Jaws news report 4

In a press release from Amity Chief of Police Martin Brody, the shark that has caused the deaths of Christine Watson and Alex Kintner has been caught and killed.

The shark was caught by fishermen Mike Swenson from Medford, Ma.  It was One mile south-southwest of Amity.  Swenson will be receiving the reward of $3,000.

Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from the Oceanographic Institute, Identified the shark as a nurse shark.  Weighing 875 pounds and 11 feet long, nurse sharks, the email stated that nurse sharks are one of the most brutal and violent of all sharks.

Brody stated in the press release that residents of Amity can now rest easy and that all of the beaches will be opened to the public.

“Of course all the beaches throughout our beautiful island will reopen immediately just in time for the flood of visitors just in time for the Fourth of July weekend,” Brody stated in the email. 

Despite the re-opening of the beaches and ensured safety of the residents, the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, and the FBI will be monitoring the island.

“Islanders and guest alike should not be alarmed by the presence of shark spotters…They are simply a safety precaution that we hope will put our visitors at ease,” Brody said in the email.

Islanders and visitors of Amity swarmed the beaches, but it took some time for everyone to actually feel comfortable enough to go in the water.  Once everyone finally went in, the day resumed like a normal Fourth of July day.

There was a slight panic when Wayne Winston and Brad Caplan, two 12 year old Amity natives, posed as a shark swimming in the water among the beach goers.  They have been brought back to their parents.  No one was injured during the panic, and the day resumed like normal.

Jaws news report 3

After a meeting held by the Mayor, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectman, it was decided that Ben Quint, a local fisherman, would hunt down the shark that is believed to be the cause of two tragic deaths.

 Christine Watson and Alex Kintner both died yesterday in what was believed to be a shark attack by the same shark.  The meeting was held to discuss the matter further.

Mrs. Kintner, Alex’s mother, set up a $3,000 reward for anyone who could kill the shark.

The first question to be addressed was whether or not the beaches would remain open.  Chief Brody stated that they would be closed, which caused unrest with everyone attending the meeting.

After much debate and argument over the $3,000 bounty, set up by Alex’s mother, and how long the beaches would remain closed for, Quint interrupted the clamor by scratching the chalk board in the room with his finger nails.

Quint, who is well known among residents of Amity, demanded $10,000 for the shark to be killed. 

“I’ll catch this bird for you, but it’s not going to be easy,” Quint said.  “We got to do this quick…for $10,000 I’ll get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing.”

The mayor stated over phone that Mrs. Kintner would provide the $3,000, and the town of Amity would provide the remaining $7,000.

Shark attack Side bar

While Amity may be faced with a series of shark attacks, that doesn’t make all of the waters surrounding New England dangerous.

According to the Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History website, there have been 138 unprovoked fatal shark attacks around the world since 1580.  Of those 138 victims, only 43 have been from the United States.

In New England there has only been one fatal shark attack; it was in Massachusetts in 1936. 

Even the number of non-fatal shark attacks is low.  There have only been five non-fatal attacks in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut combined.  Vermont and New Hampshire have not seen any shark attacks.

There are a total of 54 known species of sharks.  Of those 54 species, the number of non-fatal attacks is higher than the number of fatal attacks.  In fact, many of the shark species have not even had a recorded fatal or non-fatal attack.

Based on the statistics, anyone going to the beaches of New England can rest easy.  Shark attacks do happen in the United State and New England, but they are very rare.

Jaws news report 2

What was originally a perfect and sunny summer day at Village Beach turned into a nightmare when 10 year-old Alex B. Kintner was killed in what appeared to be a vicious and unprovoked shark attack.

His mother, Marion Kintner, is being treated for shock at the Amity General Hospital.  There were no other reported injuries.

Alex had been in the water on a yellow rubber raft at around 2 p.m. when the attack took place.  Shortly after everyone fled from the water his raft washed up on shore with what appeared to large bite marks.  His body has yet to be recovered.

