Monday, Dec 5 JAWS continued... July, 4th articled

Giant killer shark caught by local fishermen

AMITY - The shark responsible for the deaths of two local residents, 17-year-old Christine Watson and 10-year-old Alex Kitner, was caught by local fishermen this morning, ending the search for the beast that terrorized the waters.

The shark was caught one mile south-southwest and killed shortly after its capture by lead fisherman Mike Swenson of Medford, Mass.

Swenson will receive the $3,000 bounty for his "heroic and selfless efforts," according to Police Chief Martin Brody.

After the shark was brought ashore, it was inspected by marine biologist Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, Mass.

Hooper, one of the world's foremost experts on sharks, identified the shark as a nurse shark, known for being one of the most brutal and dangerous of all sharks. Nurse sharks have been responsible for hundreds of swimmers' deaths along the East Coast of the United States.

All of the beaches were reopened immediately, and in a press release from Brody, he explained that he urges residents "to recreate at the beaches in order to encourage the participation of all our visitors in the wonderful water sports," adding that beach-goers should "swim and have fun!"

Brody added that islanders and guests should not be alarmed by the presence of shark spotters from various organizations including the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts State Police, and the U.S. Navy, among others. They are merely a safey precaution in order to put visitors to the island at ease.

At midday, the beaches were crowded with guests and residents who were hesitant to enter the water after the recent incidents, but shortly after a family of five went in, the waters soon became crowded as well.

Two 12-year-old boys and residents of Amity, however, Wayne Winston and Brad Kaplan, were found wearing large fins in the water so as to scare swimmers. Although their prank caused swimmers to panic and leave the water, no serious injuries resulted from the incident.

The two boys were remanded to the custody of their parents.

Furthermore, any shark sightings should be reported to the proper authorities at 1-800-sharksee.

Monday, Dec 5 In class exercise - JAWS SECOND DAY STORY

Bounty offered for shark that killed two Amity Village residents

AMITY – A $3,000 bounty was offered last night by Marion Kitner at an emergency meeting called by Mayor Larry Vaughan and Police Chief Martin Brody for the capture and killing of the shark that has claimed two victims in less than 48 hours.

The first victim, 17-year-old Christine Watson was killed Sunday night while swimming at a remote section of South Beach, and the second victim, 10-year-old Alex Kitner, was killed while floating on a rubber raft at Village Beach. 

The bounty Kitner’s mother offered was told to those in attendance at the meeting. A sign outside the meeting hall read "$3,000 bounty to the man or men who catch and kill the shark that killed."

Townsfolk, motel owners, fishermen, and others gathered at the meeting to discuss safety measures for the coming days as well as the bounty and the possible closing of the town beaches.

Police Chief Martin Brody announced that the beaches would be closed because of the attacks and that specialists would be coming to the island to assist in the search and capture of the shark.

When asked how long the beaches would remain closed, Vaughan explained they would only be closed for 24 hours.

Brody appeared shocked at the 24 hour limit for safety reasons but was unable to comment on the matter, while one woman exclaimed, “Twenty-four hours is like 3 weeks on this island!”

Before the meeting adjourned, professional shark hunter Ben Quint entered the meeting, getting the attention of the arguing crowd by scratching his nails against the chalkboard in the back of the room.

“This shark will swallow you whole,” Quint said, explaining that he could catch the shark and kill it, but he valued his life for more than $3,000 dollars, asking instead for a $10,000 bounty.

The mayor and selectmen, after speaking with Mrs. Kitner, agreed to increase the bounty to $10,000, explaining they would come up with the extra $7,000 necessary to do so.

Jaws Sidebar (due by Dec. 5)

Shark attacks unlikely in N.H. after tragedy in New England coastal town

By Cady Kolnaski

DURHAM – When N.H. native Marissa Correll drives to Hampton Beach for her morning swim, the fear of sharks never crosses her mind.

“In the summer I swim in the ocean for about 30 minutes every morning. I’m usually the only one in the water and at the beach that early, but I’ve never seen a shark or worried about seeing one,” Correll explained.

Correll is like many other seacoast residents with regards to sharks, and there might be reason for that.

Even in the wake of the tragedy in the seacoast town of Amity Village, where two individuals were mauled and killed by a vicious, unprovoked great white shark, N.H. residents should not fear swimming in local waters.

According to Doug Grout, the N.H. Fish and Game Marine Fisheries Division Chief, “it is highly unlikely there will be any shark attacks in N.H. in summers to come.”

Grout, who has worked in marine biology for over 30 years, explained that the sharks that can be dangerous to humans “simply don’t come this far north.”

In fact, there have been no reported sightings or attacks in N.H. history, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology website.

Before this summer, the last fatal shark attack reported in all of New England was in 1936 in Mass., thus showing how rare attacks are.

Grout added that there are sharks further off-shore, but they aren’t the types of sharks that harm humans and they never come close to shore.

“The water close to shore is oftentimes colder because of prevailing winds,” he said, adding that “that keeps the sharks away.”

Even after the tragic deaths due to shark attacks in Amity this summer, it is safe to say that N.H. residents need not worry about sharks this summer or in future summers.

Sources:

(603) 868-1095 NH Fish and Game

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/GAttack/mapusa.htm

Another Monday, Nov 28 In class exercise

Possible shark attack occurs at Village Beach

AMITY - Following the death of Christine Watson Sunday night, 10-year-old Alex Kitner appears to have been killed in a vicious and unprovoked shark attack off the waters of Village Beach today.

