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Illinois Lottery player wins $650K after buying ticket from Chicago Mariano's: 'Still so shocked'

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Illinois Lottery player wins 0K after buying ticket from Chicago Mariano's: 'Still so shocked'


An Illinois Lottery player is $650,000 richer!

The Chicago winner, who goes by the name Big Money D, revealed that his winning numbers were inspired by his late wife.

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“I typically play Pick 4, but that day, I noticed that the Lucky Day Lotto jackpot was pretty high so I decided to switch it up and try something new,” said Big Money D. “I picked numbers related to my late wife—when I won, it felt like it was a message from her.” 

Big Money D purchased the ticket for the Nov. 16 evening drawing at Mariano’s, located at 5201 N. Sheridan Road in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.

Matching all five numbers—9, 11, 12, 13, and 17—he landed the $650,000 jackpot prize. 

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The emotional win left him overwhelmed with joy.

“I’m still so shocked and excited about the win, I have barely been able to sleep!” said Big Money D.

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The jackpot will allow Big Money D to fulfill a long-standing dream. 

“I’m already looking at houses, and can’t wait to purchase my dream home for myself and my kids—it truly is a dream come true,” he said.

Mariano’s, the store where the winning ticket was purchased, will receive a $6,500 bonus, equal to one percent of the prize amount.

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There were more than 27,600 winning Lucky Day Lotto tickets purchased for the Nov. 16 evening drawing, netting Illinois Lottery players over $724,000 in prizes.



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Illinois Lottery player wins $1M on scratch-off-ticket sold in Chicago

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Illinois Lottery player wins M on scratch-off-ticket sold in Chicago


CHICAGO (WLS) — An Illinois Lottery player won $1 million on a scratch off ticket bought in Chicago.

“It’s all so unbelievable!” exclaimed the anonymous winner, nicknamed ‘Papa.’ “I didn’t even realize it was a winning ticket until I scanned it at the store, just to double check. When the prize amount popped up on the screen, I turned as white as a ghost! I tucked the ticket safely inside my coat and immediately sprinted home.

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He bought the winning Jumbo Bucks ticket at P&S Liquor, located at 7319 Irving Park Road on the Northwest Side.

“When I got home, I told my wife, ‘We just won $1 million!’” Papa recalled with a laugh. “Even she couldn’t believe it. She stared at me wide-eyed and just kept saying, ‘What? Are you sure?’”

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Papa and his wife are both retired and they plan to support their family and take a vacation abroad.

“I’ve never been to Europe, but our families are Irish and Italian,” said Papa. “You better believe we’re going overseas for a nice trip!”

The store that sold the winning ticket will get a $10,000 bonus.

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Illinois warns immigration officers tampering with license plates is illegal

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Illinois warns immigration officers tampering with license plates is illegal


Illinois officials have issued a warning to federal immigration agents that tampering with or swapping license plates is against state law and will not be tolerated.

On Wednesday, Illinois secretary of state Alexi Giannoulias unveiled a new initiative called the “Plate Watch” hotline, encouraging residents to report cases in which law enforcement vehicles appear to be using invalid or altered plates to evade identification during federal immigration raids.

In a video statement online, Giannoulias pointed to a viral video in which a federal immigration officer can be seen telling a protester next to his car that he can record him all he wants since “we change the plates out everyday”.

“I have a big problem with that … Swapping out Illinois license plates on Illinois registered vehicles is illegal and as secretary of state, I have zero tolerance for this type of illegal activity. We are investigating these allegations as we speak,” Giannoulias said.

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“No one, including federal agents, is above the law, and we intend to hold them accountable, especially while driving on our roadways. This is a matter of public safety and protecting the wellbeing of our communities,” he added.

Under Illinois state law, penalties for displaying an unauthorized license plate, obscuring or modifying license plates in any way include fines and potential jail time. The Illinois secretary of state’s office also has the authority to suspend or revoke the vehicle’s license plates in such instances.

Additionally, Illinois registered vehicles must display license plates in both the front and the back. Vehicles registered in other states may only require a rear license plate and all vehicles driving on Illinois roads must have proper licensing in accordance with laws of their state, the Illinois secretary of state’s office said.

Earlier this month, a US district judge ordered federal immigration officers in the Chicago area to wear body cameras following repeated deployments of pepper balls, smoke grenades, tear gas against protestors and even local police.

As the Trump administration ramps up federal immigration raids – drawing widespread opposition from the public, Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups, several states are moving to block immigration officers from hiding their identities. The push follows instances of agents using unmarked vehicles to detain people on the streets without identifying themselves or presenting warrants.

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In September, California passed a bill to ban masks for most law enforcement officers from concealing their faces while carrying out their operations.

Earlier this summer, Democratic senators introduced legislation that would require federal immigration officers to visibly display their agency name and either their own name or badge number, ensuring that tactical gear or clothing does not obscure it. The bill would also ban non-medical face coverings that conceal an officer’s identity.

The Guardian has reached out to the homeland security department for comment.



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Frost advisory overnight in Illinois, with even cooler temps possible Friday

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Frost advisory overnight in Illinois, with even cooler temps possible Friday


Temperatures are expected to dip considerably overnight Wednesday and into Thursday, with a frost advisory in effect for swaths of the area.

According to the National Weather Service, that advisory will go into effect at midnight and run through mid-morning Thursday in DeKalb, LaSalle, Grundy and Kankakee counties.

Temperatures are expected to hover around the freezing mark in those counties, which could produce frost that could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation, according to the alert.

Residents are advised to cover sensitive plants, or to bring them indoors if possible.

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Thursday is expected to be a mostly sunny day, but cool temperatures are still expected, with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s across the area, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

While temperatures are expected to remain above the freezing mark on Wednesday night and into Thursday in communities closer to Chicago, virtually the entire area could be at risk of frost Thursday night and into Friday, according to forecast models. Temperatures in outlying areas away from the urban heat island could even see lows in the upper-200s, which could result in a freeze, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas closer to Chicago could still see frost overnight into Friday morning before a small warming trend takes hold.

After another day in the low-to-mid 50s Friday, Saturday’s readings could be warmer, potentially approaching 60 degrees during the day. Conditions will still be on the cool side overnight, but lows will likely be in the upper-30s or low-40s, according to forecast models.

Late Sunday, a round of showers could arrive in the area and stick around until Monday morning, with the accompanying front potentially causing temps to drop back into the mid-to-upper 5s across the area. More rain could arrive Tuesday, and that system could stick around through Wednesday, producing rain and cloudy skies in the region.

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While the Halloween forecast is still being evaluated, there is a chance readings could be in the upper-50s for trick-or-treaters, with partly-to-mostly cloudy skies in the forecast for the big night.

Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather news and forecasts, and download the NBC Chicago app for real-time weather alerts sent directly to your phone.



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