Last Day

The last day of news writing class is tomorrow.  I've compiled my portfolio and I'll finally be done with my first news writing experience.  Although it was difficult at times, I'm still really glad that I got to squeeze it into my last semester of undergrad.  Hopefully I'll be able to take editing at the graduate level and maybe try a different approach to journalism.  I'm looking forward to new experiences, writing more often, (for leisure), and taking a break for the winter season.  I want to go skiing damn it!

Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Dig Into This

  I was going to save this post for when I saw my work published in The Weekly Dig this issue, but it ultimately wasn't...  Regrettably I don't think I'll be posting many of those published works at all.  Initially, I thought this whole "journalism" internship thing would be fun and interesting.  So far, (within the last month), all it's taught me is that I desperately need some sort of direction to get anything productive done.  With that being said, I don't believe journalism is the correct path for me.  I know I've only tried one avenue for journalism, but the fact that I loathe traveling into Boston every Thursday and would rather spend the day with 11-13-year-olds speaks wonders about my experience so far.
  I will still blog, obviously.  Maybe not here, but maybe I'll start something more personal, or even re-vamp this one to make it less focused on class and news.  Honestly, if I could make an adequate living blogging or vlogging, I'd probably try to do that.  I've gotten more interested in social media and less interested in journalism, but that doesn't mean I won't still write.  My #1 main goal in life is to write and somehow publish my memoir, and whatever it takes to get there, I will do that.  Still, looking into publishing companies and hopefully applying to grad school for writing might help boost my spirits about giving up my dream of being a journalist.  Eventually I'll have to understand that not all of Harriet's goals should be mine too.  I can't always follow in the foot-steps of a 6th grader.

Profile

  I finally decided on what I'm going to do for my profile piece.  I will be focusing on the principle of Newmarket Jr./Sr. High School and the impending building reconstruction issues the school will face in the coming years.  This has been an on-going issue, and since I substitute at the school and know the principle as well as the vice principal, this will be an interesting profile to make.  I hope I can do it justice with just five days to go, but I'll do my best.  That's all I can ask of myself.
  Background: The Newmarket Jr/Sr. High School building has come under fire recently for violating fire and other safety regulations due to it's old and crumbling 1920s-era design.  There are a few proposed plans in the works for improvement, including a demolition and reconstruction of a new building on a different property.  There is actually a meeting today to discuss and possibly vote on options available with the budget the school committee has drawn up.  I look forward to talking with Principal Andriski and learning more about him and the future of the Newmarket Jr./Sr. High School.

Jaws Scene: Alex

  Earlier today a young boy was killed off the shore of Village Beach around 2p.m.  Witnesses claim that there had been a vicious and unprovoked shark attack just moments before the boy went missing.
 
 The boy, who has been identified as 10-year-old Alex Kintner of Mayfair Court, was last seen floating on a yellow inflatable raft just off shore with some friends this afternoon.  His mother, Marion Kintner, was at the beach at the time of his disappearance.
 
 Witnesses say the yellow raft floated ashore, severely damaged and missing a large chunk of material.  Blood was also visible in the water around the area the attack occurred.  A body has not yet been recovered.  Marion Kintner was rushed to Amity General Hospital to be treated for shock.
 
 This tragic news comes just hours after the body of local resident Chrissie Watson was found near South Beach this morning.  Both attacks are seemingly linked and possibly shark related, but the investigation is ongoing.  Police urge residents and visitors to stay vigilant.
 
 A meeting will be held by the mayor, the Amity Board of Selectmen and Police Chief Brody tonight at 6p.m. at Town Hall.  The agenda will include discussion of closing the beaches, the Kintner case and a proposition from a Mr. Quint for catching the suspected shark roaming the waters.

Jaws Scene: Chrissie

  A teenage girl was found dead this morning on the shores of South Beach on Amity Island, MA.  Police Deputy Jay Hendricks discovered her mangled body while responding to a report of a missing person.
  Chrissie Watson, 17, of 23 Sharkstooth St. was last seen at a beach party with friends around 11p.m.  Witnesses claim to have seen Watson leave the party with another teen, Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III after drinking alcohol and possibly smoking marijuana.
  Hoggenbottam, a sophmore at Trinity College and former resident of the island, had no recollection of the night's events after following Watson to the ocean.  At around 6a.m. Hoggenbottam notified police, which resulted in the recovery of Watson's body.
  Watson was a senior at Amity High School, a member of the varsity swim team and a lifeguard at the local YMCA pool.  Police are continuing their investigation and have not ruled out a possible shark attack.  Visitors and residents are advised to stay out of the ocean, as a precaution.

The French Connection

At least six people are confirmed dead after a dangerous shooting in New York City, which left much of the city streets in shambles.  Detective James Doyle and Buddy Russo led the charge against the shooting rampage while pursuing a dangerous suspect.

            The narcotics division of the NYPD is investigating the shooting and capture of a dangerous foreign fugitive.  Pierre Nicoli Jeantot, 36, of Nice, France was shot and killed by Detective Doyle after evading police during a harrowing car chase between the 35^{th and} 15^th Street train stations.

