Morning Paper Malfunction

My digital copy of the Columbia Flier won't load, which must be the 21st century equivalent if the paperboy missing my house or oversleeping. Ugh.

Ah, well.

I spotted a photograph this week in this Retro Gallery on the Mall in Columbia. The caption reads:

December 1977
Teens in Columbia claim they have little to do for recreation.

It shows a group of teens sitting around one of the fountains at the Mall.

First off, I graduated from high school in 1977, so those teens look awfully familiar to me, generationally. Also, why the use of the word "claim"? It almost appears to be challenging the veracity of the statement.

"Those teenagers today. They don't know how easy they have it. They have a brand new community, CA recreational facilities, all those cool pathways to explore, the Lakefront, and even a Mall..."

Maybe I'm overthinking that one word a little bit. But I can imagine that generational divide between teens and adults because I was one of those teens (though not here) and now I am an adult, parent to a teen child. Young adult. Whatever.

So here we are in 2017. How do teens feel today about Columbia? Is there enough for them to do, if they don't drive yet, in a place that is largely automobile-dependent? Could this photograph be replicated today with only the fashion styles changed, while the sentiment remained?

That's an article I'd like to read in the Columbia Flier.

If I could just get it to load.