The next drawing for Mega Millions’ mega-billion jackpot is Friday night.
(NEW YORK) — The lottery game’s jackpot has grown over several months to an estimated $1.35 billion. That figure would be the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever and the fourth-largest in U.S. lotto history when also factoring in Powerball jackpots.
The estimated cash payout for the top prize is $659.5 million.
The jackpot has continued to climb since it was last won on April 18. Friday’s drawing marks the 31st in this current run.
“There’s always an air of excitement around the country when Mega Millions jackpots soar,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement. “The growing jackpot is a source of entertainment and winnings for players while generating important dollars for the good causes supported by each lottery. We are grateful for our players, appreciate our hardworking retailers, and remind everyone to play responsibly.”
Players must match all five numbers plus the Mega Ball number to claim the jackpot. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
The previous four $1 billion Mega Million jackpots were won in 2018, 2021, 2022 and January 2023.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 for one play. Friday’s drawing takes place at 11 p.m. ET.
(NEW YORK) — Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Alexandria was killed in the Uvalde school shooting last year, recently announced she is running for mayor of the city – a decision, she says, that comes from both honoring her daughter’s legacy and wanting “to be the change I seek.”
“Right now, after fighting at the federal and state level, I think it starts on the ground up and in my own community,” Mata-Rubio told “GMA3.”
Mata-Rubio’s daughter, Alexandria, was among the 19 third and fourth graders and two teachers who were killed on May 24, 2022, after a gunman opened fire inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Since then, Mata-Rubio has joined a chorus of voices urging officials to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Just weeks after the shooting, the grieving mom converged with other Uvalde families in Washington, D.C., for a rally and march to the Capitol.
Mata-Rubio was overcome with emotion as she addressed the crowd that day, pleading with lawmakers: “What if the gunman never had access to an assault weapon? I want that question to be the first thing to cross their mind in the morning and the last thought they have before they go to bed.”
A year later, Mata-Rubio says she believes that running for mayor gives her a new platform to amplify that call to action.
“I think it gives me a chance to share my story first with my community and changing their minds and hearts. Once they really hear and resonate with my story,” Mata-Rubio told “GMA3.”
Mata-Rubio is also calling for reform in the Uvalde Police Department, whose officers faced criticism after deciding to wait more than an hour to mount a counterassault against the shooter, who was holed up in two classrooms.
“I think that we need to review the final report and decide whose failures will determine if they’re fired or they stay with the police department. But also, policy changes. What are we doing about the officers that we’re hiring? What are we doing to ensure that they’re trained for situations like this? So, there’s several things I’m looking into,” Mata-Rubio said.
Mata-Rubio, who works in ad sales at the local newspaper, the Uvalde Leader-News, is seeking the position being vacated by Don McLaughlin, who has been Uvalde’s mayor since 2014. McLaughlin is stepping down to run for a Texas House seat. The Uvalde special mayoral election race is for a one-year term. After it ends, there will be another mayoral election, which will be for a usual four-year term.
Also running for mayor is Cody Smith, a senior vice president at the First State Bank of Uvalde. Smith previously held the post and was mayor from 2008 to 2012. Prior to being mayor, he was a member of the city council elected in 1995 and served for 12 years.
“I would come to the position with some experience,” said Smith, “[…] and then I just want to do anything I can to help this community, you know, heal and, you know, and prosper.”
Smith told ABC News that his first initiative would be building a committee consisting of families, city, county and school district members to work toward a permanent memorial to honor the lives lost at Robb Elementary.
If elected, Mata-Rubio would be the first woman and third Hispanic to become Uvalde’s mayor. That’s something she says would make her daughter proud.
“She was a very confident little girl. She was a leader, and I’m really trying to harness that power within her for myself and honoring her with action,” Mata-Rubio said.
“She looked up to so many women in power. We had conversations about AOC (Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York), about (Vice President) Kamala Harris. I think that she’d be proud of me,” Mata-Rubio said.
(LOS ANGELES) — An Orange County Superior Court judge has been arrested and charged with shooting and killing his wife in California’s upscale Anaheim Hills neighborhood.
Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, 72, is under arrest for murder. He has been booked on $1 million bail.
