Emerald 7s turn lucky for Youngstown man

YOUNGSTOWN — Emeralds and sevens turned out to be the winning combination for a city man. Richard A. Ahlquist won a top $100,000 prize scratching the Emerald 7s instant game ticket. He filed a claim in the Youngstown regional office last week. After mandatory federal and state taxes totaling 31 percent, he receives a check for $69,000. Ahlquist purchased the winning ticket from Video Encore, 618 Youngstown Poland Road in Struthers.   Video Encore receives a $1,000 bonus for selling a winning ticket. Emerald 7s cost $5. The game began selling May 25, 2007. Ten top prizes were available for winning.