This is the second death to happen today.  Earlier this morning, 17 year-old Christine W. Watson was found dead at a remote part of South Beach. 

According to Dr. Robert Nevin, Amity’s medical examiner, Watson’s wounds resembled that of a motor boating accident.  However there were numerous rumors and speculations that Watson also died of a shark attack.

“We now believe that it may be possible that the Watson death could also maybe have been linked to possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity,” Amity’s chief of Police Martin Brody said in a press release.  “That investigation is still ongoing.”

A meeting will be held tonight by the Mayor, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen at 6 p.m. to discuss this matter further.

Jaws news report 1

Seventeen year-old Christine W. Watson was found dead this morning at South Beach of Amity Village shortly after 6 a.m.  Watson was last seen alive by college sophomore Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III at around 11 p.m.  Both teenagers had been drinking heavily and may have been under the influence of marijuana.

According to Hoggenbottam, Watson had decided to go swimming at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy.  The police were notified about Watson’s disappearance around 6 a.m. by Hoggenbottam, who never saw Watson return from the water. 

Watson’s body was found mangled and washed up on the beach after a brief search and was immediately sent to the coroner’s office for an autopsy.

“The body was severely mangled, and the wounds are consistent with a motor boat accident,” Dr. Robert Nevin, medical examiner of Amity Village, said.  “It was a calm clear night, and often fishermen are out fishing.”

There have been no leads on who exactly killed Watson, however there has been some speculation that her death was caused by a shark attack.  Despite this risk the residents of Amity village have been assured of their safety.

“Though a shark attack has not been completely ruled out, we want to assure all residents and visitors on our fine island that they are in no danger,” Martin Brody, Amity’s chief of police, said in a press release.  “Our lovely beaches will remain open for swimming pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Watson was a member of the varsity swim team at Amity High School and a lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA pool in Oak Bluffs.  No charges have been filed in the case and the investigation in ongoing.

Letter to galomagazine.com

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to inquire about the opening for the technology section of galomagazine.com.  Ever since I was a child I have had an interest and passion for pop-culture, technology, and writing, and I believe I would be a wonderful addition to the galomagazine.com team.

           

Before I even began my journalism career at the University of New Hampshire, I would always research about new advancements in technology and look into the new must-have gadgets for the year.  Anything I didn’t know about the technology world I always wanted to find out.

I believe that that is my biggest strength; if there is something I do not know, I will do everything in my ability to find out what it is.  In the journalism field, reporting about the whole subject at hand, not just part of it, is absolutely essential.

  Once I decided that I wanted to be a journalist, I made my own blog that covered games and technology.  Shortly after, I made my own Twitter account that accompanied the blog.  I follow many popular newspapers and online magazines for both interest and so I can learn from them how to improve my writing and reporting.

While I enjoyed blogging and tweeting, I didn’t make my accounts just for entertainment; I made them to make myself known in the journalism world.  The journalism industry is constantly evolving.  In today’s world, the only way to make a name for oneself is to make readers aware of ones presence on the Internet.

            Along side my blog, I have had some of my works published in both academic textbooks and the UNH newspaper.  In my freshman year in college, my persuasive paper about repealing a controversial military law was published in Transitions, a college textbook containing student’s writings for English 401.  To date, I have had three stories published in UNH’s newspaper, The New Hampshire.

            Please find enclosed my resume and application.  You can reach my phone (978-846-3238) or by email (jdkscore@comcast.net).  Thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting with you.  Sincerely,

Joel Kost

             

New York Times: Thursday, November 17, 2011

The lead for story about US marines going to Australia was amazing.  It was short, but full of information.     The read knew exactly what he or she was going to read about in just one sentence.  The closer, however, was no  so successful.  It seemed to trail off into a different topic, talking more about Afghanistan more than the problems with China.

I can't believe that someone would actually try and shoot the white house.  I heard about the story before I read it in the paper, but every time it comes up it is even more shocking.  People have the right to protest, but violence against the white house is just asking to spend the rest of your life in jail.