Flashing school zone beacons going up on NE 75th Street (UPDATE)

April 18, 2013 by 2 Comments

This morning, a crew of three Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) workers started installing the first of two flashing school zone beacons on NE 75th Street.

SDOT_Eckstein_beacon2

We were told by a crew member that both beacons, one on either side of Eckstein Middle School, would be installed by tomorrow, Friday, April 5.

Once the beacons are in, the next step is for Seattle City Light to hook them up to power.

SDOT_Eckstein_beacon1

These flashing school zone beacons are one of the first projects listed by SDOT as planned improvements to NE 75th Street.

…

Thank you to the Wedgwood Community Council, who spotted the work happening this morning and spread the word on twitter.

…

UPDATE (Monday, April 22): On Friday, April 19, we got word from Seattle City Light’s Scott Thomsen that a crew had connected the east beacon that morning already, but would be back around 1 PM to connect the other.

City_Light_Eckstein_zone1

With that notice, the entire Ravenna Blog newsroom sped up the hill, in the rain, to catch the crew at their work…only to reach them just as they were pulling away!

City_Light_Eckstein_zone2

That was fast.

Now that spring break is over for Seattle students, we’re looking into whether the beacons have been in use yet or not. We’ll update this post again when we know for sure.

Filed Under: Eckstein Middle School, Photos, Ravenna, Seattle City Light, Seattle Department of Transportation, Wedgwood

Lightning, thunder, hail, and power outages: Happy Saturday!

April 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

Saturday afternoon started off exciting enough: Lots of rain. Lightning and thunder starting around 4:40 PM. Then some hail. LOTS of hail in some places.

This is from Ballard:

https://twitter.com/brucenourish/status/323222228542042112

Then the power outage reports started coming in. The first report of lights out came in at 5:53 PM, from Wallyhood:

Lower Wallingford. Then SE Green Lake. Eastlake. Montlake. Ravenna and NE 65th Street. South University District.

When the Seattle City Light Outage Map finally updated, things looked like this:

Screen grab of the Seattle City Lights outage page, taken around 7 PM. Service to Green Lake and Montlake had already been restored, but nearly 15,000 other customers were still affected.

Screen grab of the Seattle City Lights outage page, taken around 7 PM. Service to Green Lake and Montlake had already been restored, but nearly 15,000 other customers were still affected.

Here’s the Seattle City Light twitter feed, with the details:

And as now (7:30 PM), power is coming back in some of the affected areas.

Quite a day. A good day to be paying attention to Twitter:

Oh yeah. And apparently there was a car on fire at the Roosevelt Whole Foods:

Filed Under: Northeast Seattle, Power Outage, Seattle City Light

Next step in NE 75th Street improvements? YOU.

April 12, 2013 by 2 Comments

On Monday, April 1, the Mayor’s Office and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) shared a NE 75th Street Improvement Plan  they had been working on since the tragic events of March 25.

Part of that plan was a timeline for this improvement work (PDF), and it is time for Element Number 2: Issue Identification and Outreach.

Intersection of 25th Avenue NE and NE 75th Street, looking east.

Intersection of 25th Avenue NE and NE 75th Street, looking east.

This is where YOU come in.

SDOT has set up three meetings in neighborhoods along NE 75th Street at which residents can share their frustrations about and ideas for the arterial, as well as discuss these issues with SDOT staff.

There are three dates for residents to choose from. Please attend whichever date fits your schedule.

  • Tuesday, April 23rd, 6-8:30 PM, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE)
  • Thursday, April 25th, 2-4 PM, Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (8008 35th Ave NE)
  • Wednesday, May 1st, 7-9 PM, Calvary Christian Assembly (6801 Roosevelt Way NE)


View NE 75th St Community Meetings w/SDOT in a larger map

After these community meetings, the next step on the NE 75th Improvement Timeline is taking community input, combining it with collected traffic data, and coming up with a conceptual design to bring back to the community.

Use_Crosswalk_sign

Filed Under: Civic Envolvement, Construction, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Seattle Department of Transportation, Traffic, Wedgwood

Arraignment of DUI homicides suspect on Thursday (UPDATE)

April 9, 2013 by 31 Comments

On Wednesday, April 10, Judy and Dennis Schulte’s memorial services will be held in Russiaville, Indiana at 7 PM EDT, in the gymnasium at Western High School.

