By CRAIG FREILICH

The difficulty the weak economy imposed on many North Country residents and businesses was among the biggest stories in St. Lawrence County in 2010.

But last year also saw an 18-year-old run for county legislator, unemployment rise above 10 percent, a Parishville Marine lose both legs while in Afghanistan, Price Chopper replace bankrupt P & C, and Republican Patty Ritchie win out over incumbent Democrat Darrel Aubertine for state senator from the 48th district.

"We're seeing more people who need help on a sustaining basis as opposed to emergencies,” said Shari Wilcox of the Canton Church and Community Program in mid-January.

"Previously we would see more people who would have an unexpected expense and would suddenly come up short. These are the working middle class who don't usually get help. We would help them and the next month they would be okay. Not now," she said.

As tax revenues declined and aid from the state diminished, schools and local governments were faced with choosing between raising taxes, raiding reserves, cutting programs, cutting staff, or any other means they could think of to get by.

"We all know we have a difficult task ahead of us, and for the foreseeable future," said Potsdam Central School Superintendent Pat Brady as budget talks began in earnest in late January and early February.

Other top stories reported by NorthCountryNow in 2010:

• A new, very young face in emerged local politics, as Canton high school senior Matthew Flynn II announced he was running for the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators as the District 8 representative. Flynn gave it a whirl, even catching the eye of Fox show host Mike Huckabee, who invited Flynn on the show with other young political hopefuls from around the country. But he lost in a primary to fellow Republican and the eventual winner of the seat, Madrid dairy farmer William Acres.

• As winter was giving way to spring, the town and village of Potsdam set course to find out what the consequences of dissolving the village government would be. The committee looking into it is still gathering information for their report, but they will take no position on the matter, just providing the facts they have compiled.

• As the summer ended and the political whirlwind for 2010 gained strength, the biggest questions in the region centered on the 23rd Congressional District race, which pitted Democrat Bill Owens, who had won a special election to fill the seat, against Republican Watertown businessman Matt Doheny, who was victorious in a GOP primary against Conservative Party and Tea Party favorite Doug Hoffman of Saranac Lake. Hoffman did not pull his name off the ballot after his primary loss, opening the door a little wider for Owens, as Hoffman and Doheny fought it out for conservative and independent voters. Owens won a narrow victory.

• The "anti-incumbent wave" is credited at least in part for the victory by Republican St. Lawrence County Clerk Patty Ritchie over incumbent 48th District state Sen. Darrel Aubertine, a Democrat. Ritchie had broad support, buoyed by her intense door-to-door campaigning.

• On the county Board of Legislators, Democrats held their majority, but by only one seat, down from a 10-5 majority.

• As farmers prepared for planting, some farmers in St. Lawrence County reported they were doing well, and others not so well, as corn prices were rising and milk prices were at levels that did not cover the expenses of milking the cows.

• As unemployment continued to rise in St. Lawrence County above 9.5 percent, and eventually to 11.5 percent before receding again, giving the county the regrettable distinction of having the highest jobless rate upstate, career counselors were seeing confusion and anxiety among those looking for work. "Without a doubt, an air of anxiety exists in job seekers," said Steve House, the manager of the county's One-Stop Career Center. "We've even had cuts in our own department," House said. There is less money for such programs, he said.

• As warm weather returned, seniors graduating from the four colleges in Canton and Potsdam learned that while employers generally weren't falling over themselves to hire new workers, the job market for graduates had taken its first uptick since 2008, college placement officials told us.

• Also in the spring came the sad news that a young Marine from Parishville had been severely wounded in Afghanistan, losing both legs and part of one hand and suffering shrapnel wounds elsewhere in his body. Cpl. Aaron Howell has recovered some mobility, his father recently told us, and his outlook is improved since he got prosthetics to walk on. He is now an outpatient at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., and is being put up at an Army hotel.

• The demise of P&C Foods and the closure of several of their stores in the North Country left some communities without a supermarket to shop at. Price Chopper emerged as the buyer of many of the stores and was welcomed as the chain renovated and reopened them.

• The Norwood Village Green Concert Series, and the Crane School's summer musical attracted talented actors, musicians, dancers and others to the North Country for outstanding performances. The Norwood summer series, in its 37th season, counted their 500,000th audience member at the outdoor concerts.

• During the warm weather, communities of sportsmen and women took advantage of the good summer climate to stage canoe races, triathlons, fishing tournaments, road races on foot and on bicycles, and all manner of outdoor activities. The Madrid Bluegrass Festival, Fourth of July celebrations, outdoor concerts and summer festivals kept North Country people entertained, and brought friends, relatives and fun-seekers to the county.

