Washington

Powerball player John Cheeks denied $340M lottery jackpot over website ‘mistake’

Published

2 years ago

February 18, 2024

Powerball player John Cheeks denied 0M lottery jackpot over website ‘mistake’

The unluck of the draw.

A Powerball player claims he was denied a life-changing jackpot worth $340 million despite his numbers matching the lottery’s website last year, which the company claims was a “mistake.”

Now, he’s suing Powerball and the DC Lottery

John Cheeks bought a Powerball ticket on Jan. 6, 2023, when the jackpot rose to the $340 million prize, according to a complaint filed last November.

Cheeks, who told NBC 4 he purchased the ticket using his family birthdates, missed the live drawing on Jan. 7, but wasn’t in a rush to check his numbers since the odds of winning a Powerball jackpot is about 1 in 292.2 million.

He claimed he checked the DC Lottery’s website the following day and saw his winning numbers, believing he had become the year’s first multimillionaire.

“I just politely called a friend. I took a picture as he recommended, and that was it. I went to sleep,” Cheeks told the outlet.

For three days, the DC Lottery website showed his ticket numbers, according to the complaint.

The numbers posted on the website, however, differed from those pulled during the live Powerball broadcast.

He tried to redeem the ticket at a licensed retailer on Jan. 10 and discovered none of his numbers matched up to what was drawn live.

Cheeks claimed he then went to the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming prize center to check with them, but again, he was told he was not the winner.

“’Hey, this ticket is no good. Just throw it in the trash can,’” Cheeks recalled to the outlet. “And I gave him a stern look. I said, ‘In the trash can?’ ‘Oh yeah, just throw it away. You’re not gonna get paid. There’s a trash can right there.’”

Cheeks has since placed the ticket in a safety deposit box.

Cheek’s attorney, Richard Evans, said his client was eventually informed by a lottery contractor that Taoti Enterprises — a DC-based digital advertising agency that manages the DC Lottery’s website — made a “mistake” and posted the wrong numbers.

“They have said that one of their contractors made a mistake,” Evans told NBC 4. “I haven’t seen the evidence to support that yet.”

Despite Cheeks not having the correct numbers of the live drawing, Evan feels that something needs to be done for his client.

“Even if a mistake was made, the question becomes: What do you do about that?”

The jackpot eventually grew to $754.6 million before a ticketholder in Washington claimed the prize on Feb. 6.

In Nov. 2023, Iowa lottery officials blamed “human reporting error” for posting the incorrect numbers, which remained on its website for over six hours.

Those who were up and cashed their tickets were able to claim their prize, which ranged from $4 to $200, according to Fox 9.

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Washington

Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.

What we know:

On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.

Dig deeper:

The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”

Users on social media say the event may be sold out.

Check tulipday.eu for updates.

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.

The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.

Things To Do in the DMVNewsWashington, D.C.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

20 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

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Washington

Week Ahead in Washington: March 1

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.

Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.

Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.

Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.

Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.

North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.

In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.

Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.

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