New Hampshire
I’m outraged by New Hampshire’s treatment of Geno Marconi: Letters
I’m outraged by New Hampshire’s treatment of Geno Marconi
Aug. 9 — To the Editor:
I am outraged with the “paid administrative leave” of the Port Director, Geno Marconi and all the secrecy around it.
I chaired the Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee for ten years. I was appointed by Governor Lynch and reappointed for another 5 year term. I also chaired the Piscataqua Maritime Commission (Sail Portsmouth) for 10 years where we brought Tall Ships to Portsmouth.
I worked with Director Marconi very closely in both capacities and I can say without a shred of doubt that he is “by the book” and an imminently fair and honest man.
As Chair of Sail Portsmouth I worked with Director Marconi to bring Tall Ships to our community, to have a safe and enjoyable event, and to make sure the interests of the State’s Ports and Harbors were safeguarded. It was truly an honor to work with someone that is so protective of our NH citizen’s assets. Remember, these Ports, Harbors and waterways belong to all NH citizens from Colebrook to Seabrook.
As Chair of the Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee, I saw instances where people thought the NH RSA’s and administrative rules did not apply to them, and Director Marconi upheld the NH Laws and the policies of the Port to the letter. It made some people very upset that they could not get the rules bent for them.
While I do not have any factual information as to the nature of the suspension, I suspect that someone that regularly uses the Ports and Harbors assets of the State is not happy that they did not get their way, or the PDA wants something that Director Marconi opposes.
It is sad that in this day and age, someone with the ear of a Governor or powerful politician can intentionally inflict emotional distress and destroy the reputation of someone that is merely trying to follow the rules.
Now with the suspension of his wife from her position as a State Supreme Court Justice, the pressure is turned up. Governor, you have messed with the wrong people. Director Marconi is not one to be pressured to resign. He is a by-the-book man, and you are about to learn that lesson.
So when Director Marconi is reinstated, as Secretary of Labor Ray Donovan under Reagan said “….which office do I go to to get my reputation back?”
Donald Coker
Strafford
My Holocaust survivor father warned us not to be complacent about democracy
Aug. 8 − To the Editor:
Part of what makes this country great is our diversity of opinions and thoughts. However, we should not be each other’s enemies and should have civil discourse among citizens with differing beliefs. I long for the Republican Party of John McCain when he showed his respect for then Senator Obama in that notable Muslim discussion with an ill-informed voter.
Donald Trump however, expresses his dictatorial power goals as he praises world leaders who are dictators. He speaks openly about being a dictator on day one. The Republican Party has become a party of the extreme. I feel that those of us who consider ourselves either “middle of the road” or progressive need to call out extremism for what it is, a danger to our 250-year-old democratic experiment.
My parents were Holocaust survivors who arrived in this country in 1940. My father always reminded me that when he lived in Germany, Jews were well integrated in German society and did not anticipate the threat to their existence. He warned me never to be too complacent with democracy. And here we are, with a Republican candidate for president who is threatening to deport ten million people, including Dreamers.
I have had conversations with friends and seen editorial writers say they will not vote for Kamala Harris, despite their reservations about Trump. These are people who were part of the Republican Party that once believed in compromise, a balanced budget, and educational opportunities for all. I strongly encourage those who are planning on voting for a third party to reconsider and vote for Kamala Harris. The health of our democracy is too important to make any other choice.
Warren Daniel
Durham
Two camps unite to support Harris
Aug. 8 − To the Editor:
You’ve got them, I’ve got them: A friend or family member in the “other” political camp. If you’re a registered Independent, perhaps you’ve got more: People you laugh with, walk dogs with, complain about sports with, but with whom you never talk politics and have rarely seen eye to eye politically.
Until now. Thanks to two high-profile NH GOP leaders, the two camps can agree on a positive future.
A new Presidential campaign, “New Hampshire Republicans for Harris,” welcomes into its tent those who hold conservative values and democracy dear but put truth and country over divisiveness and cultism. Co-chaired by a retired executive director of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and a former Green Beret, the new group understands that the way forward is through electing Kamala Harris.
Check it out.
Robin Mower
Durham
Harris-Walz have seven times more experience than Trump-Vance
Aug. 9 − To the Editor:
Experience matters.
Camala Harris and Tim Walz have 36 years of political experience. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, collectively, have five years.
Harris’ record: vice president (four years), U.S. senator (5 years), California attorney general (six years), and district attorney (four years). Tim Walz has been a governor for five years and was U.S. representative for 12 years before that. And that doesn’t count his many years of public service as a high school teacher and coach.
Trump “served” as president for four years. Vance was a U.S. senator for less than a year.
If for no other reason − and there are LOTS of other reasons – experience and competency should lead all voters to support Harris and Walz Nov. 5.
