The death of local community leaders, calls to censure a Potsdam board member and a former Ivy Ridge employee charged with murder were among the top stories in St. Lawrence County  in 2024.

Here are the most significant stories from the past 12 months, as determined by the North Country This Week editorial staff and page views on NorthCountryNow.com.

Community pillars die in crash

Sadly one of the most-read stories was the  tragic loss of two prominent members of the Massena community who died in a motor vehicle accident.

Real “Frenchie” Coupal, president of Frenchie’s Chevrolet, and Loretta Perez were killed in an accident that remains under investigation by St. Lawrence County sheriff’s deputies.

The accident occurred in December near the intersection of State Highway 310 and County Route 34 in Potsdam.

“Frenchie and Loretta were two cornerstones of this community.  Each individual was highly involved in the community, whether that be with the Hospital board, the Elks, or the Italian American Club.  Two very wonderful people who gave so much to the community and who I will miss dearly.  My thoughts are with both of their families and I know the entire Massena community grieves,” Mayor Greg Paquin said.

Deputies say a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, operated by Connor A. Graveline of Ogdensburg, was traveling east on County Route 34 when he failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection and struck a 2022 GMC Acadia, operated by Real C. Coupal of Massena.

Potsdam councilor critical of Trump

At number two was a story that grabbed national attention after  a Potsdam town board member made comments about Pres. Donald Trump that some perceived as threatening.

In July, town council member Christine Paige, who said in a Facebook conversation that shooting the former president would be like “putting down a rabid dog,” told North Country This Week in a separate conversation that she has a right to freedom of speech and she did not apologize for her statements.

Her comments were part of a larger conversation thread in which the original poster said  “Shit they missed his head,” in the wake of a failed assisination attempt.

The comments by Paige drew the attention of a county legislature who, in a split voted, called for the town board to issue a formal resolution condemning her comments as a Potsdam town council member.

“It is totally unbecoming of a government official to say something like that,” said Glenn J. Webster, District 11 Legislator. Webster, who is from Norwood, represents a section of the town of Potsdam at the county level.

“It’s basically political assassination, it’s terrorism,” Webster said of the assassination attempt on the former president.”

Remnants of Debbie closes 40 roads

In third place was St. Lawrence County’s biggest weather disaster since the Ice Storm of ‘98.

Flooding brought by the remnants of Hurricane Debbie destroyed roads and bridges shutting down traffic countywide and left some vehicles submerged in water. Amazingly, there were no deaths related to the storm.

More than 40 roads in the county were partially closed and a travel advisory remained in effect for more than 24 hours  as emergency workers scrambled to clean up the damage from Hurricane Debbie.

Abandoned vehicles, washed out roads, collapsed bridges and flooded homes were among the reported damage.

Social media was overflowing with photos reminiscent of a disaster film related to the event and emergency service providers including EMS, first responders, law enforcement and firefighters worked through the night to answer hundreds of calls throughout the county.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Rick Engle reported no deaths,  but the damage was substantial.

“The travel ban has been lifted and changed to a travel advisory. There are many roads in the county that are still unpassable. Most roads with flooding or traffic hazards have been marked with signs or cones. If you need to travel, allow extra time and use caution. If you come across a traffic hazard, please report it,” he said at the time. “A number of roads are closed due to flooding. The Route 11 underpass just north of the Village of Canton is flooded and closed, and streets in the Judson Street area are also closed. A part of Route 58 in Gouverneur is also impassable.”

Murder charge for ex-Ivy Ridge worker

A Netflix documentary about alleged crimes committed by staff members nearly 20 years ago at Ivy Ridge Academy, just outside of Ogdensburg  brought national attention to the area.

The film, “The Program,” included footage of abuse and led to layoffs at local school districts and the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center as former employees were investigated.

At this time there have been no charges directly related to those investigations, but a former Ivy Ridge employee who gave several interviews was charged for murder in the weeks that followed after he allegedly bludgeoned a longtime friend John Barr to death.  Free has not yet faced trial for the charge.

John Free, 51, of Ogdensburg, was arrested by state police for second-degree murder, according to St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua.

Free was charged with allegedly killing John Barr, 58, a Rensselaer Falls man found dead late last week in his home at 12 Heuvelton St., Rensselaer Falls, according to a press release from Pasqua’s office. Before the body was found, but after the killing took place, Free was interviewed about his time and actions as an employee at Ivy Ridge for a podcast hosted by two former students.

Now closed, Ivy Ridge has come under nationwide attention following the release of “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnappings” on Netflix, which alleges abuses and atrocities carried out at the Academy at Ivy Ridge between 2001 and 2009.”

Man accused of killing his mother

Another murder, in which a Massena man allegedly killed his own mother, also gained local attention.

In May Richard T. Billings was charged with killing his mother Mary Billings, a motive for the crime was not revealed. Billings has not yet faced trial on the matter.

Police say the incident occurred on March 30, 2024 at 23 Kennedy Court, but details on her death were not provided as the investigation is ongoing.

Mary was said to be a lover of music and dancing whose “patience and love was limitless” according to her obituary.

She was a 1952 graduate of Massena schools and married her husband Richard  in 1954. They had three sons, Richard, Michael, who predeceased her, and Mark. She was also a grandmother.”

