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Don't forget about Marc Fogel, another American wrongfully detained in Russia

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Don't forget about Marc Fogel, another American wrongfully detained in Russia

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During his State of the Union address, President Biden outlined his vision for the year ahead and his priorities for the future. In his remarks, the president did not mention Marc Fogel, the American teacher imprisoned in Russia since 2021. 

Sadly, Fogel’s omission from the address is yet another missed opportunity for the Biden administration to give the Pittsburgh-area resident – a man we collectively represent – a similar spotlight so many other wrongfully detained Americans have rightfully received.

For congressional leaders who have worked on his case for years, Marc is very familiar. So is his mother, Malphine Fogel, who is approaching her 95th birthday. She and her family continue to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to inform them of Marc’s situation.

Marc Fogel, right, with his family (Photos courtesy Ellen Keelan and Lisa Hyland)

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If this case is new to you, here is Marc’s story. For nearly 36 years, Marc taught history courses at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman and Malaysia. For the past decade, he also taught in Russia. 

GOP REP INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN ‘MARC FOGEL ACT’ PUSHING STATE DEPT FOR ANSWERS ON AMERICANS JAILED OVERSEAS

On Aug. 14, 2021, Marc was detained for possession of medical marijuana used to treat his severe back injury. As a result, he is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a Russian prison.

With Marc’s condition, this could be a death sentence.

Marc’s charge is similar to that of WNBA player Brittney Griner. Griner was arrested at the same Russian airport nearly six months after Marc was arrested. 

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Due in part to her public platform, in December 2022, the Biden administration swapped Griner for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the man infamously known as the “Merchant of Death.” Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill American citizens.

BIDEN FOUGHT FOR BRITTNEY GRINER BUT FORGOT ABOUT FOGEL

We are thankful Brittney Griner is home with her family and believe Marc should be entitled to the same attention from the State Department.

While the State Department played a critical role in Griner’s release, the department has been less than helpful in returning Marc to his family. 

Under federal law, Marc meets the established criteria to be designated as “wrongfully detained” by the State Department. It’s a designation critical to securing his freedom. Although Marc has yet to be classified as wrongfully detained after more than two-and-a-half years in prison, Griner was designated within three months after her arrest.

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US SHOULD SHOW WHY AMERICAN TEACHER HELD IN RUSSIA IS NOT CONSIDERED ‘WRONGFULLY DETAINED,’ CONGRESSMAN SAYS

When pressed on this lack of progress toward a designation, State Department officials have been either unable or unwilling to provide us with a concrete explanation. This lack of clarity has increased our call for answers and resulted in the introduction of The Marc Fogel Act last year. 

This bipartisan legislation would amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to require more transparency from the State Department to Congress on how wrongful detainment determinations are made.

It’s past time for the State Department to declare Fogel as wrongfully detained by the Russian government. They refuse to act yet offer no explanation for their inaction. In fact, Marc is rarely even a part of the administration’s public dialogue when it comes to Americans imprisoned in Russia. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

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Our commonsense legislation would allow Congress to receive critical information not only about Fogel and why he has not received this declaration, but also about other Americans who may be imprisoned or held hostage abroad in the future. 

Lastly, we implore the State Department to consider the personal toll Marc’s imprisonment has taken on the Fogel family. The lack of acknowledgment and designation of Marc by the department has not only impacted him, but also his mother, wife, two sons, and his entire family. 

Marc deserves to be home in Pennsylvania with his mother and family. They have gone nearly 1,000 days without him.

After the release of Griner, the Biden administration stated they are “continuing to work to bring home every American who continues to endure such an injustice.” We hope the administration follows through. As Marc’s representatives, we remain deeply concerned about our constituent’s health, safety and freedom.

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Marc Fogel deserves to be home. So do Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and all other Americans who are wrongfully detained in Russia. They must not be forgotten.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY REP. MIKE KELLY

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REP. GUY RESCHENTHALER

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican, represents Pennsylvania’s 14th District. Rep. Christopher Deluzio, a Democrat, represents Pennsylvania’s 17th District.

The congressmen represent districts in the Pittsburgh region, where the Fogel family resides, and lead legislation advocating for the State Department to designate Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained.

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Boston, MA

Boy, 13, hospitalized after being found unresponsive in swimming pool at Beverly home

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Boy, 13, hospitalized after being found unresponsive in swimming pool at Beverly home


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The boy was stabilized and flown to a Boston hospital, police said.

A 13-year-old boy was flown to a Boston hospital after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool at a home in Beverly on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Police and firefighters were called to a home on Parramatta Road after bystanders pulled the boy from the pool, the Beverly Police Department wrote in a press release.

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Bystanders administered CPR until first responders arrived, according to police. First responders continued CPR and other “life saving measures,” police said.

An ambulance took the boy to Beverly Hospital where he was stabilized. He was then taken by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital, police said.

The incident is currently being investigated by Beverly police, the department said.

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Pittsburg, PA

Caps Go Big on Trade Market, Light the Way for Penguins Rebuild

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Caps Go Big on Trade Market, Light the Way for Penguins Rebuild


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Two years ago, in his postseason press conference, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas specifically cited the Washington Capitals as one of two teams that were models for rebuilding without using the hockey equivalent of gasoline and matches to first burn it down.

