There may be one more big gift this holiday season for a lucky winner (or several) as the Mega Millions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lottery">jackpot</a> reaches a record-high payout of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/money">$1.15 billion</a>. The next drawing is on Friday, December 27.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 a piece, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jackpot-mega-millions-lottery-3b010e2633d3231cca0d6b9d34ebe5b7">Associated Press</a>. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, and the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, the outlet noted. Tickets are available in 45 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-states">states</a>, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The last Mega Millions jackpot win was back on September 10 when someone <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/lottery/2024/12/25/did-anyone-win-mega-millions/77205381007/">won $810 million</a> in Texas. The total jackpot has been growing ever since and has become one of the largest of all time. The Christmas Eve jackpot was worth $1 billion or an estimated $448.8 million lump-sum payment after taxes, per <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/lottery/2024/12/25/did-anyone-win-mega-millions/77205381007/">USA Today</a>.
No one won the jackpot on Christmas Eve, but four people from CA, MO, PA, and WY won $1 million in the Match 5 lottery that night.
As of now, the largest U.S. jackpots won are as follows:
<ol>
<li> $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket, from California)</li>
<li> $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket, from California)</li>
<li> $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket, from Florida)</li>
<li> $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)</li>
<li> $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)</li>
<li> $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)</li>
<li> $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)</li>
<li> $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024 (one ticket, Oregon)</li>
<li> $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024 (one ticket, from New Jersey)</li>
<li> $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

Mega Millions

Mega Millions Jackpot Soars Past $1 Billion For Friday’s Drawing

Mega Millions Jackpot Soars Past $1 Billion For Friday's Drawing

Lottery

Money

United States

Come for Morning Wire’s Afternoon Update’s straight news, but stay for the rapid reaction. The following five stories, and more, can be heard on today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update podcast. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/biden-administration-appeal-twitter-threatens-legal-action-afternoon-update-7-6-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to listen</a>. 
1. Russia Pulls Out Of Ukraine Grain Deal 
This morning, Russia announced that it would not be renewing the grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain around the world as the two countries fight a war.
That agreement, which first began in July 2022, was set to expire Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The move could harm supply chains, lead to food shortages, cause grocery prices to surge, and further escalate the conflict. Ukraine has historically been known as “the bread basket of the world.” 
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba had a blunt message for Russia Monday morning: &#8220;Stop playing hunger games with the people around the world.&#8221;
Rapid Reaction: This war could be over if the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-is-the-wests-end-goal-in-ukraine-the-million-ruble-question-nobody-will-answer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed for a peace deal</a>. Under President Joe Biden, we aren&#8217;t. So, the rest of the West will have to deal with its consequences. For now, those consequences aren&#8217;t resulting in the death of Americans, but they are making life more difficult. Experts have previously predicted that food prices will skyrocket — even higher than they already have been — without this deal in place.
2. Ukraine Attacks Crimean Peninsula
Ukraine also took responsibility Monday morning for an attack on a key bridge that connects Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/16/europe/russia-crimea-bridge-intl-hnk/index.html">As CNN reports</a>, the bridge holds both logistics and symbolic importance for Russia after the country annexed Crimea in 2014 — the last time it invaded Ukraine. According to reports, a husband and wife were killed in the explosions. 
Rapid Reaction: Again, why is the Biden adminsitration&#8217;s policy to support Ukraine for &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-to-give-ukraine-everything-it-needs-for-as-long-as-it-takes-biden-national-security-adviser-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as long as it takes?</a>&#8221;
3. Flashfloods Kill Five, Two Missing In Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/17/pennsylvania-flash-flood-buck-county-missing-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener">authorities have been searching</a> for a missing 9-month-old and his 2-year-old sister in the Philadelphia area after the duo was presumably swept away in flash floods that hit the region Saturday evening. That weather emergency killed five individuals in Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County. 
Rapid Reaction: What else can you do but pray for the families?
4. Train Derailment
Also near Philly on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/evacuations-after-train-carrying-hazardous-materials-derails-in-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">early Monday morning</a>, a 40-car CSX freight train derailed in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, forcing residents nearby to be evacuated from their homes and offices. Officials said one train car was transporting hazardous material, but insisted there was &#8220;no indication of any leaks or spills.&#8221; Nor have there been any injuries reported as of press time.
Rapid Reaction: Don&#8217;t worry, the Biden administration&#8217;s Transportation Department will get to the bottom of this right after it stops ramming equity into every crevice of American life &#8230;
5. $900 Million Powerball 
And, Monday night’s Powerball jackpot is expected to be a whopping $900 million. If taken as a lump sum, the estimated cash payout would be about $465.1 million.
Rapid Reaction: To quote Creed Bratton, a character from &#8220;The Office,&#8221; &#8220;I already won the lottery. I was born in the US of A, baby.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I already won the lottery, I was born in the U.S of A. <a href="https://t.co/zXPhizHsFs">pic.twitter.com/zXPhizHsFs</a>
&mdash; Creed Bratton *Parody (@Creed_Thoughts2) <a href="https://twitter.com/Creed_Thoughts2/status/1279388794857422849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But, if there&#8217;s no Rundown on Tuesday, you can take it as a sign that I won the actual lottery.
<div class="css-j7qwjs">
<div id="post-body-text">
<div class="e1nzmkc90 css-15jw47d">
To listen to the audio version of Afternoon Update, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
</div>
</div>
</div>

