One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Your New Best Friend: SoCal Man Wins $51M Lotto
Photo by Lisa Brewster via Flickr
What would you do if you won $51 million? A truck driver from Bakersfield is about to find out. Ronnie Orender, who is near retirement, found out Tuesday that he won the $51 million Mega Million jackpot, reports the Daily news. The odds, they note, were 176 million to one.
Orender's mother, Etta Urquhart, both purchased the ticket -- using Orenders' $2 -- and watched the results of the lotto, noting that she "thought [she] was going to have a heart attack" when she saw that Orender had won.
In a refreshing turn, Orender and his parents were open about their jubilant celebrations after discovering that they were suddenly multi-millionaires, noting that Orender drank several beers and they all intend to spend the money and "enjoy life," according to Bakersfield.com.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
