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BREAKING: Shark still at large as it claims third victim, James Parks, 30. Body has not been found. Beaches are closed indefinitely.  

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Big scare at the beach with two kids pretending to be a shark, sending panic to the masses. Everyone out of the water right now. 

Shark caught, or still at large?

                Local Amity officials have declared that the hunt for the killer shark, responsible for two deaths on the island in the last 24 hours, is over. Local fisherman caught the beast earlier in the day, one mile southwest of Amity. The men will be rewarded $3,000 for their efforts.

                “After the shark was brought ashore it was inspected by Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from the Woods Hole, Mass., Oceanographic Institute, and one of the world’s foremost experts on sharks, as a nurse shark,” Chief Brody said.                

                While Hooper did declare the shark as a nurse shark, sources say Hooper is not convinced that the nurse shark was the shark that attacked the victims. One inside source overheard a heated conversation between Hooper, Brody, and the Mayor of Amity over whether or not to cut open the shark for proof of it being the attacker.

                “I’m not going to open that thing up and spill the guts of that kid right here on this dock,” the Mayor said.

                Last night, a town meeting was held to discuss the recent shark incidents. The townspeople were decidedly split in their opinions on what to do in light of the recent attacks.

                “I don’t feel safe out there,” one townsperson said.

                Amity Police Chief Martin Brody reassured the people that everything would be done to keep the people of Amity safe. Extra summer deputies and shark spotters will be deployed in the coming days on all beaches around Amity. The beaches were also declared to be closed for the next 24 hours.

                “24 hours, that’s like 3 days,” an upset townsperson said.

                It was also announced last night that the family of Alex Kintner were giving a $3,000 award to whoever caught and killed the shark. Several townspeople, including Ben Quint, a local fisherman, were eager to get a shot at the shark.

                But all of the angst over the closing of the beaches and the eagerness of catching the shark have now subsided. Chief Brody has declared that the beach will reopen in time for the July 4^th weekends, though there still will be extra deputies and shark spotters for safety precautions.

                While there is concern that the real shark may still be out there, Amity officials are taking an optimistic view.

                “While law enforcement officials urge vigilance on the part of all citizens, we believe we can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed,” Chief Brody said. “Amity’s darkest days are behind us.”

                

Is New Hampshire water safe?

With the recent shark attacks in Amity, Massachusetts, residents of New Hampshire are cautious to go to their own beaches. With two deaths, many families are boycotting the beaches.

           “I refuse to go and take my family,” Carol Singer, a local resident, said. “Those people were torn up. It’s the same waters.”

The 18 mile seacoast of New Hampshire has never actually experienced a shark attack, according to the International Shark Attack File. Until these recent attacks at Amity, the last known Shark Attack in the Massachusetts area was in the 1930s.

Regardless, sharks were spotted in the New Hampshire area as recently as July. Rye Beach had to close down for a few days after a man on a raft spotted a shark and safely paddled away. Soon after, other sightings were reported in the area.

According to experts, the sharks most likely seen were most likely Blue Sharks, which are mostly harmless, smaller sized sharks generally seen in the area every year. These sharks are also fish eaters, and will not disturb humans.

“The New Hampshire area really sees few sharks, and when they do see them they’re generally Blue Sharks,” Tony Lacasse, a media relations director for the Boston Aquarium, said. “Blue Sharks are known to be only fish eaters. Nevertheless, if they are seen, the right course of action is to close the beach down. Better safe than sorry.”

There were no reports of citizen unrest due to Rye beach being closed back in July. While there were a few more sightings after the Rye, there have been none since the summer months. No one from New Hampshire was hurt by these shark sightings.

Chrissie Story

                A casual swim in a remote section of South Beach turned deadly for Chrissie Watson, a 17 year native of Amity Village. The Amity High School senior’s body was found severely mauled this morning by Police Deputy Jay Hendricks.

                “We have no suspects whatsoever,” Poice Chief Martin Brody said. “We’re not looking at any suspects at this point.”

                According to witnesses, Watson had been at a beach party last night and was last seen alive with Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III at 11 p.m.

“I saw Watson leave the party,” Erika Dupervile, a witness at the party, said. “She ran out and Hoggenbottam followed her.”

Witnesses claim Hoggenbottam and Watson had been consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana at the party. Hoggenbottam, a sophomore at Trinity College, claims that Watson had gone swimming by herself.

                At 6 a.m., Hoggenbottam contacted the police, reporting that Watson had not returned from the water. The body was found shortly after, washed up on the beach.

                 While the body has yet to be examined by the coroner’s office, the state of the body suggests a possible shark attack.

                “There’ hasn’t been a shark attack here in years and years, if there’s ever even been one,” Chief Brody said. “There’s no evidence whatsoever that this is a shark attack. It can’t be completely ruled out, but there’s no particular reason to think it’s a shark attack.”

