Juneau

Heavy snow is forecast to hit Juneau and other parts of Alaska’s panhandle this weekend, following days of record-breaking frigid temperatures. 

According to the National Weather Service, Juneau is forecast to see more than a foot of snowfall in 24 hours beginning late Friday evening through Saturday evening. That storm is an atmospheric river and will bring warmer temperatures, which could reach into the high 20s.

Andrew Park, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Juneau, said residents should pay attention to the weather and prepare for hazardous conditions.  

“Definitely be prepared. I don’t think you’re gonna be traveling on the roads if we get 20 inches of snow in 24 hours,” Park said. “Make sure you have food, fuel, take care of the things you need to do for stuff like that — like now.” 

The forecasted heavy snow comes after the capital city broke multiple record-low daily temperatures earlier this week. 

On Tuesday, Juneau saw a new daily record-low at the Juneau International Airport of -10 degrees Fahrenheit. It broke the previous record of -3 degrees set back in 1971 for that date and marked the fifth day in December that the airport recorded lows reaching below zero. 

City officials are advising residents to ensure heating sources in their homes are monitored and maintained. Earlier this week, Juneau saw two destructive residential fires in a mobile home park in the course of just three days. While the causes of both fires are still under investigation, officials warn that residential fires are more common with the onset of cold weather because of heating system failures. 

Juneau Harbormaster Matt Creswell said the forecasted snowfall and rise in temperature could cause problems for boats at Juneau’s harbors. 

“If you got a boat, it’s time to get down and check on it, take care of it, and get ready for what will be our third round of snow in this so far this month,” Creswell said. 

Juneau’s emergency warming shelter in Thane remains open to patrons each night and transportation is available to Juneau’s Glory Hall homeless shelter.

With its Ferris Wheel made of K’nex and model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, the Ben Franklin store was a landmark in downtown Juneau, drawing attention from passersby, young and old. But in mid-December, it was almost empty as people came and went to see what’s left. 

After more than 50 years, the family-run shop in downtown Juneau is closing its doors. The owner of Ben Franklin said the store has been a part of the town’s history — and his own — and closing is bittersweet. 

Mike Wiley’s parents bought the building that houses the store in the 1970s. It was already called Ben Franklin, which was a nationwide general store franchise. 

“We sold everything from tennis shoes to pencils to bras and lampshades, because there was no real store where you could get those kinds of things,” he said. 

Wylie was in middle school when his family took over and he worked at the store every day after school.

“I went to Maria Drake Junior High, which is over by Harborview. Walked over after school,” he said. “Always was told, ‘You have to come here, go to work, stay out of trouble.’”

That tradition continued with his own kids.

“Our kids have worked here. We’ve had grandkids working here,” Wylie said. “We have no great-grandkids working here yet, but as of now, we still have like two grandkids working here and helping out.”

Juneau has changed a lot over the last 50 years, and Ben Franklin changed with it. Wylie said he thinks only people in their sixties and older remember the original chain these days.

Starting around the 1970s, the store adapted as tourism grew in Juneau. 

“There was maybe two or three gift shops in town, and we started carrying Alaska souvenirs,” Wylie said. “And it was the old steamships — like Canadian cruise lines and that kind of thing – that came in here.”

Wylie said he always made a point to continue selling things useful to locals too — like housewares, frames and toiletries. 

The nationwide Ben Franklin franchise was sold a few times, and declared bankruptcy in the 1990s. It folded about 10 years ago, and Juneau’s store became independent. Wylie said the last few years were tough on business, with the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions. 

The store made it through, as it had for decades before. But now, he said it’s time to close the shop, of his own volition.  

“Basically, it’s the end of an era here,” Wylie said. “Why we’re closing up –  it’s just, it’s time for me to retire. I put 52 years in here.”

Wylie said the responsibility of running the store has been on his shoulders for so much of his life. 

“When you own a business, you’re never away from it,” he said. “And I just want freedom to not have to worry about that.”

The Wylie family announced in September they were going to close the store. It stayed open for the holiday season. There isn’t much left now, some fabric and decorations and a swordfish on the wall. 

As it empties, people have come in to share their memories of the store. Wylie said it’s bittersweet to hear them.   

“Especially when everybody comes in and says, you know, ‘Hey, I hate to see you go’ and whatnot,” he said. “And, you know, ‘We brought our kids in here when they were little kids,’ and ‘My mom dad brought us in here’ when they were little kids to purchase stuff. So that, you know, that part kind of tugs at heartstrings.”

Wylie said he plans to have a “garage sale” style sell-off of whatever is left after the holidays. And he said he’s had a couple of people interested in buying the century-old building.

