It seems fitting that our last news photo of 2013 comes from Frozen Fenway on Tuesday, where Lynners played in a hockey game between St. John’s Prep and Malden Catholic.From Big Papi’s April F-bomb that rallied the region after the Boston Marathon bombings to the late-October delirium when the Red Sox won their first World Series at home since 1918, Fenway was the epicenter of our region’s collective grief and joy.And now the year is over ? frozen in time, if you will.This was the year a Lynn election was won and lost. A nationally known Saugus contribution to roadside culture closed its doors and sold off its assets. Tragedies broke our collective hearts and enraged us, but heroes emerged and captured not only local attention but the nation’s.For better or for worse, here are the stories that the reporters and editors of The Daily Item determined to be the tops of 2013. And a big thanks to more than 700 Itemlive.com readers whose helped us determine the top five by taking our poll.Kennedy trounces Phelan to win second termMayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy may have tiptoed into her first term, but she strode into her second with a resounding victory over City Council President Timothy Phelan, securing another four-year term in office by a 9,258 to 6,403-vote margin.With 31 percent of the city’s 51,400 voters casting ballots, Kennedy won 26 of the city’s 28 precincts, losing Ward 6 precincts 3 and 4 to Phelan. She won 59 percent of the mayoral vote to 41 percent for Phelan.?I have a sense that a clear majority of voters want me to continue the job I’m doing,” she said at the time.Kennedy announced her bid for re-election in April, setting the stage for a long campaign season. Phelan made his run official in May and the pair faced off in seven debates before Kennedy supporters sent a clear warning in the primary, which Kennedy won 57 percent of the vote. Things turned ugly when Kennedy confiscated a computer from Phelan’s aide. She claimed she had concerns over “campaign violations,” he called it an abuse of power.In the end, it did little to thwart Kennedy’s march to victory, which included a strong win in Ward 1, where Union Hospital became a major campaign issue after hospital executives unveiled big changes planned for the Lynnfield Street facility.Sporting a pink and black feather boa during her victory party, Kennedy, 50, accepted congratulations from supporters at the Franco American Veterans post, savoring a win that stood in sharp contrast to the narrow margin of victory she secured over former Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. in 2009.?It feels a lot better than 27 votes,” she said.Kennedy said she won re-election because voters see her administration improving the city, even if progress on some fronts appears to be slow.?People are seeing positive changes: We didn’t get into trouble overnight and we won’t get out of it overnight,” she said.Lynn firefighter rescues child at Boston Marathon bombingsTo Matt Patterson, the tragic events of April 15 sounded like a low-pitched boom, which silenced the crowd inside Abe and Louie’s. But the explosion drove the Lynn firefighter to his feet and out the door into the mayhem that became known as the Boston Marathon bombing.Two pressure cooker bombs had exploded about 13 seconds and 210 feet apart near the finish line, killing three people and injuring more than 260. But before he knew any of that, Patterson’s Army training and firefighter paramedic skills kicked in as he knelt next to what he thought was a young boy lying in the street. One of the child’s legs had been sheared off. Patterson fashioned a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding and with another man’s help rushed the youngest to safety.He saved the life of 7-year-old Jane Richard, although he could not help her brother, who was one of the three who died that day.Since that day, Patterson has been celebrated locally and statewide, and recognized internationally after recounting his story for the likes of Anderson Cooper, Kati