An Alpena County man’s morning routine led to a life-changing $500,000 prize on the Michigan Lottery’s 50X Wild Time instant game.
“Each morning, I buy a newspaper, coffee, and one Lottery ticket,” said the player, who chose to remain anonymous. “When I scratched the ticket off, all I could think when I scratched the prize amount was: ‘Well, that’s weird.’
“I told my wife right away and we both just felt a sense of relief come over us. This means so much to our family and will really take financial pressure off of us.”
The player bought his winning ticket at the Alpena Shell gas station, located at 1017 Chisolm Street in Alpena. He recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize. With his winnings, he plans to pay bills and then save the remainder.
Players have won more than $60 million playing 50X Wild Time, which launched in February 2024. Each $10 ticket offers players a chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. More than $31 million in prizes remain, including two $500,000 top prizes, 66 $10,000 prizes, and 116 $1,000 prizes.
In 2024, Lottery players won nearly $1.8 billion playing instant games.
Lottery instant games may be purchased at retailers across the state.
Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli (right), presents Lumturje Shuti with her Excellence in Education check.
A Macomb County educator known for her ion and unwavering commitment to her students has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Lumturje Shuti, is a lead Latchkey teacher at Pearl Lean Elementary School. The school is part of Warren Consolidated Schools.
The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.
Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Shuti will air this evening.
“Latchkey teachers aid in promoting students social, emotional, and intellectual development,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Mrs. Shuti is a ionate and dedicated educator whose kindness and warmth leaves an impact on her students and their families. She creates a safe and ive environment which fosters growth and success in her students both before and after school.”
Shuti was attracted to a career in education because of her love for children.
“My love for children at a young age was a big reason why I wanted to be an educator. I was also fascinated with how teaching was portrayed on television and in movies. Teachers making a difference in the lives of the children they teach was very appealing to me.”
Shuti was nominated for the award by a family member.
“As a Latchkey Lead Teacher, Mrs. Shuti exemplifies what it means to go above and beyond for her students. Her dedication, creativity, and comionate heart make her a truly outstanding educator and role model in our community. Mrs. Shuti’s commitment to her students goes far beyond the classroom. She is known for often using her own resources to purchase supplies, materials, and even snacks to ensure her students have the tools they need to learn and thrive. Whether it’s providing craft supplies for an engaging art project or bringing in books to inspire a love of reading, Mrs. Shuti does so selflessly, always with her students’ best interests at heart. Additionally, her dedication is unmatched. She regularly stays late until the last child is picked up, providing a safe, caring, and ive environment for both the children and their parents. Her patience and understanding, even during the most challenging days, highlight her ion for her work and her unwavering commitment to her students and their families. Mrs. Shuti’s impact extends beyond her Latchkey program. She builds strong relationships with parents, fostering trust and communication, and serves as a pillar of for many families navigating busy schedules. Her kind and generous spirit truly makes her an irreplaceable part of the school community.”
Shuti earned an associate’s degree from Macomb Community College. She has been an educator for 30 years, the last five in her current position.
Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:
Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
It’s been five years since Phillip and Dawn Chippewa won an $80 million Powerball jackpot, and as the couple sit inside a horse arena on their 25-acre ranch, they are beaming with pride. They explain how important Serenity Ranch is to them and to their community, and how their lives have changed since winning life-changing jackpot in 2019.
“Serenity Ranch represents how our lives have come full circle,” says Dawn Chippewa. “When we got married, I had horses and as our family grew, I had to give them up because it just became too much to maintain.”
“When Dawn got rid of the horses years ago, I promised her that I would get her horses again someday,” said Phillip Chippewa. “When I made that promise I had no idea how I would ever make it happen, but I knew how important it was to her.”
Then, on Sept. 21, 2019, Phillip stopped at the Barrels and Barrels Party Store in Suttons Bay to buy a Powerball ticket.
“Any time I would see the jackpot getting up there I would buy a few tickets and hope for the best,” said Phillip. “I stopped at Barrels and Barrels the day of the Powerball drawing and almost walked out without buying the tickets, but at the last minute, I decided to get four plays.”
The next evening, the Chippewas learned that their lives would change forever.
“After I bought the tickets, I had put them away in my truck,” said Phillip. “I ran out to take a look at them and I didn’t have to look past the first line to see I was the winner. My son pulled the numbers up on his phone and read them out loud while Dawn and I looked at the ticket together. By the time he was done, we both had tears in our eyes.”
“Since we won the jackpot, our lives have transformed in some amazing ways,” said Dawn. “As odd as it may seem, at first, it was very overwhelming to know that we’d never have to worry about money again. We put a team together to help manage our finances and as we talked about what we wanted to do with our new wealth we both were committed to giving back to the community and that’s when Serenity Ranch was born.”
