School bus driver’s love of crosswords leads to NC lottery win. ‘They are my favorite’

A school bus driver has a love for crossword games — and it led to a big lottery prize in North Carolina.

Paula Harris, 59, was at a store when she tried her luck on a $5 ticket for the Cashword Multiplier game, officials said.

“I love the crossword puzzles,” Harris said in a Jan. 28 news release. “They are my favorite.”

It turns out, her desire to solve word puzzles paid off big time. The crossword-themed scratch-off ticket she bought was worth $150,000, according to the N.C. Education Lottery.

“I was so excited,” Harris told lottery officials. “Now I can pay off my house.”

Officials said Harris bought her lucky ticket at a Speedway store on West Third Street in Ayden, roughly 90 miles southeast of Raleigh. She told her kids about the prize right away.

“They couldn’t believe it either,” she said, adding that she hopes to use some of her prize money to help them.

Harris reportedly kept $106,876 after taxes. She’s from Warrenton, about 55 miles northeast of Raleigh.

It’s not the first time a North Carolina lottery winner has been passionate about playing a game. In September, officials said a retired teacher’s longtime love for bingo led her to buy a ticket that hit the jackpot.

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