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READING TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCMH) -- A man is dead after crashing his pickup truck in Perry County Sunday afternoon.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) said Alan Mowery, 74, of Somerset, was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado on Palomino Road in Reading Township at approximately 5 p.m. when he failed to make a curve in the road. The truck drove off the left side of the road, hit a tree, and then caught fire.

OSHP said Mowery was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was trapped inside the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

OSHP was assisted at the scene by the Somerset Reading Township Fire/EMS, Perry County Sheriff's Office, and the Perry County Coroner's Office.

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Host: Leo Laporte

Guests: Jason Howell, Abrar Al-Heeti, and Mikah Sargent

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Columbus and Central Ohio Weather

FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 A.M.

High pressure will settle across the Ohio Valley tonight, with gradual clearing resulting in patchy frost. Morning readings will dip into the mid-30s, with freezing temperatures in the colder valleys.

The cool pattern will continue on Monday, as high pressure shifts east to the Atlantic Coast, while still providing plenty of sunshine. Clouds will increase later in the day, keeping readings in the 40s late Monday night.

A northern system sweeping across the Great Lakes will bring showers and breezy conditions later on Tuesday, tapering off with the passage of a cold front early Wednesday that will reinforce the chilly late April weather pattern.

The weather will be quite breezy and cool on Wednesday, and frost is likely again Thursday morning, as high pressure builds down from Canada, providing sunny skies.

Clouds increase later on Friday with a storm coming out of the west that will bring on and off weekend showers, but warmer weather, with highs in the mid-70s.

Forecast

• Sunday: Mix clouds and sun, breezy, cool. High 51
• Tonight: Clearing, chilly, scattered frost. Low 35
• Monday: Mostly sunny. High 64
• Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, windy, showers p.m. High 65 (46)
• Wednesday: Partly cloudy, breezy, cooler. High 55 (47)
• Thursday: Mostly sunny. High 60 (33)
• Friday: Partly sunny, showers late. High 69 (40)
• Saturday: Showers. High 75 (58)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week on The Spectrum:

• A Columbus woman on a volunteer mission in Israel was forced to take cover when Iran launched its drone attack.

“This is how the people of Israel live, and frankly, that’s how the people of Gaza live,” said Marcy Fleisher, the owner of a Columbus PR firm who was part of a rally in support of the hostages in a crowd of about 10,000 people when the strike was launched.

Ohio’s U.S. Senate race: Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno gear up for November

Hear the outcome she said Israelis are praying for as the war with Hamas drags on.

• An Ohio appeals court sides with a State Teachers Retirement System board member who was removed by Gov. Mike DeWine.

"Mr. Price, I have a court order," State Teachers Retirement System investment expert Wade Steen told the board during a meeting this week. "I am now reclaiming my seat and Mr. Parera is to leave. Thank you."

Hear what the judges had to say about DeWine overstepping his authority.

• A law that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Ohio is on hold, at least for now.

Ohio Gov. DeWine pushes for stricter seat belt laws

The bill’s sponsors and opponents both say the fight is far from over.

• Republican strategist Terry Casey and Democratic strategist Dale Butland join the roundtable to discuss what effect, if any, former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York, which heads to trial this week, will have on November’s election.

Follow NBC4's The Spectrum on Twitter for the latest political news you need to know.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A registered sex offender pleaded guilty to child pornography charges this week, admitting to possessing images of child torture and mutilation.

Jeremiah Morrison, 38, pleaded guilty Friday to distributing child pornography, possessing child pornography, and transporting obscene matter.

According to the U.S Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth L. Parker, Morrison was previously convicted twice for crimes against children, including in 2012 for filming an 11-year-old child under a bathroom stall at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

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In June of 2023, members of the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant of Morrison’s cell phone, where detectives allegedly found approximately 3,000 images and 900 videos of child sexual abuse material, containing children under one year up to six years of age. Investigators said they also discovered images and videos depicting torture, mutilation, and dead children.

Morrison was arrested in September 2023 and has remained in custody since.

A sentencing date for Morrison has not been scheduled. He could face 15 years to life in prison.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man’s murder that occurred outside of a South Linden home remains unsolved three years later.

According to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, Yahieness Jamaal Dixon was found shot while sitting inside a gold Monte Carlo on April 18, 2021. Police believe the shooting took place on the south side of the 1300 block of East 25th Avenue.

