Latest news with #CommonSchoolFund
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lucky Illinois winners claim $349 million Mega Millions jackpot prize
CHICAGO (WMBD) — It's been about a month but the people who purchased a winning Mega Millions ticket last month have come forward to claim their prize, the Illinois Lottery announced. 'After more than a month of excitement and anticipation, the Illinois Lottery players who won the $349 million Mega Millions jackpot in the March 25 drawing have officially come forward to claim their life-changing prize,' the organization said in a news release. 'We took a chance and bought a single Quick Pick ticket,' shared the lucky winners, nicknamed 'Blessed.' 'We're absolutely ecstatic and feel incredibly blessed. We plan to use this money to do good – this unbelievable prize will truly be the gift that keeps on giving.' The lottery said the winning ticket was purchased at Casey's General Store, located at 70 S. Somonauk Road in Cortland which is in DeKalb County. The store will get $500,000 for having sold the winning ticket. The lottery said this was the fourth time an Illinois Lottery player has won a Mega Millions jackpot in nearly four years: In June 2024, an iLottery player won $552 million – making this the largest prize ever won by an online lottery player in the U.S. In July 2022, a ticket bought at a gas station in Des Plaines won a $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot – which remains the largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois. In June 2021, a Mega Millions player won $56 million at a Citgo gas station in Crestwood. Nearly $24 million in ticket sales were generated during the buildup of the jackpot and the Illinois Lottery was able to put more than $9 million into he Common School Fund to support K-12 education in Illinois, the agency said. Tonight's Mega Millions jackpot is about $70 million. Each ticket costs $5. Tickets for the game can be purchased in-store, online, or on the Illinois Lottery app. For more information or to buy tickets online, please visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois winners of $349M Mega Millions jackpot come forward
The Brief A group of Illinois Lottery players has claimed the $349 million Mega Millions jackpot from the March 25 drawing. The winners, who call themselves "Blessed," bought the ticket at a Casey's General Store in Cortland and plan to use the money to do good. The jackpot run generated over $9 million for Illinois schools through the Common School Fund. CORTLAND, Ill. - The winners of the $349 million Mega Millions jackpot from the March 25 drawing have officially stepped forward, according to the Illinois Lottery. The group, who chose to remain anonymous and are nicknamed "Blessed," bought the winning Quick Pick ticket at Casey's General Store at 70 S. Somonauk Road in Cortland. For selling the winning ticket, the retailer received a $500,000 bonus. What they're saying "We're absolutely ecstatic and feel incredibly blessed," the winners said in a statement. "We plan to use this money to do good — this unbelievable prize will truly be the gift that keeps on giving." By the numbers This is the fourth Mega Millions jackpot won in Illinois in the past four years. Notable recent wins include a $1.34 billion jackpot in 2022, the state's largest prize, and a $552 million win last year by an iLottery player — the biggest online lottery win in U.S. history. The Illinois Lottery reported that nearly $24 million in total ticket sales occurred during this latest jackpot run, generating more than $9 million for the state's Common School Fund to support K-12 education. Tonight's Mega Millions drawing has an estimated jackpot of $70 million. Tickets cost $5. The Source The information in this report came from the Illinois Lottery.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon schools to get another record payout from state lands revenue
Teachers at Brooklyn Elementary School in Baker City watch Professor Ronda Fritz demonstrate a reading lesson. Baker City School District will get about $242,000 from the Common School Fund in 2025, according to the Department of State Lands. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon's 197 school districts will get nearly $77 million in additional funding this year from revenues generated from leases and industry permitted on state lands. That's a record payout from the Common School Fund and $2.5 million more than schools received from the fund in 2024, officials from the Oregon Department of State Lands announced Thursday. It is $12 million more than districts received from the fund three years ago, in 2022. All districts receive funding based on the number of students they serve. The average district in 2025 will get about $390,000 — enough to hire about five teachers, according to calculations from the Department of State Lands. The state's largest district, Portland Public Schools, will get about $6.6 million. Smaller districts, such as the 2,100-student Ontario School District in eastern Oregon, will get about $300,000. Districts typically receive their first payments in February and their second in July. The Common School Fund has been around for more than 160 years, when Congress decided to allocate nearly 3.4 million acres of land to the newly established state of Oregon to be used to earn money for schools. The state sold much of the land. Today, just about 20% of the original allotment remains producing revenue for schools through land leases to farmers and ranchers, tribal governments, logging companies and other businesses. Those lands contribute about $7 million dollars a year to the Common School Fund, which is invested by the Oregon State Treasury. The fund today is worth nearly $2.4 billion, but just about 3.5% of the fund is distributed to schools annually. 'The Common School Fund is consistent and can be used for anything, from keeping the lights on to providing instruction,' Willamette High School social studies teacher Benjamin Dodds said in a news release. The Bethel School District, where Dodds works, will get more than $800,000 in 2025 from the fund. Schools get the bulk of their funding from the state's general fund, which provides about two-thirds of school budgets. Gov. Tina Kotek has asked the Legislature to allocate almost $11.4 billion to Oregon schools for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, up from $10.2 billion during the last two-year budget cycle. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
$100,000 unclaimed winning Powerball ticket will soon expire
CHICAGO (WGN) — Time is running out for the winner of a $100,000 Powerball ticket to claim their prize. The winning ticket was purchased for the March 23, 2024 drawing at Huck's, at 315 E. Calumet Street in Centralia, in the southern part of the state. Illinois Lottery winners have one year from the date of winning to claim their prizes. Lottery officials advise players to write their names on the backs of winning tickets and keep them in a safe place until they are ready to make a claim. This unclaimed Powerball ticket is one of eleven Illinois Lottery prizes currently unclaimed, all totaling $5.35 million. The Illinois Lottery was founded in 1974. Since last year, proceeds go to the state's Common School Fund and other causes as directed by statute. The Illinois Lottery website details how the money is used. If gambling has become a problem for you or someone you know, call 1-800-GAMBLER for help. The helpline is a free, confidential 24-hour service that can connect callers to information, counseling, and support. Helpline staff are also available by live chat at or by texting 'GAMB' to 833234. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lotto player wins $600K in online game
CHICAGO — A Lucky Day Lotto player is no doubt having a sweeter Valentine's Day after winning a $600,000 jackpot in the online game earlier this week. The unnamed player matched all five numbers in the Wednesday evening drawing, winning the jackpot from the 17,000 tickets that were purchased, the Illinois Lottery said in a release. The winning numbers were 5-19-31-35-38. Lucky Day Lotto is an Illinois-only game with twice daily drawings at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. Tickets for the game can be purchased in stores, online at or on the Illinois Lottery app. Changes are coming to Mega Millions in April: What to know More than one million winning Lucky Day Lotto tickets have been sold this year, netting players more than $7.9 million in prizes, the release said. The Illinois Lottery was founded in 1974. Since last year, proceeds go to the state's Common School Fund and other causes as directed by statute. The Illinois Lottery website details how the money is used. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
