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Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Baja SAE team excels at first ‘home’ competition

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Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Baja SAE team excels at first ‘home’ competition


Pennsylvania College of Technology students reaped the benefits of their hands-on education and tireless dedication by finishing fourth out of 89 cars in the Baja SAE Williamsport endurance race, the international competition’s premier event.

The 13-member Penn College Baja team devoted several months and countless hours to designing, manufacturing and building a single-seat, all-terrain vehicle to survive various challenges, including the four-hour endurance event, a race featuring rugged terrain, obstacles, sharp turns, hills and lots of mud.

The fourth-place showing is the college’s 15th top-10 finish in the endurance race since 2011.

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“I am very proud of the team and their performance,” said John G. Upcraft, instructor of manufacturing and machining and faculty adviser to Penn College’s Baja SAE club since its inception 19 years ago. “It’s difficult to put into words how hard they’ve worked to produce a car that proved to be one of the best in the competition. I truly believe the hands-on nature of our educational approach at Penn College allows our students to meet the high standard to be successful at Baja competitions.”

The students made about 95% of the car’s parts and components using the industry-standard resources of the Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center and the Gene Haas Center for Innovative Manufacturing.

“They devoted nights, weekends and school breaks to work on the car,” Upcraft said. “They sacrificed a great deal of personal time to make their car a reality. Their effort is very commendable.”

Penn College’s effort at Baja SAE Williamsport included two other top-10 finishes: fourth in suspension and traction and eighth in maneuverability. Overall, the team placed 10th out of the 102 teams competing. Those teams consisted of about 1,800 students representing colleges and universities from throughout the United States, Canada and Brazil.

“The team pulled it off. It’s not just one person. It takes an entire team to put this car together,” said Penn College captain Marshall W. Fowler, of Sellersville. “I’m super proud of how everybody worked to get us to this point, and I think it paid off.”

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Despite starting 22nd in the endurance event, Penn College methodically maneuvered to be among the leaders about 90 minutes into the race. The driving duties were split between Fowler and Isaac H. Thollot, of Milford. Both Fowler (engineering design technology) and Thollot (manufacturing engineering technology) graduated earlier in May. Students are eligible to participate in Baja SAE for several months post-graduation.

“The design team knocked it out of the park with the endurance course. The obstacles were awesome. They were challenging,” Fowler said. “The mud pits in the lower section were causing everybody to get stuck. It was also a fast track, so everybody got to really test the full capability of their vehicles.”

Despite the track being built at Penn College’s Heavy Construction Equipment Operations Site in Brady Township, the “home” team couldn’t see the track until all participants converged at the location for Baja SAE Williamsport.

“Our students were dying to see the layout,” remarked Bradley M. Webb, dean of engineering technologies and one of the chief organizers of the competition. “I think it drove them crazy that it was only about 20 minutes from campus, yet they weren’t permitted at the site. Once they got on the track, we obviously were quite proud of their effort. The team’s performance is a testament to the quality of students we have at this college.”

Penn College’s performance in the endurance event reflected the car’s craftsmanship and durability. Fowler and Thollot combined to complete 51 laps in the race won by Virginia Tech. For perspective, 46 teams recorded fewer than 20 laps, and 24 teams didn’t manage 10 times around the treacherous track.

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Penn College had its best lap time (3:44.813) on lap 48. Only one other team recorded its fastest lap that late in the race.

The fourth-place finish by Penn College bested the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa, Maryland, UCLA, UNLV, Oklahoma, RIT, Cornell, Alabama, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

“The team learned from last fall when they finished ninth in endurance at Baja SAE Ohio,” Upcraft said. “They knew the car needed adjustments. They made the necessary changes, and now they can enjoy the rewards from that effort.”

Changes included a larger chassis to accommodate the car’s four-wheel-drive system, as well as a new front suspension and continuously variable transmission. The team also dropped the weight of the car from 394 pounds to 375 pounds and shifted the weight distribution from 51% bias in the front to 49%.

“We transferred the weight back to the rear and lightened up the front so the car wouldn’t nosedive when going off jumps,” Fowler explained.