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Officers responded to reports of a shooting in an alley behind East 25th Avenue, where they found Dixon. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

The family of Jamaal Dixon is partnering with Crime Stoppers and offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the person(s) responsible for this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call 614-461-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrime.org and submit your tip.

Watch a previous report of the merger talks between Westerville and Harlem Township in the video player above.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – The proposed merger of Westerville and a neighboring township to help preserve the integrity of both amid the Intel development has come to an end.

The Harlem Township trustees voted on Wednesday to discontinue discussions related to the merger, citing “abuse” the board received from residents on something trustees said wasn’t a “done deal.”

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“It took me back when this first came out, I thought, ‘Wow, we’re going to do that,’ but the thing I liked about it was there’d be a negotiation period and then if the trustees saw something that they thought was worthy, taking it to their residents,” Harlem Trustee David Jackson said during Wednesday’s trustees' meeting. “They would put it on the ballot, then the residents got a say. It wasn’t an automatic thing by any means like all the people around here were running around saying it was a done deal. It was not.”

Jackson said all the abuse Harlem’s strategic planning committee took was “ridiculous and just uncalled for.” According to Harlem Trustee Carl Richison, that committee voted to disband during a meeting Tuesday night, a disbandment Richison and Jackson approved via vote.

"I'm sorry that they were subjected to such abuse and the carrying on by the residents during this process," Jackson said.

The merger was first proposed in February in an attempt to fight changes development fueled by Intel’s semiconductor plant construction in Licking County would bring to the small township.

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“The risk is that land for farms and families become warehouses,” Richison said at the time. “Ohio law doesn’t give townships the power to prevent it. Only cities can do that, which is why the committee has recommended that the Harlem Township trustees move forward with an intent to merge with Westerville.”

On Thursday, the day following the trustees’ vote, Westerville issued a statement saying that even though the township ended negotiations, the city would still help its neighboring municipalities.

“Westerville will continue to serve and advise our neighbors to the east as development and potential annexation takes shape,” the city’s statement reads. “Westerville is committed to working with Harlem and any regional partners to pursue thoughtful, well-planned growth that facilitate continued strong public services, responsive public safety and crime prevention, safe schools and neighborhoods, job creation and overall economic stability.”

Westerville’s statement further clarified that while the aim was to have the proposed merger appear on November’s ballot, Harlem requested the ballot initiative be moved to next year.

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“While this was one scenario to continue to move forward in good faith, we are aware Trustees, staff and volunteers have been inundated with outcries of criticism from opposing parties in recent weeks,” the statement reads.

Backlash from Harlem residents to the proposed merger was almost immediate, with the trustees being inundated with opposition at a meeting one day following the announced negotiations.

"I live, as the crow flies, about a mile and a half or two miles from the Intel plant, where I live personally. And I bet there isn't a week goes by that I don't get a flyer in the mail from some realtor wanting to buy my land. It's family land. My dad bought that little farm out there in the 1930's," Allen Fling, a lifelong resident of Harlem, said at that meeting.

A second meeting on March 6 brought more of the same sentiment from residents.

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"We like it the way it is,” Harlem resident Peggy Kuntzman said at that meeting. “Maybe I'm old and that's what we like is things just the way they are. And they won't be, we know that. But we really don't want it to be Westerville. If we wanted it to be Westerville, we would've bought a house in Westerville 32 years ago.”

At the start of Wednesday's meeting, Harlem Trustee Matt Jaeger resigned from the board. No reason was given and it is not clear if his resignation was tied to the negotiations with Westerville.

Harlem Township is a 26.5 square mile piece of land between New Albany, Westerville and Sunbury. The 2020 Census shows just over 4,500 residents. Richison said that number is now right at 4,800.

The merger idea came from a two-year strategic planning committee that was put together by the Board of Trustees after the announcement of Intel bringing massive development to nearby Licking County. Most land in Harlem Township is a short drive from the Intel site.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WCMH) -- A former Buckeye wrestler is going to the Olympics this summer as he looks to cement himself as one of the most decorated American wrestlers ever.

Kyle Snyder, 28, booked his tickets to Paris on Saturday night after beating Isaac Trumble in two matches to win the 97kg freestyle title at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Penn State. The victories clinched Snyder his third straight Olympic spot and his 10th straight appearance at an Olympics or world championships.

