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Happening tonight: Delridge Neighborhoods District Council
September 16, 2009 6:03 am
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 |   Delridge | Delridge District Council | West Seattle news

One major event on the calendar tonight — the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council‘s regular monthly meeting: Reps from major community groups and organizations in eastern West Seattle will gather to talk about successes, challenges, projects, ideas and more – and you’re invited. 7 pm, Youngstown Arts Center (4408 Delridge; map). ADDED 8:44 PM: Got word from DNDC’s Pete Spalding of Pigeon Point that the date is set for the DNDC/Southwest District Council candidates’ forum – 7-9 pm October 15th at Youngstown.

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West Seattle Crime Prevention Council report #2: Hailey case
September 16, 2009 1:22 am
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 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Second of at least 4 reports from Tuesday night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting: A rep from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office confirms that the case of 19-year-old West Seattle repeat offender Skyelar Hailey is being reviewed to see if the Repeat Burglar Initiative could apply. Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg didn’t mention it specifically in his speech to the group (though he had a lot to say about the juvenile-justice system and how he believes repeat-offender juveniles are not appropriately dealt with – Hailey had a juvenile record), but Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen mentioned Hailey’s August arrest (detailed here), and a Satterberg assistant spoke up to say the RBI deputy is taking a look. Hailey is still in jail, by the way, though his bail was cut two weeks ago to $15,000. He’s due back in court next month.

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West Seattle scene: Bellydance improv at Skylark
September 15, 2009 11:43 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Double bill at Skylark Cafe and Club tonight – after turntable time, bellydancers took the stage. Dina Johnson shares the photo and a report:

Terrific bellydance show from 7:30 -8:30 at Skylark on Delridge, about 8 short sets by solo and troupe acts. The place was packed with bellydancers & friends, but at least one guy there for the self disc-spinning was surprised and HIGHLY entertained by the bellydance show.

Picture: 3 members of the polished Troupe Hipnotica, who improvise all their routines using invisible cues in American Tribal style. Julia, on the right, is a resident of Highland Park.

Could become a regular thing if enough interest, I hope so!

Skylark is at 3803 Delridge, just south of The Bridge (map), usually known a bit more for their four-nights-a-week live music (here’s the calendar).

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West Seattle scene: Closing night for the last indie drugstore
September 15, 2009 10:33 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

It wasn’t a quiet closing night for West Seattle’s last free-standing drugstore: When we got to Westside Pharmacy just before its posted shutdown time of 6:30 pm, the little shop at California/Brandon bustled with workers taking inventory – they’re supposed to be up and running in the new Junction QFC store’s pharmacy less than a mile away by morning. As reported in our feature story last week, owner Michael Ng – who’s had Westside for 32 years – said his decision to make the move was in part because red tape is making it tougher for independent pharmacies to run efficiently. (We’ll look for the pharmacy when we’re touring the QFC pre-opening early tomorrow morning.)

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West Seattle Crime Prevention Council report #1: 2 trouble spots
September 15, 2009 9:49 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Much news from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting. We’ll break it up into chunks. First, updates on two spots that have sparked community concern – both were asked about while Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen was answering attendees’ questions:


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ADMIRAL PUB: Particularly since the gunfire/beating incident outside the bar on August 28th, some questions came up about repeated problems (as noted in this WSB comment thread, too). Lt. Paulsen said, “We had some concerns about whether it was managed responsibly, so we are working with the owner”; he explained that police and City Attorney’s Office reps met with the Admiral Pub‘s owner last week, talking about “how (the problems) are affecting the residential community surrounding it.” He told the group the owner said he wanted to cooperate to have a “good safe business”; assistant city attorney Beth Gappert, who is based at the Southwest Precinct, said that the city has till the end of the month to decide whether it wants to object to the renewal of the Admiral Pub’s liquor license. (Side note – as we wrote in this comment thread last night, court documents show that the man arrested after the Sept. 1st incident, Jedidiah Doyle, is charged with second-degree assault.)