On Wednesday, Washington completed their second big trade in two days, significantly bolstering their top two lines when they acquired Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres in a sign-and-trade that netted Tuch an $84 million payday and Buffalo a mere third-round pick.

To this point, the Penguins and Washington rebuilds have followed similar paths, though Washington had a good head start.

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In the last 24 months, each team has made the playoffs, and each team has seen its AHL affiliate go on an extended AHL playoff run. Washington surprised most by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024-25, and the Penguins surprised most by making the playoffs in 2025-26.

However, it’s in the various states of rebuild that this week, Washington showed the advantage of that head start.

While Dubas stated he wanted to acquire a player aged in his later 20s who was an impact player, it was Washington who pulled the trick by acquiring high-scoring winger Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues.

Then, with their impact player in hand, Washington doubled down by executing a sign-and-trade with Buffalo for free-agent-to-be Tuch. Washington then lavished an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $10.5 million on the player who turned 30 last month.

A gritty winger, Tuch has scored at least 33 goals in three of the last four seasons as he found a greater role in Buffalo than his bottom-six duty in Vegas.

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For those who remark that Tuch’s contract is expensive, don’t forget that the salary cap is going to spike again next season to something close to $113 million, and probably keep going up for years after that. Some estimates say it could be over $130 million in just a few years.

Today’s $10 million is tomorrow’s bargain, just like Rickard Rakell’s $5 million AAV Penguins contract was hefty when he signed it four years ago. Whether or not Tuch’s deal will age well is beside the point–half of the contract will be prime years, and a couple more should be quite serviceable. Washington can worry about 2034, many years from now, when that contract is less than 7% of the salary cap.

Indeed, Dubas had hoped to be able to acquire a Kyrou type. And if he did, a Tuch type would have made sense, too, because the Penguins have nothing in the middle. They have a bevy of 25 and under players, a few players who are at least 33, and still more three players who are 38 and older.

Jason Robertson remains unsigned in Dallas, and perhaps Dubas can leverage the farm for him, though plenty of teams are interested. The simple truth is that Washington was able to go big this year because they started a couple of years ahead of the Penguins. Dubas can play catch-up, but he’s not yet there.

And now Washington has made the huge leap forward. Their top nine is impressive with only two players 30 and older (Tom Wilson, 33, and Tuch, 30). They have four players who are 25 and under (and three were draft picks) with big-time potential who have already had some success in the NHL (Alieksai Protas, Ilya Protas, Ryan Leonard). And 24-year-old Justin Sourdif had 15 goals from the third line this season, too.

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Oh, and they have Cole Hutson, thought to be a stud defenseman ready to make the leap. He had 10 points (3-7-10) in 14 NHL games at the end of the season after his Boston U campaign ended.

If Dubas tries to make the big splash, he very likely does not have enough trade capital to acquire a big name and have anything left. Yes, the Penguins have young players like Rutger McGroarty on the way, with Ben Kindel already here, but the depth and quality are not similar.

Yet.

It’s OK that Washington is ahead. It proves that Dubas is on a plausible path and lights the way. Penguins fans should also note that Washington didn’t spend assets too soon, and now they are packed with players under 30, most of whom are 25 and under, and they could easily (and should) send Alex Ovechkin’s call to voicemail when he wants to return.

Dubas was right to emulate Washington, and he would be right to do so when the time is right.

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Tags: kyle dubas nhl trade Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals

Categorized:NHL Trade Rumors Penguins Trade Talk



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Connecticut

Report details economic and racial disparities in Connecticut schools

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Report details economic and racial disparities in Connecticut schools


NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A new report is highlighting deep economic and racial disparities across Connecticut’s public school districts, ranking the state among the most segregated in the country.

The study by the nonprofit Brown’s Promise found Connecticut has some of the nation’s most pronounced divides — placing sixth worst for economic segregation and 11th for racial segregation.

Researchers measured economic segregation by the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

According to the report, some of the highest concentrations of low-income students are found in districts just miles from the state’s wealthiest communities.

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“We provide this measure of how much is it happening between districts, like across those district lines, versus inside districts like what you would find in larger school districts,” said Stephen Owens, a researcher with Brown’s Promise.

The findings may seem surprising, as Connecticut and other Northeastern states show higher levels of segregation than some Southern states that once legally enforced it.

But Owens said those historic boundaries — and the way communities developed — continue to shape access to education today.

“If your schools were built out of like the lines of the towns, the municipality, then it means that the residential patterns, where people choose to live or where they grew up, end up being copied right onto the schools,” he said.

State and local leaders across the political spectrum have long acknowledged with variations of a phrase that has become alarmingly common.

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“You are essentially going to attend the school where your ZIP code is,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora said.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said poverty plays a central role.

“It has nothing to do with the quality of education being provided. It has everything to do with poverty,” Elicker said.

Efforts to address the issue have long been debated at the state Capitol.

To varying degrees, Democrats have pushed for increased education funding, progressives often jousting with moderates about size and scale. Republicans tend to emphasize the charter school model. There is bipartisan agreement that the state’s current education aide system needs to be retooled.

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Gov. Ned Lamont acknowledged the challenge, saying the state must continue working toward improvement.

“You’ve got to try every day to do better,” the Democrat said.

The issue is expected to play a major role in Connecticut’s upcoming gubernatorial race, with the three candidates offering their own solutions.


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Watch News 8 on WTNH.com or the free WTNH News 8 streaming app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung Smart TVs.

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