Cathy Wolff
Kittery, Maine
Small businesses need child care support
Aug. 7 − To the Editor:
As the owner of a small business that provides child care in a variety of settings, I know first hand the struggles that businesses and families go through to find affordable, convenient child care. This crisis, deepened by soaring costs and limited availability, forces parents and caregivers into making sometimes desperate choices: from settling for subpar, unreliable care to cutting back hours or even leaving the workforce.
Through my business, A Place to Grow, we have worked to expand innovative solutions to this challenge, including by offering in-business child care services in addition to dedicated, stand-alone facilities. But I still hear from people across the state, and particularly from small business owners like me, that there is not enough state or federal support to help address the cost of providing child care.
The repercussions are profound, affecting both family financial stability and broader economic productivity. That’s why I’m joining my fellow small business owners nationwide in calling on our elected officials to address this crisis by prioritizing child care initiatives.
Nearly 80 percent of my fellow small business owners recently surveyed by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices said they support policy makers taking action to increase federal funding for programs helping families access affordable child care. Seventy percent voiced support for increasing tax credits to businesses who locate or provide child care for their workers.
I was encouraged by a recent visit from Senator Maggie Hassan to my business, where we discussed the child care challenges facing New Hampshire. Senator Hassan and our federal delegation have been leaders in pushing for federal resources, and we need more to step up alongside them.
It’s time to invest in our children, support working parents and caregivers, and strengthen our economy.
Jennifer Legere
Exeter
Trump spews endless lies and the media sleeps
Aug. 10 − To the Editor:
Trump spews endless lies and the media sleeps. No questions, no pushback about the $10 million from Egypt, let alone the repetitive Big Lie.
No pushback around his claim that his economy, and employment numbers were better than Biden’s, or the lies about migrant crime.
Trump goes on and on, while prominent journalists hammer Karine Jean-Pierre about Biden’s neurological exams.
Where are those prominent journalists and newspapers that brought down Nixon, published the Pentagon papers, exposed Watergate?
Isn’t $10 million from Egypt worth a Watergate exposure, or even just a question?
Malcolm Odell
Exeter
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Man Convicted of Murdering, Dismembering Wife on Anniversary RV Trip
Joseph Ferlazzo testified he had a “memory of cutting into her leg with a knife and being sick over it” after shooting his wife twice in the head … but no recollection of cutting off her feet, arms, legs and head.
A New Hampshire man is facing serious prison time after his conviction for murdering his wife on an anniversary trip to Vermont.
Joseph Ferlazzo was found guilty last Friday of first-degree murder of his wife Emily, who was shot and dismembered back in October 2021.
He claimed he shot her in self-defense while the two were celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary with a trip to visit his family in their van — this after he returned from the trip solo and told her family she left after a fight. Her remains were later discovered in the van.
Facebook/CourtTV
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Van Life Murder Suspect Accused of Shooting, Dismembering Wife Testifies In His Own Defense
The jury, however, didn’t buy his version of events and came back with a guilty verdict.
According to NBC 5, Emily’s mother Adrienne Bass said “the verdict couldn’t be any better,” after the decision came in. “The only thing that could make it better would be to have my daughter back in my arms and alive,” she continued, adding, “For me it was really just relief and feeling like we got the justice that Emily deserves.
Ferlazzo faces 35 years behind bars; his sentencing is set for February.
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Ferlazzo’s Version of Events
Taking the stand in his defense last week, Ferlazzo first claimed Emily had been violent with him numerous times before the trip, including one alleged incident after she saw messages between him and another woman on his phone. He said the pair were in a polyamorous relationship.
“I left my device open for her to see who I was talking to … it led to violence,” he claimed. “Physical abuse started coming into our relationship, where she would go through my phone and then respond by beating on me. She would say, ‘You’re a f–king a–hole. I can’t believe you’re f–king talking to this bitch.’”
The other woman, he said, was a friend of his with whom he was romantic at one point; he, however, claimed the two had stopped being physical, while keeping their friendship.
“It was a barrage. The punches and kicks kept coming and coming. She hit hard, she wasn’t a gentle person. I wouldn’t describe her as gentle,” he testified.
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On the night of Emily’s death, Ferlazzo said the two were arguing quite a bit, with the suspect claiming Emily was “having a fit” and “cussin’ and saying how s–tty I was for not giving her money to go have an Uber and leave the vacation.”
As the night went on, he said she “started cursing” at him for having candles lit in the van, claiming she was yelling at him to “turn the f–king candles off.” He claimed things escalated and she “got up, ran at me and grabbed one of the candles” and started beating him with it.
“Then there was a flurry of punches and kicks that she started punching and kicking me. I had to restrain her, I had to grab her by her arms and hold her arms down,” he continued, claiming she also kicked their dog, which caused him to exclaim, “We’re not your punching bags.”
He stepped outside with the dog, he said, then returned to the van, had more to drink and smoke and got into bed.
