Medi-RX Pharmacy Relocates to Port Plaza Building
The Medi-RX pharmacy has moved, reopening in the Port Plaza building at 2865 East Coast Highway.
A sign in the window of its former location at 2700 East Coast Highway announced the move.
Michele Agopian, who works for the family-owned business, said the shop opened in its new location on Monday.
“We’ve been deeply embedded in this community for a long time,” she said, adding that the Medi-Rx has operated, with different owners, for 45 years in Corona del Mar.
Medi-Rx, she said, is independent and offers concierge-level service to its customers.
“If you need special creams, topical treatments, we can make those,” she said. “We will call your doctor for you.”
Customers also can receive infusion treatments, she said, and a registered nurse is on the premises.
New customers who transfer prescriptions can take advantage of a one-time free delivery service, she said. Deliveries cost $10, and she said that moms of babies and elderly patients frequently take advantage of the service.
“Having a pharmacist who knows what you’re going through, to be there for you, especially during critical times, is so important,” she said.
The business also sells cosmetics, gifts and cards.
A grand opening party is scheduled for noon July 25.
For more information, call (949) 644-7575.
The new location has been vacant since the Curves fitness center relocated to 2711 East Coast Highway in October 2011; read our story here. Curves had been in the Port Plaza space since July 2009; read our story here. Previously, the space had been occupied by a framing shop that moved to Bristol Street in 2008.
DUI Checkpoint Scheduled For Friday
Newport Beach police traffic officers will conduct a sobriety checkpoint from 9 p.m. Friday until 3 a.m. Saturday, according to a police statement.
The checkpoint will be at at Dover Drive and 16th Street.
“Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment,” the statement said. “Officers will also check drivers for proper licensing and will strive to delay motorists only momentarily. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.”
Funding for the checkpoint, as well as the department’s other regular DUI saturation patrols, was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to a police news release, almost 10,000 people were killed nationally in 2011 in crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with blood alcohol levels of .08 percent or higher.
“In California, this deadly crime led to 774 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver,” the release said. In Newport Beach, DUI crashes killed one person and injured 245 people in 186 crashes in the past three years, the release said.
Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough, the release said. Impaired drivers face jail, fines, license suspension, insurance increases as well as fees and DUI classes that can cost more that $10,000, the release said.
Spots Remain Available For NMUSD Summer Music Program; Applications Due Wednesday
Third through sixth graders can learn how to read music and play an instrument in a summer program that runs from July 22 through Aug. 8, a district spokeswoman said in an email.
“Instruction will be offered in music reading and playing on violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, baritone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, percussion and electric bass,” Laura Boss said in an email. Newport Mesa Unified School District music teachers will work with students in instrumental sections and as a full ensemble each day, she said.
Clarinets, trumpets, or violins, student method (instrument) books and music theory books will be provided, and there will be a limited number of other instruments also available. The program will end with a concert at 10 a.m. Thursday Aug. 8.
A voluntary donation of $150 is requested to cover the cost of the program, but donations are voluntary and not a prerequisite to participate, Boss said.
Applications are due Wednesday; click here to access the application form. Students will be selected by lottery by school, and they must attend all 12 days of the program. Applications should be delivered to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District at 2985-A Bear Street in Costa Mesa.
The program will run from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays the weeks of July 22, July 29 and Aug. 5. The program will take place at Sonora Elementary School at 966 Sonora Road in Costa Mesa. Parents must supply transportation, and students must be picked up immediately after dismissal.
City Hall to Close For Two Hours Wednesday For Employee Appreciation Event
Newport Beach will hold its annual employee appreciation event Wednesday, which will close City Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. that day, according to the city’s website.
City Hall’s hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday. City Hall will be open before and after the event.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we look forward to serving you during our regular operating hours,” the website states.
Coastal Commission Approves Parks’ Pay Stations, Parking Fees
After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations between staff of the California Coastal Commission and State Parks, the Commission last week approved pay stations at Crystal Cove State Park that allow visitors to pay by the hour.
The kiosks were installed last year and activated in October; read our earlier story here. The park was seeking “after-the-fact approval,” according to a staff report.
The pay kiosks are located at lots at Reef Point, Pelican Point, Los Trancos, Moro Day Use and the Moro Campground area and offer visitors the option to pay $4 an hour or a flat fee of $15 for the entire day, or $20 on holidays. Previously, visitors had to pay the flat $15 day-use fee, which caused some potential beach-goers to turn around and leave, the staff report said.
