Peaceful waters became a war zone today as a third victim lost his life to a brutal shark attack. At about 1:30 p.m. today James Parks, 30 of Oak Bluffs was knocked out of his rowboat and apparently eaten by a killer shark. His remains have not been retrieved. The beaches have been closed by officials until further notice.

Fear at Bay on Amity Beach for the Fourth of July

Following two separate fatal attacks on the Village Beach a nurse shark has been found and destroyed.
This animal has been suspected to be responsible in the killings of 16-year-old Wendy Watson of Sharkstooth Beach and of 10-year-old Alex Ferguson of Mayfair Court in Amity. The beach has just reopened after a 24 hour closing period due to worries about a possible predator.
Today the sun is shining; there is an energetic aura in the air. Fourth of July goers are enjoying Amity’s lovely beaches. Music filled the air and the hustle and bustle of the Fourth of July was apparent throughout the people. In the morning the joyous crowds covering the beaches did appear to be apprehensive about diving right in the waves, but by afternoon the water was full of playful kids, rafts and adults doing the backstroke.
Armed shark spotters have taken up patrolling the waters off the beach which seems to be reassuring for swimmers. The anonymous fisherman that caught the 16-foot creature will be receiving a $3,000 reward for their heroic efforts. Matt Hooper, from the Woods Hold Oceanographic Institute has indentified the beast as a nurse shark. Hooper is a marine biologist. The nurse shark was caught a mile south-southwest of Amity.
A moment of panicked mayhem took place when two young boys played a prank on the swimmers and beachgoers this afternoon. Snorkeling underwater and using a fake shark fin, they portrayed a shark gliding around swimmers. Once a frantic state took over the swimmers and they were safely out of the water, the young boys revealed themselves.
Officials are asking that any possible shark sighting be reported immediately to the police or the Coast Guard. It is assured that any danger of another shark attack has passed and that people should enjoy a care and worry free Fourth of July

Second Fatal Attack Causes Panic on Village Beach

July 2
A second attack has been confirmed following Wendy Watson’s death yesterday. Alex Ferguson 10, of Mayfair Court in Amity, has been killed at Village Beach.

Ferguson had been floating on rubber raft when the attack took place. His body has not been recovered, but his yellow rubber raft washed ashore with a large bite mark. It is thought but cannot be concluded that this nor Watson’s death were results of a shark attack.

Amity mayor Bob Farley is deeply sorry for the Fergusons family loss. Ferguson’s mother Marian has been treated for shock at Amity hospital and is considered to be in fair condition.
Chief Brody has requested that beaches be closed for 24 hours until investigators can look deeper into the attacks. It has also been requested that more officers be on guard on the beach.

Talks of closing the beach took place during the press conference held at 5 p.m.
Old fisherman Ben Quint has made an offer to find the killer at hand and destroy the species. His offer is being considered by the chief and deputy.

Amity’s beaches continued to thrive today and seem unconcerned with the previous shark attack, until the second attack took place. A man whom was playing catch with his dog, Pippet seems to think the animal disappeared in the water just before Ferguson was attacked. It cannot be confirmed that Pippet was indeed attacked as well.

The first victim Wendy W. Watson was last seen alive around 11 p.m. and her mangled body was found washed up on the beach early in the morning July 1st.

Brutal attack on South Beach

July 1

The mangled body of 16-year-old Wendy W. Watson, of 23 Sharkstooth St. in Amity was found on South Beach this morning.

Watson was last seen alive at a beach party with an unidentified male around 11 p.m. last night. It has been decided by authorities she and her peers had been drinking throughout the evening.
It appears that Watson had decided to go skinny dipping in a remote area of the beach. Her companion came to police around 3 a.m. after passing out, he realized she had not returned from the water.

Watson’s body had been severely attacked by a species of an unknown origin. Her body has been taken to the coroner’s office for an autopsy. At the time of press no charges had been filed in the case. The investigation is being continued by police officials.

Watson was a sophomore at Amity High School. A shark attack is the likely cause of attack. Residents and visitors should not be concerned and are encouraged to continue enjoying the lovely sands of South Beach.

