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International Relations

Mercer
News
Schumer, McConnell Call For Release Of WSJ Reporter, NJ Native Charged With Espionage Schumer, McConnell Call For Release Of WSJ Reporter, NJ Native Charged With Espionage
Schumer, McConnell Call For Release Of WSJ Reporter, NJ Native Charged With Espionage Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) can agree on one thing: they want reporter Evan Gershkovich, a Mercer County native, to be released after he was charged with espionage in Russia while reporting for the Wall Street Journal. The duo released a rare joint statement on Friday, April 7, calling for his release. Gershkovich was charged with espionage "in the interests of his country," according to Russian state media. "We strongly condemn the wrongful detention of U.S. citizen and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and de…

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by Sam Barron
Essex NJ
News
13 Chinese Nationals Charged With Multiple Acts Of Espionage By Feds In Washington, NJ, NY 13 Chinese Nationals Charged With Multiple Acts Of Espionage By Feds In Washington, NJ, NY
13 Chinese Nationals Charged With Multiple Acts Of Espionage By Feds In Washington, NJ, NY Thirteen people, including members of China’s security and intelligence services, have been charged with trying to recruit professors and others in the United States to act as agents for their country, federal authorities in New York, New Jersey and Washington, DC announced. Tales of international intrigue include allegations that the defendants plotted to steal documents from a federal prosecutor's office to subvert a criminal investigation into a major Chinese company. Some of them are also charged in a spy-versus-spy encounter involving a $41,000 bribe in Bitcoin paid to an American…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Montgomery MD
News
US Army Major, Doctor Wife In Rockville Accused Of Sharing Military Medical Info With Russia US Army Major, Doctor Wife In Rockville Accused Of Sharing Military Medical Info With Russia
US Army Major, Doctor Wife In Rockville Accused Of Sharing Military Medical Info With Russia A US Army doctor and his anesthesiologist wife from Maryland are facing federal charges for allegedly attempting to assist Russia with its conflict overseas with Ukraine, according to the Department of Justice. Rockville residents Anna Gabrielian, 36, and Jamie Lee Henry, 39, have been charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy for the alleged disclosure of individually identifiable health information (IIHI), authorities announced on Thursday, Sept. 29. Prosecutors noted that Gabrielian is an anesthesiologist working in Maryland, and Henry is a major in the US Army who held Secret-lev…

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by Zak Failla
Ulster Sullivan
Obituaries
SUNY New Paltz Student Dies At Age 20 SUNY New Paltz Student Dies At Age 20
SUNY New Paltz Student Dies At Age 20 A Hudson Valley college student has died at the age of 20. Orange County resident Kailas A. Ferrari, of Cornwall, died at home on Saturday, July 23. The daughter of Paul W. and Tammy A. (Sharp) Ferrari, Kailas was born in Middletown, according to her obituary.  A student at SUNY New Paltz, Ferrari was majoring in international relations with a minor in Asian studies. "Kailas was smart, beautiful, and loving," her obituary said. "Thoughtful, kind and generous; talented, creative and hard-working." She was a natural linguist and writer; a diligent student with a desire to travel and e…

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by Kathy Reakes
Hartford
Politics
Here's Why Lamont Will Be Spending A Week In Israel Here's Why Lamont Will Be Spending A Week In Israel
Here's Why Lamont Will Be Spending A Week In Israel Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont will be traveling overseas to Isreal to lead an economic development mission. The Democratic governor announced this week that he will be part of a convoy heading to Israel, where he intends to promote Connecticut as a promising place for start-up companies and to strengthen relations overseas. 
“Part of growing Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem includes adding diverse businesses from all around the world,” Lamont said in a statement. “This is an opportunity for Connecticut to strengthen its ties with Israel and provide these innovative companies with an option …

