How to Win the Lottery: 'Good Karma' | Patch PM

Stories worth talking about tonight:

$50K Powerball Winner Chalks It Up to ‘Good Karma’

A woman who is finishing her college degree says karma helped her and her boyfriend win a $50,000 Powerball prize in the Jan. 9 drawing. Jennifer McBride-Scarito of Churchton told Maryland Lottery officials she hadn’t purchased a lottery ticket for about two years.

The 46-year-old shared a story with Lottery officials about finding a stray dog and reuniting it with its owner. These and other good deeds she and her boyfriend, Bryan Noss, have performed over the years finally came back to them, she said. >>>read more.

Powerball Jackpot Reaches $1.5B; Your Odds of Winning

With the astronomical Powerball jackpot now bumped up to $1.5 billion as seemingly everyone in the country buys a ticket, a statistics expert cautions that buying multiple tickets doesn’t significantly boost your chance of winning the big one.

In fact, one statistician says you are much more likely to die in a car crash than win the Powerball jackpot.

The winner of the largest Powerball jackpot in history will walk away with $1.5 billion. The cash option would mean $930 million, according to lottery officials. >>>read more.

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Former Giant Foods CEO Pete Manos Dies at 69

• “He was a gruff, cigar-smoking leader adored by his employees, who often gifted him with Teddy Bears making reference to his softer side.”

Wind Advisory: Damage to Power Lines, Trees Possible

• National Weather Service issues wind advisory, suggests securing outdoor furniture and taking care while driving certain vehicles.

Cop Comes to Rescue When Snake Slithers Into House

• An Oxon Hill man can’t thank a Prince George’s County Police officer enough for going above and beyond the call.

Patch PM shares a few of the day’s must-read items from our Maryland network. The Patch community platform covers communities across the state.