BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô Getting a day off for Coeur d'Alene resident Bryan Stern is about as rare as finding a big winning Scratch ticket from the Idaho Lottery. On Tuesday morning, though, both had happened and Stern found himself in the lobby at the Idaho Lottery offices in Boise holding a $100,000 winning ticket on the game Coconut Cashword.

"I haven't had a day off in about two months," said Stern who is the manager at a Mobil Store in Coeur d'Alene. "I got the ticket and knew it won almost a week ago. Trying to get the time off to get here has been hard."

After working a shift into the early afternoon on Monday, Stern left Coeur d'Alene with his mother and made the long drive to Boise to collect his winnings. The pair stopped briefly outside of Pendleton and remained undeterred when an early winter snow storm caused traffic delays for them in the Blue Mountains. After a 12 hour trip in snowy conditions, they arrived in Boise, got 6 hours of sleep before visiting the Lottery offices to claim Stern's winnings.

"I've got to squeeze this in between work shifts," admitted Stern. "We're headed straight back to Coeur d'Alene and I've got to be to work by 5 pm tonight."

Claiming his winnings in person though, was worth it. "Wow! Wow! Wow!" he exclaimed when he collected his check.

Stern purchased his winning ticket from the Mobil Store in Hayden. He plans to buy a new truck for himself, help family, and save his winnings. The Mobile Store in Hayden will receive a $10,000 bonus from the Idaho Lottery.

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