In a speech that appeared to be equal parts pep rally for New Hampshire Democrats and an opportunity to raise his own profile on the national stage, Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro Saturday warned that “the extremists in the Republican party are trying to divide us.”

“Today the biggest threat to our democracy comes from within,” Shapiro said in the keynote speech before the New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention. He said “dangerous extremists” are working to undermine democracy and our elections.

“They’ve been egged on by a man who views the platform of public service not as a sacred trust, but as a bully pulpit to foment hate,” Shapiro said.

New Hampshire is one of two states won by Joe Biden in 2020 that are led by Republican governors, and Democrats have high hopes of winning the governors office in 2024. Incumbent Gov. Chris Sununu has opted not to seek reelection, and two candidates are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Shapiro, a rising star in the Democratic Party, is touted as a potential future presidential candidate.

Shapiro told an anecdote about bringing his daughter to New Hampshire to attend a presidential candidates’ debate in 2016, and introduced his wife, Lori Shapiro. And he talked about his faith and how that influences his view of public service.

“It’s up to each of us to get involved, do what we can, to protect our freedom,” he said, noting the New Hampshire motto on license plates if “Live Free or Die.”

“Just because you put it on a license plate doesn’t mean it’s automatically guaranteed. You have to work for it,” he said.

A theme of “getting stuff done” ran through his remarks as he touted his accomplishments, including the order he signed on his first day in office that most state jobs would no longer require a college degree, increased education funding, universal free breakfasts, and rebuilding a section of Interstate 95 in 12 days after it collapsed.

“We showed that we can do big things again in America,” he said.

He talked of his support for abortion rights, economic development efforts, and his recent announcement that Pennsylvania would institute automatic voter registration whenever someone gets or renews a driver’s license.

And he referred to President Biden partnership with the state to rebuild I-95 and on other initiatives. Biden has showed, Shapiro said, that “we can get things done for the good people of this country.”

And he dwelled on the 2024 New Hampshire governor’s race, saying Democrats are poised to elect a woman — Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Council member Cindy Warmington are the Democratic candidates.

Running on the Republican ballot are former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte and former New Hampshire Senate president Chuck Morse.

“The Democratic Governors Association has already invested in New Hampshire, and we will be there for whoever you choose as your nominee,” Shapiro said.

A New Jersey man who survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria in 1956 donated his life jacket to a museum there. 

Vernon resident Alfonso Caliendo, 83, gave the orange jacket that saved his life 67 years ago to the New Jersey Maritime Museum on Long Beach Island.

The doomed ship left Genoa, Italy en route to New York City when it collided with the passenger liner Stockholm on the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, which claimed the lives of 46 aboard and 5 others on the Stockholm.

After the collision, Caliendo, then 16, put on his life jacket and jumped into the water after seeing lights from a rescue boat.

“Everything was so black, I remember. Then, all of a sudden, boom, the life jacket pulled me up really fast, so I went up, and I started to swim,” he told NJ Advance Media.

On Thursday, he put on the life jacket for the first time since the shipwreck.

It is inscribed with the Italian words “Italia Societa di Navigazione,” the name of the passenger ship line that owned the Andrea Doria.

The professional painter also donated letters, including one from a law firm on his claim for damages, offering $200 for lost clothing and other belongings.

Another was from the Swedish American Line, the operator of the Stockholm.

“The Swedish American Line wishes to express to you its regret regarding any hardship, inconvenience or loss which you may have suffered following the tragic collision between the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm,” it read.

A native of Naples, Italy, Caliendo was traveling to rejoin his parents, three sisters and four brothers, who immigrated to New York City three months prior.

He stayed behind because he had pink eye and couldn’t board the ship his family took to America.

After the tragedy, he joined them in Brooklyn, where he lived until 1962.

CNN
 — 

The family of an 8-year-old girl who was shot and killed by police gunfire near a Pennsylvania high school football game in 2021 has settled its lawsuit against a Philadelphia suburb, its police chief, and the three officers involved for $11 million.

Fanta Bility was shot and killed when police opened fire on a car in Pennsylvania’s Sharon Hill Borough, CNN previously reported. Police started shooting after a verbal fight between teens escalated to a gunfight, according to officials. Three others were also injured in the shooting, including Fanta’s 12-year-old sister who was inside the car.

Three former police officers – Brian Devaney, Sean Dolan, and Devon Smith – were fired and later sentenced to probation in connection to Fanta’s death in May. They pleaded guilty to charges of reckless endangerment. The three men were initially charged with manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.

“There is no amount of money that will ever bring Fanta back or erase the memory of the horrible tragedy that occurred on August 27, 2021, from our minds,” said Siddiq Kamara, a spokesperson for the Bility family, in a statement. “However, with the criminal and civil cases now resolved, we hope to move on and focus specifically on the Fanta Bility Foundation and keeping Fanta’s legacy alive.”

The family established the foundation on what would have been Fanta’s 10th birthday to “ensure she is never forgotten,” advocate for police training, and help support families and children around the country, according to the nonprofit’s website.

Investigators were unable to determine which officer fired the fatal bullet, according to the Delaware County District Attorney’s office.

As a part of the settlement, Sharon Hill Borough has agreed to provide more extensive training to its officers, especially with regard to the use of deadly force, according to a statement from the family’s attorneys.

“Though this chapter has come to an end, our hearts and the spirit of the Sharon Hill community will be forever changed,” a statement from the Borough of Sharon Hill reads. “Although we cannot undo the tragic events of that day, we hope that the resolution of the lawsuit might provide those impacted a small measure of closure.”

Robert DiDomenicis, the attorney representing Sharon Hill, the three officers involved, and the police chief, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.