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, or DEED, found that the Juneau School District did not provide occupational therapy services to some students that were supposed to receive them last school year.

According to a report from the department, the district lost an occupational therapist last year and did not follow the correct procedure to ensure students would continue to receive services. Some students with an individualized education program, or IEP, require a certain amount of occupational therapy during the school year.

Don Enoch is DEED’s special education administrator. He said when a school loses staff that provide a specific special education service, a replacement should be found as quickly as possible and a compensatory education plan must be offered to students in the meantime. 

“The IEP guarantees the parents will receive those services for their students, and when that’s not done, the district’s obligated to make that right,” he said.

The report states that the district must offer services to make up for lost time. JSD also has to send a spreadsheet to DEED that lists which students qualify for services, and whether families decided to go through with the services.

The initial complaint was filed in June, and DEED issued the final report in November. In an email to KTOO, Juneau School District Student Services Director Jason DeCamillis said the district was already addressing the issue before the complaint was filed, and had resolved the issue before November.

He said fewer than 30 students were affected. Before the state’s report was completed, DeCamillis said the district hired new staff, provided make-up services or created a plan to provide services in the current school year.

“We do take these gaps very seriously and proactively address known issues as soon as possible, with as much communication as possible,” he wrote. 

In addition to a systemic complaint made about occupational therapy, an individual complaint was also filed to the state this year related to occupational therapy services. An investigation concluded that specific student is owed 330 minutes of compensatory occupational therapy services.

Enoch said many parents don’t realize the state is a resource to help students with IEPs. In addition to investigating complaints, DEED can also hold due process hearings and mediate meetings between parents and the school district about IEPs. 

He said DEED can also help explain an IEP to parents. He wants more parents to reach out to DEED if they are having issues.

“We don’t get very many calls from parents at all, and it’s kind of concerning sometimes, because we hear things that are going on out in the communities, and we have to go out and investigate,” Enoch said. “But one phone call from a parent could help clue us into problems that a district is having.”

The district has until the end of next year to complete all compensatory services as outlined by DEED. Parents with concerns about their children’s special education services can call DEED’s special education office at 907-465-8693.

Clarification: This story has been updated to better reflect the Juneau School District’s response timeline. 

This week marks six months since 42-year-old Juneau resident Benjamin “Benny” Stepetin was last seen in downtown Juneau. 

His brother, Martin Stepetin Sr., said his family and friends haven’t stopped looking for him even during the holidays.

“We just don’t want his memory to fade, or anybody to think that we’re giving up searching for him at all — because we’re not,” he said. “We’re still doing everything we can to still try to find what happened to my brother.”

Police listed Benjamin as a missing person after he was last seen in Juneau on June 22 in the downtown area. Benjamin is Alaska Native, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and has brown eyes. Before he went missing, he often frequented the downtown area and had been homeless for roughly two years.

Following his disappearance, his family raised over $25,000 to fund a robust search effort and paid for divers to search the Gastineau Channel in September. Martin believes his brother may have fallen or been pushed into the water. 

And, though Martin said the divers didn’t find any signs of Benjamin then, the family is working with the Juneau Police Department in hopes of getting divers into the water for another search soon. 

Juneau Police Deputy Chief Krag Campbell said detectives are still actively investigating the case and encourage anyone with information about Benjamin’s disappearance to contact the department. 

Campbell said the department believes there may have been people involved in Benjamin’s disappearance who aren’t coming forward. 

“It is being investigated as more than just a missing person’s case, but also a missing person’s case with a criminal aspect to it,” he said. 

People can share information by calling JPD’s dispatch line at 907-586-0600 or submitting an anonymous tip through Juneau Crimeline.

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After more than 16 years as a staple at Juneau’s State Office Building, a local musician has played his last theater organ concert. In a holiday-themed show on Friday, T.J. Duffy said goodbye to a packed audience filled with longtime listeners and soon-to-be regulars.

A crowd of people gathered in the State Office Building on a frigid afternoon. Sunshine streamed through windows as they listened, and some sang along with classic Christmas carols performed on a nearly century-old Kimball theater organ.

T.J. Duffy manned the keys of the massive organ, using his hands and feet to control pedals that play various pipes, wind instruments and drums behind a nearby glass display case. Duffy moved to Juneau in 2008, but heard about the rare organ even before arriving. He said he had to clear a couple of hoops before the state approved him to perform.

“I contacted the State Museum who owned it, and they had to interview me and vet me to make sure, you know, that I knew what I was doing, because it is a museum piece. And they said,’ Sure, go ahead,’” he said.

In 2009, Duffy started joining another organist, J. Allen MacKinnon, in performing on Fridays at noon. He kept it up for more than 16 years. 