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FOX5/Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office
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“I was climbing over her and she shouted, ‘F–k off,’ and she threw an elbow at me and elbowed me in my groin,” he said, claiming he then told her to stop hitting him. “And that’s when it happened,” he said.
“She said, ‘That’s it, you’re dead,’ and she threw her arm under her pillow and she pulls her hand out with the Taurus [gun]. I was feeling horrified. I was terrified,” he testified. “As soon as I saw that, I felt a wave of heat, red hot, and she started pushing her body up … and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, no, no’ … she wasn’t stopping. I was holding my Glock and she started coming up at me and I just fired. She was gonna shoot me.”
“It was two shots and her body dropping,” he recalled. Ferlazzo then put her body into the bathroom and, the next day, went to breakfast with family, took a shower and cleaned up. He told others that Emily left to go with friends … and, at one point, even gave his sister a brand new tattoo.
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Livingston County Sheriff’s Office
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That same day, according to statements he previously made to police during his confession, he used a hand saw to dismember Emily’s body — and allegedly cut off her feet, legs, arms and head, so he could bury her remains in the woods. Bags containing her remains were discovered in the van by police. Ferlazzo also told police that he stabbed her dead body numerous times; Emily had stab wounds on her torso and back.
On the stand, however, he said he didn’t recall talking to police and had “no memory” of dismembering Emily. He claimed he was “revolted” watching back video of his confession.
Ferlazzo also testified he had a “memory of cutting into her leg with a knife and being sick over it,” before prosecutors pointed out that he told police he used a saw. Again, he said he had no memory.
The suspect was the only witness called by the defense, while prosecutors argued the murder was premeditated.
View Story
KOAT/ABC
Teen Drunkenly Calls 911 to Confess to Quadruple Homicide of Parents and Siblings: Police
New Hampshire
Reinstalled Satanic Temple ‘Holiday Display’ Damaged Again At Concord’s City Plaza
CONCORD, NH — The newly reinstalled so-called “holiday display,” “occult deity,” “demonic presence,” or “demon goat god Baphomet” at Concord’s City Plaza by the Satanic Temple on Monday has been damaged again.
Only this time, a suspect was quickly caught.
For the last 10 days, Brian Blackden, the organizer of the Christmas Tree Lighting event downtown, has been spending his evenings guarding the Nativity scene at Concord’s City Plaza, after several threats of vandalism online. He hangs out in his truck on North Main Street, has video cameras recording, and sometimes walks the grounds.
During this time, he has had several encounters with men, mainly during the early morning hours, scoping the plaza. Some of the vehicles have out-of-state plates. But they see Blackden, and then, they leave the area.
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Blackden, on Tuesday night, however, was in the right place at the right time.
Around 8 p.m., a man, who appeared to be disheveled or homeless, walked over to the Satanic Temple display, stood there for a short period, and then began to destroy the display. Blackden called the police, and the suspect was stopped about a block away. The suspect was questioned and then arrested.
On Monday, Blackden said after seeing the threats online, he decided to commit to protecting the Nativity scene.
The potential vandals, he said, “are ratcheting up the presence … I think they are just trying to gaslight me as they have not tried anything.” Blackden added, “But I am allowing them no time to do anything also.”
Last week, someone left a sign on the creche stating, “Do Not Go After Evil, That Path Leads To Destruction.”
Vandalism against spiritual displays during the holidays tends to be rare in Concord.
In December 2007, the Baby Jesus was stolen from a Nativity display outside St. Peter’s Church. Other figures in the display were not taken or damaged.
At some point, the Knights of Columbus installed mesh covering the current Nativity scene to keep the figurines, which are quite expensive, from being stolen or damaged.
Concord NH Patch will update this post when more information becomes available.
Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella’s YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.
New Hampshire
NJ man falls 60 feet while ice climbing in New Hampshire
HART’S LOCATION, N.H. – A New Jersey man climbing ice in central New Hampshire over the weekend had to be rescued after he fell 60 feet, according to authorities.
Officials at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division said that 55-year-old Slavik Zaglewski was climbing in Shoestring Gully near Hart’s Location on Saturday night with his friend when Slavik fell on a steep section towards the top of the hike.
According to authorities, Slavik’s friend was able to treat his injuries and dress him in warm clothes. The friend was then forced to continue the climb alone to the top of the ridge where he placed a 911 call. A total of 28 volunteers from several search and rescue groups responded.
A small Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) team made their way down the frozen gully to reach the injured climber, according to authorities. Rescue teams stabilized Slavik and treated him for hypothermia. Slavik had to be hoisted 400 feet to level ground and carried nearly 2 miles down a trail that required pulleys to navigate the steep terrain.
Officials said that the team was able to reach an ambulance by 5 a.m. Sunday. Slavik was taken to a hospital for treatment.
According to the National Weather Service, hypothermia can occur in temperatures as warm as 60 degrees, especially in water or if you’re improperly dressed for conditions.
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