It appears that stinky, pesky garbage strike in Chicago last month wasn't so bad for everyone.
For one Chicago family the strike was worth $10.5 million -- thanks to a misplaced lottery ticket and the piling-up garbage.
Lottery officials said they will announce today that the winners of the Oct. 4 Illinois Lotto drawing -- a brother and sister from Chicago -- almost lost their ticket when they accidentally tossed it into the trash. Lucky for them, their mother found the ticket in the garbage, still uncollected thanks to the strike.
Garbage workers in Chicago and the suburbs were on the picket line for almost two weeks in early October trying to settle a contract for 3,300 striking workers. For many people it meant watching garbage pile up while negotiators sat at the bargaining table trying to cut a deal.
And for this lucky Chicago family -- lottery officials won't release the name until today -- it could have meant having to sift through old milk cartons, fruit peels and leftovers to find their golden ticket.
A spokeswoman for the lottery said the pair planned to do some traveling and Hawaii was going to be one of the destinations.
The winning lottery ticket -- the only one to match all six numbers -- was sold at the Golf Mill Shopping Mall.
Until the family came forward, the prize was the largest unclaimed jackpot in the state.
Things Happen for a reason the strike of the garbage workers and gave mom some time to go through the trash, never throw away ur tix til you check um twice or more.
Things Happen for a reason the strike of the garbage workers and gave mom some time to go through the trash, never throw away ur tix til you check um twice or more.
One persons trash could be someone's treasure!