Powerball jackpot at $750 Million

The Rundown: Ukraine-Russia Drags On, Another Train Derailment, Gigantic Powerball

Joe Biden

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

The Mega Millions Jackpot is set to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/mega-millions-jackpot-reaches-estimated-940-million" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reach</a> an estimated $940 million after no one won the top prize on <a href="https://www.megamillions.com/Winning-Numbers.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuesday</a>. 
Six numbers were pulled, but there was no ticket that corresponded to all of the figures in order to win the funds. The numbers drawn included white balls of 25, 29, 33, 41, and 44. The gold Mega Ball was pulled as 18.
Still, Tuesday saw over 2.9 million successful tickets with the winning amounts coming in at wide ranges. The tickets resulted in just $2 of a win or people won $4 million. Six tickets were successful in the $4 million winnings, which is the second-place prize of the lottery. Three of them were sold in Mississippi, Arizona, and South Dakota. Maryland, Texas, and Virginia were the states where three tickets were sold that secured the $1 million winnings. 
&#8220;We are thrilled to see such a big win in Mississippi,&#8221; Mississippi Lottery Corporation President Jeff Hewitt <a href="https://www.wapt.com/article/mega-millions-ticket-worth-dollar4-million-purchased-in-byram/42395403" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Last week, we had a $1 million Mega Millions winner from Moss Point. The winner from the drawing last night is the largest amount won since the Mississippi Lottery began in November of 2019. Spending the extra dollar for the Megaplier option really paid off for this player, quadrupling their $1 million win to $4 million.&#8221;
The three tickets that got the $4 million prize did so because they had the “optional Megaplier,” according to the lottery, “which was 4X on Tuesday night.”
Those who have purchased the lottery tickets will have to wait until Friday to see what numbers are drawn next, where the lottery says the number will get up to $940 million. People typically take the cashout option, which the group announced will be <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/03/us/mega-millions-jackpot/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around</a> $483.5 million. 
Since the lottery started in 2002, Mega Millions <a href="https://www.megamillions.com/News/2023/Jackpot-Closes-In-on-$1-Billion.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> in a news release, there have only been three jackpots that have more money than Friday’s estimated winnings. 
“The Mega Millions record remains $1.537 billion, won by a single ticket in South Carolina on October 23, 2018. Two years ago, a $1.05 billion prize was won in Michigan on January 22, 2021, and there was that big $1.337 billion jackpot won in Illinois last July,” the group said. 
Already, 23 drawings have taken place, but no one has gotten the mega winnings. 
The likelihood of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/07/mega-millions-jackpot-is-410-million-3-key-things-to-do-if-you-win.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winning</a> the top Mega Millions <a href="https://www.megamillions.com/How-to-Play.aspx#:~:text=Mega%20Millions%C2%AE%20tickets%20cost,winning%20numbers%20in%20a%20drawing." target="_blank" rel="noopener">jackpot</a> is one in <a href="https://en.as.com/latest_news/mega-millions-what-are-the-odds-of-winning-the-jackpot-and-other-prizes-n/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around</a> 302 million. For those who win, however, it’s not always an easy process. 
“Understand that this might be a wonderful event, but people are caught off guard by how stressful it is,” Susan Bradley, a certified financial planner and founder of the Sudden Money Institute, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/07/mega-millions-jackpot-is-410-million-3-key-things-to-do-if-you-win.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, per CNBC, in October.

