Powerball officials: 2 winners for record jackpot

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Powerball officials say the record jackpot has been won.

Early Thursday morning officials confirmed that two winning tickets were sold: One in Arizona and one in Missouri. An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes.

The numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6.

A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.

The drawing Wednesday night’s prize followed 16 consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the Powerball to become the second-largest potential lottery payout in U.S. history.

Tickets were selling at an average of 130,000 a minute across the United States in the hours before the drawing, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game. That equates to players buying 7.8 million tickets an hour, spending $15.6 million an hour for a chance at the huge jackpot.

The huge sales volume, which was about six times the rate of the week before, prompted game officials to boost the jackpot twice in two days.

An estimated 90 percent of the tickets sold were quick picks in which the players allowed computers to pick the numbers, adding an extra element of randomness to the number choices.

There had been no Powerball winner since Oct. 6, and the jackpot was initially posted at $425 million, which was a record for the game. However, it was revised upward on Tuesday to $500 million when brisk sales increased the payout.

On Wednesday morning it was increased again to $550 million and revised once again prior to the drawing to $579.9 million. That was rapidly closing ground on the $656 million Mega Millions prize of March, the largest lottery jackpot in history.

“Sales have been so fast and so strong it’s difficult to keep up with the estimates,” said Mary Neubauer, spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, one of the founding Powerball states.

It took nine weeks for the Mega Millions jackpot to get that high, before three winners — from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland — hit the right numbers, each collecting $218.6 million for their share of the split.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Powerball-officials-2-winners-for-record-jackpot-4075665.php

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Powerball officials say the record jackpot has been won.
Early Thursday morning officials confirmed that two winning tickets were sold: One in Arizona and one in Missouri. An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes.
The numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6.
A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.
The drawing Wednesday night’s prize followed 16 consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the Powerball to become the second-largest potential lottery payout in U.S. history.
Tickets were selling at an average of 130,000 a minute across the United States in the hours before the drawing, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game. That equates to players buying 7.8 million tickets an hour, spending $15.6 million an hour for a chance at the huge jackpot.
The huge sales volume, which was about six times the rate of the week before, prompted game officials to boost the jackpot twice in two days.
An estimated 90 percent of the tickets sold were quick picks in which the players allowed computers to pick the numbers, adding an extra element of randomness to the number choices.
There had been no Powerball winner since Oct. 6, and the jackpot was initially posted at $425 million, which was a record for the game. However, it was revised upward on Tuesday to $500 million when brisk sales increased the payout.
On Wednesday morning it was increased again to $550 million and revised once again prior to the drawing to $579.9 million. That was rapidly closing ground on the $656 million Mega Millions prize of March, the largest lottery jackpot in history.
“Sales have been so fast and so strong it’s difficult to keep up with the estimates,” said Mary Neubauer, spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, one of the founding Powerball states.
It took nine weeks for the Mega Millions jackpot to get that high, before three winners — from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland — hit the right numbers, each collecting $218.6 million for their share of the split.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Powerball-officials-2-winners-for-record-jackpot-4075665.php#ixzz2DgqbE4z5

