joan quigley was 87 years old. >>> now to something you rarely hear, gas prices are dropping fast. good news, cnbc's sharon epperson tells us what's behind the fall. >> gas prices are dropping fast and could be below $3 a gallon for the national average. in the next few weeks. that's according to to aaa. we're already seeing drivers able to purchase gas below $3 a gallon at at least one station in every state except for hawaii, alaska and montana. this slide coincides with the slide that we're seeing in oil prices. we have a price war going on between international oil producers. we have robust supplies of oil here in the u.s. and slower demand for fuel here and around the globe. all of that is contributing to lower oil and gasoline prices. americans are paying about $5 to $15 less to fill up their tanks than they did around the fourth of july, and that is great news going into the holiday season. but we could see some of that savings offset by higher food and other expenses. and so that may mean we may not see a significant boost to consumer spending. lester. >> all right, sharon