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by Zak Failla
Worcester
Politics
Biden Nominates Caroline Kennedy, Figure Skater Michelle Kwan For Ambassador Posts Biden Nominates Caroline Kennedy, Figure Skater Michelle Kwan For Ambassador Posts
Biden Nominates Caroline Kennedy, Figure Skater Michelle Kwan For Ambassador Posts A pair of prominent public figures have been tabbed for ambassadorships by President Joe Biden. The White House announced that Caroline Kennedy, age 64, the last surviving child of former President John F. Kennedy, has been nominated to serve as an ambassador to Australia after previously filling the same role in Japan for former President Barack Obama. “I am always grateful to the courageous Solomon Islanders and Australian coast watchers who rescued my father during World War 2, and if confirmed, I will work hard to repay this debt," Kennedy said in a statement. "I look forward to collabo…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Pleasant
Schools
Russia Bans College In Hudson Valley It Calls 'Undesirable,' Report Says Russia Bans College In Hudson Valley It Calls 'Undesirable,' Report Says
Russia Bans College In Hudson Valley It Calls 'Undesirable,' Report Says Russia has prohibited academic ties with a college in New York, naming it an "undesirable nongovernmental organization." On Friday, Aug. 6, the Albany Times Union reported that activities at Bard College, located in Dutchess County, in Annandale-on-Hudson, were deemed "undesirable" by the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation in June. Russia did not cite a specific reason for the designation, but hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable gifts given to the college by Hungarian-born American billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros were cited by…

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by Nicole Valinote
DV Plus - Fairfield
Politics
Around The Towns: CT Senators Bash Iran Attack, State Transit Hearing, Plan To Merge Colleges Around The Towns: CT Senators Bash Iran Attack, State Transit Hearing, Plan To Merge Colleges
Around The Towns: CT Senators Bash Iran Attack, State Transit Hearing, Plan To Merge Colleges On national television and at a Hartford news conference,  Connecticut’s two U.S. senators expressed concerns about the fallout from killing Iran’s top general, questioning whether President Donald Trump and his administration have a plan to protect Americans from reprisals. Sen. Chris Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said previous Democratic and Republican administrations also had opportunities to kill Gen. Qassem Soleimani but chose not to because his death might make him a martyr and make him more dangerous to the U.S. “My guess is that the assassination o…

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by Jon Craig
South Orange
Police & Fire
Two Teens Identified As Suspects In Middle School Threats Two Teens Identified As Suspects In Middle School Threats
Two Teens Identified As Suspects In Middle School Threats Two teens who met during online gaming have been identified in connection with school threats that caused a massive police response. The Clarkstown Police Detective Bureau identified a 15-year-old teen from the country of Chile as the person who made calls to Felix Festa Middle School in West Nyack on Nov. 21, stating that there was a gunman in the school.  Due to his age and the charges that would stem from this kind of incident, an extradition process cannot be initiated at this time, the department said. A second teen involved in the incident has been identified as a Clarkstown stu…

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by Kathy Reakes
DV Plus - Westchester
Politics
VIDEO: 'We Want Nothing To Do With This Disastrous Policy,' Westchester Congressman Engel Says VIDEO: 'We Want Nothing To Do With This Disastrous Policy,' Westchester Congressman Engel Says
Video: 'We Want Nothing To Do With This Disastrous Policy,' Westchester Congressman Engel Says By an overwhelming 354 to 60 bipartisan vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, Oct. 16 delivered a condemnation of President Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from northern Syria. The resolution, introduced by New York Congressman Eliot Engel, said Trump's "disastrous policy" has thrown the region into bloody chaos and unraveled Middle East diplomacy. "What kind of message does this send to the world.  .  . when we betray one of our close partners -- just throw them out like an old shoe,?' Engel asked during his speech on the House floor. "Congress must s…

