Winneshiek County Woman Wins $100,000 Lottery Prize
Trisha Kountkofsky is Second Big Winner From Ridgeway In Six Days
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Ridgeway woman has won a $100,000 lottery prize — the second big prize to be claimed in a week by a resident of the small Winneshiek County town with a population of 315.
Trisha Kountkofsky claimed the 48th and final top prize in the Iowa Lottery's "$100,000 Mega Crossword" scratch game. She claimed her prize on Wednesday at the lottery's regional office in Mason City.
Her win came six days after fellow Ridgeway resident Jill Mitchell claimed a $30,000 "Bonus Crossword" prize on a ticket she purchased in Decorah.
Kountkofsky purchased her winning ticket at Engen Express, 610 North St. in Ridgeway, after cashing in a $10-winning scratch ticket. She played part of the ticket, but returned to the store later that day for something else and decided to check the ticket on the store's lottery terminal.
"I had a few words on there, but I didn't think it was that many," she told lottery officials.
Kountkofsky said she plans use her winnings to purchase her soon-to-be 16-year-old son his first vehicle, savings bonds for her niece and nephews and possibly take a trip.
Once the final top prize in a scratch game is claimed, distribution ends and the game is pulled from shelves. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
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