Couple thought they won $500 while playing lottery, but it turned out to be a lot more

A Newton man who thought he and his wife had won $500 said he was dumbfounded when he realized they'd won $50,000 instead. (Iowa Lottery)

Clive, Iowa

An Iowa man says he was pleasantly surprised to find out he and his wife won a lot more on their lottery scratch-off ticket than he initially thought.

David Russell thought he and his wife had won $500 while playing the Super Crossword game, but that turned out to be $50,000.

“I looked at her and I was speechless,” Russell said. “I looked at her and I said, ‘You better add some zeroes.’”

Russell won the 53rd top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s $50,000 Super Crossword scratch game.

The lucky winner said he bought the winning ticket at Pit Stop Liquors in Newton and brought it home for his wife to scratch while he cooked dinner.

His wife then called for him to turn off the grill and check the ticket. When Russell scanned it, they realized it was a big winner.

“I haven’t been that excited for a long time,” he said. “The excitement hasn’t stopped. I’ve been thrilled to death to tell others, to show others, how real it really is.”

Russell said he and his wife have a couple of ideas for the winnings.

“We’re looking at buying a new house and that would be perfect for some furnishings, or we’ve thought about putting it back for retirement,” he said. “Either way, it’s wonderful.”

The $50,000 Super Crossword is a $5 scratch game that features 105 top prizes of $50,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.26.

‘Armless Archer’ Matt Stutzman makes history in gold medal win for USA at Paris Paralympics

FILE -- Archer Matt Stutzman of United States holds the bow with his foot during a performance in a Paris school, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Paris

An American archer born without arms is making history in this year’s Paralympic Games.

Team USA’s Matt Stutzman made all of his shots count by winning gold in the Para archery men’s individual compound open event.

The “Armless Archer,” as he has become known, set a new Paralympic record in scoring 149 points out of the maximum 150 points available and defeated China’s Ai Xinliang, the bronze medalist from Tokyo 2020, in the 5-end final.

Both archers swapped perfect 30-point ends and were tied after the first end before Stutzman increased his lead and held off his opponent to win the event by 2 points.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, to be honest,” Stutzman said. “I knew going into this it was going to be my last Games, so there’s a lot of emotion, and I didn’t expect this medal.”

The 41-year-old delivered clutch performances throughout the Paralympic Games, including shooting a perfect shot to advance over Finland’s Jere Forsberg.

Stutzman uses his legs and feet for most of his activities, including archery. His gold medal performance comes 12 years after winning his first medal, silver, at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

Fisher-Price recalling more than 365K toy weight sets due to choking hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of more than 366,000 baby dumbbell toys made by Fisher-Price. (Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Fisher-Price is recalling thousands of its dumbbell toy sets because of a possible choking hazard to infants.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on Thursday which involves about 366,200 baby dumbbell toys made by Fisher-Price.

The plastic dumbbell toy was sold with the Fisher-Price Baby Biceps Gift Set.

According to the safety commission, the dumbbell has a gray bar with orange and red plastic weights, but the caps can come off and pose a choking hazard.

The recall stated that there have been seven reports of the ends of the dumbbell coming off the product.

Consumers have been advised to immediately stop using the recalled dumbbell toy and to take it away from young children along with contacting Fisher-Price to receive a refund.

There have been no reported injuries up to this point and children can still play with the rest of the toys in the set, the safety commission shared.

The recalled toy was sold at stores nationwide including Walmart, Target and Kohls from April 2020 through this month.

Consumers can also contact Fisher-Price at 855-853-6224 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday for more information.

19-year-old accused of stealing Ferrari in home invasion, leading police on high-speed chase

Johnathan Costa, 19, has been arrested in Florida after authorities say he stole a Ferrari during a home invasion. (Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

Flager County, Fla.

Florida authorities say a home invasion suspect was arrested this week after stealing a Ferrari and leading them on a high-speed pursuit.

According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, 19-year-old Johnathan Costa was wanted out of Rhode Island in connection to an armed home invasion when deputies were informed he was heading into Flager County on Tuesday.

The sheriff’s office said Costa drove into their jurisdiction that afternoon after evading police in another county on Interstate 95 while traveling at speeds of more than 100 mph.

With help from the Florida Highway Patrol, stop sticks were placed on multiple roadways in the vehicle’s direction of travel as deputies attempted to stop Costa.

The 19-year-old managed to get away, but with the help of multiple agencies in the area, they were able to track down the stolen Ferrari in a Palm Coast neighborhood.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said Costa attempted to hide the vehicle by covering it up with tarps at a friend’s residence, but the Ferrari was still visible from the road.

Deputies set up a perimeter around the home and made announcements to Costa to exit. Shortly after, the suspect exited the residence and was taken into police custody without incident.

“Time and time again, criminals make the mistake of entering Flagler County, but it’s not every day they do it in a stolen Ferrari. So let this be a lesson … not even a Ferrari is fast enough to escape from the law,” Staly said.

Costa is facing numerous charges that include entering a dwelling with felonious intent, using a firearm when committing a crime of violence and vehicle theft.

“This criminal clearly had no regard for others as he traveled at extremely dangerous speeds, even in a school zone, and put everyone on the road around him in danger,” Staly said. “Frankly, he’s lucky to be behind bars instead of dead behind the wheel or facing even more serious charges.”

Costa is currently being held without bail at the Flagler County jail.

Crews rescue stranded family with infant after they ran out of water while hiking in heat

The distressed family of three, which included an infant, was experiencing signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion. (Source: Texas Department of Public Safety)

Culberson County, Texas

Texas authorities say they rescued a family who found themselves stranded while they were hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park last week.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, rangers alerted rescue crews about a distressed family of hikers on the side of Guadalupe Peak on Aug. 20.

The family of three included a 23-year-old man, a 23-year-old female and a 3-month-old infant.

Authorities said the family started their hike mid-morning but later that afternoon and 9 miles later, they ran out of water and began experiencing signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion.

Rescuers said they deployed a helicopter and performed a hoist rescue operation to get the family to safety.

All three were hoisted into the helicopter and transported down the mountain to waiting ground rescue teams for further medical care.

Authorities said there were high temperatures at the park throughout the day.