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Snyder has competed in the 97kg weight class at each Olympics he has made, winning gold at Rio 2016 and falling short of back-to-back golds in Tokyo. At the 2020 Olympics, Snyder lost in the final to Russia's Abdulrashid Sadulaev to settle for silver.

The Maryland native made history while with the Buckeyes, completing a 2016 sweep of the NCAA, world, and Olympic championships before returning to Ohio State and defending his NCAA title in 2017.

In Paris, Snyder will look to win his second gold in the 97kg freestyle weight class, which has not been done since Ivan Yarygin of the former Soviet Union won back-to-back golds at Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976. No American has ever won two golds in the 97kg freestyle class.

The Olympic 97kg freestyle wrestling tournament begins on August 10 with the final taking place on Aug. 11, the final day of the Paris Olympics. You can watch Snyder and all of Team USA this summer on NBC4, Peacock, and NBC Universal channels.

Poker in the United States is booming—again.

Last year, the World Series of Poker accepted a record 10,043 entrants, who each had to fork over $10,000 to sit at the no-limit hold 'em tournament with a $93.4 million purse, including $12.1 million for the winner.

The event, which started in 1970 with seven participants, took off in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker burst onto the scene, The Financial Times reported. The Tennessee accountant won $2.5 million after qualifying for the main event in an $86 online satellite tournament, and poker hasn't been the same since.

The World Poker Tour, which arranges and hosts international poker tournaments, was launched the previous year. Added to that, the increased availability of broadband internet plus unregulated online poker rooms and the entertainment value of televised events helped foster a rise that lasted until the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 prevented businesses from accepting payments from people participating in illegal gambling.

Online poker took another huge hit in 2011, when the Department of Justice on what is known as Black Friday seized the domains of super sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet—and $34 million from players. It made a comeback, however, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the sprouting of new platforms, and subsequent developments and innovations made the game more attractive.

Still, it's been a slow burn, and while poker has seen its share of ups and downs as the gambling industry ebbs and flows, more and more players are sitting down to ante up.

To see which players had the most eyes on them, Clubs Poker compiled a ranking—based on a national analysis—of the most popular poker players in Ohio using data from The Hendon Mob. Players residing in Ohio were ranked according to the unique pageviews on the website starting from Jan. 1, 2008. Data about each player's live cash earnings were added as supplementary insights. Data is as of March 13, 2024.

#10. Robert Kuhn
- Total live earnings: $731,818
--- 3,827th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $122,098
- Residence: Barnsville, Ohio
- Unique hits: 22,694

#9. Nick Guagenti
- Total live earnings: $2,101,172
--- 1,161st highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $186,000
- Residence: Westerville, Ohio
- Unique hits: 23,937

#8. Shawn Cunix
- Total live earnings: $2,296,523
--- 1,042nd highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $748,313
- Residence: Galena, Ohio
- Unique hits: 24,493

#7. Joseph Couden
- Total live earnings: $2,723,658
--- 812th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $251,523
- Residence: Blacklick, Ohio
- Unique hits: 24,626

#6. Samuel Phillips
- Total live earnings: $2,203,366
--- 1,105th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $1,345,850
- Residence: Powell, Ohio
- Unique hits: 25,660

#5. Joe Ebanks
- Total live earnings: $3,407,287
--- 618th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $1,158,481
- Residence: Stow, Ohio
- Unique hits: 31,888

#4. Adam Friedman
- Total live earnings: $4,584,268
--- 408th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $312,417
- Residence: Gahanna, Ohio
- Unique hits: 47,685

#3. David Reese
- Total live earnings: $3,999,090
--- 484th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $1,784,640
- Residence: Centerville, Ohio
- Unique hits: 47,690

#2. Jacob Bazeley
- Total live earnings: $4,824,880
--- 380th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $568,687
- Residence: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Unique hits: 49,849

#1. Keven Stammen
- Total live earnings: $6,626,545
--- 238th highest live poker earnings of all time
- Best live cash: $1,350,000
- Residence: Celina, Ohio
- Unique hits: 51,063

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Stargazers are in for a special show starting this Sunday with the peak of the Lyrid Meteor Shower.