Ivy Ridge documentary hits

Although the murder that occurred in the wake of the docmumentary’s release gained more traction, the original story regarding the ‘The Program’ put Ogdensburg in the national spotlight for months.

The story shocked locals, many of whom never even knew about Ivy Ridge Academy, which was essentially a reform school where a number of abuses were reported to have occurred.

In the wake of the documentary’s release no immediate arrests were made, but investigations by the county District attorney’s office remain active.  In the weeks that followed the report of the documentary, local rallies were held, some former employees of Ivy Ridge lost their jobs and some were suspended temporarily.

The three-part documentary series that details numerous allegations of abuse of teenage girls at the Academy at Ivy Ridge in Ogdensburg is now available on Netflix.

“The Program” details years of abuse towards teenage girls at the Academy at Ivy Ridge and how the “school” tricked parents into sending their children there.

The Academy of Ivy Ridge was an independent, privately owned and operated board school that was owned by the Jason G. Finlinson Corporation and the Joseph and Alyn Mitchell Corporation.

Opened in 2001, the school was originally affiliated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) but withdrew from the organization in 2005 due to negative media attention.

Despite the idyllic setting, it was alleged that students on the lower levels were not allowed to look out windows and were required to be “promoted” to upper level status in order to earn the privilege to look outside and be occasionally taken outside to play during a monthly upper level activity.

According to various reports, in 2005, students began a riot that led to four dozen expulsions and 12 arrests, with numerous officers from the Sheriff’s Office, State Police, Ogdensburg PD and U.S. Border Patrol being brought in to end the riot.

At least 30 runaways were captured, it is alleged.

Allegations began to surface shortly after regarding poor living conditions, unauthorized medical procedures, physiological torture, sexual abuse and physical abuse, according to reports.

The documentary also includes clips of  violent restraint tactics being used against students.

Potsdam teen harvests huge bear

A story about a Potsdam teen who harvested a  black bear that weighed nearly one-quarter ton this fall drew ire from some readers and support from others.

While many praised the teen for her successful hunt it also prompted controversy from those who were critical of her first bear harvest.

Alexa Livernois, 18, shot the near 600-pound bear in southern St. Lawrence County, according to her father, Brian Livernois.

The massive animal weighed 557 alive and its dress weight was 466. Dress weight refers to the weight of an animal after being partially butchered, removing the internal organs.

This was the first bear she harvested, Livernois said of his daughter.

Accidental police shooting

At number 8 was the story of a 17-year-veteran of the Ogdensburg police force who was charged with accidently shooting another officer while cleaning her firearm inside the police station.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies said Jessica B. Rivers, 40, of Ogdensburg was charged Aug. 16 at 9:30 a.m. following an investigation, which was underway for nearly two months.

“The arrest stemmed from negligence used during the handling of a firearm, during weapons cleaning after range training, which caused physical injury to another person,” a statement from the sheriff said.

The incident took place June 20 at the station.

Officer Daniel Hollister was shot and injured. He was  transported to a Syracuse Hospital where he was treated and later released and returned home to recover with his family.

An internal investigation also took place in Ogdensburg, the city has not disclosed publicly if Rivers is still employed there.

Dozens of dogs burned

St. Lawrence County residents mourned the deaths of dozens of dogs that perished in a fire at the “No Dogs Left Behind” animal sanctuary. The kennel had been a point of contention among some community members already, but following the fire many people had questions about what actually happened. The investigation into the fire remains open and no cause has been shared publicly at this time.

A passerby spotted the flames and called 911. Canton Fire, Canton Rescue, and County Car 4 were dispatched  to the structure fire, according to First Assistant Chief Robert Crowe.

Firefighter Wayne Stripp, who lives less than a mile away from the fire location, advised it was a confirmed working fire.

Chief Shawn McGregor then activated the tanker task force for that zone along with manpower from the Pierrepont Fire Department.

The tanker task force would bring tankers from Pierrepont Fire, West Potsdam Fire, Potsdam Fire, Pyrites Fire, and Russell Fire to the scene.

Engine 7 was enroute at 1:05 a.m., arriving at the scene at 1:12 a.m.

Firefighters were met with heavy fire in the kennel building and unfortunately, due to the volume of fire, the animals housed in the building perished, Crowe reported.

It is unknown how many animals died in the blaze but an unconfirmed report indicated 40 or more dogs perished.

Murder-suicide

In early December, a murder suicide left two brothers dead in the town of Massena. The shocking story left more questions than answers as no motive was shared. Troopers said Anthony “Tony” G. Truax, 67, of Massena and Danny R. Truax, 60, Massena, were both found deceased due to gunshot wounds following an “altercation” between the two men.

Investigators said the Massena Police Department responded to 128 Beach St., where officers located the two deceased males inside the residence.

Investigators say a dispute between Danny and Anthony Truax ended with Danny shooting his brother before killing himself.

According to state police, multiple search warrants were executed and the scene was processed for evidence. It’s not clear what locations those may have included.

At noon on Dec. 3 Forensic Pathologist Doctor Scott F. LaPoint conducted autopsies on the two men. The cause of death for Anthony Truax was ruled a homicide after it was determined he was shot through the torso.

The autopsy on Danny Truax determined the cause of death to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, which was determined to be a suicide.