Linn County Woman Wins $10,000 Lottery Prize
Janice Puffer Claims Big Prize in 'Colossal Crossword' Scratch Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Linn County woman who won a $10,000 lottery prize said her husband predicted a big win.
"My husband actually is the one who said to me, 'Hey, I think this is a lucky day for you. Why don't you go pick up a lottery ticket?'" Janice Puffer, of Marion, told officials on Monday as she claimed her "Colossal Crossword" prize. "When he has his hunches, I usually listen to them."
Puffer bought the winning ticket at Murphy USA, 5497 Highway 151 in Marion. She scratched the ticket while she and her husband, Jeff, waited in the drive-through at a local restaurant.
"It's like, 'Jeff, you've got to check this ticket! It seems to be a $10,000 winner,'" Puffer recalled. "So he looked it over and I looked at it again, and it was. I was just shocked."
Puffer won the 31st of 56 prizes of $10,000 in the game. She said she hadn't yet decided what she'll do with her winnings, but was considering some home improvements.
"I just think it's kind of fun to know you've got a little nest egg of money that you can put toward things that maybe you've wanted to do for a while," she said.
Colossal Crossword is a $30 scratch game that features 19 top prizes of $300,000, 56 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.29. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
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