As I watched Thursday’s installment of Channel 5’s Chronicle on the city of Lynn, I couldn’t help but think about the rat my dog just killed. Sheena the greyhound, 11 years old, you still got it in you. You saw it, you chased it, you clamped your formidable canines on it, shook it and dropped it on the ground, dead. Good dog! You looked up at me afterwards, exhilarated, proud.
Today, we saw another rat, moving slowly, probably from ingesting poison. Well, I’m glad the city is doing so well. Downtown is coming back. The Diamond District is flourishing. Lynn Woods is our best kept secret.
If you detect a note of sarcasm in my congratulations, you’re not alone. Or maybe it’s just sour grapes.
Well, good job anyway. You’re up and coming, Lynn. The tide is turning, and it’s not just bringing in brown algae.
The Lynn-side Edition 
Mark Dejoie
October 13, 2012
Great story.
Sent from my iPhone
TRISH GREENE
October 13, 2012
You know what’s disappointing in Chronicle? All focus on one restaurant. How much was that payoff? Yeh…some cynicism here too.
Cleo
October 15, 2012
So do you agree that the Chronicle episode was a total misrepresentation of Lynn or just left out some key negatives/areas for improvement?
http://uneducacion.blogspot.com/2012/10/from-comment-section-lynn-school-watch.html
lynnsideedition
October 15, 2012
Are those the only 2 choices I get? This was a “feel good” promotional feature, pure and simple. When you tune into Chronicle, you don’t expect to see an in-depth study of the problems facing a community. I do think Lynn has earned this spotlight though. A lot of people have worked hard to build up business and culture in their areas. And I am guilty of enjoying the beautiful waterfront at least twice a week. Still, while watching the piece, I couldn’t help but feel left out. I’m sure many other people feel that way too. But this is no reason to focus exclusively on the negative. I’m not saying that you are; like me, you are aware that more needs to be done. But many people seem to want to throw out the baby with bathwater, as illustrated by the comments you find on many blogs! Thanks for leaving your comment. I would say I agree that it just left out some key negatives/areas for improvement. It’s not a total misrepresentation.
Cleo
October 15, 2012
I agree with your assessment – as a Highlands resident who has lived in Lynn a log time, I personally also left out of this ‘Lynn on the rise’ that they kept alluding to. Still, the things they did show were not untrue – they just didn’t give a complete picture of what Lynn is at this point. It was to be expected though as they really only had about 20 minutes to cover the city as a whole. Overall, I was happy to see Lynn on TV and highlighted in a positive light even if I know that there is more to the story.
lynnsideedition
October 16, 2012
I watched the episode again, and I have to say, they did make mention of problems that have plagued the city and even showed a couple of shots of a boarded up house. I thought the segment on Raw Arts was really good and loved the founder’s description of their work and the kids’ perspectives. I think the focus is on downtown partly because the conditions there were ripe for change. The concentration of young urban professionals in the lofts with disposable income and common goals was was very conducive to a renewal.