- Michael Schimdt, a 15-year employee of Candlelight Cabinetry, Lockport, NY, won $1 million in a  New York State "Win a Million" instant lottery Nov. 9. Schmidt, 41, says he will continue working at Candlelight Cabinetry, and use the money toward retirement, and to buy a vintage Chevy Chevelle.

Schmidt purchased two Win a Million tickets for $10 and began scratching them in the store. “The first one I scratched was the winner,” he told lottery officials. “I had to go outside and walk around the parking lot a couple of times because I thought I was seeing things. Then, I went back inside to have someone else look at the ticket. I knew it was real when the people at the counter started screaming for me.”

The $1 million prize is paid as $50,000 a year for 20 years; Schmidt will receive a net check totaling $33,015 after witholding, each year through 2029. Schmidt said  the feeling that came over him as he scratched off the prize amount on his ticket to reveal his $1,000,000 prize was “pure exhilaration, like nothing else.”