The New Jersey man who won the $338 million Powerball lottery says he felt "pure joy" at winning the huge jackpot, but has no idea yet what he will do with all the money. Dominican immigrant Pedro Quezada appeared at New Jersey lottery headquarters Tuesday to officially claim the prize with his wife, Ines.
Quezada was asked questions in Spanish and English and answered all the questions in Spanish, with a translator by his side.
The former bodega owner-operator, who came to the United States from the city of Jarabacoa 26 years ago, said his mind is not clear enough yet to figure out how he will use the money. Asked if he could think of any uses, he said he could use a good car. Asked what kind of car he has now, he said, "My feet."
Quezada said he doesn't know in what form he will take his winnings. A lump-sum payment would be worth $221 million, or about $152 million after taxes, the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.
When he realized he had won, he said, "I felt pure joy, just happiness."
Plenty of big names for Rock Hall induction
Usher, Carole King, John Fogerty, Spike Lee, Harry Belafonte and others have been added to the list of performers and presenters for the next Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Heart, Randy Newman, Public Enemy and Rush will also perform when Donna Summer, Albert King, Quincy Jones and Lou Adler are inducted at an April 18 ceremony in Los Angeles. Usher is performing for Jones. Fogerty and Jackson Browne will perform with Newman. King will perform for Adler and Cheech & Chong will induct him. In a Seattle reunion, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell will perform with Heart, while Soundgarden's Chris Cornell will induct them. Lee and Belafonte will pay tribute to Public Enemy.
more trouble: Justin Bieber is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after a neighbor told authorities he was battered and threatened by the pop star outside his Calabasas, Calif., home on Tuesday morning. Sheriff's deputies arrived on the block where Bieber lives at 9:08 a.m. Tuesday to investigate the neighbor's allegations of battery and threats by Bieber, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. Prosecutors declined to pursue criminal charges in connection with an altercation last May in Calabasas in which Bieber allegedly punched and kicked a photographer.
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