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35TH/MORGAN CONVENIENCE STORE: Talk about loitering and suspected drug dealing has bubbled up from time to time regarding this corner. Asked about it tonight, Community Police Team Officer Kevin McDaniel said, “We’ve been aggressively taking care of that situation.” He said he’s “trespassed” – a citation that requires someone to stay away – at least a dozen people, and says other tactics are in the works. “We are very much on top of that spot there …pretty soon we’ll have it under control.” He drew laughter by noting he’d outsmarted some would-be repeat offenders who figured out what hours he usually worked and tended to stay away during those hours — “For two nights two weeks ago I changed my shift, and trespassed more people” – who apparently were surprised to see him.

More to come later tonight, including the latest crime trends, and what King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg told the group.

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Alki Statue of Liberty time capsule: Getting ready for Saturday
September 15, 2009 8:48 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Statue of Liberty | West Seattle news

One year ago this month, the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza was dedicated. Now, extra touches including a time capsule are about to be added, with a celebration at 2 pm Saturday; tonight David Hutchinson sends photos, with this preview info:

Seattle Parks & Recreation has begun the preparation work for the burial of the “Strengthening the Arm of Liberty” Time Capsule. The capsule will be buried at the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza this Saturday in a ceremony that begins at 2 PM. The name of the capsule refers to the theme of the Boy Scout 40th Anniversary campaign that placed over 200 of the original statues in over 39 states and several U.S. possessions and territories – http://troop101.thescouts.com/liberty

More details of Saturday’s event are at sealady.org.

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Fire call in The Junction – now closed
September 15, 2009 7:00 pm
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 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

On our way to a single-family residence fire call at 42nd and Edmunds. More shortly. 7:03 PM: Closed fast but we’re continuing on to see what it was. (Footnote: Scene totally clear. We’re carrying on with tonight’s other coverage of three community meetings.)

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Crime Watch followup: Suspected serial robber in jail
September 15, 2009 6:36 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Thanks to Todd in Westwood for noting this in the WSB Forums: A man whom authorities believe is half the duo responsible for at least 17 bank robberies around the region, including 3 here in West Seattle (here’s our report from a week ago), is now in jail. Here’s the latest from the Seattle Times (WSB partner). No indication at this point whether the man who’s in jail is the one caught on camera in the three local robberies, or his accomplice, caught on camera in others. According to the King County Jail Register, his bail is set at $750,000; online court records show he has a criminal history, including a burglary case. ADDED 8:02 PM: Here’s the entirety of the news release the FBI sent tonight:

On September 11, 2009 at approximately 9:30 PM, Quincy Quinn, age 36, was taken into custody at his residence located in Skyway, Washington by deputies and detectives of the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO).  The arrest came as a result of a joint investigation by KCSO Detectives and members of Seattle FBI’s bank robbery task force.  Since June 1, 2009, agents and detectives had been investigating a pair of males believed to be responsible for as many as 17 King County bank robberies.

On September 10, 2009 the investigative efforts to date along with bank surveillance photos were shared with local media.  As a result, several leads were developed that focused the investigation onto Quinn and an as of yet unidentified associate.  After his arrest, Quinn was booked into the King County Jail with regard to an outstanding warrant in an unrelated matter and investigation of multiple counts of 1st Degree Robbery.  

We’re still trying to determine which of the two suspects in photos is Quinn and which is still being sought – we’ll update as soon as we know that for sure. 8:45 PM UPDATE: Finally have that nailed down. The suspect in jail is believed to be the one shown in photos from at least two West Seattle robberies – meantime, here are photos of the man who is NOT YET UNDER ARREST:

If you know or see him, call 911.

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Admiral District trick-or-treat date/time announced
September 15, 2009 5:40 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

As reported recently, The Junction is having its trick-or-treating event 1-3 pm on Halloween (Saturday 10/31) … and now we know that the Admiral District merchants will offer theirs the day before, Friday 10/30, 3-6 pm – that word just in from Kent and Parris Sadow at Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama, this year’s event coordinators. Haven’t heard from Westwood Village yet if/when they’re having one, but we’ll be checking.

