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$290 million ticketsold in Massachusetts

LOWELL, Mass. — Whoever bought the winning ticket in the $290 million Mega Millions lottery drawing couldn’t have been much happier yesterday than the person who sold it.

Jay Patel, owner of Powers Liquors, was elated as he waited with everyone else to find out which one of his customers won the huge jackpot Friday in the drawing with the numbers 10-25-38-39-50 and Mega Ball 12.

A hand-lettered sign that read, “We sold $290 million’s jackpot here” hung in the window of the store Mr. Patel called “the luckiest Powers Liquors in the world right now.” Mr. Patel will receive $50,000 for selling the ticket. “There’s no word to describe it, but it feels good,” he said.

Mr. Patel said in the days before the drawing, he sold about 4,000 to 5,000 tickets from his store, located in a strip mall in a racially diverse section of this working class city 30 miles north of Boston.

Senator hurt in motorcycle crash

HELENA, Mont. — Sen. Max Baucus suffered minor injuries yesterday in a motorcycle crash, his spokesman said.

The Montana Democrat was going to a family picnic when he hit some gravel and lost control of his Harley-Davidson on a road near Lincoln, about 40 miles northwest of Helena, spokesman Barrett Kaiser said. Mr. Baucus swerved to miss a car and hit a guardrail, Mr. Kaiser said.

Mr. Kaiser said Mr. Baucus suffered cuts on his foot and leg and bruises and scrapes on his hands in the afternoon accident. Mr. Kaiser said the five-term senator had been wearing a helmet and a leather jacket, which helped minimize the injuries.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Cheryl Liedle said Mr. Baucus had not been drinking.

Mr. Baucus, 62, has been in Montana all week for the Senate’s Fourth of July recess and was scheduled to return to Washington tomorrow.

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