Travel briefs: San Juan Islands, Harriet Tubman site become national ...

UNITED STATES

Newest monuments: Puget Sound, Tubman

President Obama has created five new national monuments, including the first one for Delaware. They are:

San Juan Islands National Monument in Washington state, which protects a string of 450 “islands, rocks and pinnacles” in Puget Sound.

Rio Grande del Norte in New Mexico, which covers more than 240,000 acres northwest of Taos.

Two others are tributes to African American heroes: Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Maryland and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio.

First State National Monument (Delaware was first to ratify the U.S. Constitution) includes several Colonial sites, starting with Dover Green, where the legislature met to make its historic vote in 1787.

– Los Angeles Times

Man wins $8K after ‘World’ breakdown

An attorney says a disabled man was awarded $8,000 by Disneyland after the “It’s A Small World” ride broke, stranding him for a half hour while the song played continuously.

Lawyer David Geffen says Jose Martinez, who uses a wheelchair and suffers from panic attacks, didn’t medically stabilize for three hours after the ride broke down in 2009.

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said the Anaheim theme park believes it provided appropriate assistance

during the incident.

ASIA

$1 billion casino-resort opens in Philippines

Owners of a new $1 billion casino-resort in Manila predict the Philippines will become the world’s next huge gambling center, vying with Macau, Singapore and Las Vegas for Asia’s high rollers.

Solaire Resort and Casino is the first of four developments in the $4 billion Entertainment City being built on 247 acres reclaimed from Manila Bay. It has 500 hotel rooms, 1,200 slot machines and 295 gaming tables, including those in private rooms with bay views, plus eight restaurants, a spa and an 1,800-seat Broadway-type theater, said Solaire executive Michael French.

– Associated Press

AIRLINES

Allegiant adding flights from Oakland to Provo

Allegiant Air will launch twice-weekly flights from Oakland to Provo, Utah, starting June 7. Provo, home of Brigham Young University, will be the seventh city served by Allegiant this summer out of Oakland International Airport.

The nonstops to Utah will leave at 7:30 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays, landing in Provo at 10:10 a.m. Return flights will depart at 10:50 a.m. and arrive at 11:40 a.m.

– Linda Zavoral, Staff

Travel briefs: San Juan Islands, Harriet Tubman site become national ...