Hallelujah! Mich. church wins $70,000 in lottery

HASLETT, Mich. – Divine intervention? Or just plain luck? No matter what the circumstances, a Michigan church is $70,000 richer courtesy of the Michigan Lottery. The Covenant Life Worship Center and its 25 members in Haslett, Mich. had one of the second-prize tickets in the Lucky 7s raffle held May 4.

The $10 ticket was purchased at a convenience store in Haslett, five miles northeast of downtown Lansing. The lottery Web site says the odds of a single ticket winning $70,000 in Lucky 7s are one in 55,556. Michigan Lottery officials say the church will receive the full amount of the prize because it is a tax-exempt group.

Pastor Marilyn Parmelee tells the Lansing State Journal that the prize money will go toward the church building fund, setting up a missionary fund and supporting local community service projects.

W.Va. woman wins her 9th big lottery prize

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Brenda Bailey is still on a roll.

This week, the 60-year-old South Charleston woman claimed her ninth West Virginia Lottery prize, $7,000 in the Gem 7s instant game. That brings her total winnings since last September to $159,000 from five instant tickets.

Lottery officials say Bailey has claimed a total $165,800 in prizes from instant and online games since 2000.

She's not the only lucky one in the family. Her husband Richard claimed a $6,000 instant game prize in January and a $10,000 prize last September.

Georgia man wins big lottery prizes twice in week

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A 62-year-old man struck it big twice in the Georgia Lottery. Earl Fritz won the top prize of $777,777 in the instant game Super Lucky 7's. That dwarfed the $1,000 he won a week earlier in a different game. The carpenter said he felt lucky a week ago and now feels a little bit luckier.

Fritz said he didn't realize he had won the big prize at first because he wasn't wearing his glasses.

The first win came in the instant game Extreme Green.

Fritz and his wife have not decided what to do with the money.

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Virginia man wins spelling title after 51 years

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – It took Michael Petrina Jr. 51 years to finally win a national spelling bee.

The Arlington, Va., man bested 45 other spellers older than 50 to win the AARP's annual National Spelling Bee Saturday in Cheyenne. The 64-year-old's winning word was "woad," a plant whose leaves yield a blue dye.

AARP spokeswoman Joanne Bowlby says Petrina won his state's national spelling bee when he was 13, but then lost at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

In second place Saturday was 55-year-old Scott Firebaugh of Knoxville, Tenn., and in third place was 66-year-old Gil Couts of Bigfork, Mont.

Petrina won $500, a trophy and dictionary kit.

The AARP bee started in 1996.

British man wins Australian island dream job

SYDNEY – A bungee jumping, ostrich-riding British charity worker was named the winner Wednesday of what's been dubbed the "Best Job in the World" — a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield, beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for while writing a blog to promote the area.

He was selected for the 150,000 Australian dollar ($111,000) gig by officials from the tourism department of Queensland state.

Southall and 15 other finalists spent the past four days on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystalline waters, gorge themselves at a beachside barbecue and relax at a spa. The finalists also had to demonstrate their blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews.

The job is part of a AU$1.7 million tourism campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland, and officials say it has already generated more than AU$110 million worth of publicity for the region. It quickly became a viral marketing hit, spreading quickly across the world via YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook.

"I hope I can sell the reef as much as everybody is expecting," Southall said after he was crowned the winner at a ceremony on Hamilton Island. "My swimming hopefully is up to standard."

Southall once worked as a tour guide in Africa, but most recently has worked as a charity fundraiser. In his application video, he expressed a love for adventure, and featured photographs of himself riding an ostrich, running a marathon, scuba diving and kissing a giraffe.

"From the time he was announced in the Top 50, and then the Top 16, Ben has excelled in showing a true passion for Queensland," Queensland Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said in a statement. "His ideas for how he will make the role his own ... plus his initiative and ability to rise to a challenge impressed the selection panel and secured his place in the top job."

Although unquestionably a publicity smash success, the contest also attracted a fair bit of scandal since it was unveiled in January.

First, the job's Web site crashed due to a deluge of visitors, angering many hopefuls who couldn't access the site to lodge their video applications. Later, the tourism department was forced to admit it had created a popular video "application" showing a woman apparently getting a tattoo expressing her love of the Great Barrier Reef.

Then one finalist was ousted after it was revealed she had connections to the adult entertainment industry. And a prankster identifying himself as terror mastermind Osama bin Laden posted a video of himself on YouTube reciting reasons why he was the best pick for the job.

Southall will live for free in an airy, three-bedroom oceanfront villa with a private pool and sweeping views of the surrounding islands. He plans to bring his Canadian girlfriend with him to the island for the duration of the job.

Southall starts "work" on July 1.

