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RALEIGH – Johnny Shull of Granite Falls tried his luck on a $5 scratch-off and won a $250,000 prize.

Shull bought his lucky 20X The Cash ticket from Market Basket on Dudley Shoals Road in Granite Falls. He arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $177,526.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. A $15 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, helped Caldwell County build the new Granite Falls Middle School. For details on other ways Caldwell County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.