Police received a 911 call about a shooting at a home just after 8 p.m. on Thursday. Officers arrived and found 65-year-old Sheryl Ferguson suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jeffrey Ferguson was arrested in the home without any issues, according to police.
Police said they would not release any additional information because the investigation is still ongoing.
Superior Court judge is an elected position in Orange County, with Ferguson winning reelection in March 2020. He has served in the role since 2015.
(NEW YORK) — Authorities have identified another victim in the Gilgo Beach, New York, murders investigation, officials announced Friday, though police have not said if this new victim is linked to suspect Rex Heuermann.
Jane Doe No. 7, whose remains were found on Long Island’s Fire Island on April 20, 1996, has now been identified as 34-year-old Karen Vergata, thanks to genealogical DNA, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said at a news conference Friday.
Vergata went missing in February 1996, and authorities believe she worked as an escort at the time, Tierney said.
More of her remains were found on April 11, 2011, on Long Island’s Tobay Beach, he said.
There are no charges at this time in Vergata’s case, Tierney said.
“We are going to continue to work this particular case,” Tierney said. “We’re going to have no comment on what, if any, suspects we’ve developed at this time.”
Tierney told Newsday that authorities believe they will soon be able to identify the remains of three more unidentified victims in the larger Gilgo Beach investigation.
Tierney said the identifications would be made by the FBI using genetic genealogy, “among other things.” The FBI used genetic genealogy in 2020 to positively identify Valerie Mack, another of the 10 victims tied to Gilgo Beach.
“We’re honing in on that, and I think we’ll have information on that — on some of the identifications — shortly,” Tierney said.
Those victims — a man as well as a woman and a toddler who were found together — have remained unidentified.
Heuermann, a New York City architect and father of two from Massapequa Park, Long Island, was arrested on July 13 for the murders of three of the Gilgo Beach victims: sex workers Megan Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. The young women disappeared in 2009 and 2010 and their bodies were found on Long Island in 2010.
Heuermann’s attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Heuermann is also the prime suspect in the death of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who vanished in 2007. Though he has not been charged in that case, according to sources, the investigation is “expected to be resolved soon.”
Tierney told Newsday that a distinctive belt with the initials “WH” or “HM” was used to bound Brainard-Barnes’ remains. WH are the initials of Heuermann’s father.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County prosecutors are asking a judge to order Heuermann to submit a DNA sample as they work to determine whether he is connected to other Gilgo Beach killings or other murders across the country. The mitochondrial DNA and the discarded pizza box sample used to tie him to the three murders he’s charged with are ineligible to be submitted to databases circulated to law enforcement agencies nationally and statewide.
(NEW YORK) — The Parkland, Florida, high school massacre will be reenacted in the same building on Friday as a part of a lawsuit against former school officer Scot Peterson, who is accused of retreating while students were being shot.
Peterson has said he couldn’t decipher where the gunfire was coming from because of echoes.
Seventeen students and staff were killed in the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Since then, the 1200 building has sat untouched like a time capsule, with dried blood on furniture and students’ strewn papers on the floor.
Last month, victims’ families were permitted to go inside the building for the first time, since the criminal trials had concluded for Peterson, who was acquitted on all charges including child neglect, and gunman Nikolas Cruz, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son, Alex, was among the 17 killed, told ABC News that Alex’s classroom looked “like a horror scene from a war zone.”
“It was grotesque,” he said. “There was so much blood everywhere, especially around Alex’s desk.”
But Schachter needed to be there, he said, because “that was the last place he took his last breath.”
Schachter was among the families who returned to the building on Friday morning to tour the site with several members of Congress ahead of the ballistics reenactment.
While some families want the 1200 building torn down, Schachter said he wants it to remain until every legislator walks through. As difficult as it is to face the harrowing site, politicians must “understand the failures before and during the shooting” to “hopefully ensure safer schools tomorrow,” he tweeted.
(NEW YORK) — FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, confirmed Friday that it is investigating alleged misconduct involving the women’s national team of Zambia during the World Cup.
“FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident,” a FIFA spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. “We can confirm that a complaint has been received in relation to the Zambian Women’s National team and this is currently being investigated. We cannot provide further details regarding an ongoing investigation for obvious confidentiality reasons.”