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Powerball officials say the record jackpot has been won.
Early Thursday morning officials confirmed that two winning tickets were sold: One in Arizona and one in Missouri. An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes.
The numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6.
A lottery official said late Wednesday that the jackpot increased to $579.9 million by the time of the drawing, making the cash option $379.8 million.
The drawing Wednesday night’s prize followed 16 consecutive drawings that produced no top winner, boosting the Powerball to become the second-largest potential lottery payout in U.S. history.
Tickets were selling at an average of 130,000 a minute across the United States in the hours before the drawing, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game. That equates to players buying 7.8 million tickets an hour, spending $15.6 million an hour for a chance at the huge jackpot.
The huge sales volume, which was about six times the rate of the week before, prompted game officials to boost the jackpot twice in two days.
An estimated 90 percent of the tickets sold were quick picks in which the players allowed computers to pick the numbers, adding an extra element of randomness to the number choices.
There had been no Powerball winner since Oct. 6, and the jackpot was initially posted at $425 million, which was a record for the game. However, it was revised upward on Tuesday to $500 million when brisk sales increased the payout.
On Wednesday morning it was increased again to $550 million and revised once again prior to the drawing to $579.9 million. That was rapidly closing ground on the $656 million Mega Millions prize of March, the largest lottery jackpot in history.
“Sales have been so fast and so strong it’s difficult to keep up with the estimates,” said Mary Neubauer, spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, one of the founding Powerball states.
It took nine weeks for the Mega Millions jackpot to get that high, before three winners — from Kansas, Illinois and Maryland — hit the right numbers, each collecting $218.6 million for their share of the split.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Powerball-officials-2-winners-for-record-jackpot-4075665.php#ixzz2DgqbE4z5

Lindsay Lohan faces new criminal charges

Los Angeles (CNN) — Lindsay Lohan faces new criminal charges in California, filed just hours after the actress was arrested in New York in connection with an alleged early morning fight at a nightclub.

Lohan’s latest legal troubles could send her back to jail because she is on probation for a necklace theft conviction.

Lohan’s convoluted path through the criminal courts system and her struggle with drugs and alcohol has taken her to court 19 times and to five rehab facilities for a total of 250 days since January 2007.

Lohan, 26, was arrested at a Manhattan nightclub after an alleged fight about 4 a.m. Thursday, the New York Police Department said.
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Lohan may have hit another woman at the Avenue Lounge, police said. Authorities declined to say whether she faced charges.

“Once again, Lindsay Lohan is a victim of someone trying to capture their 15 minutes of fame,” Lohan’s New York lawyer, Mark Heller, told CNN. “From my initial investigation, I am completely confident that this case will be concluded favorably and that Lindsay will be totally exonerated.”

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Across the country in Santa Monica, California, the city attorney filed four charges against Lohan Thursday morning in connection with a car crash last summer.

She is accused of giving false information to a police officer, obstructing or resisting a police officer in performance of his duty and reckless driving, according to the city attorney’s office.

While these charges are all misdemeanors and would not alone normally result in jail time, the Los Angeles city attorney, who successfully prosecuted the actress for stealing a necklace in 2011, could ask a judge to revoke her probation.

A decision by the Los Angeles city attorney could come as soon as Friday, spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

While it would likely be several days before the prosecutor gets confirmation of Lohan’s New York arrest, the Santa Monica charges filed Thursday should reach the Los Angeles city attorney’s office sooner.

The timing of a decision on seeking a revocation of Lohan’s probation for the shoplifting conviction depends on the workload in the prosecutor’s office, Mateljan said.

The Santa Monica charges stem from a car crash last June while Lohan was on her way to the set for the filming of “Liz & Dick,” the Lifetime movie that aired this week.

She is accused of telling police her assistant was driving the Porsche, while witnesses told investigators they saw Lohan behind the wheel.

“During the subsequent investigation, information was developed that Lohan was the driver of the Porsche when the accident occurred,” the Santa Monica prosecutor said in a statement to CNN.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/29/showbiz/lindsay-lohan-arrest/index.html

Mug Shot of the Day: That ’70s Show’s Lisa Robin Kelly Sports Sourpuss After Assault Bust

Just in time for the holidays, Lisa Robin Kelly has updated her family photo album.

The 42-year-old actress, who played Topher Grace’s floozy sister on That ’70s Show, has been arrested following a fight with her husband for the second time this year.

Kelly was busted last night after allegedly assaulting a 61-year-old man who was identified as her spouse at their North Carolina home, the Iredell County Detention Center confirms to E! News. She was briefly detained but is no longer in custody.

See Lisa Robin Kelly’s last mug shot

According to TMZ, Kelly’s hubby was also arrested.

