Pictured left to right are Selia Kleine, district leader at Kwik Trip; Peter Barca, Wisconsin Department of Revenue secretary; Cindy Polzin, Wisconsin Lottery director; Jill Ricker, Mount Pleasant Kwik Trip store leader; June Schultz, Mount Pleasant Kwik Trip store leader; Steve Wrobel, Kwik Trip public relations at the Kwik Trip that sold the $120 million jackpot winning ticket.
MOUNT PLEASANT — A Racine man has won a $120 million Wisconsin Lottery Mega Millions jackpot, from a ticket purchased at Kwik Trip, 4924 Spring St.
Adrian Tongson, a regular Mega Millions player, has quit his job and is making plans for his winnings, according to a press release from Wisconsin Lottery.
“Regardless of how much you spend, it only takes one ticket to win,” Tongson said. “That’s what won it for me.”
Tongson, who didn’t realize he’d won the jackpot until checking his ticket weeks after the drawing, claimed his prize on Nov. 10. Tongson chose the cash option of about $95.4 million, ultimately taking home around $65.2 million after federal and state taxes.
Tongson’s prize was the first Mega Millions jackpot win in Wisconsin since the game debuted 10 years ago. However, 64 people have won $1 million each in the state since 2010.
“I’m simply thrilled for Adrian,” said Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin. “As a loyal Lottery player, he certainly is a perfect first Mega Millions jackpot winner for our state. Congratulations go to our retail partner Kwik Trip for selling the lucky ticket!”
This jackpot is also the Mount Pleasant Kwik Trip’s first big lottery win.
“We are proud to be a Wisconsin Lottery partner and excited for our customer who purchased this lucky ticket,” said John McHugh, Kwik Trip’s director of public relations. “Kwik Trip will receive $100,000 for selling the ticket so we are delighted for our coworkers who share in our profits.”
Tongson’s ticket had the winning numbers of 25, 28, 38, 59, 62 and the Mega Ball number 22.
“For a big win like this, there is an extra win for Wisconsin taxpayers,” said Wisconsin Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca. “The state tax collected on the winning Mega Millions ticket totals about $7.3 Million, so taxpayers are winning too.”
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens walks through the main entrance of the unique, castle-themed home she shares with husband Paul Elliott near Watertown.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott purchased their castle-like home in July and have been busy ever since completing its construction.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott walk their 2-acre property in Jefferson County that is home to their 11,000-square-foot house that resembles a castle. Construction began in 2008 by another couple but came to a halt after one of them died unexpectedly. The home sat empty and unfinished for nine years before Owens and Elliott purchased the property in July.
Watertown Castle
Renaissance-themed design elements add a medieval touch to the home of Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott near Watertown.
Watertown Castle
This coat of armor, dubbed Ted Knight, was purchased from a seller in La Crosse and is one of the centerpieces of the living room of Owens and Elliott.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott descend the main staircase of their castle-like house in rural Jefferson County. The home, located between Watertown and Johnson Creek, was built in 2008, but most of the interior was unfinished when the couple purchased it in July.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens is reflected in a mirror on he second floor of her unique, castle-themed home near Watertown.
Watertown Castle
Renaissance-themed artifacts add a medieval touch to the rural Watertown home of Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott.
Watertown Castle
Owens and Elliott look out over the countryside from one of the eight outdoor decks on a home that resembles a castle.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott in the front foyer of their castle-like home located on two acres of land in rural Jefferson County.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens walks down the front steps of the home she shares with her husband, Paul Elliott. The couple have spent most of their free time finishing the interior of the seven-bedroom, four-bath home.
Watertown Castle
Home decorating elements curated by Dianne Owens who scourers the internet and second hand shops for items.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens approaches the 6-foot-wide front entrance of her home in rural Jefferson County. The house, designed like a castle, also has an elevator, five furnaces and five air conditioning units.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott survey the grounds of their two acre property that includes an 11,000 square foot home that resembles a castle.
Watertown Castle
This is one of two concrete lion statues for which Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott are trying to find a spot on their Jefferson County property.
Watertown Castle
Wooden pews from a church in Whitewater were purchased by Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott, who want to create a chapel inside their home south of Watertown. The pews are currently in a workshop along with pallets of stone for the home's exterior and a 24-foot-long table that will go in a second-floor event space.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens is seen from the home's front foyer looking into the living room that includes a fireplace and an 18-foot ceiling.
Watertown Castle
Dianne Owens, a graphic artist with a passion for history, boards the elevator in the home she shares with husband Paul Elliott.
Watertown Castle
The master bath is one of four bathrooms in the nearly 11,000-square-foot home of Dianne Owens and Paul Elliott.
Watertown Castle
One of the seven bedrooms of the castle-like house owned by Dianne Owens and her husband, Paul Elliot. The bedroom set was purchased used for $600.
10 Wisconsin towns you've never heard of before
How well do you know Wisconsin? Here are 10 towns you may never have heard of before.
Briggsville
The National Shrine to Saint Philomena is a landmark in Briggsville, located on the east side of Mason Lake in Marquette County. The shrine was dedicated in 1949 and was planned as a replica of the dungeon where the young Martyr-Saint, Philomena, had suffered and died to preserve her virginity.
Population: 414 (53920 zip code)
County: Marquette
Cornucopia
If you're mailing a card from Up North in Wisconsin, the 54827 zip code is as far as you can go without getting wet. The unincorporated hamlet of Cornucopia is home to two marinas and is just four miles to the access point for the Lake Superior ice caves.
Population: 98
Founded: late 19th century
County: Bayfield
Galesville
This city is located about 20 miles north of La Crosse and where Beaver Creek flows into the Black River. Founded in 1854, the city is home to three historic districts and a band shell constructed in the downtown in 1912.
Population: 1,481
Founded: 1854
County: Trempealeau
Pittsville
This city is known for cranberry production and a bumper sticker that has traveled the world and asks "Where the hell is Pittsville, Wi?"
Population: 874
Founded: before 1880
County: Wood
Rudolph
This town, near Wisconsin Rapids, has capitalized on its name during the Christmas season. The town was named in 1856 after Frederick Rudolph Hecox, the son of one of the original settlers.
Population: 1,028
Founded: 1840
County: Wood
Lynxville
Jacob Whiteaker shows off a catfish netted in the Mississippi River by his grandfather, Bob Hagensick, a commercial fisherman in Lynxville. The community is one of many along the Great River Road, a scenic roadway along the Mississippi River.
Population: 132
Founded: 1848
County: Crawford
Delta
This town is located in Bayfield County, deep in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Pictured here is the Delta Diner, 12 miles south of Highway 2, where all-terrain vehicles are common in the diner’s parking lot in summer with snowmobiles taking up space in winter. Cars are also welcome.
Population: 273
County: Bayfield
Hyde
Hyde is an unincorporated community in the town of Ridgeway in northern Iowa County. Pictured here is the historic Hyde Chapel, nestled in a valley on a small rise along Highway T and overlooking Trout Creek. Not far away on Mill Creek is the picturesque Hyde Mill.
Population: 568 (town of Ridgeway)
County: Iowa
Endeavor
This community was founded in 1891, but a bypass has diverted traffic around the Marquette County village, located about nine miles north of Portage. Once a month, a free supper is held at the Endeavor Elementary School in an effort to promote community togetherness while the library in 2020 is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Shiocton
The community was founded in 1856 as a lumber town but is now known for its annual spring sturgeon run.
Population: 921
Founded: 1856
County: Outagamie