Tricky weather threatens students last days of classes before Thanksgiving break.
At 4:06 A.M the National Weather Service posted a flood watch for Southern ME and NH. With power outages noticed on Madubury Ave in Durham and lights flickering in dorms, class today could be jeopardized due to high winds and heavy rain.
Although all residence still have power as of 9:45 AM. The president of the university has final say as the VP for final administration and recommendation. Without power, classrooms which rely on computer technology to run their lessons may have a hard time.
The Public Service of New Hampshire has reported power outages in Bethlaham, Durham, Conway, Madison, New London, Eaton and Tamworth. At 8:25 AM due to high winds. The next update will be available at 10:25 a.m. PSNH encourages citizens to report any power outages, trees or limbs on power lines, or dimming and flickering lights. PSNH can be reached toll free at 1-800-662-7764.
During a power outage, customers with emergency situations are the first to be reconnected. PSNH works around the clock to be sure hospitals, nursing homes, police and fire stations and those customs with life support systems are restored first. Major power lines are then repaired and it is during this time when progress usually slows due to a variety of reasons for power loss in residential neighborhoods
PSNH cautions citizens to stay away from downed power lines, especially if they are near a body of water.

The French Connection

A suspected assassin related to the herion drug trade between France and the United States was shot and killed today. Pierre Jeantot, 36 of Nice, France was chased by Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle ending at the 15th Street Station.
An innocent bystander lost her life as the Sniper Jeantot fired shots at Popeye from a roof top apartment building at 1767 W. 57th Ave. A cop on the train, the conductor and trainman all lost their lives during the long chase.
Popeye, assigned to the Narcotics Division in New York City, used deadly force to bring down Jeantot. After chasing Jeantot on foot from the first shooting of Betty Badluck, 63 of the Bronx, Jeantot jumped aboard the train at 35th St. Station. Popeye chased the train in a commandeered car. After shooting Horatio C. Hornblower, 30 of White Plains Jeantot hijacked the train. Trainman Peter Howe, 27 of Queens, died of a heart attack at the controls. Jeantot then shot and killed 15-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, Roland Evans, 34 of Brooklyn.
It is suspected that Jeantot was assigned to kill Popeye. He had entered the city after a flight from Paris, France and is suspected to have been laying the groundwork for a major heroin shipment. There are two other accomplices tied to Jeantot that are being sought out.
An automatic rifle and several small shell casings were recovered from the rooftop of the apartment building. On the train, which collided at 15th street station an A .44 Magnum revolver was also found. Popeye was a quick thinker, the City is very lucky to have a man with such intense and vigorous dedication to bringing a halt to drug smuggling.

Family First?

I enjoy reading about people, the human interest side of the matter. Of course, the story on the new president caught my eye. "For Obama and Family, a Personal Transition” this headline drew me in. I immediately started reading and could not stop. The main focus of th story is a feature on Barack Obama and the changes he will have to make on a personal level to accommodate as the president of the United States. Its a very personal and sentimental type of story, that a reader can relate well to.
The main points of the sotry focused on President to be Obama’s change in lifestyle, along with his family, to become part of the White House. Starting and ending with his long tiem barber, the article gave a sense of home and relevance to a normal lifestyle, which I feel coincides well with the way American citizens are feeling today. Following a recap of Obama’s hair history, the reader is able to focus on where and what Obama calls home, how that will change, and what he hopes to keep the same.
A theme I have found in most texts, post Obama as president, are related to security and the increase that has taken place since Barack actually became president. The Secret Service Agents are very noteworthy and also have offered code names for not only Barack himself, but his daughters as well. What I wonder, is that these names presented ust be fake, otherwise they would not be code names. What is the truth and what is a fabrication? Do we as a literal society know or understand the difference?

A Proposed Tenure Change for Teachers

Teachers salaries have also intrigued me so when I saw the title “A School Chief Takes On Tenure, Stirring a Fight” I was immediately interested. The article is a bit dense, but does a nice job of showing both sides of a tenure option proposal created by Michelle Rhee in Washington. The main focus of the story did stay on target and was definitely something worth reading.
It was a linear story, beginning with an explanation of what was being proposed and continuing from there. The first section of the story shows Michelle Rhees idea, which is not to abolish tenure completely for teachers but to create an option. The two options are explained followed up with quote from Rhee, and a compliment from Barack Obama. I felt that by incorporating Obama into the story it kept the reader interested, because they got to hear what our new president though of the proposal. Salaries were brought up in the next section and I was shocked to read that some could be increased as high as $130,000! The Teach for America program was another main point of the story, which gave a different view to what Rhee was aiming towards.
I think that the article ended well. Various quotes from teachers who have been in their field for a while, and know what they want. Their opinions are the ones that matter, as it would be their tenures that could be changed. I was left wondering what this proposal would focus on, just one part of the country or the whole nation, and what about privately funded schools, and universities?