She ultimately wasn’t prosecuted following her March 31 arrest for allegedly getting violent with her husband in Los Angeles. Back in 2010, Kelly pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving near their home in Mecklenburg, N.C., and was sentenced to a day in jail.

She was credited for time served and spent a year on probation.

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/366446/mug-shot-of-the-day-that-70s-show-s-lisa-robin-kelly-sports-sourpuss-after-assault-bust

Memories of Sean Taylor

It was five years ago today that Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died after a shooting at his home. Taylor’s death was one of the most shocking and affecting in recent sports history, and the memory of it still resonates strongly and emotionally with Taylor’s fans, friends and former teammates. This video tribute includes insights from former college and professional teammates Antrel Rolle, Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss as well as Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who smiles as he remembers Portis badgering him to draft Taylor.

I remember hearing of Taylor’s death, of course. I was a baseball writer at the time, but anyone who followed sports even tangentially heard the story, and no one could get their arms around it in a way that made any sense. Five years later, as I heard today from fans, watched the video and read the columns by those who were covering the story at the time, it’s clear that Taylor’s death is still affecting a large number of people.

Rolle talks about how he still watches Taylor highlights on YouTube. Cooley remembers how grateful he was that Taylor never practiced his trademark big hits against him in practice. And Moss breaks down in tears remembering the way the news affected him. If you’re a Redskins fan, I know the loss of Taylor is a wound on your heart that still hasn’t healed. I invite you to share your memories and your feelings about him in the comments section of this post.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/67406/memories-of-sean-taylor

Powerball jackpot soars to record $550 million

CHICAGO – As Americans went on a ticket-buying spree, the Powerball jackpot rose to $550 million Wednesday, enticing many people who rarely, if ever, play the lottery to purchase a shot at the second-largest payout in U.S. history.

Among them was Lamar Fallie, a jobless Chicago man who said his six tickets conjured a pleasant daydream: If he wins, he plans to take care of his church, make big donations to schools and then “retire from being unemployed.”

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Tickets were selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide — about six times the volume from a week ago. That meant the jackpot could climb even higher before the Wednesday night drawing, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association.

The jackpot has already rolled over 16 consecutive times without a winner, but Powerball officials say they now believe there is a 75 percent chance the winning combination will be drawn this time.

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If one ticket hits the right numbers, chances are good that multiple ones will, according to some experts. That happened in the Mega Millions drawing in March, when three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot. That remains the largest lottery payout of all time.

Yvette Gavin, who sold the tickets to Fallie, is only an occasional lottery player herself, but the huge jackpot means she’ll definitely play this time. As for the promises she often gets from ticket purchasers, Gavin isn’t holding her breath.

“A lot of customers say if they win they will take care of me, but I will have to wait and see,” she said.

In the hours before Wednesday’s drawing, Associated Press photographers fanned out across the nation to meet ticket buyers and ask about their lottery fantasies. Here’s a look at what they found:

—-

When Atlanta barber Andre Williams buys scratch-off tickets, he typically does a dance in his shop for good luck. As a first-time Powerball player, he plans to reprise the dance — and buy a few extra tickets to enhance his chances.

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I don’t even know if I’ll look at it,” said Williams, who bought his ticket at a newsstand. “If I win, I might pass out.”

Paralegal Pat Powell was buying her first Powerball ticket at another store in Atlanta, even though she acknowledged her odds were probably “zero to zero.”

Still, Powell has specific plans should she win: start an Internet cafe in the West Indies and a learning center in Georgia.

“I’ve been thinking about winning this money and what I’d do with it,” Powell said. “There’s no ritual, but it’s just been on my mind. So it’s like, let me just join the hype and just do it.”

Powerball purchases at the Canterbury Country Store in Canterbury, N.H., have been so steady that the manager has been working extra evening hours to keep up.

Horticulturist Kevin Brags buys tickets at the store two to three times a month. He says he usually picks numbers higher than 32 because so many people use numbers 31 and lower, largely because of birthdays.