That staff report recommended approval of the kiosks, but a condition to approval is that the permit be for three years and that Commission staff work with state park officials to “develop monitoring and data collection protocols over the next year to determine the effects of offering different parking rate options such as hourly and seasonal rates, on public access and visitation patterns.”
The Coastal Commissioners decided to issue a permit for five years, with a report to be presented as a non-action item in three years.
The commissioners discussed the need for State Parks and the Coastal Commission to work together, although State Parks must generate income to remain viable, and the commissioners need to protect coastal access.
“The nexus between our missions is being presented right here, in a parking lot,” Commissioner Steve Kinsey said. “There’s no such thing as free parking.”
Similar permits also were issued for Doheny State Beach and San Clemente State Beach. The permits had been on the Coastal Commission’s February agenda but were withdrawn; read our stories here and here.
From the Police Log: Burglary Reported on Dahlia
A residential burglary with a $710 loss was reported at 6:19 p.m. Friday, according to a police report.
The burglary took place between 10:30 and 11:10 a.m. Friday, the report said. The report did not state was was taken.
Police also took a report of suspicious circumstances in the 600 block of Heliotrope Avenue at 5 p.m. June 9. The incident occurred at 3:45 p.m. June 7, and no loss was reported.
Officers also arrested a 52-year-old Laguna Beach man on suspicion of commercial burglary at 11:49 a.m. Friday at 101 Newport Center Drive. The man’s bail was $20,000, according to a report.
Little Woman Owner Presents Check To CdM Middle School
A Corona del Mar restaurant owner whose lunch delivery service at Corona del Mar High School was briefly halted earlier this year presented a $2,867 check to school officials today.
Lynne Campbell, who owns the Quiet Woman and the Little Woman, made the donation to the middle school’s ASB program.
“That’s what we love about our city and our community,” said Middle School Principal Guy Olguin during a short lunchtime ceremony. “They’re always so giving.”
Most ASB programs, like dances and yearbook sales, are break-even, Olguin said, so the donation was significant.
Campbell said the donation came from a fifty cents from parents and a matching fifty cents from The Little Woman on each lunch delivered from March 23 to the end of school.
“We are eager to multiply that next year,” she said.
The Little Woman lunches — which include items like toasted sesame salmon salads, bbq pulled pork buns and swordfish tacos — began when Campbell dropped off lunches for her two children, who are students at the school. Eventually, other parents asked if they could get delivered lunches for their children, and the delivery business took off.
In January, school officials ended the program because of concerns over security and district vendor policies. Parents complained, and eventually the lunch deliveries began again; read our story here
Pipe Work to Cause Construction Delays On San Joaquin Hills Road
The Newport Beach city website is warning motorists to expect delays on Jamboree and San Joaquin Hills Road beginning today while crews conduct maintenance work on a 30-inch water valve.
Work will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through June 21, the city website states.
The valve is located in the number one lane on eastbound San Joaquin Hills Road, the website states.
“All directions of traffic will remain open, however east bound traffic on San Joaquin Hills Road and south bound traffic on Jamboree Road will be restricted in order to safely route traffic around the work zone,” the website states.
Southbound Jamboree Road approaching San Joaquin Hills Road will be reduced to one left-turn lane, and wasbound traffic on San Joaquin Hills approaching Jamboree will have one left-turn lane, one through lane and one right-turn lane.
Officials ask motorists to consider alternate routes and to drive slowly and cautiously.
Council, Police Honor CdMHS Vest-A-Dog Club
Newport Beach City Council Chambers went to the dogs at Tuesday’s meeting — complete with barks and fur — with a special presentation to a Corona del Mar High School club that raises money for police dog vests.
Freshman Jenny Conde founded the school’s Vest-A-Dog club program in October, and members sold See’s candy and collected contributions at community events to buy vests for police dogs.
On Tuesday, Conde and other members attended the City Council meeting and announced they had raised enough money to purchase state-of-the-art vests for Newport Beach police dogs Jardo and Elko.
The dogs, along with their partners, Officer Mike Fletcher and Officer Roland Stucken, attended the meeting, modeling the new vests. The vests are bulletproof, stab-proof and have an infrared light on top that allows the dog to be seen from helicopters but not by suspects. The vests cost about $1,200 to $1,800.
Police Chief Jay Johnson presented the club members with a plaque, and Mayor Keith Curry also praised the club.
Jenny said the club hopes to raise enough money to provide vests for every police dog in Orange County. She also thanked City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle for her $500 contribution.
Darla Conde said she was very proud of her daughter’s work.
“It’s been a very good year,” she said. “What a remarkable achievement.”
For more information on the club, including how you can contribute, click here.
