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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 21, 2005 Ray�s Food Place manager Randy Lewis demonstrates the store�s Powerball machine. At least one winning ticket was purchased from the Jacksonville store, state lottery officials said Thursday. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Do we have winners? Local parents are coy about owning the record $340 million Powerball ticket By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune They won’t say for sure, but a pair of Medford parents might just be the winners of Wednesday’s record $340 million Powerball jackpot. Steve and Carolyn West conceded late Thursday that their two North Medford High School students could have let word slip about the family’s good fortune. "We did purchase some tickets," Steve West said. "It’s OK to say that one of the tickets was a winning ticket." Advertisement But, Steve, was it THE winning ticket? "As far as we’re concerned, it’s a distinct possibility," he said. A wary West declined to divulge his age or occupation, but he said that the family will be free to discuss possible lottery winnings on Tuesday — after he talks to a lawyer. "I want to leave it vague," West said. "There’s a lot of scary things that I’ve heard. We’re trying to be as careful as possible." And with $340 million at stake, who wouldn’t be? West wouldn’t confirm where he and his wife bought their "winning" ticket, but he hinted strongly that Ray’s Food Place was in the running. Oregon Lottery officials confirmed Thursday that the jackpot ticket was bought at one of two sites in Jacksonville — either Ray’s or the J-Ville Tavern. Spokesman Chuck Baumann also confirmed that Todd and Beth Zitzner of Jacksonville bought one of 49 runner-up tickets — including four in Oregon — worth $853,492. Beyond that, there was only speculation about what potential winners such as the Wests might do. They have up to a year to formally claim the Powerball prize at lottery headquarters in Salem, Baumann said. Most winners show up within a couple of weeks. But most winners don’t face the possibility of a lump sum of $110 million after taxes or 30 years of annual payments of about $7.6 million apiece, he added. "This is unexplored territory," Baumann said. "As a rule, we would hope they’d take a little bit of time to talk to someone who’s smarter than most people." Powerball is played in 27 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Numbers for Wednesday’s record jackpot were 7, 21, 43, 44, 49 and Powerball 29. Odds were more than 146 million to 1. Across the Rogue Valley and especially in tiny Jacksonville, local residents speculated Thursday about the identity of the winning ticket holders. "That’s really cool," said Jett Black, a grooming associate at Jacksonville Dog Grooming. "When I heard someone in Oregon won, I was thinking maybe Portland. Jacksonville? Wow." At the J-Ville Tavern, where local resident Wayne Reavis won an $8.75 million Megabucks jackpot in 2001, a noontime crowd waited to hear if history would repeat itself. It’s a boon for the winning store, too, which receives a $100,000 award. Patron Lind McBeth turned back to video poker after acknowledging that he bought Powerball tickets for weeks before the record drawing. He said he could understand if the big winners wanted to remain quiet for a while. "I imagine they’re laying low," he said. "The first thing I’d do is take the phone off the hook." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Do we have winners? ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s