The 25-acre Serenity Ranch helps individuals dealing with trauma heal while working with the horses that call the ranch home. The ranch has a simple mission: to empower those in need through the healing qualities of horses.
“Hearing Phillip and Dawn Chippewa share their story and seeing the pride they have in Serenity Ranch is truly inspiring,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “The work they are doing to give back to their community is incredibly important and highlights the good that can come from winning a Lottery prize. While it may not always make headlines, Lottery winners often choose to use a portion of their prize to help organizations that are important to them.”
“Being able to provide the community with a place they can come and heal has been life-changing for us,” said Dawn. “We run the operation entirely on donations and the work of our volunteers. When we won the Powerball jackpot, I knew that I wanted to stay active and involved in Suttons Bay, and Serenity has given me that opportunity. I put in more hours here than I ever did when I was working, but this is truly a labor of love for me.”
The Michigan Lottery has partnered with the Detroit Tigers to celebrate the start of the baseball season and give Michiganders a chance to win huge cash prizes!
Leading off April 1, Michiganders will have the opportunity to play Detroit Tigers themed games at retail, club locations, veterans’ organizations, fraternal organizations, and online:
Instant Ticket – The $5 Instant Game features more than $28.5 million in prizes, including top prizes of $500,000.
Pull Tabs Game – The $1 Pull Tabs game features $2.1 million in prizes, including top prizes of $6,000.
Online Instant Game – Online instant game starting at .20 cents per ticket, with top prizes up to $250,000.
Charitable Pull Tabs Game – Qualified non-profits, like veterans and fraternal clubs, may sell the $1 Charity Pull Tabs ticket which features three top prizes of $300 in each box sold. Non-profits earn $360 for each box sold for their organization.
“With the Detroit Tigers coming off an incredible Postseason run, I’m even more excited for this baseball season in the Motor City,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “To add to the excitement, fans throughout the state will have a chance to win big prizes on a Tigers-themed instant game, online digital game, Pull Tabs game, and Charitable Pull Tabs ticket!”
The launch of the Detroit Tigers themed games marks the first time in 10 years that the Lottery has offered a game featuring the renowned baseball team from the Motor City. In March 2012, the Lottery launched a $2 Detroit Tigers themed instant game with top prizes of $30,000; in April 2015, a $1 Pull Tabs game was launched with top prizes of $5,000.
The Detroit Tigers themed Instant Game and Pull Tabs game may be purchased at retailers across the state, while the Charity Game Pull Tab will be available exclusively at non-profit organizations. The Detroit Tigers themed online instant game may be played at Michiganmilotteryconnect.casinowinning.net and in the Lottery’s mobile app.
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Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli (right), presents Kathy Vogel with her Excellence in Education check.
A Kent County educator known for being a leader in her school and community has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.
The award winner, Kathy Vogel, is middle school English language arts teacher at Northview Crossroads Middle School. The school is part of the Northview Public Schools.
The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public-school educators across the state during the school year.
Winners of the weekly award receive a $2,000 cash prize. At the end of the school year, one of the weekly award winners will be selected to receive the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.
Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, FOX 47 in Lansing, WNEM-TV in Saginaw, and WWTV-TV in Traverse City. The news segment featuring Vogel will air this evening.
“Throughout Kathy Vogel’s career as an educator she has inspired countless students and colleagues to achieve their maximum potential,” said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. “Her work to help those she comes in with be their best selves has had a tremendous impact on in her school and the Northville community.”
Vogel said she knew from a young age that she wanted to be an educator.
“Growing up I always knew that I was destined to pursue a career in education. The real question wasn’t if I would teach but who i would teach. My mom recognized in my personality that I was more suited to teach older students because of their wit and curiosity. I was attracted to that challenge and have learned that education is more about building relationships and not just teaching content.”
Vogel was nominated for the award by the parent of a former student.
“For as long as I’ve known her, Kathy Vogel has packed a personal agenda along with her lunch for school every day. Tucked alongside lesson plans and seating charts is an unspoken goal of enriching not only the minds of her students, but their hearts as well. Kathy’s subtle, yet infectious methods, imitated by fellow staff, parents, and community, have established our middle school as an enviable beacon of character development within our district and beyond. We are united in crediting Kathy alone – an optimistic, hardworking “personality plus” dynamo – for leading us from sidelines iration to cautious participation to full blown embrace of her successful mission to graduate young adults capable not only academically, but in the art of being better human beings. An open invitation to Kathy’s classroom exists for students uncomfortable with the turbulent lunchroom. It’s a peaceful, welcoming haven for those needing that respite. Kathy’s efforts to spotlight hidden talent, nurture unrealized goals, and advocate for the voiceless began to attract imitation from staff.”
Vogel earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University, and master’s degrees from Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University. She has been an educator for 35 years, all in her current position.
Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:
Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
An Alpena County man’s morning routine led to a life-changing $500,000 prize on the Michigan Lottery’s 50X Wild Time instant game.
