WHAT: Walgreens, the nation's largest drug store chain, has announced locations of three stores opening in Southcentral Alaska next year. They will feature the same services as those in the Lower 48, "with enhancements for the colder climate and uniqueness of Alaska," Rob Hasty, Walgreens vice president of store operations for Alaska, said in a press release.

WHERE: The first store will open in Wasilla at the southeast corner of the Palmer-Wasilla and Parks highways in June. Two stores will open in Anchorage in July -- one at the southeast corner of Creekside Drive and DeBarr Road and the other at the northeast corner of Northwood Drive and Dimond Boulevard.

COST: About $15 million for the three stores combined.

ARCHITECTS: KPB Architects for the Anchorage stores and Benchmark Architecture for the Wasilla store.

GENERAL CONTRACTORS: Roger Hickel Contracting Inc. for the Anchorage stores and MCN Construction Inc. for Wasilla.

SUBCONTRACTORS: McKenna Brothers Paving, Finishing Edge, RPC Inc., Denny's Construction, Smith Masonry, Sampson Steel, Bradshaw & Associates, Consolidated Enterprises, Alaska Glazing, Pacific Partitions Systems, Rainbow Builders, K&H Painting, Slayden Plumbing & Heating, Chinook Fire Protection, Samson Electric, McKinley Fence Co. and Northern Powerline Constructors.

WHY: Alaska has a fast-growing "over-65" population that's creating more need for pharmacy and related health services, said Michael Polzin with Walgreens Corporate Communications in Deerfield, Ill. "We'll help meet those needs with services that are currently hard to find or don't exist in the market such as drive-through pharmacies, prescription labels available in 14 different languages, and prescription records available at any other Walgreens location across the country when you're traveling."

WHEN: The stores are scheduled to open this summer.