                Drowning has not been ruled out either. Watson was on the Amity High varsity swim team and a lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs. 

Alex Story

                Alex Kintner, a 10 year old resident of Mayfair Court in Amity, met his tragic end hours ago after being brutally murdered by what appears to be a shark off the shore of Village Beach in front of friends and family.

                Amity Police Chief Martin Brody and other residents of Amity were relaxing on the beach when a group of children in the water were disturbed. The children, screaming, started to run out of the water. People on the beach, concerned, ran to the edge of the water to see what was going on.

 When everyone ran out of the water, Alex did not. A pool of blood and Alex’s yellow rubber raft, at this point torn up, washed up onto the shore. Alex’s body has yet to be found. Witnesses on the beach say some type of animal or object was seen in the vicinity of the children.

                Marion Kintner, the mother of Alex, was checked into Amity General Hospital, where she is being treated for shock. Alex is the only known victim at this time, but witnesses say a man on the beach was looking for his dog Pippett shortly after the incident.

                This is the second murder to occur in Amity today. Earlier this morning, 17 year old Chrissie Watson’s body was found on South Beach torn up. While that investigation is still on-going, it is now believed by Amity Police, in light of this new incident, that Watson’s murder may also be shark related.

                All residents are urged to attend a special meeting tonight at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall. Police Chief Brody will be there along with Mayor Larry Vaughn and the Amity Board of Selectmen.  The meeting will include discussions on today’s incident and Chief Brody’s plan to close the beaches on July 4.  

                 

The French Connection

A quiet, pleasant day in New York quickly turned into chaos after a failed assassination attempt turned into a chase throughout the city, culminating in four civilian deaths. 

38 year old Pierre Jeantot, from Nice, France was allegedly hired to kill Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. Doyle had been investigating a massive conspiracy of heroin trafficking from France to New York. 

It all began on 57th avenue, where Doyle was first seen walking down the street. According to Annie Seekins, a resident on 57th avenue, Doyle turned the corner when he was shot at. 

“As soon as he turned that corner, BAM,” Seekins said. “Next thing I see is a lady fall down and the guy [Doyle] just dive for the tree.”

Betty B. Badluck was the first victim. Badluck had been walking her granddaughter on the street when she was gunned down. 

Seekins recalled how Doyle crouched behind a tree right off the street as two more shots were fired at him, telling people to back away. 

“Two more shots were fired out, I remember that,” Seekins said. “Doyle was behind the tree. I think people were going to the body, and Doyle screamed something at the people. After that he started to scale the wall, talked to some kids in a window. I couldn’t make out what he said to them. After that, he ran into the building. I didn’t stick around to see if he came out.”

Doyle did enter the building that Jeantot had fired from, but Jeantot had already fled. Doyle then spotted Jeantot and chased him on foot. Jeantot made his way onto a train, one that Doyle did not make. That’s when Doyle commandeered a car from Nick Hodgkiss, 21. 

“Guy came out of nowhere, took my car, and drove away,” Hodgkiss said. “All he said was ‘police’, and that was it. He seemed to be in a hurry, like he was chasing someone.”

Meanwhile, Jeantot got onto the train and started to immediately move towards the conductors cart. Peter Quitadamo, 52, sat in one of the front car and recalled Jeantot being chased by Roland Evans, a 15-year veteran of the New York City Poilce Department. 

“The officer [Evans] just confronted the guy [Jenatot], telling him to stop,” Quitadamo said. “Then he just shot the officer right in the chest.”

After disposing of the officer, Quitadamo saw Jeantot go to the conductors train and attempt to commandeer the controls. Peter Howe, 27, was the conductor and suffered a fatal heart attack due to the events. 

At this point, another conductor, Horatio C. Hornblower, 30, attempted to go up to the train. Hornblower, however, was also killed by Jeantot. 

“Two shot, another guy having a heart attack, it was crazy man,” Quitadamo said. “And then the train crashed!” 

The train then rear ended another train at 15th St. Station elevated railway station. It was at this point Jeantot stumbled out of the train. Right below 15th was officer Doyle, who had taken Hodgkiss’s car and followed the train the entire time. 

Jenn Consaga, 23, recalled the final confrontation between the two men. 

“It was like it was something out of a movie,” Consaga said. “Jeantot just stumbled out of the train, and was right at the top of the stairs. There was Doyle, getting out of the car, all bruised and beat up. Doyle, who was shaken up, yelled ‘stop’, as he leaned onto the stair railing. That’s when Jeantot turned around, and Doyle shot him.”

"It is always unfortunate when these incidents end in a loss of life," reported the police. "We would have preferred to see Jeantot prosecuted in the courts, and we believe Doyle was close to a breakthrough on the case."

The NYPD, while sad to see innocent lives lost, stands behind officer Doyle for his bravery and quick thinking throughout the incident. Because of the loss of lives, the NYPD will not stop until the drug smuggling operation is found and destroyed. 

