Powerball jackpot soars to $700 million

Remember, there are nine ways to win when you play Powerball. So even if you don’t hit the jackpot, your ticket could still be a winner.

Amanda Poss of Newbern learned that first hand when she carried around a Powerball ticket worth $200,000 for over two days and didn’t even know it.  “I really had no idea that I won,” Poss said. “I mean that ticket was everywhere. It was in my purse, on the counter, and then in my backpack for work.  

Poss bought the $3 Power Play ticket on Saturday at the East Havelock Fuel Market on East Main Street in Havelock. She didn’t check the numbers on her ticket until she got to work Tuesday morning. When she saw that she matched five numbers she didn’t know what to think.

Poss immediately went to get her husband who works at the same company. 

“He was in a staff meeting at the time,” Poss said. “I interrupted and was like, ‘Sorry, but I think we just won something. Someone in the room said there was a $200,000 ticket sold in Havelock, and my husband told me, ‘Well, you better go see if that’s you.’” 

So Poss drove to lottery headquarters in Raleigh and claimed her prize. She plans to use some of the money to pay bills.

“It’s the best feeling in the world to know that everything will be taken care of,” Poss said. She also plans to take her family on a Christmas vacation. Poss isn’t the only one who won a big prize in Saturday’s Powerball drawing.

Three other prizes ranging from $200,000 to $1 million remain unclaimed.

Good luck to all our Powerball players!