Winning Ticket Sold in Missouri
***UPDATE FRIDAY 11 A.M.***DEARBORN, Mo. (AP) — A 52-year-old Missouri mechanic and his wife claimed their share Friday of the record $588 million Powerball jackpot.Lottery officials sent a statement announcing that Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, held one of two winning tickets for the nation’s biggest Powerball jackpot.”It’s really going to be nice to spend time – not have to work – and be able to take trips with our family,” Cindy Hill, a former office manager laid off in June 2010, said in the statement.Her husband, Mark, is a mechanic at the Hillshire Brands meat processing plant in St. Joseph. The couple adopted a daughter from China five years ago and are now considering a second adoption with their winnings, according to the statement. They also plan to help other relatives, including their grandchildren and nieces and nephews, pay for college.The Hills will split the nearly $588 million prize with whoever holds a winning ticket sold at a convenience store in suburban Phoenix. No one has come forward yet with the Arizona ticket, lottery officials said.The $587.5 million payout, which represents the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history, set off a nationwide buying frenzy, with tickets at one point selling at nearly 130,000 per minute. Before Wednesday’s drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without someone hitting the jackpot.Lottery officials’ announcement that the Hills had one only confirmed what many residents in Dearborn, a town of about 500 about 40 miles north of Kansas City, already knew. Lottery officials said Thursday that a winning ticket had been sold at a Trex Mart gas station and convenience store on the edge of town, and the Hills’ names circulated quickly. While the Hills did not speak to reporters, friends and relatives identified the couple as the winners.***UPDATE THURSDAY 10 A.M.***Missouri Lottery officials say the winning Powerball ticket was sold at Trex Mart, 17605 Highway Z in Dearborn. The Trex Mart is located on I-29 between Kansas City and St. Joseph.***UPDATE THURSDAY 8:30 A.M.***Missouri Lottery officials say the winning ticket was sold in the Kansas City region. Officials expect to release more details around 10 a.m.In addition, two tickets were sold in the state that matched all five white balls, but not the Powerball. Those tickets each win $1 million. The $1 million winning tickets were sold at: Casey’s General Store, 4800 S. Rangeline in Joplin; and Sunfresh, 2415 N.E. Vivion Road in Kansas City.***ORIGINAL STORY***(AP) – Powerball officials say the record jackpot has been won.Early Thursday morning officials confirmed that two winning tickets were sold: One in Arizona and one in Missouri. An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes.The numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6.A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.The drawing Wednesday night for the Multi-State Lottery Association’s prize followed 16 consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the Powerball to the second-largest potential lottery payout in U.S. history.Tickets earlier Wednesday were selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide, the jackpot enticing many people who rarely, if ever, play the lottery.
