Barrow County waitress wins $1M playing lottery

Diana Quiroz-Morales was having a bad day — until the $10 lottery ticket she bought after work became a $1 million prize.

“It definitely changed my life in a split second,” the 46-year-old restaurant server from Statham said in a news release.

Georgia Lottery representatives gave Quiroz-Morales an oversized check Wednesday for her $1,000,000 Benjamins win at the Chevron Food Mart in Winder, where she had bought the ticket.

After winning, Quiroz-Morales called the youngest of her two daughters to share the news.

“I never ever thought it would happen to me,” she said. “I was in shock. My daughter was hysterical.”

Quiroz-Morales said she plans to use the money to buy a new car and a house, where she will live with her children and three grandsons. She plans on giving the rest to her daughters to invest.

About the Author

Cailin O Brien

Georgia had third-highest SNAP payment error rate in country in 2024

The state’s error rate during fiscal 2024 was exceeded by only Alaska and the District of Columbia

Gwinnett drops charges against Spanish-language reporter in ICE custody

Misdemeanor charges against journalist Mario Guevara have now been dropped in both Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.

DISPATCH

In Georgia’s melon mecca, watermelon wizards’ ears are sweetly attuned

In the heart of Georgia's watermelon country, everyone has a trick to tell if a melon is ripe. One way is the sound a melon makes when it is thumped. Or better, patted.

The Latest

Credit: Olivia Bowdoin

Rhone: Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour pushes fans outside the norm

Georgia had third-highest SNAP payment error rate in country in 2024

AJC Peachtree Road Race updates: Keep the momentum going

Featured

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Georgia disability rights advocates fear weakening of U.S. accessibility law

Advocates worry the Department of Energy’s move could be the start of a broader effort by other federal agencies to roll back civil rights rules.

From boycott to ballgame: Baseball’s political All-Star Game saga returns to Georgia

MLB pulled the 2021 All-Star Game from Georgia over the state's voting law, Senate Bill 202. Now it’s back — and Republicans say the return proves they were right all along.

OPINION

Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour pushes fans outside the norm

Preparations for the show pushed people out of their comfort zones — into new stores, new communities, a new style of dress, and in some cases, to visit new cities.