ABC26 News

We've all thought about it. I'd by this. I'd buy that. But what if you actually won?

Check your tickets -- it could be you. Somebody bought the last night's winning Powerball ticket at a Metairie gas station. $97 million.

No one has claimed the prize yet. That doesn't mean the winner doesn't know he or she won. I mean, I wouldn't tell everyone right away.

But, here are some things you should do right away if you did win.

Sign the back of the ticket so someone else can't claim the prize.

According to the Louisiana Lottery website, you should then call the Baton Rouge headquarters at 1-800-735-5825. You have 180 days to claim the prize.

Financial planners recommend consulting a professional money manager before collecting the prize, like a certified financial consultant or CPA.

Once you get the money, Amy Winchester, a CFA at Morgan Keegan, told us that you should be careful when sharing the wealth with family and friends. They have to follow the same tax laws you do.

Winchester said it can be overwhelming winning so much money all at once. But, if you surround yourself with capable people you can trust, you'll be just fine.

Once again, the winning Powerball numbers are:

9, 18, 19, 38, 47 and the Powerball was 11

If you won, sign that ticket. If not, keep dreaming like me.

Louisiana's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell sent a letter to the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court asking that the criminal case against sheriff deputies Clifford Englade and Mike Minton be dismissed. They were accused of "animal cruelty" in the shooting of dogs in the parish immediately following Hurricane Katrina. The case was brought by former Attorney General Charles Foti.

According to the letter, the new AG determined the case lacked sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Defense Attorney Pat Fanning said, "There was a lot of heat from the animal rights people, so Attorney General Foti decided to indict a couple of deputies with almost no evidence. When it was reviewed in the calm of the day by another Attorney General, he decided to to the right thing."

What do you think? Did Attorney General Caldwell do the right thing?

Click here to see the report that aired on 1/24/08

A federal class action lawsuit aims to reimburse drivers who have been ticketed by Jefferson Parish red light cameras. The lawyers who filed the suit say they want the cameras removed unless new guidelines are in place to police the electronic police officers. In Lafayette, a growing group of people is also trying to have red light cams removed from their community.

Redflex is the Australian company that provides the cameras free of charge. It also gets a huge chunk of the ticket revenue, based on a sliding scale. Redflex workers at the company's U.S. headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ, are able to access the DMV records of drivers. Redflex insists all its employees must pass a background check before being hired.

In Jefferson Parish, monthly statistics suggest drivers are changing their habits (if not their routes). The number of red light citations is dropping, and councilman John Young says accidents are less frequent.

State law dictates what must happen for traffic citations under criminal law. Jefferson Parish is avoiding those requirements by categorizing red light citations as civil offenses.