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YDR Journalist in Boston, Part 2

NOTE: Here is an update of a blog post from Friday, about Hannah Sawyer’s reporting later Friday and into Saturday on the bombing in Boston:

Hannah Sawyer, a journalist on the Night News and Digital desk, was going to be on vacation in Boston this weekend. After the tragedy at the marathon, she offered to help Digital First journalists stationed in Boston with whatever they needed today, Friday. So last night, before the search started, she hit the road. By the time she arrived this morning, with really no sleep, the manhunt was fully underway. She has been helping gather some of the information about what is going on. Here are some of her tweets:

About 7 a.m. Watertown on lockdown. At Watertown mall.

About 7 a.m.: Some people still on streets despite police order to stay inside.

About 11:25: UMass Dartmouth in process of controlled evacuation of campus: 

About 11:30 a.m.:  Police processing CRV: 

In the afternoon, Sawyer and her editors at DFM agreed that she should go get some -much-needed rest and to be on call if anything happened. In the early evening, as the heat was picking up, she re-deployed herself to Watertown as the suspect was being pinned down by police. She worked with other DFM reporters to get as much information as possible through the arrest and into the celebration. Initially, the DFM story included her contributions.

On Saturday, she was back to work, walking the streets of downtown Boston, trying to see if Bostonians were finding some sense of normalcy. Here is the story she filed from the field:

Boston returning to normal after marathon bombing suspect’s capture

BOSTON – A day after a firefight, lockdown and manhunt for a terror suspect, city residents did their best to return to normalcy.

An actor in colonial garb guided a pair of tourists past an armored vehicle and a cluster of armed officers Saturday in the Boston Common, where one officer said police presence still was being stepped up citywide.

South Station, which serves subway, Amtrak and bus passengers, was evacuated and searched briefly by a bomb squad at about noon. Police responded to a report of a suspicious package in a building next door, a transit official said. The scene was cleared, and the station returned to full service.
Annie Le, who was traveling to Worcester, Mass., said she was not nervous about traveling, but officials told passengers to keep identification on them at all times and to tag all baggage.
Armed law enforcement officials were posted on train platforms as tourists made their way back into the city.
Myron Blanchard, a T-shirt vendor in Downtown Crossing, was back in business Saturday morning.
“It’s a good sign,” he said. “Everyone’s just getting back to normal.”
Blanchard said he was hoping to recoup losses sustained Friday during the lockdown.
Shawn Gear, a food vendor, also was happy to get back to work.
“I didn’t get paid (Friday),” said Gear, who earns an hourly wage. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to make that up.”
Duck boats were back in operation, and fans made their way to Boston Garden for Saturday’s Bruins NHL hockey game as professional sports resumed after being canceled Friday because of the citywide lockdown.
Tom Corazzini of Lexington, Mass., searched for an open bar before the Bruins game. It was a “party atmosphere” last night, he said. Corazzini wore a Bruins jersey and an American flag draped around his shoulders.
Bostonians were anxious for justice to be served. Some said they were happy that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured alive. Gear said he “would have liked to see it go the other way.”
Highway signs along the Massachusetts Turnpike flashed messages of gratitude. “Thank you all,” they read. “We are Boston strong.”
“Pride, a lot of pride,” Neil Goslin, a Boston resident, said in explaining the “Boston strong” slogan, which has become a rallying cry. “This is our town.”