80063856-83F3-4CB2-A01C-A248BA82504E_1_201_a

Mega Millions Jackpot Estimated To Hit $940 Million After No Winner

Mega Millions Jackpot Estimated To Hit $940 Million After No Winner Tuesday Night

Economy

U.S.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lottery">lottery</a> ticket for the biggest Powerball jackpot ever was recently sold in California, and in response <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn">CNN</a> published a report on the lottery&#8217;s critics, one of which argued that the lottery system in general is an example of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/racism">systemic racism</a>.” 
The winner, whose race is currently unknown, had a one in 292.2 million chance of matching all six numbers. That person’s luck led them to winning an unprecedented $2.04 billion prize. 
With the jackpot finally won, lottery experts are reflecting on how they believe the game is unfair for certain people. CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/09/us/lottery-jackpot-systemic-racism-reaj/index.html">reported</a> that, according to researchers, lotteries typically target low-income communities, especially those populated by “black and brown people,” dangling the promise of instant wealth from a game that residents are statistically unlikely to win.
The lottery&#8217;s critics argued that lower-income minorities who play the lottery are more likely to be driven into debt, CNN reported.
Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, accused the lottery of being a form of “consumer financial fraud” and evidence of “systemic racism,” according to CNN. 
“They’re hoping to pay their rent at the end of the month or pay an outstanding medical bill or put their kids through college or they just lost their job and they’re just trying to find a way to make ends meet,” Bernal said. “And here you have what is a government program encouraging citizens to lose their money on rigged games.”
Stores that sell lottery tickets are more likely to be located in poorer areas, and the profits gained by the states from the lottery are rarely used to benefit those poorer areas, according to a study from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism cited by CNN.
“Commercialized gambling like state lotteries, like the Powerball drawing, they represent a financial exchange that is mathematically stacked against you,” Bernal continued.
The report also cited a 1999 report by The Howard Center to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission that found that black and low-income people are more likely to play the lottery. Players are also more likely to be high school dropouts.  
“Poor people are collateral damage to a cause of raising money for what the legislators feel is good purposes … public safety, local schools,” former Massachusetts inspector general Gregory W. Sullivan said in the article. “State governments become dependent on the revenue and any moral considerations get pushed out of view and out of mind.”
Other sources interviewed in the article said people are more likely to play the lottery during difficult financial times. 
Cornell economics professor David Just summed it up, saying, “It’s an investment. It may not be a good investment but… to people with limited resources, this may be the only way they have to sort of dream big and think that something, something great is gonna happen, that’s just gonna change everything.”

