Pennridge High Students Working With NASA

Welcome back to Central Bucks Now's weekly newsletter! The Fred Beans Automotive Group has launched its annual food drive through the end of the year. It is seeking to fund 100,000 meals across the region by selling 4,000 cars and making a matching donation to local organizations.

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In This Week's Newsletter:

• 📆 Upcoming Nearby Events

• 🚀 Pennridge High Teams Up With NASA

• 💧East Rockhill Officials Say Water Is Safe

• 🗞️ News Links

• 🧯Victims ID'd In Fatal Tesla Accident

• 🚔 Home Harassment Incident In New Britain

• 🚨 Warminster Native Killed In Florida Golf Attack

• 🏘️ In Other Nearby News

• 🏟️ Play Ball

• 🐶 Rescue Dog of the Week

• 📊 This Week’s Poll Question

📆 Upcoming Nearby Events

Friday, Dec. 6

• 🎤 Micky Dolenz | Sellersville Theater | 6 p.m., more details here

Saturday, Dec. 7

• 🐶 Reading Goes To The Dogs | Doylestown Library | 10 a.m., more details here

• 🍓 Doylestown Farmers Market | South Hamilton Street | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., more details here

• 🦌 Live Reindeer Pictures | Froehlich’s Farm & Garden Center in Furlong | 1-3 p.m., more details here

• 🎶 Cantus Novus Royalty and Revelry | St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Doylestown | 7:30-9:30 p.m., more details here

• 🤼‍♂️ Micro Wrestling All-Star Showdown | Forrest Lodge VFW Hall and Club in Sellersville | 8-10 p.m., more details here

Sunday, Dec. 8

• 🎄 Victorian Christmas | James Lorah Memorial Home in Doylestown | 1-2 p.m., more details and dates here

Monday, Dec. 9

• 🏠 Gingerbread House Contest drop-off | Doylestown Administrative Building | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., more details here

🚀 Pennridge High Teams Up With NASA

Two teams of students from Pennridge High School's gifted program have been tabbed to help NASA with zero-gravity research.

The students have voluntarily worked with teacher SueEllen Thomas to design concepts for the 2025 Drop Tower Challenge, which tasks high school students to design and build paddle wheels that will operate in water when they experience apparent weightlessness.

The participating students: Chloe Benner, Ananya Bhatt, Surabhi Gupta and Abigail Arnold-Treanor of Team CASA and Finn Bachman, Gavin Chordoroff and Gavin Mill of the Pennridge Men’s NASA Team.

The teams are among 20 chosen by the federal agency to receive feedback, guidance and modification requests. The prototypes will then be sent to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio for testing; the top-performing teams will be invited o present their results at next year's American Society for Gravitational and Space Research meeting.

💧East Rockhill Officials Say Water Is Safe

The East Rockhill Board of Supervisors said residents should not be concerned about the safety of their drinking water.

Multiple recent tests of the Perkasie Regional Authority's Well #5 showed per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance levels in excess of state regilations. But the board said those water sources are mixed with clean sources before being distributed and the PRA is in compliance with state standards. You can find more details on the situation here via The Reporter.

🗞️ News Links

• WATCH: Firefighters battle rekindled Pickertown Road mulch blaze

• Car hits underground Doylestown propane valve, causes leak

• Pre-trial process begins in COVID loan fraud case

• Warrington fencing company scammed by fake credit card

• Philly woman busted with unlawful weapon in New Britain

🧯Victims ID'd In Fatal Tesla Accident

A married Bucks County couple were the victims of the fatal, fiery Tesla accident in Bedminster last month.

Deborah Yacovella, 79, and Gerald Lapat, 75, were killed when their Tesla left the roadway for an unknown reason and crashed into another Tesla docked to a charging station outside a Pipersville business. The collision sparked a massive blaze; one of the vehicles also hit the nearby building, causing damage. It took over 8,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire; officials said the electric vehicles' batteries were responsible for the intensity.

Also: A Buckingham man was killed in a rollover crash in Northampton County last week. Authorities said Jerome J. Ozovek, 67, was declared dead at St. Luke's Hospital Anderson Campus in Bethlehem; the cause of the accident is under investigation.

🚔 Home Harassment Incident In New Britain

Police are searching for two men who harassed a New Britain resident on Black Friday in an incident captured by a doorbell security camera.

The suspects may be juveniles. They rang the home's doorbell wearing masks and made threats, calling the homeowner out by name while attempting to remove security equipment. The suspects then fled when confronted. New Britain Police ask that anyone with information about the incident come forward.

🚨 Warminster Native Killed In Florida Golf Attack

A gruesome crime that made national headlines has a local tie.

Brian Hiltebeitel, a former Doylestown and Warminster resident, was murdered in what police believe was a random attack on a West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course last month. Cops allege the suspect beat the 65-year-old man with golf clubs and then drowned him in a pond on the course; a motive has not yet been determined.

🏘️ In Other Nearby News

• Bucks County workers get pay raise after strike

• County commissioners will freeze taxes in 2025

• Horsham shopping center gets new owner

• Another arrest in Wawa sneaker theft incident

• Charges filed in Upper Dublin motorcycle accident

For more on communities in the region, subscribe to the weekly newsletters from our sibling sites, North Penn Now and Wiss Now.

🏟️ Play Ball

• Saquon Barkley could make early Eagles history

• Tough decisions loom for the Flyers

• What do the Phillies need for Christmas?

• More discouraging Juan Soto signs

• The Sixers are on a winning streak

For more on local sports, subscribe to our Philly sports newsletter, On Pattison (sent 5x per week):

🐶 Rescue Dog of the Week

Meet Kuzco, a three-year-old Terrier mix currently being fostered through Home At Last Dog Rescue. He was found as a stray in South Carolina and has made his way north; he is a happy dog who loves to meet people and go on walks; he gets along with other dogs and cats. Kuzco is crate- and house-trained and would do well in a family with kids and a yard.

If you are interested in adopting Kuzco or would like more information, you can reach out to Home At Last Dog Rescue at [email protected] or visit the group's website.

📊 This Week’s Poll Question

Last week’s poll question: Do you have a dog?

• Yes (75%)

• No, but I have a cat or another pet (20%)

• No (5%)

Thanks for reading! See you next week.

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