Space.com says the Lyrid Meteor Shower is an annual event from around April 16 to April 25. Its peak dates in central Ohio will be from Sunday, April 21 to Monday, April 22, where Timeanddate.com notes that up to 18 fireballs could be visible per hour. However, the Moon will be almost full (98.4%) on Sunday, which could reduce the visibility of the falling meteors.

Lyrid Meteor Shower (Adobe Stock)

The Lyrids are the oldest recorded meteor showers, with historical texts mentioning them more than 2,000 years ago. The "shooting stars" seen in the sky are created by the comet Thatcher which releases fragments of itself while traveling through space that burn up upon entering the Earth's atmosphere.

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Observers can enjoy the Lyrids just by looking into the night sky without special equipment. To see the Lyrids NASA recommends finding an area away from city lights. It is also a good idea for watchers to dress for the weather, the overnight forecast calls for clear and chilly conditions with a low of 36.

Spectators should look to the northeastern sky and find the constellation Lyra. Meteors will appear to radiate from near this constellation. The best time to view will be between midnight and dawn.

A meteor spotting tool map can detail how clear it will be at night. The tool allows users to enter a date range and a location, to see the times with the best visibility.

Columbus and Central Ohio Weather QUICK WEATHER FORECAST:

• Today: Partly cloudy, high 54
• Tonight: Mostly clear, low 37
• Monday: Mostly sunny, high 64 (44)
• Tuesday: Rain showers, high 66 (47)
• Wednesday: Stray Shower, high 57 (36)
• Thursday: Mainly sunny, high 61 (40)

FORECAST DISCUSSION:

After a frosty morning for some, all of us will be highs returning to the mid 50s. This is still close to 10 degrees below normal for this time of year. Skies will start off mostly cloudy, but more sunshine will peek through as the day goes on. Winds will also be calm as a cold northerly air flow continues to move into central Ohio.

Another frost advisory will go into effect from 1 am - 9am Monday. Overnight clouds will clear up once again, but temperatures will not drop as much. Lows will fall into the mid30s. A few areas will still see the chance for some patchy frost. Conditions tonight going into tomorrow morning will be mainly quiet weather wise. Monday will start off beautiful.

The upcoming work week will start relatively quiet. Rain showers will move across the area Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday morning. The showers will come along with a cold front when the rain arrives. There will be a brief midweek drop in temperatures, but a rebound will be on the way by next weekend. Friday will bring additional rain shower chances. More rain and a few thunderstorms will move through on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The third annual Classic for Columbus has come to an end, seeing thousands gather at the Schottenstein Center for a party with a purpose.

Whether you attended the game or participated in it, everyone can agree that it was more than just a basketball game.

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“The message is that education is the pathway to upward mobility,” John Pace, president and CEO of Classic for Columbus, said. “We believe that so strongly, that we believe education should be a part of every aspect of our life, including sports, entertainment and culture.”

So far, Classic for Columbus has awarded over $670,000 to scholarships, educational programs and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

“Many of the students we serve come from marginalized communities, and they are first-time college hopefuls,” Pace said. “They need hope and so we bring them to this event where they see an arena filled with accomplished African-Americans who serve as role models and mentors.”

Watching the two teams -- the Ohio and HBCU all-stars -- was fun for everyone, but for the selected players, they said being picked was an honor.

“It's about the greater good so they have an opportunity to use their gifts and talents to bless others and other people are blessed by this event,” Tim Brown, chairman of the Players Selection Committee for the Classic for Columbus, said. “So they love to play so they can help somebody else.”

Columbus-area neighbors frustrated by ‘drag racing’ on Interstate 270

Brown said the selection process begins in early fall, with the committee tracking players' stats but also paying close attention to their character.

“Sometimes you watch guys on film, you see their stats on paper, and then you see them, like, you can hear the excitement in the crowd,” Brown said. “So you hear it when you see it live. It just, just gives me great joy.”

NBC4 was a sponsor of the event and our very own Kerry Charles served as the emcee.

Pace said the event is just going to keep growing thanks to the organization’s 18k Initiative, a plan to put 18,000 people in the Schottenstein Center by the 2026 game.

“It's important because we also have a $1.5 million goal, $1.5 million towards scholarships,” Pace said. “Now that 18k initiative will all but guarantee we meet that $1.5 (million) and we're halfway there already today.”