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by Jon Craig
Fair Lawn-Glen Rock
Police & Fire
Fair Lawn Native Gets 7½ Years In Russian Pot Bust, Becomes Pawn In Proposed Prisoner Swap Fair Lawn Native Gets 7½ Years In Russian Pot Bust, Becomes Pawn In Proposed Prisoner Swap
Fair Lawn Native Gets 7½ Years In Russian Pot Bust, Becomes Pawn In Proposed Prisoner Swap A 26-year-old Fair Lawn native was sentenced in Russia to 7½ years in prison for having a third of an ounce of pot in her bag, in what has become an international incident involving an alleged hacker held for the United States by authorities in Israel. Naama Issachar, who was born and raised in Fair Lawn before moving to Israel when she was 16, was returning there after a three-month trip to India this past April when police at the Moscow airport grabbed her as she boarded a connecting flight to Tel Aviv. Russian authorities prosecuted her on drug smuggling charges -- rather than simple pos…

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by Jerry DeMarco
DV Plus - Westchester
Politics
U.S. Rep. Engel Seeks Proof Of Trump, Giuliani Efforts To Encourage Ukraine Probe Of Joe Biden U.S. Rep. Engel Seeks Proof Of Trump, Giuliani Efforts To Encourage Ukraine Probe Of Joe Biden
U.S. Rep. Engel Seeks Proof Of Trump, Giuliani Efforts To Encourage Ukraine Probe Of Joe Biden U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel is leading a growing chorus of congressmen calling for an investigation of President Trump's alleged interference in a federal whistleblower case and a 2020 Democratic presidential challenger. Thursday night, President Trump's personal lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani admitted making direct contact with top Ukrainian officials. Giuliani acknowledged he asked them to investigate Biden, an admission that comes as Capitol Hill Democrats investigate whether Trump and Giuliani pressured Ukraine’s government to meddle with the 2020 presidential candidate. …

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by Jon Craig
Pascack Valley
Police & Fire
Proud Tradition Continues: Hillsdale Police Captain Attends Prestigious FBI Academy Proud Tradition Continues: Hillsdale Police Captain Attends Prestigious FBI Academy
Proud Tradition Continues: Hillsdale Police Captain Attends Prestigious FBI Academy Hillsdale Police Capt. Sean Smith felt the wind of tradition at his back as he completed the 275th FBI National Academy Program in Quantico, VA earlier this month. The last officer from his department to attend the prestigious program was Lt. Vincent McCarthy back in 1975. Graduating from the FBI Academy program that same year was Smith’s father, Thomas, who’d been an officer in the 46-year-old captain’s Tenafly hometown. “It was pretty special that I was a second-generation legacy student,” Smith said. “That’s pretty rare.” The younger Smith joined the Hillsdale department in January 199…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Mount Pleasant
Lifestyle
Ivan The Terrible Painting Stolen During World War II Discovered At Area Home Ivan The Terrible Painting Stolen During World War II Discovered At Area Home
Ivan The Terrible Painting Stolen During World War II Discovered At Area Home A 107-year-old painting of Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible that was stolen from an art museum in Ukraine during World War II will be returned to its homeland after it was discovered at an area residence where it had been for decades. Mikhail Panin's painting, called Secret Departure Of Ivan The Terrible Before The Oprichnina, was part of the permanent collection of the museum in Dnipro, U.S. attorney's office prosecutors said, according to Radio Free Europe. An American couple inherited the painting when they bought a home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, in 1961 from a former memb…

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by Joe Lombardi
White Plains
Politics
Engel Drawing Up Trump Foreign Policy Oversight As House Foreign Affairs Committee Engel Drawing Up Trump Foreign Policy Oversight As House Foreign Affairs Committee
Engel Drawing Up Trump Foreign Policy Oversight As House Foreign Affairs Committee Back to the USSR. When it comes to foreign policy -- especially Russia -- New York Congressman Eliot Engel clashes with President Trump. Engel (D - parts of Westchester and the Bronx), who is the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s ranking member,  said Trump is sending the wrong message -- that NATO is divided and unwilling to react-- just when Russian President Vladimir Putin is testing its resolve by seizing three Ukrainian ships. Engel, likely to become committee chairman when the House comes under Democratic control in January, called for a unified and forceful response from the U.…

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by Jon Craig