July 4th: Killer Shark Caught, Reopening Beaches for Fourth of July

The killer shark responsible for the gruesome deaths of two young people this week was caught and killed this afternoon, reopening the beaches of Amity Island to expectant Fourth of July beachgoers and weekend vacationers.

The 400lb shark was inspected by Matt Hooper, a marine biologist from the Woods Hole, Massachusetts Oceanographic Institute and one of the world's foremost experts on sharks. Hooper identified the 12-foot-long shark as a nurse shark: among the most dangerous and aggressive species to lurk in East Coast waters.

The proud fishermen caught the shark in waters one mile south-southwest of Amity and will receive the $3,000 reward as offered by the Kintner family.

Consequently, all previously closed Amity Island beaches due to imminent shark attacks were reopened immediately to the public.

While the danger for further shark attacks seems to have passed, shark spotters were employed in the shoreline waters for the Fourth of July in a collective effort by the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI, and numerous local municipal and county police agencies.

Amity Mayor Bob Farley was all smiles as he proudly announced the catching of a "large predator" and the reopening of the island's beaches, "Its a beautiful day."

At Village Beach where vacationers packed the sands with towels, blankets, and plastic toys, shark spotters were briefly distracted by two young boys swimming through the shallow water terrorizing the masses with a manmade cardboard shark fin. The boys whose identities have yet to be released, were referred to their parents and are set to do public service in retribution for the scare.

Islanders and guests alike are still urged to practice vigilance while enjoying the rest of the holiday weekend spent at the Amity beaches. Any shark sightings are to be reported to authorities at the toll-free shark hotline, 1-800-sharksee.

Beware of Jaws

Circulating rumors of the shark attacks on Amity Island beaches have left some New Hampshirites wary of wading into the water, but with only 17 miles of coastline, a shark attack on New Hampshire beaches seems highly unlikely.

So what exactly are the odds of a New Hampshire beachgoer encountering a Great White Shark like the man-eating Jaws? Not likely, according to history.

The International Shark Attack File has reported 6 unprovoked shark attacks in New England since 1670, none of which were from New Hampshire. Of these attacks, one was reported in Connecticut, one in Rhode Island and the other four in Massachusetts, two of which were fatal. The last fatality was dated at 1936.

Dr. David Berlinsky, associate professor of zoology and the current Director of the Center for Marine Biology at the University of New Hampshire says that a shark attack in New Hampshire while not impossible is not likely, "We've seen sharks far off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean but there have been no reported sightings of sharks within swimming distance so it seems highly unlikely anyone at Hampton Beach for instance could be attacked by Jaws."

Sharks that swim off the coast of New England include: the thresher, tiger, angel, basking, blue, dusky, mako, spiny dogfish, sharpnose, smooth hammerhead, sandbar, porbeagle, sandtiger, smooth dogfish and even the dreaded great white.

So what do you do if you encounter one of these beasts of the deep?

Experts agree that the best preventative methods: are to avoid sandbars and steep dropoffs, sites frequented by sharks. Avoid bright colored bathing suits and jewelry as sharks see contrast well. Refrain from excess splashing. Avoid the waters at dusk, dawn, and night.

If you spot a shark: calmly exit the area, releasing any catch you may have been fishing for.

If a shark attacks: concentrate blows to the eyes, nose and gills, these are the most sensitive areas.

Further Links:

International Shark Attack File
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/isaf.htm

Fast Facts on Sharks of New England
http://www.morebeach.com/north-atlantic-ocean/new-england-sharks.html

Shark Attack Tips
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0804_040804_shark_attack.html

Second Shark Attack Closes Island Beaches

The sudden, violent death of a young boy off the shores of Village Beach has stirred the resort community of Amity Island.

Alex B. Kintner, 10, of Mayfair Court, was brutally attacked and killed this afternoon in what Police Chief Martin Brody called a "vicious and unprovoked shark attack."

Kintner was playing with friends in the waters of Village Beach where witnesses recounted a violent, chaotic scene of screaming beachgoers rushing to the waters to retrieve their children as a pool of blood surfaced in the water.

Kintner's body has not been recovered but the yellow inflatable raft he was playing on floated ashore after the incident, chewed up.