He said that they’ve only just begun and to keep the third Saturday in April free and come join them for the next Classic for Columbus.

In this edition:

• Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process
• AMSAT Thanks First Quarter 2024 President’s Club Members
• AMSAT Engineering Team Powering Up for Hamvention
• Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 19, 2024
• ARISS News
• Upcoming Satellite Operations
• Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events
• Satellite Shorts From All Over

The AMSAT News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.

The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.

Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat [dot] org.

You can sign up for free e-mail delivery of the AMSAT News Service Bulletins via the ANS List; to join this list see: https://mailman.amsat.org/postorius/lists/ans.amsat.org/

ANS-112 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins

To: All RADIO AMATEURS
From: Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation
712 H Street NE, Suite 1653
Washington, DC 20002

DATE 2024 Apr 21

Nine US Schools Moved Forward in ARISS Selection Process

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) announced on April 18, 2014 the US schools/host organizations newly selected for 2024 ARISS contacts. A total of 9 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.

The ARISS program anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 9 US host organizations during the July – December 2024 time period. They are now at work starting to implement their 4–6-month education plan which was outlined in their proposal. These STEAM based educational activities help prepare students for their contact as well as create an on-going exploration and interest in aerospace and amateur radio topics. They are also completing an acceptable equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by ARISS, the final selected schools/organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities offered by NASA.

The schools and host organizations are:

• Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Bayou Academy, Cleveland, MS
• Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington, VA
• Greenville Junior High School, Greenville, IL
• Hillsboro Charter Academy, Purcellville, VA
• Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA
• Sally Ride Elementary School, Orlando, FL
• South Carolina Regional Workforce Advisors-Office of Statewide Workforce Development, Columbia, SC
• TEACH-NW Charter School, Springfield, OR

[ANS thanks Dave Jordan, AA4KN, for the above information.]

The 2024 AMSAT President’s Club coins are here now!
Help Support GOLF and Fox Plus

Join the AMSAT President’s Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/

AMSAT Thanks First Quarter 2024 President’s Club Members

Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP – Development happily reports, “Each year for the past four years of its re-incarnation, the AMSAT President’s Club has picked up speed and becomes a more important factor in AMSAT’s annual fund raising efforts. The first quarter of the 2024 the President’s Club is off to a great start. With our regular dedicated contributors plus many first-time members, contributions have already raised almost $16,000 in the first three months of 2024.

“So often, our members think about AMSAT’s having to raise funds for satellite hardware – the costs for electronic components, solar panels, batteries and so on. But, there are many background costs. A good example is software licenses needed for actual satellite development. The volunteer engineers can often swap licenses so they can limit the number of licenses needed. But, as they draw closer to finalizing drawings for circuit boards, spaceframes and deployable solar panels, the team can stretch software licenses only so far before work flow becomes handicapped. Some software licenses, even with the best educational or non-profit discounts, easily exceed the $1,000 mark. And, those licenses need to be renewed on an annual basis.

“The engineering team can always use more electrical and mechanical engineers to move the FOX-PLUS and GOLF programs along. But, being able to leverage the efforts of our current volunteers with enough software licenses would be a huge plus. Contributions from members of the President’s Club make a big difference in giving the engineering team the tools they need.”

To date, the generous donors members of the 2024 AMSAT President’s Club include:

• Titanium ($4,800+)
  Barry Baines, WD4ASW
  William Brown, K9LF
  
  
• Gold ($1,200+)
  Anonymous
  Burns Fisher, WB1FJ
  John Kludt, K7SYS
  Glenn Miller, AA5PK
  
  
• Silver ($600+)
  Donald Coker, KM6TRZ
  Richard Dittmer, KB7SAT
  Mark Johns, K0JM
  Joseph, Lynch,N6CL
  Bruce Paige, KK5DO
  Jason Schwarz, N4JJS
  
  
• Bronze ($300+)
  Donald Pettigrew, K9ECT
  Dave Taylor, W8AAS
  
  
• Core ($120+)
  David Batzle, N2VDY
  Robert Beatty, WB4SON
  Alan Boggs, K7IIV
  James Gallagher III, KB3SQS
  David Hartrum, WA3YDZ
  Steven Husey, KB1UOJ
  William Pesci, N4WLP
  Paul Stoetzer, N8HM
  Stefan Wagener, VE4SW
  Wayne Wagner, AG1A

Members can learn more about joining the President’s Club at https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/.

