Latest Powerball winner lives on the Rosebud

[glenn asher]

I found this pretty interesting, the kid mentioned lives outside Mission, where a lot of PDoggers go to shoot prairie dogs. Some of us may have met this kid at one time or another, who knows? Anyway, I hope he gets some good financial advice and doesn't drink up the winnings, or spend it unwisely or carelessly (yeah, right, he's 23!!)
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By Jeff Martin, USA TODAY
SIOUX FALLS — The nation's newest mega-millionaire was identified Friday as a rancher from a remote part of the wind-swept western South Dakota plains.
Neal Wanless, 23, who lives outside the small town of Mission, S.D., won a $232.1 million Powerball jackpot, according to a statement this afternoon from the South Dakota Lottery. He was to be introduced to the rest of the world during a Friday ceremony in Pierre, South Dakota Lottery spokesman Mike Mueller said.

It took just 23 seconds for Wanless to become $232 million richer. That's how much time it took from the instant that "05" was readable on the first white ball drawn during the May 27 Powerball drawing, to when the "07" was clearly viewable on the red Powerball.

The ticket was sold in Winner, S.D. — a town about 35 miles from Wanless' home — late last month and matched all five white balls and the Powerball with Wanless' incredibly lucky combination of 5-16-6-21-12 and the 7 Powerball. The numbers represent the day and month of family members' birthdays, state lottery officials said.

Wanless decided to take the jackpot as a one-time cash prize of $118,005,530, according to a statement from South Dakota lottery officials. After federal tax withholding, he will receive a prize payment $88,504,147, not including another $100 he won on the same ticket, the statement said.

Wanless said his family had fallen behind in their taxes and recently had a mobile home repossessed. He lives on his family's 320-acre ranch near Mission, S.D., and bought the ticket late last month during a trip to buy livestock feed.

He said his family has been helped by their community and that he "intends to repay that help many times over."

He said in a statement issued Friday that he plans to continue ranching, albeit on a larger ranch. He said he recently told his horse, Eleanor, that "It'd be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own."

Martin reports for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Contributing: Associated

[WaltherP99]

WOW!!!!! Amazing!

[Mike]

I was just in Winner last weekend for my prairie dog shoot!!

[glenn asher]

You wanna bet they'll all be driving shiny new pickups in a month or so? I like my current truck a lot, so I'd just pay mine off, but a broke kid is bound to buy himself a shiny new truck pretty quick. Can't blame him much, either. It's a rough life up there on the Rosebud, for most of them.

On the whole, I think a lot of those folks there, I haven't had any bad dealings with them, and they've always been friendly enough.

I hope he follows through and helps out Mission, in some tangible way.

[Bayou City Boy]

IIRC, about a year ago someone was proudly telling the internet about his shiny new truck...complete with pictures...

I wish the young man well. And I hope he does buy a new truck with a drop in the bucket of the total winnings if that's in his future plans. From articles quoting his prepared statement today, he seems pretty much squared away and will probably do well with the money. It sounds like a bigger ranch might be in consideration along with helping other people.

Not all of "those folks" who live there are "those folks" you're referring to who you feel might likely "drink up the winnings"..... Wanless is a Scottish surname, and looking at the pictures of the young man taken today, he looks a lot more Scottish than he does one of "those folks"....who might "drink up all the winnings", to again quote you.

Again.....I hope he does well. It sounds like they are a deserving family who can use the money....Father is Arlen and mother is Nancy.

-BCB

Edited for clarity...in case anyone is keeping track..

[glenn asher]

I hadn't seen any pics of the winner until last night, on the TV news, and yes, he IS white, which is pretty surprising, obviously, most folks on an Indian Reservation are Indians, in this case, Brule Sioux. There is a fair amount of deeded ground on the Rosebud, presumably, he's from one of those families who have some deeded ground there.
"Property" is a nebulous thing on the Rosebud Reservation, there is 'Tribal' ground, something in between, and 'deeded' ground, belonging to whites. I did have a map which had them marked,by owner, but it's long gone now. I probably should have clued in on the tax problem, which would have pretty much locked in the 'deeded ground' part.

[Bayou City Boy]

I hadn't seen any pics of the winner until last night, on the TV news, and yes, he IS white,..........There is a fair amount of deeded ground on the Rosebud, presumably, he's from one of those families who have some deeded ground there..................I probably should have clued in on the tax problem, which would have pretty much locked in the 'deeded ground' part.

Indeed....the tax issue was pretty obvious that reservation land was not being discussed. In today's world, anyone with a small ranch the size of his is going to struggle...with or without a case of empty quarts in the equation. And the picture posted of him on the Internet Friday was pretty obvious also if anyone took the time to look at it before posting their own special version of "the obvious".

Edited:

-BCB