Northeast
Pennsylvania man convicted of using drone to help hunters find deer carcasses
A Pennsylvania man who uses drones to try to locate wounded deer shot by hunters so they can retrieve their carcasses has been convicted of violating state hunting laws.
Joshua Wingenroth, 35, of Downingtown, plans to appeal the verdicts handed down Thursday by Lancaster County District Judge Raymond Sheller. The case apparently marked the first time anyone has been cited and tried in Pennsylvania for using a drone to recover a dead game animal and it hinged on whether Wingenroth was involved in hunting as defined by state law.
“The Legislature needs to address this,” Sheller said as he delivered his verdict. “Everyone is playing catchup to science.”
WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY APPROVES BILL TO HIKE HUNTING AND FISHING LICENSE FEES FOR OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS
Wingenroth, who openly advertised his business in area publications, was told by state game wardens last year that such an activity was illegal, authorities said. Wingeroth, though, told them his lawyer “has a different interpretation” of the law.
On Dec. 6, an undercover game commission officer contacted Wingenroth and asked him to meet and help him find a deer he shot in the Welsh Mountain Nature Preserve. Wingenroth met the officer there within the hour and had the officer sign a waiver stating he wanted to recover the deer carcass but, if the deer was found to still be alive, he agreed to “hunt the deer another day.”
Two whitetail deer look for food in the woods in the Wyomissing Parklands on Nov. 19, 2020. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
Wingenroth, who did not know the shot deer story was a fabrication and part of a sting operation, soon launched a drone and piloted it around remotely while using a thermal camera setting to show the scenery in black and white. He soon caught view of a live deer, and turned on the camera’s infrared setting to show it on a heat map.
He later turned that setting off and activated a spotlight to view the deer normally. However, he and the officer were soon approached by a game warden who confiscated the drone and cited Wingenroth for two counts of using illegal electronic devices during hunting and single counts of disturbing game or wildlife and violating regulations on recreational spotlighting.
Since the legal definition of hunting includes tracking, hunting, and recovery, authorities said Wingenroth technically used the drone to “hunt” game. He was convicted on all four counts and fined $1,500.
Wingenroth’s attorney, Michael Siddons, said his client planned to appeal the verdict. Siddons argued at trial that the state laws concerning the use of devices while hunting are “archaic,” saying they have been patched over time to cover new technologies but do not yet address the use of drones.
Siddons said if Wingenroth used the drone to locate an animal before shooting it that would have been illegal poaching, but Wingenroth instead believed there was a dead deer. He also only used a drone after hunting hours had ended and was never intending to hunt.
Read the full article from Here
Pennsylvania
A gap in Pennsylvania law has put fire companies and county treasurers at odds over online raffles
2026 Day of Portugal Festival and Parade dates, lineup and more
Rhode Island’s Day of Portugal — June 5-7 in Providence: live music, food, dance & family fun; parade
Maria João “MJ” Albuquerque Martins and John Furtado will serve as the grand marshals of the 2026 RI Day of Portugal Parade.
Martins, a longtime RI Day of Portugal volunteer, will be recognized for “her lifelong dedication to preserving and uplifting Portuguese culture in Rhode Island,” according to RI Day of Portugal officials.
Furtado will be recognized for his “lifelong dedication to volunteerism, cultural preservation, and service to the Portuguese‑American community.”
“This year we honor two of the most humble and hardworking individuals who have supported not only RI Day of Portugal, but many Portuguese organizations across Rhode Island,” said James Ferreira, president of the RI Day of Portugal Committee.
“These are the people who roll up their sleeves, the ones in the kitchen, cleaning up, setting up, and making things happen,” he added. “They represent the true spirit of service and community, and I’m deeply grateful for their dedication.”
The 49th Annual Rhode Island Day of Portugal Parade will step off Sunday, June 7 at 3 p.m. from the Rhode Island State House. It will proceed to Smith Street Terrace, Canal Street, Memorial Boulevard and South Water Street, and end at 195 District Park.
From Clube Juventude Lusitana to RI Day of Portugal, Martins’ leadership, cultural preservation and community impact
Martins, a native of Maputo, Mozambique, has dedicated her life to preserving and promoting Portuguese culture in Rhode Island through leadership, education and the arts.
“Maria João’s lifelong commitment to service, cultural preservation, and community pride embodies the spirit of Portugal — resilient, vibrant, and deeply rooted in tradition,” according to RI Day of Portugal officials.
Martins joined the Clube Juventude Lusitana at age seven, later mentoring students and strengthening its cultural programs.
After studying at the University of Coimbra, she returned to Rhode Island and served the organization in multiple roles, including secretary, public relations officer and interim director of its Portuguese school, where she led a successful transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recognized photographer, Maria João has earned several awards, including honors from the Pawtucket Annual Mayor’s Calendar.