[ANS thanks Frank Karnauskas, N1UW, AMSAT VP – Development for the above information.]

Need new satellite antennas?
Purchase M2 LEO-Packs from the AMSAT Store.

When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/

AMSAT Engineering Team Powering Up for Hamvention

Given hams’ inherent interest in all things technical, it’s no wonder that the Engineering table at AMSAT’s Hamvention booth is always popular. Not wanting to disappoint our members, Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP- Engineering and his team are making plans for an informative and entertaining presence. No fewer than ten members of the engineering team will attending this year’s Hamvention.

Probably the most interesting exhibit will be a full-scale model of the GOLF-TEE (Technology Exploration Environment) satellite. The 3-D model printed by team member Tom Karnauskas, N0UW, gives an interesting look at the challenges that satellite designers face when trying to fit stacks of circuit boards, bundles of batteries, attitude sensing and control systems, and experimental payloads inside a 10cm x 10cm x 30cm spaceframe. The model also gives a look at the challenge of adding deployable solar panels to the exterior of the spacecraft. Given the fact that the GOLF program represents AMSAT’s return to Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), engineers will no-doubt be busy answering questions on all facets of the GOLF program.

Engineers will also be on hand to answer questions about the ongoing development of the Fox-Plus series of satellites. Recognizing the success of the original Fox series as an entry level introduction to amateur satellites, the engineers working the Fox-Plus birds are committed to improving on the original concept and setting the stage for future capabilities for these Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

For those interested in a look even further into the future, engineers working the ASCENT program will also be present. ASCENT, meaning, Advanced Satellite Communication and Exploration of New Technology, is a “sandbox” for future satellite communications and related systems to be explored and pursued for eventual flight use. A radiation-tolerant internal-housekeeping-unit (RT-IHU), software defined radio (SDR) methods, and a 10 GHz PA design ideas are some ASCENT projects that will fly on GOLF-TEE. Engineers at the table can also discuss other ASCENT projects in the works such as a slow-scan television (SSTV) payload, a packet repeater payload and propulsion systems suitable for CubeSat operation.

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Engineering Team for the above information.]

Want to fly the colors on your own grid expedition?
Get your AMSAT car flag and other neat stuff from our Zazzle store!

25% of the purchase price of each product goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space
https://www.zazzle.com/amsat_gear

Changes to AMSAT-NA TLE Distribution for April 19, 2024

Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.

The following satellites have been removed from this week’s AMSAT-NA TLE distribution:

• Clark sat-1 NORAD Cat ID 58613 Decayed from orbit on or about 16 April 2024
• AISTechSat 3 NORAD Cat ID 44103 Decayed from orbit on or about 18 April 2024

[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager, for the above information.]

ARISS NEWS

Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.

Successful Contacts
Mrs Ethelston’s CE Primary Academy at Axminster Community Academy Trust, Lyme Regis, United Kingdom, direct via GB4ACA.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR.
The ARISS mentor was Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD.
Contact was successful on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 10:44 UTC.

Mountain View Elementary, Marietta, GA, direct via KQ4JVI.
The ISS callsign was NA1SS.
The crewmember was Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.
The ARISS mentor was Daryl Young, K4RGK.
Contact was successful on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 17:48 UTC.

Upcoming Contacts
American International University, Salmiya, Kuwait, direct via 9K9AIU.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Mike Barratt KD5MIJ.
The ARISS mentor is Stefan Dombrowski, ON6TI.
Contact is go for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 08:29:15 UTC.

Pleasant Knoll Middle School, Ft. Mill, SC, direct via K4YTZ.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Matthew Dominick, KCØTOR.
The ARISS mentor is Charles Sufanam AJ9N.
Contact is go for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 16:10:29 UTC.
Watch for Livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@YorkCountyAmateurRadioSociety and note that this might change.

Thrive Home School Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, direct via AFØS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Jeanette Epps, KF5QNU.
The ARISS mentor is Gordon Scannell, KD8COJ.
Contact is go for Monday, April 22, 2024 at 17:42:36.
Watch for Livestream at http://www.hsd2.org/

The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.