“We will not sit still while drug dealers walk our streets.” 

My Last Post

Seeing as this is my last post, I wanted to take the time to reflect on this semester. This semester has felt very short to me, time seems to be moving by faster everyday. A lot of personal things happened to me, mainly my grandfather passing. While I wouldn’t describe myself as close to him, I did see him every Sunday for the last two years. While they were not the greatest of experiences as it was hard to see someone deteriorate, I cherish the time as I got to bond with my Dad. While my Dad and I have always been close, I think these trips further bolstered our relationship.

I have truly enjoyed this journalism class. It felt way too short. I feel I have only begun to scratch the surface of journalism. I learn new things about my writing everyday, and I hope I can improve enough to one day be a journalist of some sort. I know I have a long way to go, and a lot more hard work ahead of me, but I am truly committed as I always have been.

In closing, I can’t believe I only have three semesters of college left. My experience in this class and at UNH has been nothing but positive and I feel truly blessed to have and continue to have this experience. It is a true pleasure.

Magic/Bird Documentary

Over Thanksgiving, I watched a two hour documentary about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two famous basketball players, and their infamous rivalry during the 80s and early 90s. It was a fascinating documentary about these two individuals and their relationship, and it was a very well done documentary with great interviews and great perspectives. It reminded me why I want to be a sports journalist.

One thing I noticed throughout the documentary was the involvement of some prominent journalists such as Jackie MacMullen. It occurred to me that as a journalist you yourself can become famous covering such news-worthy stories that can go on for years, and that happened to Jackie. She was prominently featured throughout the documentary as she was a Boston beat writer that truly covered almost the entirety of Bird’s career as a Celtic.

It was fascinating to see because she became part of the story. Is that right? Should a journalist ever become part of the very story they cover? I think it’s impossible to not to. Journalists are people too. We have feelings and emotions and thoughts on everything, just like everybody else. Of course we try to remain ‘unbias’ but everything and everyone has some type of bias.

Is sports worthy?

I don’t think it’s a big secret that I thoroughly enjoy sports. I know I want to work in sports in some way, whether that be as a journalist or with a team directly.  My moral dilemma, however, is the worthiness of my pursuit. I have always wanted to do something that will help other people that will make a difference. Yet sports are a simple form of entertainment. I’m not saving lives or making a difference or inspiring anyone. I’m getting people to pay large amounts of money to watch a game and to forget about their everyday lives and responsibilities.

Is this pursuit worthy? Is it right? I’ve struggled to find a definitive answer. I always think that maybe I should be a journalist in a different field, like politics or something. But I know that’s what I’m not truly invested in, that I wouldn’t be happy. I also think, why is a writer in politics better than a writer in sports? Couldn’t they both truly inspire others?

That’s when I remember. Inspiration doesn’t just come from ‘worthy’ fields. There are truly inspiring stories in sports all the time. Many athletes and teams are role models to kids, kids who want to be good because of them (most of the time). That’s when I remember that maybe there is hope for what I want to do.

Streamlined

Sometimes, I think facebook is taking over the world. It seems that facebook is all some of my friends and family visit anymore. They get their news from facebook via the news link their friends are viewing. They play games on facebook. They interact with people on facebook. It’s almost as if that is all they need anymore, like other websites are useless compare to the mighty facebook.

I think this is scary. When I think about it, I think media is converging not diverging. When you look at who owns what, the numbers are getting smaller, not bigger. Take Disney for example. They recently bought Lucasfilm. That’s another film company that Disney owns which means a more streamlined product. Sure, Lucasfilm’s name will still be used, but it must go through the Disney standard, their process.

I fear that is what is happening to our news. It’s all more streamlined, more controlled by fewer and fewer people. Editors decide what is front-story news and not. If we write something against a company that happens to own our publication, will it get published? Will we still have jobs? We’re supposed to be the ultimate watch-dog, but it feels like we actually have a muzzle. That we can’t really say what we want. That everything is more streamlined, and people don’t even realize it. They just see it was easier.

Beats

In thinking about beats, I started to think about how deep beats can go. Of course we have our most known beats such as politics, local, and sports. But those broader beats break down, and then it can break down either further. Politics can break down into national, state level, then districts, and towns, and specific seats. Sports breaks down into the specific sports, then the conferences, divisions, teams, offense or defense, specific players, and so on. To me, it seems like our beats can get as specific as we want to. But what stops us from making them go on forever?

I think the big part is clearly common sense. We know how specific to get, but we know what’s logical and what isn’t. I think a big part is, however, what one person can cover and to what degree. I’m a detail guy and if I was running some type of publication, I would want my people to be able to cover one beat without any type of assistance. If they needed another person other than an editor to adequately cover something, then I would split that beat up into smaller beats. I think that would make the most sense.