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Homeless man wins $1 million on lottery scratcher from California liquor store: report

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Homeless man wins  million on lottery scratcher from California liquor store: report

A homeless man in California was given an Easter blessing after his lottery ticket reportedly ended up winning him $1 million.

Earlier this month, the L.A. Times reported that a homeless man became an instant millionaire after purchasing a scratcher ticket from a liquor store in San Luis Obispo.

Wilson Samaan, the owner of Sandy’s Liquor, shared his excitement over the winning ticket with the Times and said that the winner was a longtime customer.

“I was so excited, even more than him,” Samaan told the Times. “He’s a good person. He deserves every penny. I was very excited it happened to a person who deserved it, and he actually needed it.”

BILLION-DOLLAR POWERBALL WINNER HIGHLIGHTS LITTLE-KNOWN LU MEIN COMMUNITY IN WEST COAST

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The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, told the L.A. Times he plans to buy a house and a car with his million dollars. (Instagram/Sandysliquor)

The winner initially thought he had won $100,000, but Samaan let him know he had won an even bigger amount.

Samaan shared a photo of the winning ticket on the store’s Instagram page along with a picture of the big check, captioning the post, “Big congrats to our loyal customer on his $1 million jackpot-winning scratch ticket at Sandy’s.”

OHIO MAN IN DISBELIEF AFTER SCRATCHING WINNING LOTTERY TICKET: ‘I THOUGHT I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK’

A California man reportedly won $1 million off a scratcher ticket purchased from a liquor store in San Luis Obispo. (Instagram/Sandysliquor)

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The lucky winner, who chose to remain anonymous, told the outlet he plans to purchase a house and a car with his winnings. 

According to the Times, Samaan and the winner have a “close relationship,” and to make sure he was able to secure his winnings, Samaan told the outlet he drove the winner to the California Lottery office in Fresno.

‘THAT WASN’T A DREAM’: MICHIGAN WOMAN MISTAKES HUSBAND’S $1M LOTTERY WIN FOR DREAM

The man said he plans to buy a house and a car with the money. (iStock)

The win is still being verified by the California Lottery, and a spokesperson for the lottery told the Times it could take weeks to verify the win. 

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As the retailer that sold the winning ticket, Samaan’s store will also reap the benefits of the winning ticket and collect $5,000, or a 0.5% share of the jackpot.

Fox News Digital reached out to the California Lottery for comment. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life results for Dec. 22, 2025

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

03-18-36-41-54, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

09-16-23-34-46, Lucky Ball: 07

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

01-09-18-19-44, Star Ball: 02, ASB: 05

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

10-11-16-19, Bonus: 08

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

14-32-47-48-69, Powerball: 17

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

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You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Nevada

Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Loneliness has become a significant health issue for people everywhere, and the holiday season sometimes intensifies those feelings. For many, December looks like family gatherings, matching pajamas and bustling homes. But this time of year can also be very difficult for those who may be battling distance, work commitments or recent life changes.

Marc Valli, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, has lived in Las Vegas since 1988. He moved to Nevada to join a ministry and be closer to his wife’s parents.

WATCH| Shellye Leggett talks to an army vet who’s recently moved into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

“I wanted to come and join ministry here. Also my wife’s parents lived here,” Valli said.

Valli’s wife Barbara, known to friends and family as Bobby, passed away in 2018 after 54 years of marriage.

“I’m still counting the years. We’ve been married 54 years,” he said.

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His children moved him into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility in June, making this his first holiday season in his new home.

“People are very nice, they treat you good,” Valli said.

Come Christmas Day, the facility’s common room will be filled with residents ready for holiday activities, but Valli hopes to get outside these walls to see his family that still lives nearby.

“I have grandkids. One goes to Cal Poly. He’s here right now, but he’s on vacation, and then I have two little granddaughters, one’s 11, one’s 7,” Valli said. “I don’t know if they’re gonna come for Christmas or I’m going there.”

Gus Farias, the executive director of Escalante at the Lakes Assisted Living, says many of his residents don’t have family nearby. Keeping their spirits high throughout the holidays is an important task.

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“We can tell when our residents are feeling down. There’s a lot of pressure during the holidays because some of our residents don’t have families that are nearby, but they have us,” Farias said.

The organisation A Mission for Michael released a study showing just how many people are expected to spend the holidays alone this year. Nevada ranked 43rd on the list of loneliest states, with more than 212,000 people expected to spend Christmas by themselves.

“It’s pretty surprising that there’s so many Nevadans that are gonna spend the holidays by themselves,” Farias said.

He says combating loneliness will take a community effort.

“When you’re at the grocery store or whatever, reach, look back and ask them, you know, wish them a merry Christmas or happy holidays and ask them how they passed their holidays in the past because we, we as a younger generation than our seniors, we can learn a lot from that,” Farias said.

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It’s an effort that Valli says makes the holidays a little brighter.

“Oh, it makes a big difference,” he said.





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New Mexico

Dermatology wait times soar as New Mexico faces deepening doctor shortage

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Dermatology wait times soar as New Mexico faces deepening doctor shortage


NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A statewide doctor shortage is increasing wait times for New Mexico patients. This year, dermatology wait times reached record highs, and medical groups warn delays will continue to grow without legislative action.

“Many of the doctors who are here are tired; they’re overworked. They need some help. We need to recruit more doctors into this state, and if we don’t take action right now, I think you know it’s not too outlandish to think about it: a collapse of the medical system.”

