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Friday’s business headlines

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Here’s a look at Friday’s business headlines with Jane King.

California drivers paying $4 for gas

California drivers are edging closer to paying $4 for a gallon of gasoline with the state open for business again and Governor Gavin Newsom planning for a summer with almost no restrictions.

The average price in the state has risen 18 cents in the last month to $3.93 a gallon on Thursday.

As a comparison, AAA says the current average in central Indiana is $2.73 a gallon.

Verizon is recalling 2.5M hotspot devices

Verizon is recalling 2.5 million hotspot devices after discovering that the lithium ion battery can overheat, creating a fire and burning hazard.

The recall impacts Ellipsis Jetpack mobile hotspots imported by Franklin Wireless Corp. and sold between April 2017 and March 2021.

The recall comes at a time when more consumers have relied on hotspots to get by during stay-at-home orders resulting from the pandemic.

Southwest recalling flight attendants

Southwest Airlines said it is recalling over 2,700 flight attendants from leave to support its summer schedule, ending a voluntary furlough program introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, the low-cost airline said it had recalled 209 pilots from a similar voluntary leave program.

BMW sets sales record

BMW sales recorded in the first quarter reached an all-time high and grew by 33 percent compared to the same period of 2020.

That last bit is to be expected, as 2020 was probably the worst year in terms of sales since the 1990s. Even so, reaching an all-time high figure is not an easy feat to achieve.

The biggest sellers were the SUVs, accounting for 36.5 percent of all vehicles sold.