The birthday theory didn’t scare off Paul Kruzel, a retired doctor who chooses the days his children were born.

Both, however, have the same plans for winning: “make a lot of people happy.”

John Olson has a more elaborate idea: He’d like to buy an island.

Jill Schlesinger, editor-at-large for CBS MoneyWatch, has advice for the lucky one who defies the odds and hits the jackpot: it’s fine to splurge a little but the key is to not go crazy.

“That means don’t buy a new house or a Ferrari for a while, but do take your family on a fabulous vacation,” Schlesinger writes. “And when you return, remember that you have a new job: Responsibly managing your money.”

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57555976/powerball-jackpot-soars-to-record-$550-million/

Nexus 4 in stock and available from Google today starting at noon PST

Google has just announced in an email notification that the LG Nexus 4 will be available for sale from Google Play starting today at noon PST, only in the US. Customers were faced with what appeared to be a frenzy of ordering back on November 13th, when the Play store grew sluggish and Nexus 4 models sold out quickly. The new phones were expected to ship on November 15th, but some customers experienced delays “due to overwhelming demand,” putting the device on backorder for up to three weeks. Google’s supply seems to have caught up, and if you’re in the market for a new flagship Android device, head on over to Google Play this afternoon.

Update: Google’s Play Store is again experiencing the same problems we saw when the Nexus 4 originally went on sale, but if you’ve had no luck so far, keep at it. A message on the Play website now says, “Google Play is currently experiencing very high traffic. Nexus 4 is not sold out and will still be available for purchase. Please try again shortly. Thank you for your patience.” For anyone that isn’t keen on honoring Google’s request to have some patience, your best option is hitting the refresh button. Many times.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/27/3696884/nexus-4-google-play-today

Amazon Kindle Fire 2 just $129 on Cyber-Monday

With Cyber-Monday expected to produce $1.5 billion in sales today, here is a deal from Amazon. The Amazon Kindle Fire 2, the non HD sequel to the original low priced 7 inch tablet, is $129. That is $30 off the regular $159 price and the sale is limited to one per customer. The device is equipped with a 7 inch LCD screen with resolution of 1024 x 600 with a pixel density of 170ppi. A dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor is under the hood and the tablet packs 1GB of RAM and 8GB of native storage. There is no camera on back or front and no microSD slot. Android 4.0 is installed.

The Amazon Kindle Fire 2

Of course, Amazon also has the Amazon Kindle Fire HD for $199 with a resolution of 1280 x 800 on its 7 inch screen, and dual-band Wi-Fi. There is also the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ for $299 with its 1920 x 1200 resolution screen, front-facing camera and a dual-core 1.5GHz processor. Lastly, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 4G LTE is priced at $499. The latter will ship the week of December 10th while all other models are in stock.

The main focus is on the deal today for the Amazon Kindle Fire 2 for $129. To order, click on the sourcelink. You do need to enter FIRESALE at checkout. Get it? FIRESALE. FIRE-SALE. Amazon Kindle FIRE-SALE. Hey, we’re only repeating Amazon so don’t shoot the messenger. At try to remember that the deal turns back into a pumpkin at 11:59pm Pacific time today (2:59am on the East Coast of the U.S.), so don’t miss it!

Source: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-2-just-129-on-Cyber-Monday_id37009

Angus T. Jones Calls ‘Two And A Half Men’ ‘Filth,’ Urges Viewers To Stop Watching (VIDEO)

Angus T. Jones doesn’t want to be on “Two and a Half Men” anymore. In a video interview with the religious website Forerunner Chronicles, Jones spoke out against the show and called it “filth.”

“If you watch ‘Two and a Half Men,’ please stop watching ‘Two and a Half Men,'” Jones says around the 7:45 mark in the video below, which the website billed as “The Testimony of the Awakening of [a] star.” “I’m on ‘Two and a Half Men,’ and I don’t want to be on it. Please stop watching it, please stop filling your head with filth,” he continues.

