$1.6M lottery ticket sold at Oxnard doughnut shop
California Lottery officials said a Mega Millions ticket bought at an Oxnard doughnut shop matched five of six numbers for Friday night’s drawing, leaving someone with a $1.6 million prize.
No jackpot was struck, however, so the Mega Millions pot will grow to about $480 million for Tuesday’s drawing.
The ticket was sold at Master’s Donuts at 1911 N. Oxnard Blvd. It wasn’t clear as of midday Saturday whether the winner had claimed the prize.
The doughnut-shop windfall follows another local lucky streak.
A Ventura County grandfather — who has chosen to remain anonymous — rang up a record jackpot of more than $1.3 million at the Chumash Casino Resort on July 1, less than six weeks after the same man scored more than $556,000 at the Santa Ynez casino in late May. The two jackpots were delivered by a pair of slot machines that stand side by side in the Higher Limit room, casino officials said.
Simi police note decline in fireworks calls
Simi Valley Police Department officers stepped up illegal fireworks enforcement around the Fourth of July holiday, seizing more than 100 pounds of boxed rockets, sparklers, fountains and other devices for destruction.
But the department’s overall calls for service were far fewer than during last year’s Independence Day celebrations, officials said in a news release.
Enforcement efforts started on Friday, June 30, and continued through the weekend into Monday. On Tuesday — the Fourth of July — the agency deployed extra officers specifically focused on fireworks enforcement.
Through July 3, officers issued seven citations, with one person arrested. On July 4, police issued 23 citations, with one arrest.
During a 24-hour period on the 4th, the department received 200 radio calls for service regarding illegal fireworks. The number marked a nearly 32% drop in call volume compared to last year’s holiday, when officers handled 293 fireworks calls.
Ahead of the holiday, police had also contacted more than a dozen residents who’d been reported by neighbors through the fireworks hotline. Those people were warned about repercussions of illegal fireworks activity. No fireworks were reported at those locations after the discussions, the department said.
There were no reports of injuries, fires or property damage from illegal fireworks. The confiscated fireworks were booked and turned over to the Ventura County Sheriff’s bomb squad for disposal.
All fireworks are illegal in Ventura County except so-called “safe and sane” fireworks allowed only in Fillmore city limits around the Fourth of July holiday.
CHP releases holiday weekend toll
Sixty-eight people were killed in crashes on California highways over the long weekend leading up to July 4, the California Highway Patrol announced Thursday.
The tally covers a 102-hour enforcement period that started Friday night, June 30, and ran through the Fourth of July holiday on Tuesday. The count includes only roadways in the CHP’s jurisdiction.
Nearly half of the 68 people killed were not wearing a seat belt, the agency said in a news release.
The agency had extra patrol officers watching for DUI and unsafe drivers during its Independence Day maximum enforcement period. The effort netted 9,700 speeding citations and 1,224 arrests for suspected driving under the influence.
“The results of this… are concerning and reinforce the need for responsible behavior behind the wheel,” CHP commissioner Sean Duryee said in the release. “All of these deaths were preventable, and the loved ones they leave behind will be forever impacted.”
The CHP holds six such maximum enforcement periods per calendar year. The next is scheduled for Labor Day weekend.