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Christmas Powerball winner had to check numbers twiceWest Virginian went to bed thinking he'd won $100,000
HURRICANE, West Virginia (CNN) -- The West Virginia contractor who won the $315 million Powerball jackpot said Friday that he went to bed Wednesday night thinking he'd won only $100,000 -- the television station where he got his results posted the winning numbers incorrectly. "We thought we had four numbers and the Powerball," Andrew "Jack" Whittaker Jr. said on CNN's "American Morning." But Thursday morning, television news was broadcasting from the store where someone bought the only ticket that won the whole jackpot. "And I said, man, that's where I bought my ticket," Whittaker said. Whittaker, 55, took a second look at the results, "and sure enough, the TV station [had] flashed the wrong number on the screen. "I started calling my lawyer at 6 o'clock in the morning," he said. Whittaker's granddaughter, Brandi Bragg, said she thought she was in trouble when she heard a message from her grandfather on her answering machine. "I was spending the night at a friend's," she said. "He said, 'Brandi, call home right now.' " The Whittakers opted for the lump-sum payment of more than $170 million rather than annual payments. After taxes, they'll receive close to $112 million. Whittaker bought the winning ticket -- one of 100 he picked up -- at the C&L Superserve convenience store in Hurricane, West Virginia, close to his hometown of Scott Depot. The store will receive $100,000 for selling the ticket. Larry Trogden, the store's owner, said he hadn't decided what to do with the sum. His daughter, Amy Trogden, told CNN "I'm sure we'll pay off some bills, and I have a wedding coming up." Whittaker and his wife of 36 years, Jewell, said they were giving 10 percent of their winnings to three pastors and would use the rest for a variety of purposes. "I've always longed to go to Israel, and now that's a possibility," Jewell Whittaker said. "I plan to go." Jack Whittaker said he's going to use the money to expand his business and rehire the 25 people he had to lay off this year. Oh, and he'll buy a helicopter, too. "It has to do with work," he said -- his company does water and sewer work across West Virginia. "If I had a helicopter to get around on some of the jobs, I'd be able to spend more time at home," he said. As for granddaughter Brandi, all she wants is a car and to meet hip-hop singer Nelly. Can grandpa make it happen? "I'm positive I can," he said.
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