On the Net:

Best Job in the World: http://www.islandreefjob.com/

Oops: Colbert wins NASA space station name contest

WASHINGTON - NASA's online contest to name a new room at the international space station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won.

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Woman wins house in raffle after husband laid off

DANVILLE, Calif. – Susan Wells was thrilled to learn she'd won a $2 million house in a raffle days after her husband had been laid off from his job. "I'm floored," said Wells, who bought the ticket as a surprise to celebrate the couple's 16th anniversary. "I can't believe this has happened. Needless to say, my husband is very surprised."

The house is in upscale Marin County, just north of San Francisco. The couple already own a home in Danville, a suburb south of San Francisco, and if they don't want to move they have the option of $1.2 million in cash.

They're still deciding what do, but Brad Wells, who had been a sales executive for a Silicon Valley high-tech company, said the winnings are definitely a boost.

"I got laid off on Wednesday and the company went bankrupt on Friday," he said. The couple got word of their win on Saturday. "It's been a really rough ride for the last year. This gives us an unbelievable lift."

The raffle was held by Community Action Marin, which netted about $1.3 million, down from $2 million last year, the first time the event was held.

"In this economy, we're still very pleased," said Russ Hamel, director of development for the group, a private social services organization.

There were 29,000 tickets sold and prizes in addition to the dream house included $200,000 in cash.

Susan Wells said the couple is celebrating by having dinner with their neighbors.

"We're bringing a very good bottle of champagne," she said.
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Odd News-Vt. man wins $650K after pulling ticket from trash

BERLIN, Vt. – A Vermont man is $650,000 richer after retrieving a lottery ticket he had been given for Christmas but accidentally threw away. Steven LeClair of Richford got the ticket for the Dec. 24 Tri-State Megabucks drawing as a gift from his mother. But it was in a gift bag that LeClair threw out, not knowing it was inside.

Vermont Lottery spokeswoman Hadley Melendy says LeClair's wife found out two days later that the only winning ticket had been sold at a market in Richford. So LeClair went through the trash at his home and found it.

LeClair works for a car dealership and doesn't normally play the lottery. He couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday; his telephone number isn't listed.

New Hampshire and Maine also participate in Tri-State Megabucks.

Conn. man's last lotto ticket wins $10M for widow

DANBURY, Conn. – On the day that Donald Peters died, he unknowingly provided financial security for his wife of 59 years and their family.

Peters bought two Connecticut Lottery tickets at a local 7-Eleven store on Nov. 1 as part of a 20-year tradition he shared with his wife Charlotte. Later that day, the 79-year-old retired hat factory worker suffered a fatal heart attack while working in his yard in Danbury.

On Friday, his widow cashed in one of the tickets: a $10 million winner which, in her grief over her husband's death, she had put aside and almost discarded before recently checking the numbers.

"I'm numb," Charlotte Peters, 78, said at Connecticut Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill.

Donald Peters usually bought the tickets for 10 weeks at a stretch, so the winning ticket he bought Nov. 1 for the Dec. 2 drawing was among several that Charlotte Peters put aside as she, their three children and two grandchildren coped with his sudden death.

"I was in the grocery store and I had it checked and they told me I was a winner," she said. "I had no idea how much it was."

She said she thought she had won $6 million but was surprised to learn from lottery officials she'd won $10 million.
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Chinese wins tightrope contest across Seoul river

SEOUL, South Korea - A professional tightrope walker from China zipped along a wire strung across the Han River in just under 11 minutes to win Seoul's second international high-wire championship, which concluded Saturday.

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Yakefujiang Maimitili, competing Friday on the second day of the three-day contest, beat 26 other competitors in traversing the three-quarter-mile-long wire to claim the $20,000 prize.

Colombia's Alan Martinez came in second place with a time of 11 minutes, 23 seconds. Last year's winner, Abudusataer Wujiabudula of China, finished in 11 minutes, 28 seconds, for third place.

Maimitili, 20, said he has been a tightrope walker since the age of 7, following in his ethnic Uighur family's tradition in his native Xinjiang in northwestern China.

"I was really excited while I was walking on the rope," Maimitili said Saturday.

Tightrope walking is also a Korean tradition going back centuries, with performers often leaping and turning somersaults in midair — and sometimes even cracking jokes — to entertain onlookers.

A 2005 film, "The King and the Clown," which featured a troupe of entertainers who became court jesters, rejuvenated interest in the Korean tradition.

Organizer Kwon Won-tae, a professional tightrope walker who did the stunt work in the film, also competed this week. He credited the competition with keeping the tradition of tightrope walking alive, and said he hopes to eventually compete in communist North Korea.

"Sometime in the future, I want to hold this high-wire championship across the Taedong River in Pyongyang," North Korea's capital, he said Saturday.

Onlookers watched as competitors walked along the 1.2-inch-thick wire, supported by 69-foot-tall towers on the north and south banks of the Han River, which divides the South Korean capital.