            Detective Doyle sustained non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the chase and is said to have provided valuable evidence on the whereabouts and dealings of a major heroin shipment from overseas.  Local as well as foreign drug dealers are said to be involved.

            According to eyewitness accounts, the shootout began at 1767 West 57^th Ave.  “The first shot fired hit a woman with a baby carriage,” said Sarah Allen, 19, of 16 Brooklyn Drive.  “Then a man ran into the building, up to the roof and the shooter ran out, so the guy followed him,” said Allen.  Allen had rushed to the aid of the first shooting victim, Betty A. Badluck, 63, of the Bronx, who had been walking her granddaughter near her apartment complex.

            Consistent with the eyewitness accounts, the suspect then proceeded to the train station at 35^th Street, from which he traveled all the way to the 15^th Street station.  “It was awful, he just shot that poor guy,” said Lucy Clearwater, 32, of Manhattan.  Clearwater was sitting on the train when the shooter entered her car, demanding to see the conductor.  “He had his gun pointed at the officer on the train and when he tried to step closer he shot him, right in the chest.”  Clearwater said that other passengers started to panic as the shooter gained access to the controls.

            Meanwhile, on the ground, Detective Doyle was seen driving recklessly in pursuit of Jeantot and his train.  Many eyewitnesses claim that Doyle struck more than one vehicle in his haste to catch the suspect.  “He just clipped the truck there,” said Gary Sampson, 43, of Staten Island.  Sampson had been underneath the bridge for the train when Doyle happened to speed past him.  “I heard the beeping and saw the car coming, but didn’t think it would clear the truck,” said Sampson.  Doyle narrowly missed a rear-end collision with a large truck during the high-speed chase.

            As Detective Doyle made his way carelessly to the 15^th Street station, Jeantot had commandeered the train from the conductor and refused to make any stops.  The commuters crowding the train became concerned when the conductor did not make his next scheduled stop and did not answer calls for help.  According to police reports, the train made an unscheduled security stop after crashing into a safety mechanism on the tracks.

            Eventually, Jeantot escaped the compacted train car onto the safety of the platform, only to be greeted by Detective Doyle, who had followed the route of the train from the beginning of the chase.  “The look on the guy’s face was priceless,” said Tony Lavato, 52, of Brooklyn.  “[Doyle] looked up at the guy and he was like ‘Aw, crap.’”  When Jeantot attempted to escape, Detective Doyle shot and killed the suspect, watching him crumple and fall down the steps to his feet.

            Although Detective Doyle was able to prevent his own assassination, he still fought for further questions in the narcotics case.  According to police records, the detectives impounded a vehicle that may have been used to import copious amounts of heroin into the country.  The intended receiver or owner of said vehicle is Henri Devereaux, a prominent French actor.

            Detectives Doyle and Russo used the information they obtained from searching the vehicle and investigating the shooting to set up a temporary road block in an area notorious for drug trafficking and known to Doyle as an area of escape for the foreign fugitives.  According to police, the suspects were seen heading in the direction of the police blockade before fleeing the scene.

            During a routine search of the property where the fugitives were said to be, the warehouse was detained on account of the drug-related charges according to the police report.  Two men were killed in the shootout with police: Sal Boca, an accomplice, and Bill Mulderig of Washington, D.C., a federal agent assigned to the case.  The other fugitive, Alain Charnier, escaped police custody.

            Fortunately, the heroin trafficking center was shut down and the drug pushers held responsible were detained, according to police reports.  Detective Doyle and Russo were reassigned to another division following the death of Federal Agent Mulderig and the police are still on the lookout for Charnier.  Any information regarding his whereabouts should be directed toward the NYPD.

Recently In The News

  These are the stories that I've paid attention to the most recently:

Elmo: Puppeteer has supposed underaged relationship with another guy, guy comes forward with accusations, guy conveniently recants previous claim after puppeteer takes a leave of absence.  Typical hollywood drama, right?  Wrong.  Anything involving puppets and the sexual orientation of their voices is questionable at best, but this is just weird.  I actually feel bad for Elmo, of all people...

Kevin McHale: The Houston Rockets basketball coach's daughter recently died at the age of 22, (a huge wake-up call for those of us who are also 22, like ME).  I also saw on the news this morning that his daughter, Sasha, had Lupus, (again, like ME), so that was really interesting to see.  I was watching with my dad and we both looked at each other when the reporter said that she had been fighting Lupus for some time.  It really makes you think about what you take for granted and what you have to take seriously in life.

Black Friday: Who would've thought that extending hours into Thanksgiving for all those eager beavers out there would actually end up hurting sales on Black Friday, the day that's set aside for trampling people at Walmart to get that 39" television.  In fact, I knew a lot of people who actually went out Thanksgiving night to shop and said it was a lot easier Black Friday to get around.  I wonder when people will realize that this could end up being EVERY DAY of our LIVES eventually, if we keep this shit up.  I mean really, Thanksgiving is one of the only days during the year some people actually see their families, and now we have to worry about big deals and other crap ruining that too?