Lynn and the surrounding community’s 2018 has been a year of change. We said goodbye to community institutions and hello to new developments. We saw the courage of people making hard choices in the face of adversity. And we lamented the loss of two little girls.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on Itemlive.com.
Lynn’s iconic Porthole restaurant will close after 51 years
Our most-read story came in May, when Porthole owner Robert Gaudet announced the Lynnway mainstay would no longer hold sway at its seafront location
“It’s been a beautiful run, but the time has come,” said Gaudet at the time. “I’m tired, I just want to relax.”
Burned body found near Lynn playground
All Scott Beauchamp wanted to do was walk his dog. What he found shocked the city; a burned body hidden in the trees at the edge of Frey playground.
Beauchamp couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and called a neighbor over to help him process what he was seeing.
“I called him over to make sure,” Beauchamp said. “I don’t think I wanted to believe it was a body, but I guess it is. I wasn’t too happy when I saw it.”
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare; a car came barreling through a crowd waiting at a crossing signal in Revere, killing a five-year-old girl and her infant sister. The driver of the car, Autumn Harris of Boston, faces multiple charges related to the crash, including manslaughter.
Prosecutors said Harris admitted to drinking a beer before the crash, and taking sleeping pills the night before. She also said she had taken a muscle relaxer and vaped CBD oil, which is derived from a non-psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
Garelick Farms tells worker plant is closing
The shuttering of one of Lynn’s biggest employers came as a surprise to both its workers and to city officials, who were left scrambling for answers after parent company Dean Foods pulled the plug on the former West Lynn Creamery facility.
“The employees feel like they were misled and lied to,” one worker said about the abrupt closure. “When rumors surfaced last year about a possible plant closure, management told us to be team players and not to quit. Now look what’s happened.”
Two arrested following shooting at Planet Fitness in Lynn
Gunplay outside of Planet Fitness on Boston Street got hearts inside pumping a little faster in November. Two men were arrested in connection to the incident, which saw stray shots punch through the building’s facade and into the gym.
Swampscott principal: I’m transgender
Thomas Shannon Daniels was in and out of the news for most of the year after he announced he was transgender in February. In the months since his initial announcement, Daniels, who prefers to use he/him pronouns, agreed to leave Stanley Elementary School, where he served as principal. By the end of the year, Daniels and school administrators agreed on his return to the school as a teacher, with provisions in the deal centered on what Daniels could wear and how students would refer to him.
Lynn: Man shot in the neck and robbed by two gun-wielding men
A particularly vicious robbery grabbed reader attention in December. After he was shot in the neck, the two gunman robbed a man of his wallet and cash. They also snatched a cell phone from another passenger in the car, according to police.
$192 million waterfront development planned for Lynn
Once it was Building 19. Now it’s an indoor flea market. But the Lynnway property known for so long as a bargain shopping destination will soon become home to hundreds of people. Developer Pat McGrath intends to build 550 residential units on 10,000 square feet of commercial property at the current Lynnway Mart Indoor Mall & Flea Market, wedged between the General Edwards Bridge and Walmart.
Lynn cop carries a little girl on his back to escape flooded car
The year’s first big storm brought us the image of a big-hearted police officer doing his duty. Officer Ron Diaz didn’t hesitate when he saw the family stranded after its car stalled in a flooded street on Jan. 4. He waded in and pulled an 8-year-old girl onto his back.
Lynn English waited three weeks before telling parents about a shooting threat
Parents were livid when they heard the news three weeks later: Someone had made threats against Lynn English High School in May. School officials defended the decision, saying they handled the situation appropriately and contacted police when they had completed their own investigation. But that wasn’t seen enough for Mayor Thomas McGee.
“I have reinforced with all administrators and teachers that any evidence of reports or threats to teachers, students, administrators or school buildings need to be immediately reported to police,” McGee said at the time. “That’s see something, say something.”
