A pair of North Iowa women have won Iowa lottery prizes totaling over a quarter of a million dollars combined.
Lottery officials say 39-year-old Linsey Koenigs of Charles City won a $250,000 prize, to be split with two other family members, after her father-in-law purchased their winning “Lucky 7 Bonus” scratch ticket at Kum & Go in Northwood. Koenigs claimed their prize Tuesday (09.24) at the lottery’s Mason City office.
Her lottery win came about a week before she’s about to realize a years-long dream, with Koenigs scheduled to open her own salon, the Beard & Beauty Bar, in Charles City this Tuesday (10.01).
Koenigs, who’s been doing hair for 13 years, told the Iowa Lottery, “I couldn’t believe it, I was just so nervous, like, ‘We have all this! What are we going to do with it?’”
She added that her share of the winnings will help pay for the many expenses that come with opening a new business.
51-year-old Tina Burke of Cresco claimed a prize of $10,000 Tuesday (09.24) at the lottery’s regional office in Mason City. She bought her winning “100,000 Mega Crossword” scratch ticket at Casey’s in Cresco.
Burke said she started scratching her winning ticket before going to bed one night, but became too tired and saved the rest for the next day.
Burke recalled, “I got up in the morning, getting ready to go to work, drinking my coffee, finished scratching it, I’m like, ‘No way!'”
She’s saving her winnings to help pay for a new central air system in her home.
