Woman plans to use $25 million lottery prize to pay off student loans for her children

Desiree Fortini-Craft is the third $25 million grand prize winner in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s Billion Dollar Extravaganza game. (Massachusetts State Lottery)

Boston

Lottery officials in Massachusetts say a woman recently became their third grand prize winner while playing the Billion Dollar Extravaganza game.

According to the Massachusetts State Lottery, Desiree Fortini-Craft won the $25 million jackpot after purchasing a $50 winning ticket at Baker Street Market in the West Roxbury neighborhood.

She said she had scratched the winning ticket a few weeks ago and stored it in a secure spot before she went on a trip to Aruba and visited lottery headquarters to officially claim her prize money.

Fortini-Craft opted to receive her winnings in the form of a one-time payment of $16.2 million.

The Hyde Park resident said she plans to use her winnings to pay off the student loans of her three daughters, make some other big family purchases and buy a new car.

The Baker Street Market will also receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

This is the second lottery jackpot Fortini-Craft has won in Massachusetts, having previously won a $1 million prize in 2006.

The $25 million prize is the largest instant prize ever offered by the Massachusetts Lottery. All three $25 million prizes have now been claimed in the Billion Dollar Extravaganza $50 instant game, but other prizes are still up for grabs.

Animal shelter’s longest resident adopted after waiting nearly 300 days to find forever home

Gibson, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever mix, was adopted last month after spending nearly 300 days at a Florida animal shelter. (Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare)

Escambia County, Fla.

An animal shelter in Florida says its longest resident has finally found a forever home.

According to the Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare, Gibson, a 4-year-old Labrador retriever mix, was adopted last month after spending nearly 300 days at the shelter.

“We have some great news to share ... our longest resident was adopted,” the team shared. “They say that 11/11 is a lucky day, and for Gibson, that couldn’t have been more true.”

The animal care team said Gibson had been staying with them for almost 10 months before being adopted by the Wingard family.

“Waiting very patiently to go home to his forever family ... Finally, Gibson’s wish for a family came true,” the team said.

Gibson’s new mom even shared an update about the pup’s first few days once home.

“He’s adjusting very well and is now tuckered out beside me on the couch snoring away,” she said. “He’s such a sweet boy, and I am forever thankful to y’all for trusting us with him.”

The animal welfare team said they are “over the moon” to see Gibson thriving in his new home and thanked the Wingards for adding him to their family.

“We are so grateful to the Wingards for opening up their home and their hearts to Gibson!” the team said. “Thank you again to the Wingards for giving Gibson his second chance.”

Man wakes up wife with screams after winning $1.9 million lottery

Jarrod Paxton was sitting at home watching football when he suddenly became a millionaire. (Virginia Lottery)

Bedford County, Va.

A Virginia man recently got the surprise of a lifetime while playing the lottery online.

According to the Virginia Lottery, Jarrod Paxton became one of the state’s latest millionaires thanks to playing the Jackpot Spectacular online game.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Paxton said he yelled after finding his winning ticket.

And that woke up his wife who was asleep in the other room.

Paxton said he was watching football at the time and his wife awoke thinking something had happened in the game.

He said he told his wife about their big win and she didn’t believe him at first.

“It’s hard to believe!” Paxton said. “I told my wife we just won $1.9 million!”

Paxton visited lottery headquarters to collect his $1.9 million prize earlier this week.

According to the Virginia Lottery, Paxton’s jackpot is the largest prize ever won online in the state’s history.

Paxton said he has no plans for his winnings except to pay debts and take care of his family.

The Jackpot Spectacular game features a progressive jackpot and is available online. The odds per game of winning a prize are 1 in 3.99, according to lottery officials.

Woman stabs boyfriend in eye with rabies needle for looking at other women, police say

Florida authorities say Sandra Jimenez, 44, was arrested and booked into jail on a charge of aggravated battery. (Miami Police Department)

Miami

Police in Florida say a woman has been arrested for stabbing her boyfriend in the eye.

According to the Miami Police Department, 44-year-old Sandra Jimenez was taken into custody last Saturday and is facing an aggravated battery charge for the attack.

Officers said Jimenez and her boyfriend of eight years were in an ongoing argument about him looking at other women that escalated that evening.

Jimenez’s arrest report stated that once the couple got home, she jumped on top of him when he lay down on the couch with two rabies needles that were for their dogs.

The 44-year-old reportedly pierced her boyfriend’s right eyelid in the altercation.

Jimenez left the residence after realizing what she had done, police said.

Officers said they eventually found her sleeping in her vehicle nearby where she was arrested.

Jimenez has been charged with a second-degree felony.

The unidentified boyfriend was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Police department mourns sudden death of therapy dog days after cancer diagnosis

The Oshkosh Police Department is mourning the unexpected passing of K-9 Magic. (Oshkosh Police Department)

Oshkosh, Wis.

A police department in Wisconsin is mourning the death of one of its K-9s.

On Monday, the Oshkosh Police Department reported that a therapy dog named Magic tragically passed away after a cancer diagnosis.

According to the department, K-9 Magic became unexpectedly ill over the weekend and it was discovered that she had cancer surrounding her heart and other organs.

Medical staff determined there was nothing further they could do to help her recover so the decision was made to euthanize the pup to end her pain, police shared.

Magic was a 3-year-old golden retriever who was acquired by the department in March 2022 from Journey Together, a program that trains dogs to help people with PTSD.

Authorities said Magic helped provide emotional support to both community members and police officers. She also worked with the behavioral health department.

The 3-year-old pup would respond with officers to behavioral health-related calls and highly sensitive or emotional calls for service.

Magic had 364 deployments during her 20 months of service with the department.

“Magic was such a kind and happy dog with the softest fur. If we had a dollar for every time someone mentioned how soft she was, we’d have a never-ending supply of her favorite treats,” the department said in a statement.

Police also noted a recent situation when Magic attended a critical incident stress debriefing for officers. She selected a specific officer who was impacted out of a room full of first responders.

“Magic’s intuition was like no other. This was just one specific example of how Magic impacted and helped others,” the department said.