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Junction QFC opens tomorrow: A look inside, plus – valet parking
September 15, 2009 3:36 pm
|      31 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

We asked QFC media liaison Kristin Maas if she’d share photos from inside the new Junction QFC, which opens with a 7 am ribbon-cutting tomorrow (public invited if you’re up that early and interested); she offered a few from the past week-plus of setup:

And here are the “gourmet cheese” and sushi areas:

What else is in the store (in Capco Plaza at 42nd/Alaska; map? Here’s the fact sheet listing it all – pizza, bakery, flowers – and noting that it’s about the same size as Westwood Village QFC. She also says there will be valet parking on the store’s “exclusive customer-parking deck” over the store (entrance is midblock on 42nd SW) 10 am-8 pm tomorrow through Sunday. We’ll be up bright and early tomorrow for a tour of the store before the ribboncutting so watch WSB, Twitter and Facebook for updates after 6 am.

ADDED 7:07 PM: A little more information about parking, from QFC’s Kristin Maas:

There are several areas to park for the complex (residential and retail), so there are signs around the building. Here’s the layout:

* QFC Customers Only Parking on the deck above the store – with easy access mid-block on 42nd. This will be the easiest access for our QFC customers, both for parking and for access to the store.

** And tomorrow, our Valet Parking will be available beginning at 7am for the ribbon cutting and then the rest of the week through Sunday it will be from 10am to 8pm.

* Two levels of underground parking located mid-block on 41st is for the loading dock, other retail customer parking, QFC customer overflow parking and residential parking.

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2 Net notes: 1-stop CityLink; West Seattleite tweets for SBUX
September 15, 2009 2:59 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online | West Seattle people

CITYLINK: We noticed a while back that some of the city’s newer web sections, such as SPDBlotter, had a “CityLink” logo, perhaps a sign of something to come. Turns out it was — the city has just unveiled CityLink Seattle, with 11 city “newsfeeds” (including SPDBlotter) linked from one page. See it here.

TWEETING FOR STARBUCKS, AND HITTING THE ROAD: Got word from Starbucks PR that its official tweeter at @starbucks, Brad Nelson, is hitting the road as part of a nationwide promotion for the company’s new instant coffee – and she noted she was letting us know because Brad is a West Seattleite. They had a big kickoff event today – we were at the Concord event instead, but they promise they’ll be tweeting (at @starbuckslive), posting video, and more. (P.S. Brad’s not the only West Seattleite who is the “Twitter voice” of a major Seattle-based company – there’s also Elliott Pesut, who tweets for Alaska Airlines at @alaskaair.)

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Concord International School assembly: “Our world has changed”
September 15, 2009 2:18 pm
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 |   South Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just east of West Seattle – but part of the Seattle Public Schools‘ West Seattle “region” – Concord International School held its first assembly today under its new designation, one day after a similar assembly at Denny International Middle School (WSB coverage here), whose principal Jeff Clark was on hand (not only to visit with potential future Denny students, but also because he’s a Concord dad). The Concord assembly also featured cultural performances – and new Concord principal Dr. Norma Zavala explaining why multiculturalism matters, after talking about growing up bilingual/bicultural in a small Eastern Washington town:

Concord social-studies teacher Robin Kanev (a West Seattle resident) told us she’s excited – she’s been at Concord for nine years and specifically wanted to work at a school with a dual-language program. Meantime, district Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson also noted the significance of Concord’s new status:

And of course, there were performances – African-Cuban drummers to open the assembly, and shortly afterward, these dancers:

Concord has more than 300 students speaking 15 languages, and, as described in a Seattle Public Schools news release, “two classes of Spanish/English dual immersion program as well as an English cohort in kindergarten and 1st grade, (adding) 2nd grade this year, continuing to expand to additional grades each year.” Never been to Concord? Here’s a map.

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West Seattle scene: Alki Lighthouse gets a scrubbing
September 15, 2009 1:27 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Seen around town | West Seattle news

Just in from Gary Jones – some love and care for a West Seattle icon!

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Stolen car FINALLY found
September 15, 2009 11:44 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Back on May 20, we published a Crime Watch report from Robin, whose car was stolen just weeks after she arrived in West Seattle. All this time later, she says, it’s finally turned up:

For what it’s worth, I thought I’d follow up with news that my car that was stolen on 5/14 from in front of my house on 39th and Morgan [map] was found last Thursday. SPD left me a voicemail with the address where it was “found.” Of course, 4 months and an insurance claim later, the car no longer belongs to me. However, I thought I’d check to see if any of my belongings were still there. Upon arrival (1.5 miles from my house — just out of the radius I had personally searched for it), the car was in perfect condition, albeit dirty, and it was clear that it had been sitting there for months. Only a few items were taken, but the thieves left a pair of expensive sunglasses, a booklet of CDs, an FM transmitter, and several other easily sell-able items. Should I want to pass any message along to WSB readers, it would be to not be afraid to report abandoned vehicles! They might actually be helping someone by doing so.

