New Jersey

J.Lo’s mother hits $2.4 million jackpot

Jennifer Lopez’s mom, Guadalupe Lopez, beat astronomical odds Saturday night when she played a dollar “Wheel of Fortune” slot machine at the ritzy Atlantic City Borgata — and hit a $2.4 million payout.

“It was divine intervention,” Guadalupe Lopez declared after her $3 investment generated a more than 800,000-fold dividend.

“I have a great devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe … and had just looked up at the $2 million and said a little prayer to her when I hit the jackpot. Our Lady really looks out for me,” she said.

The retired Bronx kindergarten teacher, a Borgata regular, had only been playing for about 10 minutes when the three winning “Wheel of Fortune” symbols popped up.

California

Spirit rover completes primary Mars mission

NASA’s Spirit rover on Monday wrapped up its primary mission to Mars as it continued to roll across the planet’s surface on an extended tour that could last through September.

The unmanned robot, marking its 90th full day on Mars, had accomplished all of the tasks NASA considered essential to declare the joint mission a success. Its twin rover, Opportunity, was getting close to achieving the same.

The mission’s key tasks included a requirement that one of the rovers travel at least 1,980 feet — a mark Spirit surpassed Saturday.

Between the two of them, the rovers also had to take stereo and color panoramas of their surroundings, drive to at least eight locations and operate simultaneously for a minimum of 30 days.

Texas

Five killed in crash on flood-detour road

Five people were killed Monday in west Texas in a wreck on a highway being used as a detour for a washed-out bridge, and south Texas remained on watch through today for possible flooding from the slow-moving storm system that dumped up to 4 inches of rain the day before.

Meanwhile, the number of people killed in a flash flood in the Mexican border city of Piedras Negras rose to at least 25, with dozens of people reported missing.

The deaths in Texas occurred in a four-vehicle wreck on a two-lane road in Reeves County. The road was being used as a detour for eastbound traffic on Interstate 20, after a bridge over the Salt Draw, a ravine, washed away Sunday evening.

Florida

Old aircraft carrier to be sunk off coast

The retired aircraft carrier USS Oriskany will be sunk this summer off the Florida coast to serve as an artificial reef, the Navy announced Monday.

The 888-foot Oriskany is the first vessel in a new program designed to dispose of obsolete warships by sinking them as a cheaper alternative to the scrap yard. The ship also will serve as an underwater military memorial.

The Oriskany’s former crew members include Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was shot down and taken prisoner in North Vietnam after taking off from the ship in 1967.

The sinking will make the Oriskany the largest vessel in the United States deliberately sunk to create a reef. But it is unlikely to hold that distinction for long. The military will soon begin reviewing places to sink 24 other ships, including three aircraft carriers.

No date has been set for the sinking in 212 feet of water 22 miles southeast of Pensacola.

Florida

Driver confesses to fatal hit-and-run

A schoolteacher stepped forward Monday and admitted she was the hit-and-run driver who apparently struck four children as they crossed the street. Two boys died.

In an apology addressed to the children’s mother, 28-year-old Jennifer Porter said at a news conference: “I wish there was something I could say to ease your pain. I know there is nothing I can do to bring your precious sons back.”

Her lawyer, Barry Cohen, said Porter was too scared to stop after the accident Wednesday.

Porter was not immediately charged.