A Dearborn couple made Powerball history by winning half of the game’s largest jackpot ever and the state’s largest prize. This morning the couple held a news conference with their family. Their adopted Chinese daughter Jaiden was front and center the whole time. Cindy and Mark Hill said they are in shock after discovering they held one of two tickets that matched all six numbers drawn to win the record Nov. 28 jackpot worth $587.5 million. “I called my husband and told him, ‘I think I am having a heart attack,’” Cindy, 51, said. “I think we just won the Lottery!”

Cindy had dropped their daughter off at school and headed to a convenience store to get a winning numbers report after hearing a winning ticket was sold in Missouri. She checked her tickets in the car and drove straight to her mother-in-law’s house to have her double-check the ticket. Then she called Mark, and he went to his mom’s house to see for himself. “You know it’s the Show Me State, so he said, ‘Show me,’” Cindy joked.

Cindy bought the couple’s winning combination, along with four others. She let the computer quick pick the combinations on her ticket. “I was just telling my daughter the night before, ‘Honey, that probably never happens (people winning),’” she mused. The couple, who adopted a daughter from China five years ago, said they talked about adopting again since finding out about their win. They also plan to help family members, such as paying for college educations for their four granddaughters and their four nieces and nephews.

Cindy said she and Mark haven’t had a lot of time to talk about their plans for the windfall, but since her daughter has never seen the beach, they plan to take her to one. She also wants a horse, so “in a couple years, I’d say yes.” Cindy also said Mark, 52, has talked about a red Camaro. “It’s really going to be nice to spend time – not have to work – and be able to take trips with our family,” she added.

Cindy Hill worked as an office manager, but was laid off in June 2010 due to the loss of a grant. She said she then took a year off to spend time with their daughter and began looking for work recently when her daughter went to first grade. Mark Hill works as a mechanic for Hillshire Brands.

Also see Sandeep “Sunny” Singh wins $30.5 million Mega Millions jackpot

Dearborn Powerball winners and their adopted Chinese daughter

East West Players (EWP), the nation’s longest running professional theater of color and the largest producer of Asian American artistic work, led a discussion on race politics in the American theater. The purpose of the forum is to find ways for theaters to provide more opportunities for Asian Americans. This past July, the La Jolla Playhouse (LJP) set off a firestorm when it presented a workshop production of a play entitled “The Nightingale” – set in a mythical China with several Chinese characters including the Emperor – the mixed cast consisted of several white males, no Asian American males and only two Asian Americans in a cast of twelve.

The panel included the artistic directors of four of the leading theaters in Southern California: Christopher Ashley (La Jolla Playhouse), Sheldon Epps (Pasadena Playhouse), Marc Masterson (South Coast Repertory), and Michael Ritchie (Center Theatre Group). The discussion was moderated by Linda Oku, (corporate diversity consultant for Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations).

Actors Sandra Oh and Tamlyn Tomita also participated in the forum program. The forum focused on issues of inclusion: How can Asian American talent (writers, directors, designers, performers) be more visible/participatory in the American Theatere process? What is the role of artistic vision in a community of changing demographics? How can we propel a nationwide movement to advance greater diversity in the American Theater? What is the strategy we can walk away with after this discussion?

The face of America has changed. It’s time for the face of American Theater to change as well.

Other posts of interest:RepresentAsian: The Changing Face of New York Theater, Asian American actors in Hollywood, and Asian American Women in Hollywood and Beyond.

Why Not Asian? Why Asian? : Asian Americans in theater (panel starts at 31:17 mark)

A 22-year-old Hyannis, Massachusetts man Sandeep “Sunny” Singh claimed the $30.5 million jackpot that he won in the multi-state Mega Millions game. He bought one of the two winning tickets sold nationwide that matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball (13-37-40-46-52, MB 29) selected in the Tuesday, October 16, 2012 Mega Millions drawing to split the game’s $61 million prize. The other winning ticket was sold to a lucky lottery player in Fresno, California.

Singh arrived at the Massachusetts Lottery’s Braintree headquarters with his mother, sister and niece to claim the prize and elected to receive his $30.5 million half of the jackpot in a one-time, lump sum payment of approximately $23 million. After taxes, Singh’s prize check will amount to $16.1 million.

Singh and his family purchased a total of five quick pic tickets at AM/PM Convenience in Hyannis. He said they often play Mega Millions, as well as the Lottery’s other multi-state game Powerball, and knew they had a winning ticket shortly after the drawing was held last night and the game results were posted.

Currently, Singh holds two jobs working as a teller at a local Citizen’s bank and as a salesperson at a box retailer Best Buy. He indicated that he is committed to working at the bank until the end of the fiscal quarter in December and will give Best Buy’s two week’s notice before ending his employment. As for what he plans to do with the money, Singh plans to pay off the mortgage on his family’s house and hopes to go back to college soon to get his bachelor’s degree in business/finance. On side note, his girlfriend broke up with him two days prior to winning. He was heart broken a first, but now he’s not too worried about the break up.

Sandeep “Sunny” Singh wins $30.5 million Mega Millions jackpot