Coming in at #4 on our list of the Top 10 Stories of 2008 is gas prices in the Brazos Valley.

The price at the pump soared over the summer in the Brazos Valley, but soon after Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast, prices began to plummet. In a matter of months, gas prices had returned to levels we hadn't seen in years.

The summer of 2008 saw gas prices skyrocket. A barrel of oil hit a record high of $147 on July 11 and the price per gallon was dangerously close to $4 a gallon.

Then came Hurricane Ike, the stock market crash, and with the addition of Pump Patrol on News 3, the price at the pump dropped like a rock.

But as the price dropped, drivers in the Brazos Valley began to notice a big difference between prices in Bryan/College Station and prices in surrounding areas.

Waco, Austin, and Houston were all ahead of the curve, usually 20 to 50 cents cheaper per gallon than here in Bryan/College Station.

One city nearby city that had lower gas prices was Snook. Slovacek's was selling gas for 20 cents less than anyone else in town, and Tim Rabroker, the owner of Slovacek's, didn't understand why there was such a big difference in the price.

"We pretty much all work out of the same terminal, which is the Hearne terminal," he said. They should be getting the same prices as us. We're an independent and a lot of those folks are chains and they're probably getting a cent or two better than we are, so there shouldn't be any difference in what we're getting our fuel for."

Prices have now stabilized and remain around $1.45 per gallon in College Station, which is a much better price than we were paying.

For the complete list of the Top 10 Stories of 2008, click on the link below this story.