The packet system is also active (145.825 MHz up & down).

As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.

Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.

The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html

The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html

[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]

Upcoming Satellite Operations

No operations reported at this time.

A growing number of satellite rovers are currently engaged in sharing their grid square activations on https://hams.at. By visiting the website, you gain easy access to comprehensive information about the operators responsible for activating specific grid squares. Additionally, you have the ability to assess the match score between yourself and a particular rover for a given pass, while also being able to identify the upcoming satellite passes that are accessible from your location.

[ANS thanks Ian Parsons, K5ZM, AMSAT rover page manager, for the above information]

Hamfests, Conventions, Maker Faires, and Other Events

AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.

2024 CubeSat Developer’s Workshop
April 23-25, 2024
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
https://www.cubesatdw.org/

Dayton Hamvention 2024
May 17-19, 2024
Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center
120 Fairground Road
Xenia, OH 45385
https://hamvention.org

38th Annual Small Satellite Conference
August 3-8, 2024
Logan, UT, USA
https://smallsat.org

[ANS thanks the AMSAT Events page for the above information]

Satellite Shorts From All Over

• The CubeSat Developers Workshop announced Dr. Puig-Suari will be the keynote speaker for the 2024 event. Dr. Puig-Suari received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. Degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University. Dr. Puig-Suari is a professor emeritus in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In 1999, Dr Puig-Suari and Prof. Bob Twiggs at Stanford developed the CubeSat standard. Dr. Puig-Suari’s team was responsible for the development of the standard CubeSat deployer (the P-POD) and has supported launches for over 130 CubeSats in the U.S. and abroad. More information on the workshop can be found at https://www.cubesatdw.org/. [ANS thanks cubesat.org for the above information.]
  
  
• AMSAT-DL has announced planning for the Bochum Space Conference 2024 to be held September 20-22, 2024. AMSAT-DL is organizing a symposium, flea market and general meeting in the radome of the Bochum Observatory. The radome will once again be dedicated to satellite and space research. AMSAT Deutschland e.V. and the Bochum Observatory are taking the positive experience of the anniversary conference in 2023 as an opportunity to inform AMSAT members and other space enthusiasts about current and future prospects for national and international space projects with a varied program. As the Radom is also the location of ESA’s education office in Germany (esero Germany), they want to make the symposium even more attractive in future and at the same time focus even more on current European space travel. More information at https://amsat-dl.org/en/bochum-space-conference-2024/. [ANS thanks AMSAT-DL for the above information.]
  
  
• Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner embarked on its last big road trip before its journey to the International Space Station next month. In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday morning, the capsule and its service module made the slow trek from Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rollout of the vehicle, named Calypso, is another key step towards the Crew Flight Test (CFT) of the Starliner spacecraft, the first time that it will carry astronauts to and from the ISS. The mission’s crew, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, KD5PLB, were on hand to witness the departure of their ticket to ride. [ANS thanks Spaceflight Now for the above information.]
  
  
• A dead spacecraft the size of a truck ignites with plasma and pulverizes into dust and litter as it rips through the ionosphere and atmosphere. This is what happens to internet service satellites during re-entry. When the full mega-constellation of satellites is deployed in the 2030s, companies will do this every hour because satellite internet requires thousands of satellites to constantly be replaced. Recent research has led some physicists to believe that the space trash generated by dead and dying commercial satellites could compromise our ionosphere or magnetosphere. Unlike meteorites, which are small and only contain trace amounts of aluminum, these wrecked spacecraft are huge and consist entirely of aluminum and other exotic, highly conductive materials. And highly conductive materials can create charging effects and act as a magnetic shield. [ANS thanks Dr. Sierra Soter, writing in the Guardian, for the above information.]

Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/

In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:

• Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
• Primary and secondary school students are eligible for membership at one-half the standard yearly rate.
• Post-secondary school students enrolled in at least half time status shall be eligible for the student rate for a maximum of 6 post-secondary years in this status.
• Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.

Contact info [at] amsat [dot] org for additional membership information.

73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!

This week’s ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW
n1uw [at] amsat [dot] org

High pressure will edge southeastward from the northern Plains across the Ohio Valley through the weekend, resulting in a northwesterly flow of cool, drier air. Afternoon temperatures will only reach the mid-50s despite a good deal of sunshine and a few clouds.

