March 31^st 227 runners, walkers and kids of all ages participated n the 5K Bunny Run at Cody Park.  This brand new fundraiser was set up to benefit the North Platte Jaycees.  Here are the results for you..

It was a valiant effort, but we didn’t win tonight. Winning numbers were – 46-23-38-4-2-23

The winning ticket was bought in Maryland….

We’ll win next time! 

With the Mega Millions Jackpot of over $640 Million dollars, the winner will have plenty of cashola to go around.

So, we decided to have the ultimate office pool.

We’ve bought 30 tickets, if you click “Like” on this status on Facebook, we’ll include you in our ‘pool’. If we win, we’ll split the jackpot amongst ALL of those that click “Like”.

An easy way to win without spending a dime.

If you aren’t on Facebook, email us at [email protected] and we’ll make sure you are entered.

***All state rules apply. CLICK HERE FOR RULES.***

By JOHN SEEWER

With a half-billion-dollar multistate lottery jackpot up for grabs, plenty of folks are fantasizing about how to spend the money. But doing it the right way – protecting your riches, your identity and your sanity – takes some thought and planning.
Making sure you don’t blow the nation’s largest-ever lottery jackpot within a few years means some advice is in order before the Mega Millions drawing Friday, especially if you’re really, really, really lucky.

Q: What do I do with the ticket?
A: Before anything else, sign the back of the ticket. That will stop anyone else from claiming your riches if you happen to drop it while you’re jumping up and down. Then make a photocopy and lock it in a safe. At the very least, keep it where you know it’s protected. A Rhode Island woman who won a $336 million Powerball jackpot in February hid the ticket in her Bible before going out to breakfast.

Q: What next?
A: Relax; breathe; take time to think about your next move. Don’t do anything you’ll regret for the next 30 years, like calling your best friend or every one of your aunts, uncles and cousins. It doesn’t take long to be overwhelmed by long-lost friends, charities and churches wanting to share your good fortune. You’ve waited a lifetime to hit the jackpot; you can wait a few days before going on a spending spree.

Q: So whom should I tell first?
A: Contacting a lawyer and a financial planner would be a lot wiser than updating your Facebook status. Make sure it’s someone you can trust and, it’s hoped, dealt with before. If you don’t have anyone in mind, ask a close family member or friend. Oklahoma City attorney Richard Craig, whose firm has represented a handful of lottery winners, says it’s essential to assemble a team of financial managers, tax experts, accountants and bankers.

Q: Remind me, how much did I win?
A: As it stands now, the Mega Millions will pay out a lump sum of $359 million before taxes. The annual payments over 26 years will amount to just over $19 million before taxes.

Q: How much will I pay in taxes?
A: This partly depends on where you live. Federal tax is 25 percent; then there’s your state income tax. In Ohio, for example, that’s another 6 percent. And you might need to pay a city tax depending on the local tax rules. So count on about a third of your winnings going to the government.

Q: Should I take the cash payout or annual payments?
A: This is the big question, and most people think taking the lump sum is the smart move. That’s not always the case. First, spreading the payments out protects you from becoming the latest lottery winner who’s lost all their money. Don McNay, author of the book “Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery,” says nine out of 10 winners go through their money in five years or less. “It’s too much, too fast,” he says. “Nobody is around them putting the brakes on the situation.”

Q: But what if I’m good at managing the money?
A: Invested properly, the lump sum option can be a good choice. There’s more planning that you can use to reduce estate taxes and other financial incentives. Others, though, say that with annual payments, you are taxed on the money only as it comes in, so that will put you in a lower tax bracket rather than taking a big hit on getting a lump sum. And you still can shelter the money in tax-free investments and take advantage of tax law changes over the years.

Q: Should I try to shield my identity?
A: Absolutely. This will protect you from people who want you to invest in their business scheme or those who need cash in an emergency. Lottery winners are besieged by dozens of people and charities looking for help. “There are people who do that for a living. Unless you understand that, you can become a victim very quickly,” says Steve Thornton, an attorney in Bowling Green, Ky., who has represented two jackpot winners.

Q: So how can I protect myself?
A: Again, it somewhat depends on where you live. In Ohio, you can form a trust to manage the money and keep your winnings a secret. In other states, you can form a trust but still be discovered through public records. And a few states require you to show up and receive your oversized check in front of a bunch of cameras, making it impossible to stay anonymous. Thornton set up a corporation in the late 1990s to protect the identity of a client in Kentucky who won $11 million. “No one had done this before, and there were legal questions about whether a corporation can win,” he says. “We were able to hide their names.”

Q: Is it OK to splurge a little?
A: Sure, it’s why you bought a ticket, right? “Get it out of your system, but don’t go overboard,” McNay says. But remember that if there’s a new Mercedes-Benz in the driveway, your neighbors will probably be able to figure out who won the jackpot.

Q: How much should I help my family and others?
A: It’s certainly a natural desire to help relatives in need and take care of future generations. But use extreme caution when giving out your money. Jack Whittaker, a West Virginia contractor who won a nearly $315 million Powerball jackpot in 2002, quickly fell victim to scandals, lawsuits and personal setbacks. His foundation spent $23 million building two churches, and he’s been involved in hundreds of legal actions. “If you win, just don’t give any money away, because the more money you give away, the more they want you to give. And once you start giving it away, everybody will label you an easy touch and be right there after you. And that includes everybody,” Whittaker said five years ago.

Fire weather conditions will become critical Friday afternoon as temperatures soar into the upper 70s and low 80s, while dewpoints are expected in the upper 20s and mid 30s. This will bring minimum relative humidities down to around 15 percent in the afternoon across much of western Nebraska. Higher moisture is expected going into eastern Nebraska, with dewpoints near 40 degrees roughly east of a Curtis to Broken Bow to O’Neill line, so these areas may see relative humidities drop to 25 percent. Still looking at the winds, but the current forecast would put sustained speeds of 15 to 20 mph mainly west of highway 83 with lesser winds expected going east. Look for gusts about 5 mph higher, so winds should top out around 20 to 25 mph area-wide. At this point decided to issue a fire weather watch for zones 204 and 210 (the panhandle and western Nebraska) where the most favorable conditions are expected.

Conditions look near critical for Saturday through Tuesday as well. Saturday and Sunday will be very warm with highs in the 80s in most locations. Winds could be fairly light both days so will be closely watching the forecast as higher winds would bring most of Nebraska into the critical fire weather category. A system will move through Sunday and Sunday night to bring cooler temperatures in for Monday and Tuesday. Highs will still be above normal however. But very dry air will be brought into the area behind the system as dewpoints are expected to drop into the teens. So again, relative humidities should fall to around 15 percent in the afternoons. Also, winds on Monday will be quite strong behind the front. The current forecast would put sustained northwest winds of 20 to 25 mph across much of western and north central Nebraska. Then on Tuesday, winds should subside, leading to not as extreme conditions expected.

Please call the National Weather Service office with any questions on fire weather conditions through the weekend and into next week.

Find weather info at http://weather.gov/lbf
and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ … search National Weather Service North Platte