Doris Natal of Reading checks out her 126 Powerball tickets as part of a pool with the Berks County Sheriff’s Office at the Sunoco in Exeter. Photo by Natalie Kolb 8/23/2017

CNN Report On Lottery Critics Includes One Who Calls It A Form Of ‘Systemic Racism’ Following Record High Payout

CNN Report On Lottery Critics Includes One Who Calls It A Form Of 'Systemic Racism' Following Record High Payout

California

Media

Racism

Systemic Racism

One lucky <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> resident is about to be a whole lot richer.
According to the Powerball <a href="https://powerball.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, a single winner from California won the record-breaking $2 billion jackpot during Monday&#8217;s drawing. Lottery officials confirmed the lucky draw to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-08/powerball-winner-jackpot-2-billion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Times</a>. The record-breaking figure was originally set at $1.9 billion dollars, but was readjusted to more than $2 billion after lottery officials adjusted their calculations; the jackpot has an approximate cash value of $997.6 million.
&#8220;California Lottery makes its FIRST EVER Billionaire!&#8221; the <a href="https://twitter.com/calottery/status/1590039368265523202?s=20&amp;t=-QXKrb9ctuZHHJ1DRrsCig" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California state lottery</a> announced on its Twitter account Tuesday. &#8220;One lucky ticket sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena matched all 6 numbers in the November 7 #Powerball draw. The final jackpot amount for this draw came to $2.04 BILLION dollars.&#8221; The lottery also announced that five players in Gardena, Beaumont, and San Francisco matched five numbers minus the Powerball, which awards a $1 million prize.
The winning numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56. The Powerball number was 10.
A spokeswoman for the California lottery told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/08/us/powerball-lottery-record-delayed-drawing-tuesday-trnd/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> Tuesday that the winner has yet to come forward. “Somebody is holding on to a very important piece of paper this morning,&#8221; lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Becker told CNN.
According to the Powerball website, in addition to the jackpot, one winner in Florida matched the five winning numbers with a Power Play bonus, doubling the prize amount to $2 million. On top of that, a total of 22 players in 16 states, including the five, won $1 million by matching the five winning numbers.
In addition to the winners, the owner of Joe&#8217;s Service Center, Joseph Chahayed, was also awarded $1 million for selling the winning ticket. “They said, ‘Congratulations, your station sent a winner,’” Chahayed recounted to CNN. The gas station owner is a Syrian native who immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 with his wife and two children. He has 11 grandchildren.
The prize was so large that California officials had to improvise their sign at Joe&#8217;s Service Center. Officials reportedly taped the letter &#8220;B&#8221; over the &#8220;Millionaire made here&#8221; sign given to stores where winning tickets are sold, so that it would read &#8220;Billionaire made here,&#8221; CNN reported.
The drawing was originally scheduled for Monday, but was delayed after the Minnesota lottery announced it was having an issue with its sales verification system that was causing processing delays. &#8220;The Powerball drawing scheduled for Monday, Nov. 7 remains delayed,&#8221; the Multi-State Lottery Association said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/calotterypress/status/1589882628748251136?s=20&amp;t=G_0lAvdehC_N8tfbnrXzQg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> at around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. &#8220;Currently, one participating lottery is still processing its sales and play data. Powerball requires all 48 participating lotteries to submit their sales and play data prior to the winning numbers being selected. Once Powerball receives the outstanding submission, the drawing can proceed.&#8221;
&#8220;Powerball has stringent security requirements to protect the integrity of the game and remains committed to holding a drawing that gives all players a fair chance to win,&#8221; the organization added. &#8220;Due to the length of the draw delay, it is likely that we will not know the official results of the Powerball drawing until Tuesday morning. Players should hold onto their tickets.&#8221;
The Multi-State Lottery Association said that the current jackpot hit on the 41st draw of the run. It was the sixth time the Powerball jackpot hit this year; the last time was on August 3, when a player in Pennsylvania won $206.9 million, <a href="https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/powerball-jackp0t-winner-pennsylvania/3325701/#:~:text=A%20single%20ticket%20matching%20the,a%20Westmoreland%20County%2C%20Pennsylvania%2C%20Sheetz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC 10 Philadelphia</a> reported at the time. The previous record Powerball jackpot hit in January 2016, when three winners in California, Florida, and Tennessee split a $1.586 billion jackpot; each person walked away with nearly $529 million, before taxes.

