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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2005 Powerball winner Steve West, left, and his co-winner, father-in-law Bob Chaney, sitting in a wheelchair at center, appear with their extended families at a press conference Tuesday in the Debbs Potts Oregon State Lottery building in Salem. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Hello, jackpot Rogue Valley families take in Powerball limelight as they turn in winning ticket By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune SALEM — Southern Oregon’s shy Powerball jackpot winners made it official Tuesday, validating a record $340 million prize as two dozen family members and hordes of media crews looked on. Steve West, a 48-year-old Medford landscaper, co-signed the winning ticket with his father-in-law, Bob Chaney, 72, of Jacksonville, Oregon Lottery officials confirmed. Together, the pair who parlayed $40 into the world’s second-largest jackpot agreed to disperse the prize among nine family members. Each of the recipients opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment, which was based on a cash prize of more than $164.4 million, or about $110 million after taxes. Advertisement The $340 million total would have been claimed only if the family had chosen the prize option of 30 annual payments. According to the family’s plans, Steve West and his wife, Carolyn, 47, will each receive the largest share of the lottery winnings, about $39.3 million, or about $26.4 million each after taxes. Chaney and his wife, Frances Chaney, 68 — Carolyn West’s parents — will each receive about $34.1 million, or about $23 million after taxes. The Wests’ five brothers and sisters will each receive $3.5 million, or about $2.4 million after taxes. "I’m still in disbelief that we won the big one," said Frances Chaney, who confirmed that she bought the winning ticket Oct. 19 at Ray’s Food Place in Jacksonville. Some 26 family members, ranging from a 4-month-old baby to the 72-year-old grandfather, faced dozens of cameras and microphones from local, state and national media. Dressed mostly in jeans and sweaters, clan members boasted big smiles and nervous giggles during the half-hour ceremony in the lobby of the lottery commission building. Tuesday’s celebration, complete with streamers, balloons and a giant faux check from the Oregon Lottery Commission, capped more than two weeks of speculation about the record lottery win. Steve West had all but confirmed that he held the winning ticket, but rumors ran wild anyway. There was some brief fear that the ticket had been bought by a 17-year-old, which would violate Oregon law, but Frances Chaney firmly dispelled that notion. The family waited so long to claim the prize in order to receive tax and other financial advantages, West said. The Wests and the Chaneys each put in $20 for a try at the Powerball prize, which Frances Chaney checked via the Internet. "I noticed that we had number 29 (the Powerball) and I thought, at least we get our $5 back," the great- grandmother said. Family members checked and rechecked the numbers, she said. "Even until yesterday, we were thinking the numbers are going to change," she said. They didn’t, of course, leaving the family with what Chaney called "a very big responsibility." "I pray that the Lord will lead us and guide us," she said. In the meantime, her husband confessed that he made his first post-lottery purchase: a yellow Hummer vehicle valued at more than $50,000. Bob Chaney, who ran a security business in Southern California, accepted his prize from a wheelchair. He hopes to recover fully from an accident that injured his hip and foot, a representative said. Steve West said he was waiting for cash in hand to buy anything, even a coveted sports car. Eventually, he and his wife plan to establish a charitable foundation, he said. Meanwhile, West plans to continue working in his job as a self- employed landscaper. "It’s going to keep me grounded," he said. Carolyn West remains employed at Laidlaw Transit Co. in Medford, staff there said. Everyone daydreams about what they’d do with lottery winnings, West noted. But coping with actually winning raises concerns of its own. "There is still a feeling of remorse because of the safety issue," said West, who said he feared for his four children and extended family members. He was quick to add that the family has received no threats or other reasons for trepidation. "We feel very safe in the Rogue Valley," he said. "The neighbors seem to watch out for us." The jackpot represented the family’s first — and likely last — Powerball ticket, West said. "I would be embarrassed if I won again," he said. And the winners are ... Southern Oregon’s $340 million lottery jackpot will amount to a $164.4 million cash prize dispersed among nine family members, including Steve and Carolyn West, Bob and Frances Cheney and the Wests’ five siblings. Here’s how the final amounts were distributed according to Oregon Lottery Commission officials. All amounts are totals before state and federal taxes are withheld. Carolyn West: $39,352,514. Steve West: $39,352,514. Frances Chaney: $34,102,514. Bob Chaney: $34,102,514. Sue Krammer: $3,500,000. Brenda Green: $3,500,000. Robin A. Whitzel: $3,500,000. Gary West: $3,500,000. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail Hello, jackpot ">[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. 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