Lillington Woman Wins $834,910 Carolina Cash 5 Lottery Jackpot

A Lillington woman is celebrating big today, after she won $834,910 on a North Carolina Education Lottery Carolina Cash 5 ticket.

Katie Bailey bought her $1 Carolina Cash 5 Quick Pick lottery ticket from the Food Lion on West Cornelius Harnett Boulevard in Lillington. Fortunately for her, it's where she works.

Bailey got the ticket for the April 29 drawing during her off hours, and it paid off well. She got her prize Tuesday morning at NC Education Lottery headquarters, and after taxes has $592,873.

Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or Online Play, either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night.

Wednesday’s jackpot is $394,000. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598.

Ticket sales from draw games such as Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education. A $10 million grant, using money raised by the lottery, is helping Harnett County build a new school. For details on other ways Harnett County benefits from lottery funds, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

We've had a number of big winners across our region lately, including this $1 million Broadway winner, this huge one in Southern Pines, and this huge Powerball split from FedEx workers!

The world-famous U.S. News & World Report "Best Places to Live" list is out, and one North Carolina metro area has been ranked one of the best places to live in the country.

The annual list ranks the 150 most populous metros in the country on factors like affordability, desirability and quality of life.

There was a new leader on the top of the rankings this year (which we'll get to below), as Boulder, Colorado is no longer No. 1.

"Much of the shakeup we see at the top of this year's ranking is a result of changing preferences," said Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News. "People moving across the country today are putting more emphasis on affordability and quality of life than on the job market, which in many ways takes a back seat as remote work options have become more standard."

There are seven cities from North Carolina in the top 150, and we'll show you those ranks below, as well as the national top cities.

Coming out on top for North Carolina cities as the best places to live, is the Raleigh-Durham metro area, coming in at No. 6 overall. Near the bottom of the ranking of 150 cities is Fayetteville at 143 overall.

"Fort Bragg, the largest U.S. military installation in terms of population, reaches into Fayetteville, North Carolina, and surrounding towns. People from all over the world move here because of military ties, creating a multicultural community in this central North Carolina town. This region of the state is called the Sandhills and is ideal for outdoor activities including hiking and golf. Fayetteville’s location, mild weather and Southern hospitality contribute to the area’s appeal."