Powerball card

Single Powerball Player In California Wins $2 Billion Jackpot

Billionaire

General

A North Carolina man who won $1o million on a lottery ticket was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Michael Todd Hill, a 54-year-old from Brunswick County, was convicted of first-degree murder for killing his girlfriend, 23-year-old Keonna Graham, in 2020. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday. He was also sentenced to an additional term of 22-36 months for possession of a firearm by a felon. Hill was arrested and jailed in 2020.
“The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank our local law enforcement agencies for their collaborative efforts in the investigation of Graham’s death,” Assistant District Attorney Shirley Smircic said in a news release from the prosecutors in the 15th district of North Carolina, via the <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article261942890.html">Raleigh News and Observer</a>. “The hard work of these officers ensured a just result in this case.”
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Hill and Graham had been in a loving relationship for more than a year, when she was reported as missing on July 20, 2020. Graham&#8217;s body was discovered by local police a few days later in the room of the Sure Stay Hotel in Shallotte, North Carolina, about 40 miles outside of Wilmington. The prosecutors&#8217; press release said that Graham was found in the room with a &#8220;gunshot wound to the back of the head.&#8221;
“Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Hill as the only individual in the hotel room with Graham,” the prosecutors added in their release. Prosecutors also said that Hill confessed to killing Graham, local CBS affiliate <a href="https://www.wspa.com/news/man-who-won-10-million-lottery-prize-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/">WSPA</a> reported.
Speaking to local NBC affiliate <a href="https://www.wect.com/2020/07/21/man-charged-with-murder-brunswick-county/">WECT</a> in 2020, Vee Patel, the manager of the Sure Stay Hotel, said that Hill checked into the room on July 21, alone. Patel told WECT that none of the hotel employees ever saw Graham. Checkout time at the hotel is at 11 a.m., and once checkout time had passed, housekeeping workers knocked on the door to the room several times. After they repeatedly received no response, the housekeeping staff opened the door and entered the room, where they found a woman unconscious inside, and blood in the room. Staff called 911 shortly afterward.
Hill was working as an employee of a local nuclear power plant when he won a $10 million prize from an Ultimate Millions scratch-off ticket at a convenience store near Wilmington in <a href="https://www.wect.com/story/36224161/brunswick-county-man-wins-10-million-in-lottery/">2017</a>. According to a WECT report from the time, Hill bought a scratch-off that did not win, then, on a whim, bought a second ticket, which was the winner. After state and federal tax withholdings, he took home a lump sum of just over $4.1 million.
“I think it’s horrible,” Tiffany Wilson, a friend of Keonna Graham&#8217;s family, said in 2020 after Hill was arrested. “I mean, he just won the lottery. I heard he just got married and you go and kill a young girl? A beautiful girl? I don’t understand.&#8221; &#8220;All that money and you are seducing a young girl to go into a hotel?” Wilson added. “I don’t know what the situation is but you had no business being in a hotel with her.”
Wilson remembered Graham as someone loved by her family. “She was very loved and she’s very beautiful,” she said.

Cash

NC Man Who Won $10 Million Lottery Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murder