The city in fact has an Abandoned Car Hotline: 206-684-8763.

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Police activity in Morgan Junction: False alarm
September 15, 2009 11:15 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Police and fire responding to 6400 block of California, which would be immediately north of Fauntleroy (map). We’ll be there in a minute. UPDATE: Police have just called off the fire/medic crews, saying “it’s NOT a shooting.” The 911 log call originally said “assault with weapons” but it has closed. 2ND UPDATE: Police are leaving. Here’s what happened: Two people were hanging out in the alley area near Zeeks, described to us as “transients,” and one started yelling about a shooting. Police determined no such thing had happened, though one of them had a “cut-up hand.” Case closed but we’ll leave this up in case you saw everyone rushing there and wondered what happened.

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West Seattle Junction Car Show: Meet a proud participant
September 15, 2009 10:03 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

In a weekend of big events this Saturday and Sunday, one of the biggest is the 2nd annual West Seattle Junction Car Show (with WSB among the sponsors), for which California SW in The Junction will be shut down all day Sunday. Coordinator Michael Hoffman from Liberty Bell Printing had more than 100 cars pre-register – and some of their proud owners don’t have to go far to participate in the show – like Bakery Nouveau proprietor William Leaman, who showed us his 1964 Ford Falcon Club Wagon the other day:

And he told us the van’s story:

The van will be in front of Bakery Nouveau during the Junction Car Show (the street closure is going to be a lot like West Seattle Summer Fest, only extending another half-block north to Genesee). After Leaman talked with us about his cool wheels, it was off for a ride:

Car owners are also welcome to register on show day – space available, first-come, first-served. The car show website explains where to be, and when, to participate. Coordinator Hoffman says, “We have two of the best car show people in Seattle, Dean Olson and Scott McMahill, handling the day of logistics. Steve and Dean also head the Roadster Show that take place yearly at the Convention Center.” And while the show is free, he suggests bringing a few dollars to get in on some great prizes for a great cause: “We are also having a raffle, with all proceeds going to the West Seattle Helpline. There will be over 30 items donated by local merchants. The main prize is a $350 gas BBQ grill donated by Junction True Value. And TILA Mortgage has donated two round trips on the Victoria Clipper and one night’s lodging, worth $250.”

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Underwater Ivar’s billboards? New video “series” bubbles up
September 15, 2009 2:42 am
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Our trail to that documentary-style video placed on YouTube by Ivar’s started with a post in the WSB Forums, wondering if the video solves the mystery (?) of the Ivar’s sign fished out of Elliott Bay off Alki last month. We had inquired two weeks ago with historian Paul Dorpat, who was mentioned in the initial reports, and here’s what he told us then when we asked “any idea whether it was real or some kind of hoax?”:

The sign is still in the hands of scientists. And they are also, I am told, out diving for the others listed on the map. I, for one, doubt that they will uncover anymore. Ivar would have come to his senses, or he may have only needed one for whatever designs he had. He was famous for chasing the Madrona Sea Monster in the late 40s, and even had a picture of it. I wrote about for an April Fools feature in Pacific. But this sub thing is another thing. You and I will have to wait.

Hmm, mysterious. And when we finally made contact with an Ivar’s PR rep a few days later, she just pointed us back to Paul. Documentary or mockumentary (we can’t help but recall the Jack in the Box Super Bowl saga, though Jack is nowhere near the memorable character Ivar was)? Only time – and tide – and (You)Tube – will tell. (P.S. Global Diving and Salvage, whose vessel Prudhoe Bay is featured in the video, is based in West Seattle.)

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Staying healthy: West Seattle Thriftway sets flu-shot schedule
September 15, 2009 2:07 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Health | West Seattle news

Catching up on more stuff to share: West Seattle Thriftway has announced two flu-shot sessions, October 4 and 17, 11 am-4 pm both days, ages 12+. Other info here.

