, had arrived with a gunshot wound to his back, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Daryl Bonsall said.

The victims' wounds were not life-threatening, he said.

Authorities received reports of at least two rowdy parties, and the attacks could have happened at one or both of those parties, Bonsall said. The victims have been uncooperative.

- Daily News