American Consumers

I have been curious to see how American’s would react on a consumer basis as the holidays approach, with the economy crisis. The title "Buying Binge Slams to Halt" caught my eye when I was looking through the Times. Along with the title, the photograph displaying a 60% off sign for the holidays in a clothing store was surprising. I enjoyed the second part of the lead, “American households appear to have fallen into their own defensive crouch.” It makes the story more interesting because it relates closer to home, focusing on the effects for personal finance, rather than the banks finance issues.
The format followed a circle, starting out with a focus on consumer culture and ending, leaving the reader thinking about a possible change in consumer culture. The first part gives some facts about consumers spending habits and follows up with something that shocked me. Circuit City is going out of business! I was surprised by this; they are a huge corporation, and also one that is a popular spot for holiday shoppers. I think the story was a big long and drawn out for the topic.
The main points included, the prospects of our new presidents Stimulus Package, information on polls from Andrew Kohut, of Pew Research Center, the job market change and ties to income, the economists forecast and finally a few powerful quotes from Joshua Shapiro, of MFR; “Everything has changed.”
The data presented in this story is interesting and definitely something to think about. I wonder however, what a handful of actually consumers would say about their plans for spending during the holiday season, rather than what the numbers and polls say for them. The lead used in this story is the wordplay lead.

School on Saturday? A New Disciplinary Session Proposal is Discussed During Monday Evening's Portsmouth School Board Meeting

A new disciplinary policy was motioned at the Portsmouth School Board meeting Monday evening. Tim Steele, a school board member proposed a new special Saturday morning session for high school students with disciplinary problems. The session would run from 8 a.m. until noon several weekends during the school year. Along with attending additional school on the weekends this proposal would require approximately $3,000 per year for staffing.
A concerned parent, Peggy Bacon did not support the new proposal.” “I work six days a week—including Saturday morning—and it’s hard enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday. Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well? Bacon did not feel the new session would make much of a difference. “The parents are going to pay for it, in higher taxes as well as ruined Saturdays.”
The sessions are being proposed in an effort to eliminate the high number of in-house suspensions, which are given automatically to students caught smoking in our around Portsmouth High School. When a student has an in-house suspension they are not allowed to make up the work they missed that day. “I know that this isn’t good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking school rules.”
Lisa Gallagher, one of the five high school students that attended the meeting spoke up against the new proposal. “I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty, so they don’t have to deal with detentions during the week. Anyway, what if someone skips the sessions? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend?”
In response to Gallagher’s point, Steele said the consequences for a student skipping the Saturday session would result in them not being allowed to return to school until the detention had been served. Although smoking is not the only problem at the Portsmouth High School, it’s the worst. “I just want to keep kids from smoking in the high school bathrooms. There are other problems but smoking is by far the biggest one.”
The board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issues until its next meeting March 7; the discussion took about 30 minutes before voting began. Steele was instructed to return on March 7, with the figures on in-school detentions so far this year.
Along with a possible new Saturday morning disciplinary session, the superintendent of School Nathan Greenberg also touched on the School Departments efforts at pushing forward a $21 million budget for the next school year. Greenberg explained that the budget represents a 5.5 percent increase over the current year’s spending. He also explained that he had formed a special citizens committee to review how other communities fund education with their tax dollars.
Before the meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. The following were also new business discussed at the meeting:

• four requests from teachers for leaves of absence in the coming year
• a retreat for administrators in June
• a financial report detailing the impact of federal budget cuts on the school lunch program
• an approval of the several school department
• food service bills amounting to $13,568

Compliants Received: Is the New York Times Favoring the Republican Party?

