When Frances Shumate solved the puzzle on her $5 crossword scratch-off, she found out she had won a prize of $150,000.
Shumate purchased her Extreme Cashword ticket at the Roadrunner on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville and claimed her prize on Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
After required federal and state tax withholdings, she took home $106,126.
Ticket sales from scratch-offs make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $11.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Buncombe County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.