Hurricane And Dunbar Residents Win Big Cash Prizes

Generous dad and granddad that he is, Mike Miller, 58, of Hurricane said his $50,000 prize from the West Virginia Lottery’s instant game Strike It Rich will buy a son and his wife a second vehicle; he said the remainder of the prize would open savings accounts for his two grandchildren.

“There really isn’t anything we need, so we decided to help out the family,” Miller said.

Retired from General Motors, Miller and his wife moved back to West Virginia to be near his parents. He said they were on his way to Clay County when he got the good news. “We bought the ticket at Speedway in Teays Valley on our way to visit the folks for Easter lunch; my wife noticed I hadn’t scratched it, so midway up 79 she starts telling me we had won $50,000. There’s really not much you can do to celebrate while you’re driving a car . . . good thing I didn’t run off the road.”

West Virginia Lottery Director John Musgrave said that in addition to Miller’s prize, a $30,000 Hot Lotto claim was made Monday by B.R. James of Dunbar.

At the time he bought his ticket, James purchased the Sizzler multiplier option for a dollar extra.

“Sizzler is to Hot Lotto what PowerPlay is to Powerball. The only difference is that the Sizzler multiplier is always three,” Musgrave said.

Since Miller won a $10,000 prize in the Hot Lotto drawing held April 11, the Sizzler option tripled it to total $30,000, according to Musgrave.

The ticket was purchased at Mimi’s on Patrick Street in Charleston.