DEARBORN, Mo. — It may be a bit of an understatement, but a Dearborn, Missouri, man is a lot wealthier today after winning the nearly $590 million Powerball jackpot on Wednesday night.
Mark Hill, 52, will share the $587.5 million jackpot with another winner from Arizona. The winning ticket was sold at Trex Mart, located at 17605 Highway Z in Dearborn, on the Platte and Buchanan county line.
“He’s a very good guy. It couldn’t have happened to anyone better,” said Rose Downing, a local business owner. “If I couldn’t have won it, I’m glad he won it, cause I think he’ll help the community.”
Before the winner was discovered and common knowledge around the small town of about 500 people, everyone was hoping it was a local resident.
“It’s exciting. We’re all really crossing our fingers that it’s a local from around here,” said Baron Hartell, the store owner’s son, on Thursday before the winner was identified. “Coming from a small town, you know you don’t get a whole lot of big news… so something like this happening is real exciting. It’s great. It’s right at Christmas time. So whoever’s going to get it is going to have a good Christmas obviously,” he said.
Another Kansas City metro winner matched numbers for a $1 million prize.
“It is so exciting to sell one of these Powerball tickets,” said May Scheve Reardon, executive director of the Missouri Lottery. “In addition, we sold two tickets that matched all five white balls, which means they each win $1 million. Three millionaires in one night is a wonderful night!”
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.
Reardon noted that Missouri has had the second most Powerball jackpot winners, behind Indiana.
“With last night’s jackpot winner, we are up to 27,” said Reardon.
If you find you hold the winning ticket, be sure to sign the back, put it in a safe place and seek legal and financial advice.
“We want winners to take their time and think through this clearly,” Reardon said. “We don’t want them to feel rushed.”
The winning numbers from Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29, and the Powerball was 6.
In Missouri, lottery winners have 180 days to claim this prize, which would be May 27, 2013. The winner can select to get the jackpot prize in 30 payments over 29 years (annuity) or in one lump-sum payment.
If no choice is made in 60 days, the jackpot is automatically paid in 30 payments.
