O'ahu briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Hawai'i woman wins $5 million jackpot
A woman from Hawai'i is $5 million richer after hitting a Wheel of Fortune slot machine jackpot at the Monte Carlo hotel and casino Saturday.
The woman had met some relatives in Las Vegas and was staying at the resort when she won the jackpot. She asked to remain anonymous.
The progressive jackpot was last won in April at the Venetian hotel-casino. That time it paid $2.5 million.
WINDWARD
Whale carcass hauled away
City workers yesterday removed the last pieces of a whale carcass that washed onto a beach near Kualoa last week, and shark warning signs were put away.
The 2-ton dead sperm whale floated in Thursday night, stopping on a beach near the old sugar mill smoke stack at Kualoa Ranch.
Workers yesterday afternoon hauled away the last three pieces of blubber, weighing about 300 pounds each. The remains were buried in a pit on the mauka side of Kamehameha Highway, said Mike Markrich, a spokesman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
With the carcass gone, the likelihood of sharks visiting is no greater than normal, Markrich said.
NORTH SHORE
Weed Circle makeover starts
The North Shore Outdoor Circle and Hale'iwa Main Street kicked off the long-planned Weed Circle beautification and landscaping project yesterday by planting trees at the site between Hale'iwa and Waialua.
The two organizations, which have raised $40,000, say the tree planting can now begin because an irrigation system has been installed on the property. Ten trees will be planted each day through tomorrow. More tree plantings are planned for the future.
Many of the trees have been paid for by individuals and community groups at $100 per tree. Eventually, a plaque naming the donors will be erected in the area. To donate a tree, send a $100 check to the North Shore Outdoor Circle, P.O. Box 1011, Hale'iwa HI 96712. Checks should be marked, "tree for Weed Circle."
HONOLULU
Nimitz traffic to be discussed
A plan to create contra-flow lanes during rush hour traffic on Nimitz Highway will be discussed at the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Kapalama Elementary School cafeteria.
The state Department of Transportation plan would create a contra-flow lane from Ke'ehi Lagoon to downtown Honolulu but would prohibit left turns on Mokuea and Puuhala streets and into private driveways.
Some Kalihi residents have opposed the project, saying prohibiting left turns would hurt businesses and create more congestion.
