A Butler teacher imprisoned in Russia gets new support from Congress
Plus, John Fetterman wants to overhaul a $5 billion road safety program, and Summer Lee cheers a minimum wage hike
WASHINGTON — Marc Fogel, the high school teacher from Butler sitting in a Russian prison on drug charges, recently picked up bipartisan support from Congress.
Mr. Fogel was mentioned in the same House-passed resolution calling for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was jailed and accused of spying. The measure passed, 422–0, on June 13. Reschenthaler, U. S. Rep. Guy R-Peters, a co-sponsor of the resolution, met with Mr. Fogel’s family last month. He has called on the White House to designate Mr. Fogel as “wrongfully detained,” which would raise his profile and make his release a priority.
Rep, Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, also called for Mr. Fogel to be labeled wrongfully detained. “Inexplicably, the U.S. State Department has not yet designated Mr. Fogel’s case as a wrongful detention, despite his situation meeting the criteria,” he said.
And U.S. Rep. Mark Kelly, R-Butler, said in a statement that he made a promise to the Fogel family to “always continue to advocate for Marc’s safe and quick return to the United States.”
Mr. Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and is serving 14 years in prison for possession of medical marijuana used to treat a back injury. He has lived in Russia for 10 years teaching history at a school attended by the children of U.S. diplomats.
The resolution says Mr. Fogel “faces a politicized, excessive sentence for his alleged offense.”
Also mentioned in the resolution is Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen jailed in Russia on charges of spying, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician who opposed the Ukraine war.
Professional basketball player Brittney Griner also had been jailed by Russia on drug charges, but was released in December through a prisoner swap.
Fetterman proposes overhaul to $5 billion road safety program
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman says the federal government should free up more funding to improve dangerous roads, with pedestrian fatalities at 40-year highs and more than 1,400 killed in Pennsylvania between 2012 and 2020.
Mr. Fetterman, D-Pa., introduced a bill Thursday aimed at boosting the $5 billion Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill that supports redesigning roads to make them safer.
Mr. Fetterman’s bill would halve the amount required to go toward planning-focused grants — to 20% from 40% — making more cash available for actual construction. The senator says many communities already have plans in place and just need federal money to begin construction. He cited the collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia earlier this month in introducing the legislation, as traffic was diverted onto other highways and city streets.
“The recent disaster on I95 and the subsequent detour to the already dangerous Roosevelt Boulevard was a stark reminder of the perilous roads that run through our towns,” Mr. Fetterman said in a statement. “Safe streets are a life and death issue. Though these deaths rarely make headlines, the hundreds of Pennsylvanian lives we lose due to unsafe streets is unacceptable — and it doesn’t have to be this way. My bill will help us fix this chronic issue.”
The first round of the grant program was awarded-earlier this year, covering 473 action plans and only 37 implementation projects, Mr. Fetterman’s office said. Pennsylvania received two of the implementation grants, in Lancaster and Philadelphia.
Summer Lee cheers Allegheny County’s minimum wage hike
Rep. Summer Lee, DSwissvale, welcomed Allegheny County Council’s vote that will lead to a $20 minimum wage for county workers by 2026. Lawmakers overrode County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto of the measure in a 10-5 vote last week.
“This win belongs to our workers & every person in our county who they serve!’ she tweeted. “This would not have been possible without the organizers and activists who kept the pressure on and are fighting harder than ever for livable wages for all.”