That’s according to retina surgeon Dr. Nathaniel Roybal, who spends his spare time as a physician advocate, working with communities and lawmakers to find ways to incentivize doctors to stay in — and come to — New Mexico. He said doctors around the state believe it is risky to practice here because it is easy to be sued for medical malpractice, which he calls the major driver behind the doctor shortage.

Roybal is a former president of the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association and a councilor for the New Mexico Medical Society. He warned that the state’s health care system is at a crisis point — and that New Mexican patients and their loved ones are the ones who suffer most. “In this state, in this healthcare system, the most vulnerable are always the poor. Always the sick. It just is,” said Roybal. “And if you can’t take care of 100% of New Mexicans, I worry that the ones that will be taken care of are the ones that have insurance that can afford to be taken care of.”

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A prime example of the shortage is the dermatology department at UNM Hospital, which sent a memo to providers about six months ago.

The memo reads, “due to a critical shortage of dermatologists at UNMH,” wait lists for new patient appointments have reached an unprecedented one to one-and-a-half years. The UNM dermatology department said it is still only accepting referrals for urgent cases. “Obviously, that’s concerning if you are the New Mexican who has a dermatologic problem and needs to see a physician,” Roybal said.

In a statement to KRQE News 13, UNMH said that since the memo was sent, additional doctors have been hired, with two more expected to join next year. The hospital said it has expanded e-consults, is holding free walk-in skin cancer screenings in rural areas, and has reduced the number of patients waiting for an appointment by nearly 50%.

UNMH is not the only health care group working to close the gap. Dr. Denise A. Gonzales, medical director for Presbyterian Medical Group, said Presbyterian Hospital has some promising developments planned for the new year. She said the shortage of dermatologic care providers has been an issue for a long time, particularly in New Mexico, where UV exposure risk is high.

Presbyterian has never had a full-scale dermatology department like UNM’s and has often referred patients to UNM and community dermatologists for Mohs surgeries. Gonzales said that over the past few years, Presbyterian has brought teledermatology to Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, New Mexico.

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She said thanks to that program, dermatologists can evaluate Albuquerque patients while they are home, and if a biopsy is needed, they can have it done in Presbyterian facilities. “That’s just a very small amount of increase in services that we’ve been able to do in the last two years, recognizing that there is a shortage of dermatology services throughout the state.”

The Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation recently announced it is launching its first full-service dermatology clinic, funded by a $2.5 million gift from Ellen and Jim King to the newly formed “King Fund for Dermatology.”

“In the fall of 2026 is when we expect to have our clinic fully open and staffed with physicians and PA’s who can do the full breadth of treatments and diagnoses so they can treat things like acne and skin cancers, they can treat it with light therapy and lasers, and can cut things out if they need to be cut out,” Gonzales said.

She said the long-term goal is to expand those services across Presbyterian’s regional centers by connecting patients to experts in Albuquerque through telemedicine. “So, it’s as easy as putting a camera on it and talking to that expert in Albuquerque to then decide on what the next steps should be,” Gonzales said.

Still, medical professionals said meaningful change must happen at the legislative level. Many welcomed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s decision to include medical malpractice reform in the call for the upcoming 30-day legislative session.

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UNM’s statement and Dr. Roybal said the issue extends far beyond dermatology. “That’s the problem, not just playing out in dermatology, it’s playing out in ophthalmology and internal medicine, and family practice, and you name it,” Roybal said.

UNMH said it could not provide a current estimate for new patient wait times, citing the difficulty of projecting timelines while working through existing patient lists.

While the New Mexico Medical Society and the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association said medical malpractice reform should be the top priority, some lawmakers are pushing to broaden the discussion. Proposals include increasing residency slots and changing the gross receipts tax rule that requires physicians to pay taxes on payments received for medical services.

There is also disagreement over data. Think New Mexico, a local think tank, reports that New Mexico has one of the nation’s highest rates of medical malpractice lawsuits. And that the state lost more physicians between 2019-2024 than any other state in the country. However, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) said during a recent radio interview that the data is false.

Dr. Roybal, however, stands by Think New Mexico’s data and adding he’s always willing to take anyone to the CMS.gov website (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to walk people through it. He also suggested lawmakers who are also trial lawyers, such as Sen. Cervantes, should recuse themselves from both the discussion and votes on the issue due to a conflict of interest.

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Roybal said he is confident New Mexico communities will unite to make their voices heard, calling the issue a generational fight that will shape the state’s future. He believes a balance can be found that protects patients while incentivizing doctors. “Doctors want their patients to be whole. We don’t want it to be impossible to ever sue, or if there was somebody who did something nefarious that was just terrible and hurt somebody, we want that person to be taken care of, their future medical to be covered, we want them to make sure they’re compensated for something that happened that was terrible,” Roybal said. “We also have to recognize, on the other hand, the number of people that happens to is between .1 and .01 percent of the population. And so when you have a law that’s overly protective in that situation and really stretches it allows for hundreds of millions of lawsuits in a single suit, it no longer serves the greater good.”

Dr. Gonzales said addressing the shortage will require multiple solutions. “Things like tort reform are important and the cost of medical malpractice, but it’s also important to make sure that Medicare and Medicaid have appropriate funding levels that we make it easy for people to obtain licenses in this state,” Gonzales said.

She added that New Mexico does not participate in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. “That’s a very difficult nut to crack, because it’s not as simple as just join the compact. There are downsides and risks to that as well,” she said.

Gonzales closed with a personal note, saying she wants better access to care for her mother in rural New Mexico. She emphasized the need for sustained effort beyond legislative sessions. “It has to be continuous. It has to be multifaceted, and it’s got to be something where we’re moving the ball along all the time. And we can’t give up on it, because it impacts so many things about New Mexico,” Gonzales said.

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