MBTA

Today the MBTA announced that they will run trains and popular bus schedules until 3 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. As of right now, response has been very popular, with #MBTA being a popular topic, and just about every post being positive. For the longest time, the trains stopped running at midnight on every night, which posed a problem on the weekends specifically because most bars stay open until 2 AM. With the new schedule, the city of Boston will have to worry less about drunk driving. Not only that, there are not a lot of cabs in the city, making it even harder for people to find a way home when trains are not in service. The new schedule will start in the spring, and will have a one year trial period. If successful, it will be extended.

Could it happen here?

New England shark experts say that a shark attack off the coast of Massachusetts is very unlikely, and that the water is pretty safe for the general public.

This statement comes after the body of 17-year-old Chrissie Watson was found severely mauled by an unknown attacker on South Beach. When this was reported, talks of a shark attack began.

According to Dr. James Sulikowski, associate professor in the Marine Biology Department at the University of New England, there have been less than five fatal shark attacks in MA. waters over the past 400 years. "People in MA. have a higher probability of dying by being struck by a falling icicle than by a shark attack in MA.," says Sulikowski. 

The last fatal shark attack in New England occurred on July 25, 1936 at Hollywood Beach, Mattapoisett, MA, when 16-year-old Joseph Troy was the victim, according to newenglandsharks.com.

Sulikowski went on to say, "If you are killed or even attacked by a shark in New England, I would consider you one of the most unlucky persons around. While anything can happen, I would say the waters are pretty safe for the general public." 

  

  

 

Thoughts about this class

As this class comes to an end, I can not believe how fast it went by. For starters, I can say that this is one of the hardest classes I have taken at UNH. I did not anticipate everything I would have to do, such as getting one story a week. This proved to be very hard at the beginning of the semester when I had no idea what I was doing. I did not know anything about finding sources and almost less about what to ask them. However, no matter how hard this class is, it is probably the most useful class I have ever taken at UNH. This class has prepared me for journalism in the real world better than anything else could have. It has been challenging, but it has taught me a great amount, and I know it will help me in the future.

Shark Attack

A body has been found washed up early this morning on the Amity Village Beach, severely mauled by an attacker of unknown origin.

The body was identified as Chrissie Watson, a 17-year-old resident who was reported missing at about 6 a.m.

Watson was reportedly at a beach party last night, and was last seen leaving the party with another teen, a male identified as Christopher P. Hoggenbottam III, at about 11 p.m.

Police have been told by Hoggenbottam that Watson decided to go swimming and entered the water at a remote section of South Beach near the South Beach Shoal bell buoy. 

Police investigators have also learned from witnesses that both teenagers had been drinking heavily and possibly smoking marijuana during the evening.

According to Amity Police Chief Martin Brody, only Watson went in the water, and Hoggenbottam passed out on the beach. 

At the press confrence, Brody said there were currently no suspects, however Hoggenbottam’s credibility has gone down because he was intoxicated at the time of Watson’s missing.

A shark attack has not been ruled out, however according to Brody, shark attacks are remote, and there are no dangerous sharks at the beach.

Finding Sources

As the semester progresses, I have found finding sources for stories to be much easier. Many of my sources now a days come from one simple question: "is there anyone else I could talk to?". That question almost always gets me at least one extra source. Ask that every person you talk to, youre almost always guaranteed another person to talk to. It has made covering stories much easier. Im very glad I figured out this technique, because had I not, I would still be running around campus hoping that I can find someone to contribute to my story. Not only is that method stressful, its also very time consuming.

Red Sox Parade

One of the most amazing experiences I have ever had was when I went to the Red Sox championship parade last week. The atmosphere in Boston was truly amazing, as probably most of the city was there and thousands more from surrounding cities and states as well. Everyone there was just happy to be at such an amazing event. I was near the end of the parade, so we had to wait a while for the parade to reach us. Even still, no one was mad or getting impatient. When the duckboats were finally in sight, the crowd roared. For the next 10 minutes, the crowd was constantly cheering. Cameras and cell phones could be seen everywhere, as everyone wanted to take a picture of history being made. An event I will definitely never forget.

Take Back The Night

This was the first big event I covered, and it was fun, hard, and pretty emotional. The night started off seeming like it would be really cold, however the cold would not be a very big factor. Right as I got there I tried interviewing a few people that showed up. Not a lot of good quotes unfortunately. I ended up writing my story more about the events happening instead of what people had to say. The crowd walked around Durham yelling multiple chants. After they got back to the Great Lawn, they formed a circle and people talked about their experiences with sexual assault. A truly emotional moment. This was a great event to cover for my first time because of all that was happening.