The Greater New England area can evoke images of luxurious getaways. But what really lies beyond this coast,

both archives of dark history and more modern mysteries, all of which I have set out to uncover.

I'm Kylie Lowe, investigative journalist and host of Dark Down East. Each week, I dig deeper into the cases from the place I call

home and into the stories of the people at the hearts of them. Listen to Dark Down East now,

wherever you get your podcasts. As I was sifting through the database of the GBAH archives, looking

for material for the series, there was one item that caught my eye right away,

because it was about the city where I live. A small city of about 65,000 people just outside

of Boston, called Medford.

At the Sunnyhurst Farms Market in West Medford today, customers were lining up for a dance with lady luck.

It turns out that decades ago, a young reporter with very large glasses named John Hashimoto

had toured the local convenience stores, talking to lottery players and clerks, trying to

understand a puzzle about the city's finances.

Then, as now, the city was strapped for cash. Cuts to services were looming, but no one in town wanted to talk about raising taxes.

The mayor was refusing to even put a tax hike referendum before the voters.

And yet,

I come in here every single day and get my scratches.

Somebody's got to keep the government going.

For all the agonizing over taxes,

people here had plenty of money when it came to playing numbers and scratch tickets.

What better proof than the latest lottery sales figures which show this small blue-collar

town selling more than $17.5 million worth of tickets last year.

17.5 million dollars spent on lottery tickets, while the city struggled to close a $4 million

...