“People say it’s just entertainment,” he said. “Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you, you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch on television. It’s bad news.”

Jones, who is 19 years old, isn’t the first star to speak out against “Two and a Half Men.” His rant comes about a year-and-a-half after Charlie Sheen’s meltdown, during which he repeatedly ripped the show and its creator Chuck Lorre. In response, the series wrapped production early, Sheen’s character was written off the show, and Ashton Kutcher joined the cast as his replacement.

Warner Bros., the production company of “Two And A Half Men,” had no comment on Jones’ interview.

‘Girl Meets World’ Update: Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel Officially Return as Cory and Topanga

It’s  official, the Boy Meets World spinoff has signed two of its original stars.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that the popular 90s series Boy Meets World would be revived on The Disney Channel. Today, it was announced that  Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel have officially signed on to the new series.

Savage and Fishel will reprise their roles as Cory and Topanga Matthews. In the new series entitled Girls Meet World, Cory and Topanga are happily married with a 13 year-old daughter. The new series will be told in the point-of-view of Riley, the daughter.

The casting for Riley Matthews is currently underway. It is also unknown who else from the original series would be making appearances.

Source: http://tvdonewright.com/2012/11/girl-meets-world-update-ben-savage-and-danielle-fishel-officially-return-as-cory-and-topanga/

Chris Brown, Jenny Johnson: Singer’s Fans Threaten To Kill Comedian After Twitter Feud

Loyal as they may be, some of Chris Brown’s fans aren’t doing him any favors.

Some members of “Team Breezy” have threatened to kill comedian Jenny Johnson after a nasty Twitter exchange with Brown (which “The View” co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck dubbed “verbal rape.”) The 23-year-old singer responded to the comedian’s tweets, in which she called him a “piece of sh*t,” by telling her to perform oral sex on him and then threatened to defecate in her eye.

The Twitter feud resulted in Brown deactivating his Twitter account for a matter of hours, and in his absence some of his fans took it upon themselves to issue death threats to Johnson.

“Do u wanna know what im gonna do now ? Im gonna kill that Jenny Johnson for making Chris delete his twitter,” wrote @NellyBreezy_, who also later deleted her own account.”

Her sentiments were echoed by, @NinaBreezy16, who tweeted: “@JennyJohnsonHi5 whore bitch. if chris kill you i will have more respect of him ..”

Likewise, anther fan using the handle @_Haineko_ wrote, “super mad right now if i see that jenny johnson i’ll stab her to death.”

And it’s hard to believe, but a fan with the handle @rockykane9 wrote, “@JennyJohnsonHi5 I’M GONNA F*CKING RAPE & KILL YOU OLD WHORE F*CK”

Johnson hasn’t been scared off by the numerous replies she’s received, which have mostly told her to “eat a dick,” but she did tweet that she’s “alarmed” by how many death threats she’s received and is encouraging everyone, “including @Twitter to look through them. Not cool.”

Brown’s fans have stuck by him no matter what, and some of the female members of Team Breezy, made headlines for tweeting statements, including ” I’d let Chris Brown beat me up anytime 😉 #womanbeater,” and “Chris brown can beat me any dayyyyy damn he’s so sexy,” referencing his infamous assault on Rihanna in 2009.

And it’s not the first time his fans have threatened someone who criticized him via Twitter. In May, Team Breezy made death threats against John Legend’s fiancée, model Chrissy Teigen, after she made comments about his performance at the Billboard Music Awards — though to his credit, Brown actually asked his fans to stop sending death threats:

“Team Breezy! Lets stop sending death threats!” Brown tweeted back in May. “I know y’all bout that life but it’s the wrong message! Ur turning haters into victims!”

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/chris-brown-jenny-johnson-singers-fans-threaten-to-kill-comedian-twitter-feud_n_2192812.html