Crime

Murder

North Carolina

The chance of winning a cash prize in a lottery did not seem to motivate people toward getting the COVID-19 vaccine, a new study suggests.
The study, published in JAMA Health Forum, examined whether cash drawings announcements, like the Vax-A-Million lottery in Ohio, in which adults could win money and children could win scholarships, were “associated with increased vaccine uptake.” But even though tens of millions of people were vaccinated in the months that the study authors analyzed, there wasn’t evidence that cash lotteries motivated people to get jabbed.
&#8220;Estimates of the association between an announcement and vaccination rates were very small in magnitude and statistically indistinguishable from zero,&#8221; said the study authors, later adding: “No statistically significant association was detected between a cash-drawing announcement and the number of vaccinations before or after the announcement date, a period that included announcements of lottery winners for most lottery states.&#8221;
“Results of this case-control study may reflect several factors,” they added. “Lottery-style drawings may be less effective than incentives that pay with certainty. Another possibility is that drawings were not an informative vaccine promotional strategy and that more complete messaging on vaccination would have been far more effective. Also, individuals who are hesitant to receive COVID-19 vaccinations may be influenced by vaccine misinformation.”
Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-covid-19-vaccine-lotteries-didnt-help-2021-10">estimates</a> that about 17 states collectively spent roughly $90 million on vaccine lotteries.
Vaccine lotteries took off earlier this year, purportedly as a way to motivate otherwise hesitant people toward getting the jab. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH), who launched the lottery in May, pushed hard to advertise the millions in potential winnings to residents.
“Some may say, ‘DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,’” said the governor. “But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic &#8212; when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it &#8212; is a life lost to COVID-19.”
Another study, released in July, also suggests that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohios-vaccine-lottery-didnt-increase-covid-19-vaccination-rate-study-says-governor-disputes">Ohio lottery</a> system didn’t work.
“The study, conducted by Boston University’s School of Medicine, compared vaccination rates in Ohio with some states that offered no such incentive,” reported The Daily Wire at the time. “It found that Ohio did see an increase in vaccinations after the lottery was announced – but other states saw a similar spike around the same time because the eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine was expanded to include those … 12 to 15.”
The governor’s office defended the lottery, suggested the study was flawed, and argued that they had already controlled for age when touting the results.
“The first week after Vax-a-million, we saw a 44 percent increase in Ohioans 16 and older getting the vaccine,” DeWine spokesperson Dan Tierney told Fox News 8. “According to The Washington Post, no other state saw an increase along those lines. We saw a 17 percent increase in those 16 and older in the second week.”

Medicine and vaccine, packaged in  glass ampoules for injection. Medicine and money background. Coronavirus. Covid-19 vaccine

State Lotteries Didn’t Motivate People To Get Vaccinated, New Study Suggests

COVID-19 Vaccine

A single mom in Kansas City who <a href="https://pjmedia.com/culture/jeff-reynolds/2020/07/21/black-single-mom-with-7-to-her-name-donates-lottery-winnings-to-police-officer-shot-on-duty-n669378">reportedly had only $7 left</a> after losing her job during the coronavirus lockdowns found a $1 bill in a parking lot, bought a lottery ticket, and after winning $100, decided it was more important to donate the money to a police officer who had been wounded in the line of duty.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Shetara Sims had only seven dollars to her name and bills past due when she won a $100 in the lottery, and decided to donate the money to an injured police officer.<a href="https://t.co/jp5jbOzMmj">https://t.co/jp5jbOzMmj</a>
&mdash; Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) <a href="https://twitter.com/Local12/status/1285701084359520257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shetara Sims, whose daughter was murdered in 2012, told <a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/kcpd-pays-it-forward-to-woman-who-donated-lottery-winnings-for-injured-officer/33373357">KMBC</a> News, &#8220;The detectives were really there for us. They were there for us more than anyone I can imagine. They did things they didn&#8217;t have to do.”
The police sent daily messages and visited the family, among other things.
Sims added, &#8220;They came to see my kids. They did a lot. They were fathers, therapists. They were everything … I&#8217;ve never seen the empathy that they had for strangers. They just gave us hope. They were good for us.”
Sims stated that when she won the $100, her 12-year-old daughter said, &#8220;Mom, we should give that to the police officer who got shot.&#8221; She agreed immediately, then contacted the police, saying she wanted to donate her winnings to an officer who was shot on July 2 and wound up in the ICU. The Kansas City Police Department informed her the officer was well cared for, but that she could offer restaurant or gas station gift cards for his family, which they could use on their way back and forth from the hospital.
Police Sgt. Jake Becchina stated, &#8220;To hear her call and just express thanks for no reason other than she&#8217;s thankful, it&#8217;s really impactful to us and it&#8217;s really touching to us.”
A <a href="http://gf.me/u/ygr4ya?fbclid=IwAR3ZMZLEBAum9vftqwyD8bqU1foT9za27l3TguQOBifNcXOISh7906wnVBE">GoFundPage</a> has been established in Sims’ name by the Kansas City Police Department. The police department wrote:
<blockquote>We at KCPD shared this wonderful act of humanity on our social media. Then hundreds of people said they wanted to help her out. However, the woman had called from an unlisted number and didn&#8217;t leave a name. It took a while, but we were able to track her down. Her name is Shetara Sims. She is on the left of this photo (along with KCPD social worker Brooke and Officer Earle). She&#8217;s a struggling single mom. Even when we found her again, she asked, &#8220;Don&#8217;t the officer and his family need it more?&#8221;</blockquote>
As of Wednesday afternoon, the site had raised over $50,000.
Some comments included:
<blockquote>This story touched my heart. You are an amazing woman and mother. I am sorry to hear of the senseless murder of your daughter in 2012 but thankful they solved the case. It is amazing women like you and your amazing daughter that make this world a better place. I wish I could&#8217;ve done more but may God bless you and your family for eternity.</blockquote>
Another:
<blockquote>Beautiful lady, though your Christlike actions may reward you well on this site, I have no doubt your rewards in heaven are far greater than anything imagined here. Blessings to you and your daughter who you have obviously greatly influenced by the love that shines through you for mankind.</blockquote>