The spokesperson added: “Anyone who wishes to report allegations or information related to abuse in football can do so via FIFA’s confidential reporting platform, with all information that is submitted to FIFA handled in the strictest of confidence. In addition, FIFA offers support and assistance to ensure the safety of those who report a safeguarding issue, including witnesses who come forward and give testimony in FIFA Judicial cases. Where guilt is established, FIFA takes the strongest possible sanctions, including removing people from the game for life. Our track record demonstrates this.”
The Guardian reported Thursday that Zambian coach Bruce Mwape has been accused of rubbing his hands over the chest of one of his players days before the team’s historic victory over Costa Rica in their final match at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The article cited “a source close to the squad” who said several players witnessed the incident after training on July 28.
In response to The Guardian’s article, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) released a statement on Friday saying it “has not received any such complaint from any of the players or officials in the delegation that travelled to the World Cup.”
“It has therefore come as a surprise for us to hear of such alleged misconduct by the coach as reported in the said online publication,” FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga said. “As a matter of fact, all the training sessions for the Copper Queens were filmed by the FAZ media team and offers no such footage as envisioned by The Guardian. Additionally, a FIFA film crew attached to the Zambian team at the World Cup was present at all training sessions.”
He continued: “We however wish to reassure the public that FAZ maintains the highest standards of integrity and transparency and always demands unwavering ethical conduct of the players and officials on and off the field of play. We therefore would not hesitate to take disciplinary measures and act on any misconduct once we are in receipt of an official complaint or when presented with evidence pertaining to an alleged incident.”
Monday’s win marked the first-ever victory at the finals for the Zambian women’s team, which qualified for and participated in the tournament for the first time. Zambia had already been eliminated after 5-0 defeats by Japan and Spain, but the team finished third in the group stage after beating Costa Rica 3-1.
FAZ appointed Mwape to coach the women’s team of the southern African nation in May 2018.
In September 2022, FAZ announced it had referred a probe into sexual abuse allegations in the women’s game to FIFA. Mwape was believed to be among the FAZ employees who were investigated, according to The Guardian.
“If he [Mwape] wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes,” one player who did not want to be named told The Guardian last month. “It’s normal that the coach sleeps with the players in our team.”
The 63-year-old coach has previously denied the accusations.
“It has taken about a year now. You are still talking about the same allegations,” Mwape told reporters in New Zealand on July 22, before his team’s first match at the World Cup. “As far as I’m concerned, they are fake allegations.”
(NEW YORK) — Former Columbus, Ohio, police officer Ricky Anderson has been indicted on charges of murder and reckless homicide for the shooting of an unarmed man last year.
Anderson shot and killed 20-year-old Donovan Lewis in August 2022 during a search warrant while he was unarmed and in bed.
Body camera footage was released of the encounter last September and Anderson, a 30-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department, appears to open fire almost immediately after police open the bedroom door to where Lewis was sleeping. He later died at a hospital.
Anderson retired in bad standing months after the shooting.
“We are relieved that a grand jury concluded what we’ve known all along: Officer Ricky Anderson broke the law when he shot and killed an unarmed Donovan Lewis as he laid in his bed,” the attorneys for Rebecca Duran, Lewis’ mother, said in a statement Friday. “CPD bodycam video showed this clearly and nothing has changed in almost a year. Although Mr. Lewis’ family is pleased that his killer will soon face a jury of his peers, they are incredibly disappointed that it took so long to come to this conclusion in the first place.”
Police officers were executing a warrant on Lewis’ home to arrest him on three separate charges: domestic violence, assault and improper handling of a firearm.
Mark Collins, the attorney for Anderson, said in a statement last September, “When we analyze police-involved shootings, we must look to the totality of the circumstances, and we are expressly forbidden from using 20/20 hindsight, because unlike all of us, officers are not afforded the luxury of armchair reflection when they are faced with rapidly evolving, volatile encounters in dangerous situations.”
Lewis’ family filed a civil suit against Anderson, as well as four other officers involved in the raid, in February.
According to the complaint, Anderson had a total of 58 complaints against him over the years, including use of force complaints, and has also been reprimanded for sexual harassment while on the job.