Morning readings will dip into the mid-30s early Sunday and Monday, with patchy frost possible.

Dry weather will continue on Monday, as high pressure shifts east to the Atlantic Coast. A northern system sweeping across the Great Lakes midweek will bring the next chance for showers later Tuesday that will taper off early Wednesday, accompanied by a reinforcing push of cool air.

Expect windy and mild weather on Tuesday ahead of a strong cold front, followed by blustery and chilly weather the rest of the week, with afternoon readings in the 50s. Light frost is possible again Thursday morning.

Seasonable temperatures return on Friday, along with an increase in clouds. A storm coming out of the west will bring showers to start next weekend.

Forecast

• Saturday: Partly cloudy, cool. High 55 
• Tonight: Few clouds, scattered frost. Low 36
• Sunday: Partly cloudy. High 56 
• Monday: Mostly sunny. High 64 (37)
• Tuesday: Mostly cloudy, windy, showers p.m. High 66 (43)
• Wednesday: Partly cloudy, breezy, cooler. High 58 (48)
• Thursday: Mostly sunny. High 60 (35)
• Friday: Partly cloudy, showers late. High 68 (40)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus police said that an adult died early Saturday morning after being hit by a car in a crosswalk on the northeast side.

Police said the victim was crossing south across Morse Road at Stelzer Road just before 5:30 a.m. The victim was in a marked crosswalk but was crossing against the traffic light, per police. A Dodge Challenger hit the adult in the crosswalk with the driver staying at the scene until officers arrived.

Three hospitalized after car crashes into pole in northeast Columbus

The victim was taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital in stable condition, but was pronounced dead at 6:20 a.m. CPD's accident investigation unit is continuing to investigate the crash.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Perry County man could face up to 23 years in person after he pleaded guilty in connection to charges he obtained child pornography on Snapchat.

Clay Thomas Wolfe, 28, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Wednesday to sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography. Using Snapchat, Wolfe solicited child pornography, primarily from middle and high school boys.

According to a Department of Justice news release, Wolfe pretended starting in 2018 to be a 15-year-old female on the app to obtain the illegal materials. Videos of minors as young as 10 were found. In total, Wolfe received an estimated 850 images and 570 videos depicting child pornography.

A wife’s affair led to Ohio tax agents targeting business owner, inspector general says

The investigation was initiated in April 2022, when Pennsylvania law enforcement officials were made aware of a sixth-grade student sharing a nude photograph of a classmate that he had received from Wolfe.

Wolfe was arrested and charged in June.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WMCH) -- A Powell man will spend five years in prison and have to forfeit his Tesla for embezzling tens of millions of dollars from the furniture company at which he worked.

Yi He, 36, was sentenced in federal court Wednesday for stealing more than $26 million from Roundhill Furniture in west Columbus, which supplies retailers like Wayfair, Walmart and Ashley Furniture. The sentence comes after he pleaded guilty last August to wire fraud and falsifying a tax return.

According to court documents, Yi, who was responsible for payroll and tax-related duties, wired the company's funds into his personal accounts from 2018 to 2022. To conceal the theft, he showed company leaders falsified bank statements.

Yi also embezzled more than $600,000 from an employee incentive company that he oversaw. The company, Zero Group, supplemented longtime employees' retirement savings. In one instance, Yi wired himself $200,000 from the company and labeled it for "rent."

Additionally, Yi inaccurately reported his income to the IRS from 2018 to 2021, according to court documents. He owes the IRS about $6.8 million.

Yi originally faced up to 23 years in prison and the forfeiture of three homes, two in Reynoldsburg and one in Columbus. Instead, he will forfeit his 2020 Tesla Model X and pay more than $27 million in restitution to Roundhill Furniture and the IRS.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Three people have been hospitalized after a car crashed into a pole early Saturday morning on a northeast Columbus road.

According to a police dispatcher, officers were called to Old Dublin Granville Road at 4:30 a.m. after reports of a crash. Police arrived and found one vehicle with three occupants that had crashed into a pole.

One injured in shooting at north Columbus auto shop

Two of the crash victims were taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital in critical condition while another went to Mount Carmel East Hospital in stable condition. Westbound lanes of the road are closed, per a dispatcher.