US 100 dollar bill, against white background, close-up

Single Mom Has Only $7 Left, Buys Lottery Ticket. She Wins $100, Donates It To Cop Who’s In ICU.

Kansas City

Police

Talk about bad timing.
In July 2013, Richard Zelasko won an $80 million Mega Millions jackpot. What started as perhaps one of the greatest moments of his life turned into a years-long battle over how much of the money he would get to keep. After taxes, his winnings were an estimated $38,873,628.
Unfortunately for Zelasko, he purchased his winning ticket while locked in a bitter divorce with his now ex-wife, Mary Elizabeth Zelasko. The couple had been separated since 2009 and filed for divorce in 2011. They were in arbitration at the time of his winnings, <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/06/21/us/lottery-divorce-split-trnd/index.html">according to CNN</a>.
In an opinion issued last week, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that Zelasko must pay Mary Elizabeth $15 million from his lottery winnings. That still leaves him with nearly $20 million &#8212; more than enough to retire on, but the blow of having to share one&#8217;s winnings with an ex had to be crushing. From CNN:
<blockquote>
The arbitrator ruled that the ticket was part of the couple&#8217;s marital assets and awarded $15 million to the wife and divided the rest of their assets, according to the opinion. He said that the &#8220;marital property includes all property acquired from the date of marriage until the date of entry of the divorce decree,&#8221; including property acquired during a separation.
The court also cited the arbitrator&#8217;s opinion that the winning lottery ticket was probably not the first that Richard Zelasko had purchased during the marriage and that &#8220;(a)s losses throughout the marriage were incurred jointly, so should winnings be shared jointly.&#8221;
</blockquote>
Because Zelasko&#8217;s $1 spent on the winning lottery ticket &#8220;was arguably marital money,&#8221; the arbitrator considered it &#8220;a joint investment.&#8221; The appellate court upheld the arbitrator&#8217;s decision. The divorce was finalized in 2018.
Michael Robbins, who has represented Zelasko since 2015, told CNN, &#8220;It&#8217;s very difficult to overturn an arbitration.&#8221;
Robbins also said Zelasko could still appeal this ruling and was &#8220;considering his options.&#8221;
While arguing for his client, Robbins said it was Zelasko&#8217;s luck &#8220;not Mary&#8217;s, that produced the lottery proceeds,&#8221; the Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2019/06/20/pontiac-man-mega-millions-ex-wife/1508384001/">reported</a>. It was also Zelasko&#8217;s luck that he won the money before his divorce was finalized.
This case makes more sense than another man who recently received bad news regarding his divorce. In Argentina, a man was ordered to <a href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/nation-world/man-ordered-to-pay-ex-wife-179000-for-27-years-she-dedicated-to-housework/507-a155cebc-47af-4d05-9214-beff579673cf">pay his ex-wife nearly $179,000</a> because she quit her job to raise their kids and take care of the household. She struggled financially after the divorce while he did not.
&#8220;The economic dependence of wives on their husbands is one of the central mechanisms through which women are subordinated to society, In most families, women still mainly assume the burden of domestic chores and the care of children, even when they perform some external activity,&#8221; a judge wrote.