“As prosecutors pursue Mr. Anderson in the criminal case, we will continue to fight for justice and accountability in our civil case,” the lawyers for Duran said Friday. “Our hope is that no other parent has to bury their child as the result of a reckless act by a member of law enforcement.”
ABC News’ Nakylah Carter and Erica Y. King contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Flash flood emergencies have been issued for parts of western Kentucky and Union City, Tennessee, with residents advised to seek higher ground as half a foot of rain or more is expected in the area.
There are reports of numerous roads flooded and evacuations in Hickman, Kentucky, and numerous roads closed by flash flooding across Fulton County. Between 4 to 7 inches of rain have already fallen and 1 to 3 inches of rain are possible, according to the National Weather Service. Flash flooding is already occurring.
A flash flood warning is in effect for Tennessee residents in central Obion and west central Weakley counties. Evacuations are taking place in Green Acres Mobile Home Park, NWS reported. Between 9 to 11 inches of rain have fallen and an additional 2 to 4 inches are possible. Flash flooding is already occurring.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Suffolk County authorities have identified another victim in the decade-long Gilgo Beach investigation, which they are expected to reveal at a 10:30 a.m. news conference in Hauppauge, sources familiar with the case have told ABC News.
The authorities are expected to identify Jane Doe No. 7, whose remains were found on Fire Island in 1996, the sources said. They were later linked by DNA to other human remains found along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in 2011.
Additionally, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told Newsday that authorities believe they will soon be able to identify the remains of three more unidentified victims in the larger Gilgo Beach investigation.
Tierney said the identifications would be made by the FBI using genetic genealogy, “among other things.”
The FBI used genetic genealogy to positively identify another of the 10 victims tied to Gilgo Beach — Valerie Mack — in 2020.
“We’re honing in on that, and I think we’ll have information on that — on some of the identifications shortly,” Tierney said.
Asked when, Tierney replied: “Real shortly.”
Those victims — a woman who investigators have nicknamed “Peaches” because of a tattoo she had, a toddler that was found with her and the remains of a man who was found separately — have remained unidentified.
Tierney also told Newsday that the previously revealed distinctive belt with the initials “WH” or “HM” was used to bound Gilgo Beach serial killing victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes’ remains. WH are the initials of Heuermann’s father.
Separately, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office submitted a court request to obtain a swab of DNA from Heuermann even though they already recovered DNA from him during their investigation via pizza crust but are looking for more samples.
Heuermann was charged with three of the Gilgo Beach murders and is a prime suspect in a fourth.
While he has not yet been charged in that fourth homicide, the investigation “is expected to be resolved soon,” the document says, according to sources.
(LOS ANGELES) — Three women were injured, with one woman needing to be airlifted to hospital, after an otter attacked them while they floated down a river on inner tubes.
The incident occurred on Wednesday evening at approximately 8:15 p.m. when the three friends were floating on inner tubes about three miles upstream from the Sappington Bridge in Montana, some 75 miles south of the state capital city of Helena, according to a statement released by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on Thursday afternoon.
The women say they observed one or two otters while they floated down the river when one of them suddenly approached and attacked, causing the women to flee the water and the otter to swim away, authorities said.
“The women then called 911, and several agencies responded, including Montana Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Valley Ambulance, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Life Flight and a local landowner,” Montana FWP said.
All three women were injured in the sudden attack and received medical treatment in Bozeman, Montana — approximately 45 miles east from where the incident took place.
One of the women was injured so seriously that she was airlifted by helicopter for emergency treatment after the animal attack, Montana FWP confirmed.
“While attacks from otters are rare, otters can be protective of themselves and their young, especially at close distances,” authorities said. “They give birth to their young in April and can later be seen with their young in the water during the summer. They may also be protective of food resources, especially when those resources are scarce.”
FWP staff have posted signs at several access sites to the river advising people in the region of otter activity. No further management action is planned at this time, authorities said.
“FWP advises recreationists to keep a wide distance, giving all wildlife plenty of space,” Montana FWP said. “In drought conditions, low water levels can bring recreationists closer to water-dwelling wildlife. Being aware and keeping your distance can help avoid dangerous encounters, reduce stress for wildlife, and promote healthy animal behavior.”
Said Montana FWP in a final warning to the public: “If you are attacked by an otter, fight back, get away and out of the water, and seek medical attention.”
