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Minnesota Lottery hires S.D. lottery chiefNews Story
The nationwide search for a new director to lead the beleaguered Minnesota Lottery ended close to home Thursday with the appointment of Clint Harris, executive director of the South Dakota Lottery.Harris, 49, has led the South Dakota Lottery since 2000 and posted four consecutive years of record profits beginning in 2001. In fiscal 2004, the South Dakota Lottery produced more than $115 million for a state with a population of 738,000. That's due, in part, to its reliance on video gambling, with
Sep 24, 2004, 8:46 am - Lottery News

Record Powerball lottery winner's house burglarizedNews Story
Three men burglarized the home of Jack Whittaker, winner of the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, as an acquaintance of Whittaker's lay dead inside, police said Tuesday.Whittaker was not home at the time, and Chief Deputy John Dailey said the death of Jesse Joe Tribble, 18, was not related to the burglary and was not a homicide. It may have been drug-related, Dailey said. We're pretty sure they knew he was dead. That's why they went inside and took the stuff, Dailey said.The break-in too
Sep 22, 2004, 8:17 am - Lottery News

Bush wins $44 million lottery jackpotNews Story
Now that we got your attention, you didn't think we meant GWB, did you?It's 100 degrees outside, but California's newest multimillionaire refuses to turn on the air-conditioner.Although Charles Chuck Bush, 71, found out Wednesday he bought the winning California Lottery SuperLotto Plus ticket worth $44 million, he'd rather use the swamp cooler. I'm still a thrifter at heart, I suppose, said Bush, a retired sawmill supervisor. I think my lifestyle won't change much. Bush was with his son and
Jul 23, 2004, 1:35 pm - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery posts record $100 million profitNews Story
Seven months after a critical audit report and the suicide of its director plunged it into turmoil, the Minnesota State Lottery posted a record contribution to the state for the fiscal year 2004 -- $100 million. This is really good news, said Gov. Tim Pawlenty at a news conference at the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul on Monday. The Minnesota Lottery has been through some difficult months. The appointment of acting director Mike Vekich after George Andersen's death resulted in bold, dra
Jul 20, 2004, 7:56 am - Lottery News

Minnesota lottery cuts millions from budgetNews Story
Told to cut the fat, the Minnesota State Lottery has trimmed staff, closed offices and reworked or severed business deals to save millions of dollars a year.While the money represents a small share of lottery expenses, the savings will be welcomed by a state struggling to find ways big and small to avoid future budget deficits. The cuts and robust ticket sales mean that the lottery will send more money than ever to the state this year.The changes occur as state gambling agents appear to be in th
Jun 14, 2004, 8:32 am - Lottery News

Lottery winner's dreams live on after his deathNews Story
Despite a troubled past, James Craig's family said he had started to turn his life around long before he struck it rich and won a $9.7 million Indiana Lotto jackpot earlier this year. My brother had been incarcerated for petty (non-violent) crimes, but he used that time to better himself in many ways; especially through education, which helped get him paroled three years ago, said Ruth Craig.Craig said her brother earned both associate and bachelor degrees in business while he was enrolled in t
May 10, 2004, 6:37 am - Lottery News

Minnesota lottery chief's suicide note: 'Pity me, blame no one else'News Story
Before committing suicide in January, Minnesota State Lottery Director George Andersen left handwritten notes encouraging his family to not look back. He said he thought lottery operations were proper and am told they are not. Pity me, blame no one else. He added in another note: I must carry the burden and it is too much. . . . Andersen, 53, had run the lottery since it started in 1990 and had done so with little legislative oversight. The state Legislative Auditor reported recently that t
Mar 26, 2004, 8:42 am - Lottery News

Autopsy: Minnesota lottery director died of overdoseNews Story
The longtime director of the Minnesota State Lottery, who committed suicide in January during a legislative review of the lottery's operations, died from an overdose of pain medication, a final autopsy report found.Earlier reports had said he died of hypothermia in freezing weather after cutting his wrists.Toxicology tests show that George Andersen took a fatal dose of hydrocodone, more commonly known as Vicodin, the medical examiner's office said Thursday.Andersen, 53, was found lying outside h
Mar 26, 2004, 8:39 am - Lottery News

'Angel' sells woman $100K lottery ticketNews Story
On Friday the 13th, Deborah Baker grabbed a dime with her left hand and scratched away the prize area on her $100,000 Jackpot Tennessee lottery ticket.Scratching from right to left dragged out the suspense after Baker saw that her ticket contained matching threes and knew she was going to win something, which she figured would be just another ticket, a $5 value.But I kept seeing zeroes, the Lascassas resident recalled earlier this week.In fact, five zeroes trailed a one, making Baker, 53, one
Mar 3, 2004, 4:00 am - Lottery News

Strongly worded letter sent to lottery director before his deathNews Story
After being directed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the state's finance commissioner has worked with the Minnesota State Lottery since last spring to tighten operations, but enough lapses continued that a strongly worded letter was sent to lottery director George Andersen shortly before his death, the Pioneer Press reported.Andersen resisted one of the Finance Department's key recommendations and did not address another major shortcoming identified by the agency. That led, in part, to the letter by Finan
Feb 12, 2004, 6:35 am - Lottery News