With the election a mere eight days away, The New York Times has an overload of both Democratic and Republican stories to cover with a neutral attitude. In Thursday, October 23, 2008 paper an article on the Times front page offers a pro and con overview of both Democratic Obama and Republican McCain. The article touches on both candidate and their past experiences which would aide them in the presidency. Obama’s view of poverty comes on a personal level as he lived on the back streets of Jakarta, while McCain was a prisoner of war and learned to stand up against his countries enemies.
The Thursday Times also hosts an article claiming Obama is not experienced enough to become America’s president (A16) with another article claiming McCain is not popular with the rising Hispanic community (A17) As the business week comes to a close and Friday October 24 paper gives two facing pages with Obama’s gaining of Bush voters on the left (A18) and McCain’s ability to defy national poles and win the presidency on the right (A19).
With a paper covering such a close election during our economies economic crisis it is easy to become biased to one political party versus another. The New York Times however has maintained a balanced outlook of both parties and offers fair optimistic and pessimistic accounts of both.

Rare Romanion Leopard Confirmed Missing from Durham Zoo

Durham, NH


A 146 pound, 10-year-old Romanian spotted leopard known as “Fluffy” has been confirmed missing from the Durham Zoo.

Gerry Durrell, director of the Durham Zoo explained that when the zoo was opened at 7:30 A.M. everything was normal about Fluffy’s cage besides the fact that she was not inside. “We have no idea what time Fluffy escaped or where she went. We are searching the grounds of the zoo but so far we haven’t got a clue.” Durrell said.

Kitty Smith, the zoo’s chief biologist explained that Fluffy’s cage is alarmed but no alarms were sounded during the night. Smith said “Fluffy is extremely dangerous.” “We urge anyone who encounters Fluffy to get slowly to the ground and lay still. Fluffy may do a lot of sniffing and licking, but unless she senses fear she’s not likely to react violently.” Smith also said that if encountering Fluffy be careful to avoid eye contact. The leopard was a gift the city of Durham from its sister city in Romania, Durhamvoska.

The New Hampshire State Police, the state wildlife department, and the National Guard have joined the state wide search for Fluffy. The National Guard has supplied five helicopters with infrared sensors. Police Chief William Blair is confident they will find Fluffy. “We will search every inch of this zoo. If possible, Fluffy will be shot with a tranquilizer gun.”

A local Newmarket man, James Petronkis visits Fluffy on a daily basis. When he arrived at the zoo at his regular time of 7:30 he knew something was wrong. “Fluffy usually draws the straw up into a nest when she sleeps, but there was no nest- there wasn’t even any straw. I told the guard and he said ‘mind your own business.’ I couldn’t believe it. So I pulled the fire alarm and that go their attention. They said Fluffy was inside her little house and not to worry.” Petronkis also explained that once Fluffy was discovered missing mayhem broke out. “Cops were drawing guns and people were screaming.”


Fluffy was a very special gift from Romania, Durhamvoska to the town of Durham and only five animals are left in existence; Fluffy is the only known female. Fluffy is a priceless animal and has been at the zoo for five years. These leopards were led to the brink of extinction in Romania and have a known appetite for young children. “We are concerned because this is a residential neighborhood with an elementary school and we don’t want Fluffy wandering around after the kids get out of school.”

The First Blog!

It's very exciting to be creating my own blog site. I have always thought about it but never knew how to get started. The newswriting class I am in here at the University has given me the ability to start one for the class, which I will be able to use from this point forward. On the topic of my newswriting class, I have had some struggles and some success. Writing a news worthy story that is both interesting to the reader and at the same time factual and to the point is a challenge in itself, nevermind coming up with an actual topic to write about. Going out and talking with people who I do not know is both exciting and nerve racking. I am a fairly confident speaker and consider myself a good listener, however in order to speak well I must be confident with the material being discussed. I found this out the hard way during an attempt to interview a small clothing boutique manager. As I went to approach the manager and speak with him, I became anxious and felt unprepared. Discouraged I simply browsed around the shop and left without any material. Thankfully after speaking with my professor Andrew Marsters he encouraged me to set up a meeting with the manager prior to visiting the store, as well as to write down my questions and even a mock story of what I would later write. Doing this has aided me in the interview process and given me more self confidence. Newswriting is certaintly much harder than I had originally expected. This past week I took on the task of writing a short 500 word story on families around my hometown with children in the military. This story was different than my previous ones which were more focused on the economy and the election. I look towards the new york times online for guidance with my stories.