February a bad month for buying gas – At $3.63 a gallon, the monthly national average price has surpassed last February’s average by 8 cents, according to the AAA. In Florida, the average price was $3.869, an increase of nearly 8 cents from the previous week. According to the auto club forecast, the average price will continue to rise through this month and into March. Florida could see prices above $4 a gallon. The Gainesville Sun

Search widens for suspect in Vegas Strip shooting – After a shooting and crash that killed three last week in Las Vegas, the search has widened to the Southeastern US for Ammar Harris, who police call the prime suspect. Harris is accused of firing shots into a Maserati, killing an aspiring rapper, and causing a crash that killed two others. Public records show Harris was arrested in Miami in December on charges of reckless driving. Associated Press

Ikea Withdraws Meatballs After Horse Meat Is Found – After authorities in the Czech Republic detected the horse meat, the Swedish furniture store, Ikea, withdrew its frozen meatballs in 14 European countries The New York Time

High-stakes trial begins for 2010 Gulf oil spill – The trial to determine how much more BP and other companies should pay for the nation’s worst offshore oil spill began Monday. With billions of dollars at stake, BP is shouldering a majority of the blame for the oil disaster. Already racking up more than $24 billion in spill-related expenses, BP has estimated it will pay a total of $42 billion to resolve its liability for the disaster. Associated Press