Good Samaritan turns lottery winners’ despair to joy

A Canadian couple endured a rollercoaster ride of emotions when a lottery ticket worth US$50 million ($59 million) went missing only to be found and returned by someone at their church.

Hakeem Nosiru won the January 17 Lotto Max draw and was one day away from claiming the money when the signed ticket, which he taped to the inside his wife’s purse for safekeeping, went missing after they attended church. Their despair turned to joy after a fellow member of the congregation discovered the ticket and returned it to them on April 1. The return was made possible because Nosiru had signed the ticket with their address. Ontario Provincial Police then investigated the matter for Ontario Lottery and Gaming to ensure there were no further snags. Everything checked out and Nosiru and his wife Abiola were beaming for the cameras yesterday, telling reporters that they were planning on travelling the world and helping out family. Abiola wasn’t sure what they’ll do for the woman who ended the ticket’s exodus, but told her “I just want to say thank you”.

Meanwhile, the reign of the most successful female contestant in

Jeopardy! history has come to an end. Julia Collins, 31, lost during her 21st appearance on the US TV game show that aired yesterday. She accumulated US$428,100 during her 20 victories and holds the No 2 spot for most consecutive wins behind Ken Jennings, who won 74 straight games and US$2.5 million.