Friends can either be a good influence or bad influence, but for Pamela McKinney of Doniphan, her friends' encouragement was solid gold. On May 11, McKinney was visiting with a couple friends while one friend was working at Handy Dandy, N. Highway 21, in Doniphan. While talking, her friends noticed there was only one ticket left in the "$100,000 Jackpot" Scratchers game, and they told her she should buy it. She uncovered the ticket - which turned out to be worth the top prize of $100,000 - while they watched.
"At first I thought it was fake," McKinney said. "So I made her (friend working) scan it.
McKinney, a stay-at-home mom, said next she called her husband, Aaron, who was on his way to work at a nearby factory.
He didn't believe me, so I sent him a picture of it," she explained.
McKinney said the couple plan to use the prize money to pay bills. She said she isn't sure what they will do with the remainder of the prize.
"I have no clue," she said.