Cash

Powerball's latest jackpot is worth $320 million, big enough to make the list of the 15 biggest annuity prizes ever in the United States. The cash jackpot of $198.3 million even makes the Top 10. For the numbers drawn Wednesday night and more, see " Powerball jackpot 4th biggest ever . " 2012 was the most jackpot-crazy year ever, producing the biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever, the biggest Powerball jackpot ever, and two more Powerball...

Question: My daughter was supposed to get married soon but, upon finding out about several affairs, she has canceled the wedding. She is devastated but has an excellent support system. However, we have an issue with her ex-fiancé's family. My family put down nonrefundable deposits on numerous services like the venue, florist, photographer, etc. I think, given the circumstances of the split, her ex-fiance should reimburse us for the deposits. He caused this wedding to be canceled, and now he is just walking away, leaving thousands of lost dollars in his wake.

Better to cash 'em than to trash 'em. In the case of three lottery tickets sold in the Philadelphia area, the cash is a nice piece of treasure. On Friday, Mega Millions produced two local $250,000 winners, one in Philadelphia and one in Delaware County. On Saturday, a $225,000 Cash 5 jackpot was won in Chester County. The Mega Millions tickets just missed the $12 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers - 4, 8, 17, 22 and 32, but not the Mega Ball, which was 8. They were sold at the Pathmark at 2101 Cottman Ave., in the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia, and at Westmont Beverage, 1101 Clifton Ave., in Collingdale.

The Philadelphia School District borrowed $300 million just to pay bills through June. School officials are demanding up to $180 million annually in givebacks from teachers and other staff. And they just voted to close 23 schools. But as Mayor Nutter prepares his budget address for City Council on Thursday, it seems unlikely that he will ask for another big-check, tax-hiking infusion of cash to help keep the School District afloat, like the ones approved by Nutter and Council the last two years.

The 76ers are 12 games under .500 with 24 to play, and even an optimist would say a playoff berth is unlikely. So, is this the time to work in some younger players such as forward Arnett Moultrie? Or should the team still aggressively pursue every win? In the eyes of coach Doug Collins, it's actually both, with the primary emphasis on winning. Even after playing back-to-back games - Saturday's home win over Golden State and Sunday's 90-87 loss in Washington - the Sixers were back at practice on Monday.

Luck arrived last night for a lottery player in Delaware County, but is about take a hike for another in Montgomery County. Together, we're talking more than a million dollars here. Monday night's Cash 5 jackpot was worth $728,528.50, and the winning ticket was purchased at the Wawa at 600 S. Governor Printz Blvd. in Essington . The winner matched all the numbers: 9, 13, 20, 29 and 31. Time is running out, however, for a Cash 5 ticket worth $325,000 for the March 18, 2012, drawing.

WASHINGTON - Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., holding back tears, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. He faces 46 to 57 months in prison, and a fine of $10,000 to $100,000, under a plea deal with prosecutors. A few hours later, his wife, Sandra Jackson, pleaded guilty to filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the income the couple received.

DEAR ABBY: It bothers me greatly to know that so many children continue to start smoking at an early age. My husband and I did that, and now we're paying an awful price. We have had emphysema for years. Four of our children also took up the habit. I finally started paying them to quit ($100 every two weeks they didn't smoke - up to five payments). I decided to head off the temptation our grandchildren would face. We told them if they didn't start smoking by the age of 18, we'd pay them $2,000.

Q: Do annual reports indicate how overvalued or undervalued a company's stock is? - R.N., Jacksonville, Fla.   A: Not usually, but you'd do well to read your holdings' annual reports anyway. If you're a novice, at least read the chief executive's letter to shareholders, which offers a sense of management character and the company's strategic plan. The financial statements can be even more informative. The balance sheet will show the firm's financial health at one point in time, including its cash, money it owes, money owed to it, etc. The income statement (or the statement of operations)

Apple CEO Tim Cook is calling a shareholder lawsuit against the company a "silly sideshow," even as he said he was open to looking at the shareholders' proposals for sharing more cash with investors. Investor David Einhorn sued Apple Inc. last week, saying a proposal slated for a vote at the company's annual meeting in two weeks would make it more difficult to enact his plan to reward shareholders by distributing a new class of shares. Cook said Apple's proposal would put more power in the hands of shareholders, making it difficult to understand why a shareholder would fight it. Calling the fight a waste of time, Cook said Apple would not waste money by mailing shareholders to try to persuade them to vote for the proposal.