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Update on next month’s Duwamish cleanup: Your help needed!
September 15, 2009 1:34 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Duwamish Alive! shares an update on its next big volunteer cleanup day, just a month away — October 17 — at sites all over the area, including 4 in West Seattle; they’re even organizing a kayaking cleanup crew. Bottom line: They hope YOU can be part of it, at one of these spots. Read on to see where and how —Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Home, car break-in reports
September 14, 2009 9:38 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two more reports to share tonight – but first, another plug for tomorrow night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting. If you have any concerns you’d like to bring directly to Southwest Precinct police leadership, this is exactly the place to be; also, tomorrow’s guest speaker is King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, which means you’ll get to hear – and ask – about what happens to crime suspects *after* they’re arrested, including the recently launched Repeat Burglar Initiative. 7 pm, public meeting room at the precinct (Delridge/Webster, parking lot and building entrance are off Webster). Now, speaking of burglary, the latest reports:Read More

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Seattle Public Schools’ superintendent sets West Seattle chat
September 14, 2009 6:03 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

From the “School Beat” e-newsletter just distributed – Seattle Public Schools superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson (who was at the Denny event this morning, photo left) has scheduled “coffee hour”-style meetings around the district, and one is in West Seattle (the only evening meeting, too): 6:50-8 pm September 29th at High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW; map). Big week for HPCC – two nights later, it hosts a community meeting with Parks boss Tim Gallagher (7 pm October 1).

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Fauntleroy Way work concludes: 2-tone paving explained, & more
September 14, 2009 4:17 pm
|      34 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

As soon as SDOT announced the Fauntleroy Way road work – repaving, rebuilding, “rechannelizing” – was almost done, the questions began, including, why isn’t it all blacktop? We arranged to chat and stroll with SDOT project manager Jessica Murphy to get some answers as the work wrapped up.

(looking north across Fauntleroy at 42nd SW, foreground in shadows)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Now that the end of the Fauntleroy Way repaving/rebuilding work between Edmunds and Holly is here – and so are the “rechannelization” lines – new questions have surfaced (as have new features).


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SDOT explained along the way that the stretch of Fauntleroy covered in this $3+ million dollar project (first revealed here last October, with the lane-reconfiguration “rechannelization” plan first made public in November) is a three-section road: Concrete on each side, asphalt down the middle where a gap once existed with thoughts a streetcar track would be built.

When I sat down with SDOT’s Jessica Murphy – a West Seattleite, by the way – at a Morgan Junction coffee shop last week to talk about the project, she brought along a few more specifics about that history – the east section of the road was built in 1927; the west, 1949; and the last major work on the road, including the section where the streetcar track never got built, was 1984.

The roots of what you see today – some spots that are blacktop adjoining some spots that are not – are in 1984, when sections of cement roadway were overlaid in asphalt. It’s particularly noticeable stretching west from Fauntleroy/Graham (map):

Murphy says the asphalt overlay is not considered necessary any more – the asphalt doesn’t add any “structural benefit,” but does add cost — putting it over the west stretch, for example, would have cost $200,000 more, but “added no lifespan.”

That said, two points are worth noting: Once a road is overlaid with asphalt, she says, it needs to stay that way, in no small part because the utilities and other features are built to work with the road at that height (generally two inches over the concrete road base). Also, perhaps most notably, even though your eyes would tell you otherwise, nothing has changed in this project – the section where you see asphalt now is where there was asphalt before – the section where you don’t, didn’t have it. Over time, the two-tone look will soften, she says, adding that the black marks on some of the concrete, blamed on trucks driving over the “tack,” will go away too.

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2 days till Junction QFC opens: Sign’s up
September 14, 2009 2:49 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Two days before the grand opening of the Junction QFC supermarket in Capco Plaza at 42nd/Alaska (map), the sign on its west side has just gone up – thanks to Brian from TouchTech Systems in The Junction for the photo. As noted here last week, the ribboncutting is set for 7 am Wednesday. We also have a footnote on our story about Westside Pharmacy closing as its owner and staff move to the new QFC store’s pharmacy – Westside (California/Brandon; map) has posted a sign saying its doors will close for good at 6:30 pm Tuesday, as they work to transition the prescriptions in time for the new pharmacy to open the next morning.

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