• Potsdam businessman Hank Robar did not let up in his "porcelain protest" at an otherwise empty lot at 84 Market St. His decoration of the spot with toilets as flowerpots, a scarecrow and rows of corn has become entertainment for some, but his feeling that he was unfairly dealt with by village officials when they refused to change the zoning on the property to allow a donut shop there remains firm.

• At the colleges, building programs on the campuses of St. Lawrence University, Clarkson University, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton all reinforced their belief in the future of their institutions, as did the start of work for a new cancer center at Canton-Potsdam Hospital and a sizable addition to their Noble Hospital facility in Canton build confidence in those medical facilities, while several clinics from several area hospitals opened.

• It turned out to be a good growing season for crop farmers in the region. The weather cooperated to help produce good corn, hay, vegetable and fruit crops around the North Country.

• A significant development in the arts community was new classroom space for the St. Lawrence County Arts Council's programs at Clarkson's old downtown Potsdam Snell Hall. The great variety and volume of classes had been severely cramped at the council's gallery space on Market Street.

• As the weather turned cooler, there was concern that many people in the county might have trouble keeping themselves warm and fed. County Social Services reported that more peopler were qualifying for programs like Food Stamps and HEAP, the heating assistance program, and established and new programs for getting food to people who need it were responding to higher need.

• The unhappy demise of Hackett's, a leading retailer in the county for well over 100 years, was a local illustration of the trouble many businesses around the country got into when credit dried up and defaults on loans skyrocketed.

Bright spots in the local economy included the continued determination of entrepreneurs to make their businesses succeed and provide some local people with jobs. For any fledgeling businesspeople, there were programs at Clarkson, the county Chamber of Commerce and through many other organizations to help startups avoid common mistakes, find funding, and get on the road to success.

• Among the new businesses opening in the Greater Canton-Potsdam area in 2010 were The Club in Canton, a restaurant on Court Street owned by Rick Casara; Jim's Floor Covering in Potsdam; Usherwood Office Technology's new location in Potsdam; CVL Wireless, a trucking industry communications company, in Potsdam; one Hot Tamale restaurant in Canton and another in Potsdam; a Spicy Iguana restaurant in Canton; Colton Glass and Mirror opened on Rt. 11 in Potsdam; the Thai Cuisine Restaurant in Potsdam, soon to be followed by The Noodle House from the same owners; Adirondack Deck and Dock opened in Colton; the Computer Guys of Potsdam opened a second computer and textbook shop in Canton; Tap to Toe dance studio opened in Potsdam; the Rushton Place office space and condominium project in Canton opened; eTera Consulting data tracking services opened in Potsdam.

• And 1844 House, a fine-dining restaurant on the Canton-Potsdam Road, earned a AAA Three-Diamond rating, the only restaurant in the county to do so.

POTSDAM -- The St. Lawrence County Arts Council is offering classes for teens and adults in January in Clarkson University’s downtown Snell Hall.

To register, call 265-6860 or e-mail www.slcartscouncil.org.

The classes include:

• Musical Theatre Dance for Teens and Adults with Devon Butler, Thursdays, Jan. 13 - June 9, 6:30-8 p.m.; no classes: Feb 24, April 14, May 19; classes focus on basics of theatre dance in a fun and creative atmosphere; $180 for 18 weeks, students should wear jazz dance shoes, leotard and tights or dance pants and wear their hair tied back.

• Beginner Tap for Teens and Adults with Devon Butler, Fridays, Jan. 14 - June 10, 6:30-7:30 p.m.; no classes Feb. 25, April 15, May 20; beginner level class but students with prior experience are welcome; $144 for 18 weeks, tap shoes required, hair should be pulled back and students should wear easy-to-move-in clothing that allows a clear view of their feet.

• Caribbean Dance for Ages 13-Adult with A'Keitha Carey, Saturdays, Jan. 15 – Feb. 19, 1:15-2:30 p.m.; classical ballet and modern technique treading on the boundaries of traditional African and Caribbean movement and implications. $70 for 6 weeks.

• Comics Club with Dave W. Ferry, Saturday, Jan. 15, noon-3 p.m., age 12 to adult; monthly class introduces the world of comic creation including sketching and forming characters, perspective drawing, sequential storytelling, and bringing ideas to life; $20; bring a sketchbook, pencils, a good eraser and your imagination.