Four-dollar gasoline has made an unwelcome and unexpected return. Prices of regular, unleaded rose to within a penny or two of $4 per gallon yesterday across central Ohio, according to GasBuddy.com, with a few retailers hitting the $4 mark. Analysts say the increase is because of a national surge in demand that is hitting the state particularly hard. This is in contrast to reports earlier this month that prices likely had peaked. “There is strong demand, and supply is not as robust as needed,” said Brian Milne, an editor at Schneider Electric, a service provider to the energy industry. “That’s a market signal to produce more supply and bring more supply to the area.” Ohio gets much of its fuel from a wholesale market in the Chicago area, which has seen an unusually large price increase. The current wholesale price is the highest since July, Milne said. Central Ohio’s […]