Small town abuzz over mystery Powerball winner

Monday, September 25, 2006 posted 12:14 PM EDT

The winner of the $200.8 million Powerball jackpot in Fort Dodge still hadn't stepped forward as of this morning, but there is plenty of guessing around town about who holds the lucky ticket.

One of the guesses is that group of school teachers jointly bought the winner as part of a Powerball pool. The Kum & Go convenience store where the ticket was purchased is located between Fort Dodge High School and St. Edmund's High School.

"We've heard that, but it's just the rumor mill. Who knows?" said Tina Potthoff, an Iowa Lottery spokeswoman. "It could just be the talk of the town."

Lottery officials plan a news conference at 11 a.m.today at the Kum & Go store at 115 N. 22nd St. to discuss details about the winning ticket. Bill Krause, head of the Kum & Go store chain, plans to attend. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

The $200.8 million prize was the largest in the history of the 21-year-old Iowa Lottery, and the second Powerball jackpot won in the state in the past 10 months.

The ticket drawn Saturday night in the multi-state Powerball game matched all the winning numbers: 13, 21, 26, 50 and Powerball 20. The ticket was a quick pick, meaning the numbers were automatically generated by a machine.

Fort Dodge, a town of 25,136 in north-central Iowa, has struggled economically in recent years. Community leaders last year sought state approval for a $50 million riverboat gambling project in downtown Fort Dodge in an effort to revive a blighted area, but their request was turned down by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

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