Ga. woman claims 1 of 2 winning Mega Millions lottery tickets

ATLANTA (AP) — On her way to work, Ira Curry heard on the radio that one of the winning lottery ticket numbers was her family's lucky No. 7. She called home, her daughter checked the ticket and in an instant, Curry was a multimillionaire.

Curry came forward Wednesday to collect half of the $636 million Mega Millions jackpot, the second largest in U.S. history. She'll take the lump sum of about $120 million after taxes, which will be given to her in about a week or two. The other winning ticket was sold in San Jose, Calif. The winner there has one year to come forward.

Curry, her husband and other family members came to the lottery headquarters in Atlanta to claim the prize, surprising officials who thought the winner may take some time to get their affairs in order.

"She said she was just in a state of disbelief," Georgia Lottery chief executive Debbie Alford said.

It wasn't clear whether she ever made it to work Wednesday. Alford said Curry bought just one ticket and chose the numbers based on relatives' birthdays and the lucky 7.