FORTUNATE 40 PICK UP THEIR CHECKS

Forty co-workers officially picked up their portions of the second $1,000,000 Minnesota Raffle prize on Wednesday. Lottery officials traveled to the Consolidated Telecommunications Company's office in south Brainerd. Members of the "CTC Lucky 40" have been kicking in a dollar a week for Lottery tickets for the past 16 months. Group leader Jennie Johnson took some of the winnings to buy 10 Raffle tickets from the Super America gas station in Brainerd. Johnson said she gave the numbers to the group before Christmas last year and one employee called her on January 1st to make sure she had copied the numbers correctly. Johnson said most of the Lucky 40 are still making lists of things they want to do with the money, about $17,000 after taxes. CEO Kevin Larson said he had an idea; CTC employees donated more money per capita to last year's United Way campaign than any other Brainerd company and this is United Way campaign time. The gas station gets a $5,000 bonus for selling one of the winning tickets. All the prizes from last year's Minnesota Millionaire Raffle have been claimed except for one $100,000 ticket. Winners have until January 2nd of next year to claim the prize.