Man Wins Lottery. Judge Demands He Give Half His Winnings To Ex-Wife During Bitter Divorce.

Rosa Dominguez is flying high. At just 19 years old, she&#8217;s won the lottery twice. The most shocking part of all? She did it in just one week.
According to the California Lottery, Dominguez purchased her first winning ticket in Paso Robles, California. She bought a $5 Power 5&#8217;s Scratcher ticket at an Eagle Energy gas station in the city. The ticket ended up being worth $555,555, the top prize possible for the scratchers.
After winning over half a million dollars, Dominguez decided to buy yet another scratcher. This time she purchased a $5 Lucky Fortune Scratcher from a Valero gas station in Monterey County. That ticket was a winner, too. Dominguez won another $100,000 thanks to her decision to try her hand at the lottery again.
So what is Dominguez planning on doing with a cool $655,000? Well, what would any teenager do with the large sum of money? You guessed it. Shopping.
&#8220;Dominguez shared with California Lottery employees that she would like to go shopping and purchase a new car,&#8221; <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-wins-california-lottery-week/story?id=48544107">reports</a> ABC News.
Dominguez is lucky, to say the least. The probability of winning the lottery once, let alone twice, is astronomically low. You&#8217;re more likely to get struck by lightning than win a gigantic sum of money by playing the lottery. While most statisticians warn against it, there&#8217;s something to be said about the joy of indulging in the wild fantasies of &#8220;What if? What would I do with the money if I won?&#8221; For Dominguez, those fantasies have aligned with reality.

A Teenager Just Won The Lottery Two Times In One Week

Teenagers

Despite the chances of winning being 1 in 292 million, Cinnamon Nicole from Cordova, Tennessee, decided a good investment of her life savings would be in lottery tickets.
Though one of the three winning tickets did come from her home state, she was not the possessor of it and now claims to be destitute.
Nicole set up a GoFundMe page where she asked the public for donations to help her recover from her idiotic loss; within seven hours she had amassed $800 in free money.
Her message on her aptly-titled &#8220;Powerball Reimbursement Fund by Cinnamon Nicole&#8221; page read as follows:
<blockquote>Please help me and my family as we have exhausted all of our funds. We spent all of our money on lottery tickets (expecting to win the 1.5 billion) and are now in dire need of cash. With your small donation of at least $1.00, a like and one share, I’m certain that we will be able to pick ourselves up from the trenches of this lost and spend another fortune trying to hit it big again! PLEASE, won’t you help a family in need. DONATE NOW.</blockquote>
GoFundMe eventually shut her page down but not before some users had a chance to comment.
User Kenyatta Gibson wrote: “Guuuuuuuuuuurl…….I ‘SWEATERGAAAAAWD’ if I see one person give you one rusty copper penny I will spend ten times what you spent on lottery tickets on PLANE tickets to fly to their humble abode so spoiled in riches that they can afford to make it rain on Sweet Brown like ratchet humans such as you who choose to spend their cash on Remy, Flaming Hot Cheetos, VOSS Water and Powerball , and commence to kicking every single one of their asses!!!”
Exit thought by Tyrone Biggums&#8230;
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="media-element file-default" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/sj6h19.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="401" data-fid="3783" data-media-element="1" /></div>
#<a href="http://i.onionstatic.com/avclub/4325/95/16x9/960.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SoYou&#8217;reTellingMeThere&#8217;sAChance</a>
(<a href="http://www.vibe.com/2016/01/powerball-go-fund-me-page/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">h/t Vibe</a>)

sj6h19

She Spent Her Life Savings On Powerball Tickets, Now She’s Asking For Your Charity

GoFundMe

Menu