Kintner's mother, Marion Kintner, is currently being treated for shock at Amity General Hospital after witnessing her son's death. She is listed in fair condition. Another unsolved disappearance includes a beloved family dog, a black Labrador named Pippin last seen playing fetch in the water with his owner.

Although investigators are considering that this is the second of what appears to be related shark attacks off the Amity Island beach shores in the last two days, a hungry shark has not yet been confirmed as the perpetrator. The investigation of linking the two cases is ongoing.

At a town hall meeting last night, Mayor Bob Farley, Police Chief Martin Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen attempted to placate fears of a frenzied, feeding shark and address a distressed crowd of residents.

Chief Brody assured residents that an expert was coming to participate in the investigation from the Ocean Graphic Institute on the mainland and the department is employing the use of spotters. He also proposed that the beaches be closed for at least 24 hours, banning residents and tourists alike from the waters on July 4.

The Kintner family is offering a reward for $3,000 for the capture of the perpetrator. Local fisherman Ben Quint said the shark would be big enough to "swallow you whole." He proposed to catch and kill the shark for increased reward pay, "I'll find him for $3,000. I'll catch him and kill him for $10,000."

The beaches are to remain open to the public for July 4.

Local Teenager Found Dead on South Shore Beach

Police are investigating the tragic death of a local teenager after her mauled body washed up on South Shore Beach early this morning.

According to Amity Police Chief Martin Brody, the girl was identified as Wendy W. Watson, 17, a senior at Amity High School. Her body had been discovered as severely mangled by an unknown attacker and was transported to the coroner's office for autopsy.

Police were notified to her disappearance around 4 a.m. by another teen, a male, whose identity is being withheld.

Watson was last seen alive leaving a beach party with her unidentified male companion around 11 p.m.

As told by this confidential source, the two teenagers decided to slip away for a late-night swim off a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy. Witnesses confirmed that both teenagers had been drinking heavily.

Investigators are stumped at the extraordinary of this case. The weather last night was clear, the seas calm, and Watson was reportedly an excellent swimmer, starting rumors of a shark being the culprit.

Though a shark attack has not been entirely ruled out, police assure beachgoers that the waters are safe. The island's beaches are to remain open pending the outcome of further investigations into this case.

Killer Leopard on the Loose

Police and zoo workers dashed about the Durham Zoo carrying high-powered rifles and looking everywhere- in trash cans, behind buildings, in trees, inside the cotton candy concession.

They were on the search for the zoo's resident man-eating spotted leopard that escaped from her cage last night and is now on the loose.

Fluffy, a rare 10-year old Romanian spotted leopard, one of only five in existence, weighs 146 pounds and can run up to 60 miles per hour. According to the zoo's chief zoologist, Kitty Smith, this species of leopard is now known for its taste for children. The species was driven to the brink of extinction in Romania because of their appetite for young children.

Despite the species' tarnished reputation, Fluffy has become a well-loved character among Durham Zoo residents, but even Smith admits that these cats are "extremely dangerous." "Fluffy is a wonderful, warm, gentle cat who has never hurt anyone," said Smith. "But if these cats are cornered- or encountered on a dark night- their defense is to kill and to kill quickly. They take the 'kill now, ask later' approach to life."

Because of the inherent danger of the leopard, police and zoo workers have scrambled to recapture Fluffy. The New Hampshire State Police and the state wildlife department have joined the efforts and the National Guard will be supplying five helicopters with infrared sensors, according to Police Chief William Blair. The search is currently scanning every inch of the zoo, but forces will soon extend to the outside residential neighborhoods as it is feared that Fluffy may come in contact with and attack one of the children that attend the local elementary school. "We don't want Fluffy wandering around after the kids get out of school. We have got to find her before 3 p.m." said Blair. "If we don't, it could be a very messy night."

Supposedly, the cat went missing between the zoo's closing time at 9 p.m. yesterday and 7:30 this morning. "We are doing everything we can to find her and bring her back," said Zoo Director, Gerry Durrell. "We love that cat and we don't want to lose her."

James Petronkis, 36, of Newmarket noticed the empty cage early this morning and alerted zoo officials to the disappeared cat. "Everything seemed normal, until I got to the cage. Then I knew something was wrong right away," said Petronkis. "Fluffy usually draws the straw up into a nest when she sleeps, but there was no nest- there wasn't even any straw." As police arrived on the scene, he described the situation as if "all hell broke loose."