Kitner, who was visiting the beach with his mother Marion Kitner, had asked his mother for ten more minutes in the water before grabbing a yellow rubber float and running into the ocean, according to several witnesses.

He had been floating on the raft at crowded Village Beach around 2 p.m. when the apparent attack occurred. Several children were close by in the water at the time of the attack.

Beach goers heard screams from the children and witnessed commotion in the water, running to the edge in search of their children.

Kitner’s damaged raft floated ashore shortly after the incident with what appeared to be a giant bite taken out of it and bloodied water surrounding it. His body, however, has not been recovered.

Kitner’s mother, who was at the beach at the time of her son’s disappearance, is being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital, where she is in fair condition.

A black Labrador retriever, named Pippet, has also been reported missing.

There were no other injuries.

Amity Police Chief Martin Brody believes the Watson death may be linked to the possible shark activities in the vicinity of Amity. The investigation into the incidents is ongoing.

A special meeting will be held by the mayor, police chief, and the Amity Board of Selectmen at 6 p.m. today in Town Hall to discuss Police Chief Brody’s plan to close the beaches on July 4, the Kitner family reward of $3,000 for capture of perpetrators, and the offer by fisherman Ben Quint to hunt down the shark thought to be the perpetrator of this tragic incident.

Monday, Nov 28 In class exercise

Death of teenage girl found on beach being investigated

AMITY - The body of a teenage girl was found early this morning washed up on the beach after a brief search by the Amity Village Police Department.

The girl, identified as that of Christine Watson, was reported missing at 6 a.m. this morning by Christopher Hoggenbottam III, a former resident of the island and sophomore at Trinity College.

Watson, a 17-year-old resident of the island and senior at Amity High School, was last seen alive leaving a beach party with Hoggenbottam around 11 p.m. Sunday.

According to the Amity Police Chief Martin Brody, Watson decided to go swimming and entered the water at a remote section of South Beach, near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy.

According to the local weather report, the weather was clear and the seas were calm when Watson entered the water.

When Watson, a member of AHS’s varsity swim team and lifeguard at the Amity Island YMCA, did not return from the water, a concerned Hoggenbottam notified police officials.

Witnesses told police investigators that both teenagers had been drinking heavily and possibly smoking marijuana throughout the course of the evening.

Her body was found severely mauled by an attacker of unknown origin and was transported to the coroner’s office for autopsy shortly after it was discovered.

The medical examiner assigned to the case, Dr. Robert Nevin, said that it is likely Watson was killed due to a motorboat accident, explaining she could've easily gotten caught in the propeller. According to Dr. Nevin, "her body appeared just like every other body in a motorboat accident."

As of yet, no charges have been filed in the case, and police are continuing to investigate the incident involving Watson’s death.

Although a shark attack has not been confirmed nor denied, Brody wants to assure all residents and visitors that they are in no threat of danger.

He confirmed that “our lovely beaches will remain open for swimming pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Letter to accompany my application!

My name is Catherine Kolnaski and I am currently a student at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire. I am writing to you about my interest and application for the Development Editor K12 Assistant position that you are hiring for. I have been studying English and Education while at UNH and have a love for children and education that has grown over the course of my time here in New Hampshire.

I came across this position through an online posting and was immediately interested because it combines the two things I want to do in my life: work in publishing and work in education. I have always loved reading and writing and have wanted to pursue a career in publishing since I started my education at UNH. Pearson Higher ED is not just a reputable and respectable publishing company, but to me, it is the ideal workplace. I have spent almost over seven years working with children, volunteering at schools, teaching lessons, and for the past six years I have taught tennis to children ages four through sixteen. I have developed an understanding and love for children of all ages and it is my dream to work in a field that allows me to help them. Since my other passion, besides children, is reading and writing, this position would be an amazing opportunity for me to work in an environment devoted to education and children. I feel my background in teaching children tennis has given me an understanding of how children behave outside of the classroom in a fun, yet still educational, environment. My experience inside classrooms, as a volunteer, aid, and participant in an internship, has given me the knowledge of how to run a classroom and how to be a good, impactful teacher. I believe my knowledge experiences will allow me to help Pearson Higher ED and I am most definitely willing and eager to learn more as I grow as an adult.

I would be incredibly grateful for an opportunity to interview for the position and talk with you about my experiences and hopefully you will be able to see how truly passionate I am about children, reading, writing, and I will be that way about Pearson as well. My goal in life is to improve education and improve children’s lives and I believe that if I am an employee of Pearson, I can help to do that. Thank you for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

Catherine Kolnaski

Wednesday, Nov 16

There's an article in the NYT today about a Nashville bookstore that is set to open today! The article, titled "Novelist Fights the Tide by Opening a Bookstore", is about the woman behind the opening, author Ann Patchett. Although I haven't read any of her books, I think what she is doing is really great. The article says how Nashville was once the "Athens of the South" because of its rich cultural tradition. I've been to Nashville a few times and it is an absolutely beautiful city - street cleaners clean the streets every night! Apparently there are very few bookstores left in the city, which to me, a HUGE book lover, is really really sad. However, I hope that the efforts of this woman help return some of that rich cultural tradition back to Nashville. The article also mentions RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, which I didn't realize needs $100,000 to stay in business. Over 150 people packed inside the store last week "to discuss its fate." It would be really upsetting to love RiverRun so I'm thinking about getting some of my friends to see if we can help out in any way possible!