An Aurora resident could be a newly minted millionaire to start 2022.
According to Illinois Lottery, player from the western suburb of Chicago Linda Perkins is a finalist in the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year drawing.
Perkins is one of five people who have been randomly selected in a preliminary drawing from a national pool of players from 29 different U.S. lotteries, organizers said.
“I learned that I won from an email in the middle of my workday so I was really shocked,” Perkins said. “I can’t believe it, I’m still having a hard time believing this – I’m in total shock.”
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The winner will be drawn and announced live on television after midnight on Jan. 1, 2022 on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest."
“I would scream, I would cry, and I would probably pass out,” Perkins said of per potential win.
Perkins, along with several other finalists, have already won a $10,000 cash prize and a New Year's Eve party package, which Illinois Lottery says is complete with a 70-inch TV, karaoke system, laptop computer, dinner for eight and $500 to spend at Party City.
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“I normally try my best every year to stay awake past midnight, at least until the countdown, but I always seem to fall asleep about five minutes before," she said. "This year, I think I’ll be wide awake!”
The four other finalists come from Louisiana, Iowa and Pennsylvania.
