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A woman in North Carolina started the year off on an extremely high note after landing a $1 million lottery prize thanks to a lucky Powerball ticket.
Grace Landon, a longtime Powerball player from Albemarle, was in the middle of watching her daily dose of The Young and the Restless when she decided to check her $2 ticket for the New Year's Day drawing that she purchased from the Friendly Mart on NC 24/27 West Bypass, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery. And it's a good thing she did because she discovered she was one of the lucky players to score a $1 million prize after matching all five white balls called during the drawing.
Landon said her husband of 30 years, Hank, "didn't believe [her] at first" but quickly changed his tune after they double checked the ticked online and confirmed she really did win the massive prize. They paused the soap opera to take a trip to Raleigh and a few hours later were collecting the win.
Landon claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on January 3, taking home a grand total of $717,501 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, she plans to use her winnings to buy a house and pay off some expenses, such as her grandson's car. The Stanley County woman, who used to work at a plant nursery before she retired, also said she may buy a few new plants for her own collection.