Town meeting closes Amity beaches

The close of Amity beaches that was announced last night at the Amity Town Meeting has been ended. The initial close by Mayor Farley and Police Chief Brody was intended for 24 hours, but was ended last night when an Amity fisherman caught the shark thought responsible for two Amity deaths.

"Twenty-four hours is like three weeks," exclaimed one citizen at the meeting as it quickly turned into a riot when they first heard of the beaches closing. The outrage was due to the large amount of business owners who rely on the beach and tourism in order to make a living.

Audrey Kintner, mother of Alex Kintner, is still coping with her son's sudden death at Village Beach due to an alleged shark attack. She released an advertisement all around town and in local newspapers offering a $3000 reward to anyone who kills the shark responsible which is owed to the brave fisherman.

This issue was regarded at the meeting as "a private issue between Mrs. Kintner and the fishermen" by Mayor Farley, but quickly became a town issue when tourism was involved.

Fisherman Ben Quint disrupted the clamorous meeting to make the town an offer. After suggesting $3000 was not nearly enough payment to kill the shark already possibly connected to two Amity deaths, he offered his services for $10000.

Quint left before receiving an answer from the town. He also left the Mayor with a decision of giving up more money as a reward for terminating the shark problem or not giving into Quint's demands, severely hindering Amity's tourism and income.

Unfortunately for Quint, he was beat be someone willing to accept the smaller reward.

The shark itself was caught by a large baited fishing hook attacked to fishing line. The shark was enticed by a 25lb turkey used as bait. Caught a mile southwest of Amity, it was close enough to shore to be considered the right shark.

Shark expert and marine biologist Matt Hooper inspected the shark and determined its species to be a nurse shark. The species is highly rare to the Amity are and extremely dangerous. Since there has been no autopsy, there is no concrete evidence that this shark is the one that killed two Amity citizens.

"Of course it's the same one," assured Police Chief Brody, "how could it not be".

An autopsy of the shark has been ruled out in the name of the families of shark attack victims. Chief Brody stated it would be disrespectful to those who have already lost so much.

The beaches have been reopened just in time for the Fourth of July weekend. Business owners can relax now that the threat to Amity's much needed tourism is over.

The beach today was very crowded for the holiday weekend, but the water was empty. Some vacationers were hesitant in entering the formerly shark-infested waters. Local business owner Jim Henderson was the first to take his family into the water, and they were soon followed by hundreds of others.

A small scare unfolded as what appeared to be a shark sighting quickly cleared the waters. People quickly struggled back to shore to avoid what seemed to be a threat. When the water was clear of people, the shark spotting boats cornered the supposed shark at gunpoint.

Fortunately, the shark fin was a hoax. Two local boys equipped with snorkels and a cardboard fin posed as a shark as a prank that went a little too far.

The event of another shark attack is highly unlikely. Citizens and tourists alike are encouraged not to be concerned about shark spotters both on the beaches and in the water. These people will only be present to make beach-goers feel safe.