No one needed the safety net slung under the wire. Colombia's Marcos Luis Martinez lost his balance at one point but caught himself and managed to run across.

"I am so proud of myself to finish my performance on the single-strand wire," he said.

Ayaixiguli Maimitili, who said she came from China to watch six fellow Uighurs compete in Seoul, including the winner, decided to try her hand at crossing the tightrope — with bowls on her head.

"Traditionally, Uighur women put bowls on their head to keep their balance," she said.

The competitors hailed from 14 countries, including Tino Wallenda and his daughter Aurelia of the "Flying Wallendas" high-wire act.

Onlookers later had the chance to try walking a shorter tightrope — not as high up — themselves.

"I felt nervous and cool at the same time," said tourist Kai Schneider, 22, from Germany.
On the Net: High Wire World Championship: http://www.x-highwire.org/eng/

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Odd News:Woman named Bacon wins Idaho hog-calling title

LEWISTON, Idaho - Jolee Bacon really sizzles when it comes to hog-calling

The northern Idaho woman took first place Saturday in the competition at the Nez Perce County Fair.


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She has raised several champion pigs for 4-H contests. Bacon says she calls pigs every morning and night with her 9-year-old daughter, Jacey.

Bacon won the crown over as she started her hog call with a few loud snorts and a long, drawn-out "sooey."

Information from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com







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Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary

Hillary Wins The PA. Primary! Watch out! She's coming Obama!

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Reported by The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary Tuesday night, defeating Barack Obama and staving off elimination in a riveting race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton edged ahead in the Pennsylvania primary Tuesday night in a fight for survival against Barack Obama, her rival in a Democratic presidential race growing steadily more negative.

Early precinct votes from across the state showed the former first lady running ahead in the western part of the state, including Pittsburgh, as well as the area around Scranton with large numbers of blue-collar voters.

Obama was ahead in Philadelphia and the populous surrounding suburbs.

The last of the big states to vote, Pennsylvania had 158 delegates at stake, the largest prize remaining in a primary season that ends on June 3.

Interviews with voters as they left their polling places showed economic concerns dominated, with more than 80 percent of the electorate judging the nation already in a recession.

Clinton won among blue-collar voters, women and white men. Obama was favored by blacks, the affluent and voters who recently switched to the Democratic Party, a group that comprised about one in ten Pennsylvania voters, according to the survey conducted by The Associated Press and the TV networks.

Both rivals sought to shape expectations in advance.

Trailing in the national delegate chase and outspent badly in the state, Clinton needed a win to sustain her candidacy. She projected confidence by scheduling a rally in Philadelphia after the polls closed.

Obama, the front-runner, said he expected to lose, but narrowly, and worked to limit any erosion in his delegate lead. Even before the polls closed, he flew off to an evening rally in Indiana, one of two states with primaries on May 6. North Carolina was the other, and both campaigns have been airing television commercials in both for weeks.

While a Pennsylvania defeat for Clinton could spell the end of her candidacy, a sizable win would strengthen her claim to being the stronger general election opponent. It’s an argument she has made to Democratic officeholders and other superdelegates who hold the balance of power at the party convention in Denver in August.

Whatever the outcome, the six-week run-up to the primary was notable for close-to-the-ground campaigning normally reserved for the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, and for the decidedly negative tone of its final few days.

Flush with cash, Obama reported spending $11.2 million on television in the state, compared with $4.8 million for Clinton.

The tone of the campaign was increasingly personal.

“In the last 10 years Barack Obama has taken almost $2 million from lobbyists, corporations and PACs. The head of his New Hampshire campaign is a drug company lobbyist, in Indiana an energy lobbyist, a casino lobbyist in Nevada,” said a Clinton commercial that aired in the final days of the race.

Obama responded with an ad that accused Clinton of “eleventh-hour smears paid for by lobbyist money.” It said that unlike his rival, he “doesn’t take money from special interest PACs or Washington lobbyists — not one dime.”

To the delight of Republicans, the six-week layoff between primaries produced a string of troubles for the Democrats.

Obama was forced onto the defensive by incendiary comments by his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, then triggered controversy on his own by saying small-town Americans cling to guns and religion because of their economic hardships.

Clinton conceded that she had not landed under sniper fire in Bosnia while first lady, even though she said several times that she had. And she replaced her chief strategist, Mark Penn, after he met with officials of the Colombian government seeking passage of a free trade agreement that she opposes.

McCain, the Republican nomination already his, rose in the polls as he prepared for the fall campaign.

The remaining Democratic contests are primaries in North Carolina, Indiana, Oregon, Kentucky, West Virginia, Montana, South Dakota and Puerto Rico, and caucuses in Guam.

David Espo reported from Washington.