From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday that she’s running for reelection, citing Alabama’s “bucket load of common sense” in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Ivey, 76, made the announcement in a video message released by her campaign. The Republican emphasized her administration’s investment in infrastructure, job creation, Alabama’s pandemic recovery and its low unemployment rate. “Alabama is working again, and the best is yet to come,” Ivey said in her distinct Southern drawl. Ivey faced both praise and criticism for her handling of the pandemic. Unlike some Southern governors, she issued a statewide mask order, a move that was criticized by some conservatives but won her praise from health officials and others for following scientific recommendations. That mask order has ended. She has often embraced GOP priorities during her four years in office, including signing the nation’s most stringent aborti
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation said scammers circulating unemployment texts have stolen more than $120,000 in unemployment benefits from Hoosiers. Clicking on a scam link could allow scammers access to personal information in addition to benefits.
“The Department of Workforce Development will never send a text message to verify eligibility for unemployment benefits or to report issues with receiving benefits. Unsolicited text messages and emails containing links can be an attempt to obtain personally identifiable information,” FBI Indianapolis Financial Complex Crimes Supervisory Special Agent Spencer Brooks said in a statement.
“Unless the message is from a known and verified source, you should never click on links in text messages or emails.”
Powerball Lottery Game Adding New Monday Drawings
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Lauren Chapman/IPB News
Hoosiers will have a new day to play the Powerball lottery, starting in August.
Currently, Powerball jackpot drawings are every Wednesday and Saturday. Beginning Aug. 23, Powerball numbers will also be drawn every Monday, giving Hoosiers a third chance each week to win.
Melissa Pursley is the COO and general manager of IGT, the private company that runs the Hoosier Lottery. She said they’ll also soon offer “Double Play” for an extra $1 whenever Hoosiers buy their Powerball tickets.
“A second set of numbers will be drawn for Powerball Double Play, giving players a second chance of winning with the same numbers played on their base game,” Pursley said.
Indiana lottery sees big jump in ticket sales amid pandemic
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May 21, 2021
A big increase in Hoosier Lottery ticket sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled what officials expect will be a record amount of annual profit going into the state’s bank accounts.
Officials told the State Lottery Commission this past week that they projected that scratch-off ticket sales would be up almost 27% for the fiscal year ending June 30 compared with a year ago. Sales for daily draw and big jackpot games such as Powerball and Mega Millions are expected to finish 19% ahead of last year.
That will result in an anticipated $368 million for the state from about $1.7 billion in lottery sales. That profit is up about $63 million, or 20%, from a year ago when overall sales dropped during the early months of coronavirus-related shutdowns.