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About 30 minutes after the endurance race and with the car still caked in mud, the Penn College team had already turned its attention to the next competition, Baja SAE Michigan, scheduled for Sept. 11-14.

“We have a working car now,” Fowler said. “Hopefully over the summer, we can test a bunch of things and tune everything we want and come back strong for Michigan!”

“I wouldn’t be one bit surprised to see the team do even better at Michigan,” Webb added. “They are a talented and determined bunch.”

In addition to Fowler and Thollot, other Penn College team members for Baja SAE Williamsport were manufacturing engineering technology students Nick J. Benninger, of Bloomsburg; Trevor J. Lindsay, of Mechanicsburg; Alec D. Rees, of Centerport, New York; and Brian P. Rogers, of Kunkletown. Engineering design technology majors were T.J. J. Bodei Jr., of Toms River, New Jersey; Casey B. Campbell, of Kennerdell; and Johnmichael S. Weaver, of Greenville. The team also included Leo W. Cooke, of Easton (automated manufacturing technology); Matthew J. Rotundo, of Abingdon, Maryland (applied management); Davis I. Rowell, of Boalsburg (heavy construction equipment technology: technician emphasis); and Jack J. Stump, of York, who graduated earlier this month with an associate degree in machine tool technology.

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Pennsylvania man arrested for allegedly feeding pet parakeet marijuana and beer

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Pennsylvania man arrested for allegedly feeding pet parakeet marijuana and beer


A Pennsylvania man was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar, according to reports.

Timothy Grace, 40, was busted on Feb. 21 after carrying his wounded pet budgie named “Blue Skies” in his pocket to Callaghan’s Bar in Greensburg, according to CBS Pittsburgh.

Timothy Grace was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar. WTAE

“The caller’s a bartender. She says there is a white male at the bar with a parakeet,” a dispatcher reported on the police radio transmissions obtained by the outlet.

“The patron was bragging to other people that were inside the bar that he feeds the parakeet marijuana and has it drink beer on a daily basis,” Detective Sergeant Justin Scalzo told the outlet.

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Grace “appeared extremely intoxicated” when police showed up to the bar and found the pet bird in distress, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.

“Its leg appeared to be broken,” Scalzo said, according to WTAE. “Its foot was actually facing the wrong direction.”

Grave was initially arrested for public intoxication and now faces charges including aggravated cruelty to animals and transporting animals in a cruel manner, the outlet said.

The pet bird was brought to PEARL Parrot Rescue in the Pittsburgh area, which rushed him to an emergency care facility.


Exterior of Callaghan's bar, with a sign showing
The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg. WTAE

Blue Skies spent four days in the hospital and was later taken in to be fostered by Teri Grendzinski, the president of PEARL. The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg, CBS reported.

“They realized his leg was broken. He also had some respiratory issues going on,” Grendzinski told the outlet. “He was also very, very skinny.”

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“The leg was broken badly enough there is a chance they’re going to have to amputate the leg if it doesn’t heal correctly,” she added.

If Blue Skies is eventually put up for adoption, he will require specialized care, the outlet said.

“When we got that call, it was horrifying. Why would you do that to a bird?” Grendzinski said.



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Pa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico

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Pa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico


A Pennsylvania man was found guilty of repeatedly raping his daughter’s best friend over a three-year span before fleeing with the teen to Mexico.

On Thursday, March 5, 2026, Kevin Esterly, 53, of Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, was convicted on all counts of rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary sexual intercourse and endangering the welfare of children.

Esterly shook his head as the verdict was read but said nothing in the courtroom.

Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.

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Esterly’s trial began on Tuesday, March 3, after a judge denied his pretrial motion for the charges against him to be dismissed and for the Lehigh County District Attorney to be removed as a prosecutor in the case.

Both Esterly and his victim testified on Wednesday, March 4.

The victim — who is now 24-years-old — told the courtroom that she met Esterly and his family while attending church as a child and became best friends with one of his daughters. Esterly was a youth leader and elder at the church at the time. The victim said Esterly also coached her soccer team.