For more than 15 years, she has volunteered with the Rhode Island Day of Portugal, serving as art and culture coordinator and organizing exhibits across the state. Her 2025 exhibit at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket marked the first presentation of Portuguese history and culture at the Smithsonian-affiliated site.
Martins said she was grateful and honored to serve as grand marshal.
“Thank you to the RI Day of Portugal directors, members, and the community for this meaningful recognition,” Martins said. “Let us continue to stay united through our roots and traditions, preserving our heritage for future generations.”
Furtado honored for ‘quiet dedication, cultural pride, and a heart that leads through action’
Born in Pawtucket, Furtado has spent more than 40 years dedicated to community service and preserving Portuguese traditions in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
“Those who know him speak of a man with a big heart, a gentle spirit, and a deep sense of responsibility to the people and traditions he serves,” RI Day of Portugal officials said, noting that he has never sought recognition for his efforts.
“His service has always been rooted in sincerity and a genuine desire to give back,” they added. “His lifelong commitment to service reflects the very best of our community — quiet dedication, cultural pride, and a heart that leads through action.”
A second-generation Portuguese American, Furtado began volunteering at age 15 at churches and cultural organizations, including St. Anthony’s Church, Our Lady of Fatima Church in Rhode Island and the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England in Fall River.
He has also supported several Portuguese clubs, including the Pawtucket Social Club and Clube Juventude Lusitana, earning a reputation for reliability and quiet dedication.
In addition to his volunteer work, the Lincoln High School graduate built a lifelong career in construction, starting at age 16.
“Thank you to RI Day of Portugal, and thank you to the community,” said Furtado after learning he would be co-grand marshal of the 2026 RI Day of Portugal Parade. “I’m grateful to be part of your families, and I hope our culture continues to grow for generations to come.”
Kids shouted, stilt-walkers strode and paper-mache puppets swayed above the crowd as a procession snaked through downtown Burlington last week.
What for? Trout.
Sustainability Academy students and their supporters marched across the city to the beat of bucket drummers May 29 for the second annual Trout Parade, a showcase of their conservation efforts for the state’s official cold-water fish.
Their chants and hoisted fish-shaped cutouts served as a send-off to brook trout raised by students as part of a schoolwide science project.
“The Trout Parade was really just our students lining up to say goodbye as we loaded them onto the bus to be released,” said Kestrel Plump, a sustainability coach at the academy.
For about five months this year, the school lobby became a hatchery as students cultivated fish from eggs supplied by regional conservation group Trout Unlimited.
Interim Principal Antony Dennis said the trout would be released in the Huntington River the next day, May 30.
“This is the second year that it’s been this big that we actually got to a point where it went off campus,” Dennis said. “It used to be a small event.”
The parade began for students outside the school as residents set out from The Flynn to join them and continue together to Battery Park.
The school has conducted the project for roughly five years, but this was only its second time partnering with The Flynn and Vermont puppeteers Janice Walrafen and Erik Gillard, or Erok.
The kids thought the jumbo puppets were magical, Walrafen said. “The same with the masks. You put on a mask, and then all of a sudden you get to be transformed as something other than your little self,” she said. “You get to be part of something bigger.”
Onlookers, bicyclists and pedestrians stopped and recorded the spectacle with their phones.
If they had any question about its object, answers came by way of lilting treble chants.
“Tell me what it’s all about!” a parade leader called out over a megaphone.
“Trout!” a chorus of kids chimed back.
They followed their leader in reciting: “We love the trout, but we must let them out!”
The parade concluded with a pageant accompanied by a harpist. The students were sent off with ice cream given out by retired University of Vermont faculty member Patrick Malone.
Asked if students get attached to the aspiring fish or just see them as blobs in a science project, Plump, the school sustainability coach, let a group of girls answer.
“The first one,” one of them said.
And were they happy to see their piscine pals released?
“Quite,” another responded.
Corey Arwood is the Burlington Free Press city reporter and can be reached by email at clarwood@gannett.com.
-
Oklahoma5 minutes agoOHP addresses concerns as self-driving semi trucks hit Oklahoma roads
-
Oregon8 minutes ago4 Takeaways From Oregon State Baseball’s Run At The Eugene Regional
-
Pennsylvania13 minutes agoA gap in Pennsylvania law has put fire companies and county treasurers at odds over online raffles
-
Rhode Island20 minutes agoRI Day of Portugal parade names 2026 grand marshals
-
South-Carolina23 minutes agoAnderson County voters to weigh in on Statehouse races. Who’s on ballot?
-
South Dakota28 minutes agoSouth Dakota Community Foundation encourages nonprofits to apply for funding
-
Tennessee35 minutes agoGov. Bill Lee wraps up America 250 tour after visiting all 95 Tennessee counties
-
Texas38 minutes agoWomen’s College World Series championship series set: Texas to rematch Texas Tech
