The on-line price checker maintained by the AAA shows that the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in St. Louis is now $3.97, the highest its ever been.

   That's ten cents higher than just a month ago, and $1.20 more than St. Louisans were paying last 4th of July.

   The lone bright spot, if you can call it that, is diesel, which at $4.55 a gallon is selling for less than a month ago, when it hit an all-time area high of $4.60.

   As usual, the news is even worse for Metro-East drivers -- regular unleaded's currently topping out at $4.17, just a penny below the record set two weeks ago.