Upon noticing Fluffy's disappearance, the zoo was shut down and visitors were herded out the front gate. One of Fluffy's disgruntled fans grumbled, "Fluffy would never hurt anyone," said the anonymous source. "This place is out of control."

Biddeford Airport Issue

The 73-year old Biddeford City Airport is threatened to be shut down for good at a heft cost of $3 million by voters in June's upcoming general election.

The 126-acre property is the base of 47 planes, half of which are corporate-owned. The property is worth $1.6 million and the airport takes in about $56,000 annually from sales of gas, property taxes, and land leases, according to Biddeford City Manager John Bubier.

Records from the city manager's office indicate the expensive costs to maintain the aiport. In recent years, running the aiport including maintenance, utilities and improvements came to a total of $47,000 in 2006, $72,000 in 2007 and $60,000 just last year.

"Once we started looking at the airport, we came to the conclusion that there is no financial benefit at its existing size and capacity," said Paul Archambault, Chairman of Save Our Little Aiport (SOLA). "It continues to be a tax burden."

Phyllis Landry who keeps a single-engine Cessna sky Pilot 180 at Biddeford City Airport and has been flying out of the airport for 25 years, supports its saving, "I love this airport. If I couldn't fly out of here I'd have to go to Sanford or Portland."

The airport stirred up some controversy a few years ago when it began enforcing federal safety regulations because it was at risk of losing funding from the Federal Aviation Afdministration. In compliance with these regulations, the airport began cutting down trees and blocking public access to the popular space. "We have pedestrians, motorcycles, four-wheelers (and) ATVs all using it," said Airport Manager, Tom Bryand. "They just use it as a backyard and that's against regulations."

This issue has gone on unresolved and left a tension between airport officials and surrounding Biddeford residents.

Biddeford resident, Roland Pelletier who has lived next to the runway for 24 years, commented on an online poll regarding the issue, "Noise does not bother me, these planes, except for the WWII toys, do not both me. Taking my money bothers me, airplanes right over the schools where my grandchildren go bothers me. NTSB has a report of a pilot, who was also an instructor pilot, hit the trees at the end of the runway because he did not do a correct pre-flight check and at take off speed could not pull back on his controls because he forgot to take off his control lock. Some residents no longer have trees to protect them, this bothers me. I still have a good tree barrier to stop a plane and reduce noise."

"Sure this started out as a fight between trees and public access," said Archambault. "But its just not about that any more. Now its about money, too."

The City Council really hasn't come down on one side of the issue or the other," said Bubier. "I think they'd prefer to have the voters settle this one."

Voters will be able to decide the fate of the Biddeford City Airport for the June 4 general election in Biddeford, Maine on the referendum question, "Shall the city authorize the Airport Authority to close the Biddeford City Airport at a cost of about $3 million, to be taken from general operating funds?"

Keeping up with the Times: Tues, Nov. 10, 2009

Continuing with the story of Fort Hood's shooting, Thursday's incident turns out to be just one in a disturbing history of suicides and tragic killings at the base. There are disturbing statistics of unseen crimes associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan including rises in domestic violence, suicides, anger management issues and other violent crimes. Military officials try to point out that 53,000 soldiers assigned to the base makes Fort Hood the largest facility in the country, but it still doesn't explain the many red flags that have gone unnoticed.

There is the story of one soldier, Staff Sergeant Justin Lee Garza, 28, shot himself four days after being told that no counselor was available to see him. It is stories like these that make military families question the reliability and strength of psychiatric help for military officers.

There was an interesting profile on the bottom half of the front page featuring a Cuban Pentecostal minister voicing his dissent on gay marriage, State Senator Ruben Diaz Jr. He strongly opposes gay marriage and actively promotes this opinion despite to being surrounded by friends and loved ones who idenitify themselves as gay including two brothers, a granddaughter and friends. "I love them. But I don't believe in what they are doing," he says. "They are my brothers. They are my family." He has been very actively opposing gay marriage from sueing the city in the opening of a highschool for transgender/gay students to public speeches.