He said some of the younger audience members are one of his favorite parts of performing.

“I used to have what I called my cult following of preschoolers,” he said. “They would come over here, they’d take their jackets and their boots off, they’d eat their peanut butter and jelly, and then they would get up and dance. So I would specifically save my danceable music for when they were ready to dance. And then they would rush the organ.”

After concerts, Duffy typically gave what he calls an “organ tour,” where he let children check out the instrument and play a few notes. Friday’s concert was no different. He said it’s a way to get them interested in music.

“The State Museum prefers I don’t, but I’m a big believer that if you want your kids to be musician[s], you have to put musical instruments in their hand and take them to musical events,” Duffy said. “Everybody says, ‘How can I get my kid interested in piano?’ Get him a piano. Let him play it, let him see people playing it.”

Runa Curry went to the concert with her mom. It was a first for both of them. 

“I like the sounds because, and then, you look in the case and there’s all, there’s like drums that go with it too,” Runa said. “There’s so many different, like, instruments that go with the organ.’

She said she’s sad that it’s Duffy’s last performance, but wants to come back for future concerts with other musicians.

Duffy said his last concert coincides with his retirement from the state’s law department. The years have also taken their toll.

“It’s affected my hearing and my abilities are decreasing, so no more public,” he said.

There are still two other performers who will continue the Friday concerts, but it’s unclear how much longer that will go on. The organ is near the end of its usable life, and it would cost $250,000 to ship it to Portland, Oregon for repairs. On top of that, Duffy said it’s difficult to get young people in Juneau to play the organ.

“There’s not that many organs in Juneau. Organists are a dying breed. AI starts manufacturing music now, you know?” he said. “So this organ may very well be in its final days. And I want everybody to know that.”

Now he hopes to leave the state and pursue his other interest: poker.

“I’m actually hoping to move to Las Vegas this summer and check out professional poker,” Duffy said. “I love playing poker. That’s my other passion, next to music.”

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The darkest day of the year has officially passed. Now, the days are growing brighter. Dozens of Juneau residents marked the occasion at Mendenhall Campground with a ‘light the night’ winter solstice event on Sunday, hosted by the Juneau Nordic Ski Club.

The sun set just after 3 p.m., casting a stripe of pink and gold alpenglow on the sheer peaks that tower above Mendenhall Glacier. Mary Ann Parke kicked into her cross-country skis and set off on the campground’s groomed trail. 

“It’s just absolutely beautiful,” she said. 

Ice crystals clung to her face as she returned from taking a few laps around the three-kilometer loop. 

“It’s really fun skiing between the lights — they got them strung all the way up around the big loop,” she said. 

Parke was there to support the Juneau Nordic Ski Club, which organized the event as a fundraiser.  

As twilight fell, so did the temperature. String lights and ice lanterns illuminated the trail, shadowy figures of snow-laden evergreens and skiers bundled up in warm layers. 

Although meteorological winter began Dec. 1 with the change in weather, astronomical winter officially began Dec. 21 on winter solstice — when Earth’s Northern Hemisphere tilts its furthest from the sun. The North Pole is shrouded in all-day darkness; the South Pole is bathed in all-day light. 

Tristan Knutson-Lombardo is the executive director of the Juneau Nordic Ski Club. He clicked on dozens of battery-powered tea lights to place in paper lanterns along the trail.

“It’s to light up the darkest night and look forward to brighter days ahead,” he said.

For him, the darkest day signals the ski season. But it means more than that, too. 

“Solstice has always been such a social occasion for me, so I think it’s just one more opportunity to gather,” he said. 

He said volunteers run the club and groom trails around Juneau for youth teams to practice and race on. That benefits Juneau’s wider cross-country ski community of all ages.

“On a good winter and a good day, we could have close to 40 kilometers at different sites around town,” he said. 

Finley Hightower made his way to a tent with homemade cookies and hot chocolate for sale. He’s a recent graduate from Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, and was on the Nordic ski team his senior year. 

“My younger brothers are still on the Nordic ski team, and I really enjoyed it last year,” he said. “It’s a great experience. It’s great fitness. It’s just awesome overall.”

Hightower’s here to support the team and join in the festivities.

Clint Farr sold finger and toe warmers to attendees as a volunteer. He said the passing of the darkest day is a sigh of relief. 

“It’s the place in the year where I’m like, ‘hoo, I made it,’” he said. “The days are going to start getting longer. I feel a lot better. Time for a party.”

As twilight turned to night, people packed together like penguins. They sipped hot drinks, skied the loop and socialized. Farr called it a “resounding success.”