The victim said she became so close to Esterly’s family that she called his wife “mom” and eventually spent almost every weekend at their home in Lowhill Township, Pennsylvania. She also said she vacationed with them in New York state and Ocean City, Maryland.

The victim said Esterly first sexually assaulted her in August 2015 when she was 13-years-old after he gave her alcohol during a family birthday party.

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“I was scared. Frozen in fear,” the woman told the courtroom on Wednesday. “I pretended I was sleeping.”

The woman accused Esterly of sexually assaulting her almost every time she slept over at his home. She told the courtroom she eventually became addicted to alcohol and drugs, which Esterly gave her in exchange for sex. According to the woman, Esterly gave her cocaine and methamphetamine to keep her awake during school because she “would be up with him all night.”

The woman said Esterly continued to sexually assault her until he was confronted by his wife in 2017. Esterly’s wife then threw him out of the house, according to the victim. She said Esterly continued to sexually assault her over the next year.

Esterly was later arrested and then sentenced to prison after federal agents found him with the victim in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2018. She was 16-years-old at the time.

The woman said she moved on and went to college after Esterly’s sentencing though she still struggled with drug addiction. She said she sought counseling in February 2025. She told the courtroom she received a message from Esterly on LinkedIn that same month in which he apologized for “failing you as a person I was supposed to be for you.” At that point Esterly had been released from prison.

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The woman said she had not told anyone about her relationship with Esterly up to that point and replied to him, “I live with our secret every day as I promised. I would appreciate an apology.”

The woman told the courtroom that Esterly responded by writing, “I hope one day you can forgive me. Nobody knows I reached out to you. That is the best for both of us.”

On Feb. 21, 2025, Allentown Police received a report of Esterly’s sexual assaults which led to the new charges being filed against him. He was arrested in West Virginia in June 2025 after two police pursuits. He was then extradited to Pennsylvania.

The victim told the courtroom on Wednesday that she kept quiet about Esterly’s abuse for years because she “was afraid to speak,” and felt “dirty and ashamed.”

“I wasn’t ready to tell anyone,” she said. “He was a father figure in my life. I loved him.”

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The woman also said she didn’t want to hurt Esterly’s daughter who was her best friend.

When the District Attorney asked her why she was “here today,” she replied by saying, “I want to tell the truth. I want to be set free.”

The woman ended her testimony by saying, “I don’t want to live with this secret anymore.”

After her testimony, Esterly took the stand for 45 minutes, denied all of the accusations against him and accused the woman of lying.

Closing arguments then took place Thursday morning. It then took an hour for the jury of seven women and five men to reach their verdict.

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say

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3 dead in apparent murder-suicide spanning from Pennsylvania to Illinois, police say



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Two women are dead in Pennsylvania and a man is dead in Illinois after an apparent murder-suicide, police said on Wednesday.

According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Police, the investigation began in Hillside, Illinois, when police there were dispatched after a man reported two women dead in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania. Police said that when officers got to Hillside, about 15 miles west of Chicago, they found that the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

After identifying him, troopers said Hillside officers contacted police from Jackson Township to request a welfare check at the man’s home on Dior Drive, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. 

Map shows distance from Hillside, Illinois, to Zelienople, Pennsylvania

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KDKA


Police said officers used forced entry to get into the home and found two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. It’s believed the two women were family members of the man who died by suicide in Illinois, investigators said. 

Pennsylvania State Police said they’ve assumed control of the case and are “actively investigating” what happened surrounding the three deaths.

Police didn’t release any names, saying the process of formal identification and notification of next of kin hasn’t been completed. Sources told KDKA that the victims were a husband, wife and their daughter.

“At this time, investigators believe there is no ongoing threat to the public, and law enforcement is not searching for any additional individuals in connection with this incident,” police wrote in the public information release report. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

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State police didn’t release any other details on Wednesday but said more information will be made public when it’s available.  

“My first reaction was shocked because this is such a close-knit neighborhood, and to think something that horrible could happen here is very tragic because they were such a good family,” neighbor Danielle Sporer said on Wednesday. 



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