On Thursday, April 11, Mark W. Mullan will be arraigned on two charges of vehicular homicide and two charges of vehicular assault in Seattle, Washington at 8:30 AM PDT, in Courtroom 1201 at the King County Courthouse.

MCI_leftovers

What follows are the details of the Monday, March 25 multi casualty incident at 33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street taken from the Seattle Police Department’s case investigation report.

…

Northeast Seattle resident Mark Mullan, 50, was driving his black 2012 Chevy Silverado pickup westbound on NE 75th Street just after 4 PM on Monday, March 25, when the vehicle struck four pedestrians crossing 75th at 33rd Avenue NE.

Just prior to that time, Judy and Dennis Schulte (68- and 66-years-old, respectively) were crossing NE 75th Street at 33rd Avenue NE northbound with their 33-year-old daughter-in-law, Karina Ulriksen-Schulte, and their 10-day-old grandson, Elias. Ms. Ulriksen Schulte was carrying her newborn son in a sling-style carrier across her body.

Witnesses accounts suggest that Ms. Ulriksen-Schulte was crossing 75th just ahead of Mr. and Mrs. Schulte, but reversed her course in the roadway as she noticed Mr. Mullan’s vehicle approaching.

Approximately 12 feet from the north side of the intersection, the right front corner of Mr. Mullan’s vehicle struck all four pedestrians.

MCI_north_33rd

Mrs. Schulte was thrown some 70 feet from the area of impact. She and her husband died of their injuries at the scene.

Ms. Ulriksen-Schulte and her infant sustained life-threatening injuries and are still in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center.

MCI_suspect_custody_crop

Mr. Mullan brought his vehicle to a stop an estimated 150 feet west of the collision site.

During questioning by officers, Mr. Mullan claimed that he did not see the family crossing NE 75th Street in front of this vehicle because of the sun. He also said that he did not attempt to stop his vehicle until after he “felt the bump.”

Preliminary analysis of sun angle positions (from the horizon and Mr. Mullan’s heading) are listed in the case report, as well as a initial speed calculation of Mr. Mullan’s vehicle of within 10 MPH of the posted speed limit of 30 MPH.

Mr. Mullan admitted to officers at the scene that he had consumed alcohol prior to the incident. A responding DUI/DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) officer witnessed several signs of impairment, including intoxicants on his breath and bloodshot, watery eyes. Furthermore, upon testing Mr. Mullan with several standard field sobriety tests, the DUI-DRE officer described Mr. Mullan’s impairment as “obvious.” A breath test at the scene indicated a breath alcohol level of 0.22.

As a condition of his guilty plea for a December 2012 DUI incident, Mr. Mullan was ordered to install an ignition interlock device on his vehicle (the same black 2012 Chevy Silverado pickup). No such device was found in his vehicle at the scene on March 25.

Mark Mullan was arrested without incident and booked into King County Jail. His bail is set at $2.5 million.

We will update this post on Thursday morning as Mullan enters his pleas to the charges of two counts vehicular homicide, two counts vehicular assault, and one count reckless driving.

…

Mark Mullan, left, the repeat drunk driver accused of killing an Indiana couple and critically injuring their daughter-in-law and infant grandson at a Wedgwood intersection, is arraigned Thurs., April 11, 2013, in Seattle on two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault. At right is Mullan's defense attorney Jesse Debow. Judge Ronald Kessler is at center. Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times

Mark Mullan (left), Mullan’s defense attorney Jesse Debow (right), and Superior Court Criminal Judge Ronald Kessler (center), at Mullan’s arraignment hearing on Thursday, April 11. Mullan pleaded not guilty to all counts. Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times


…

UPDATE (8:58 AM): Mark W. Mullan has pleaded NOT GUILTY to all counts.

The next step for prosecution and defense is the case setting, which is scheduled for May 23.

…

More on this story on Ravenna Blog:

Memorial service in Indiana for Judy and Dennis Schulte (last updated on Thursday, April 11)

Timeout to say THANK YOU, on behalf of the Schulte family (last updated on Sunday, April 7)

Hundreds walk to remember, honor the Schulte family (PHOTOS) (last updated on Monday, April 1)

Prayer Vigil for mother and child this Thursday night (PHOTOS) (last updated on Friday, March 29)

Memorial to the family at NE 75th St grows (PHOTOS) (last updated on Sunday, March 31)

Memorial and medical funds set up for victims of Monday’s traffic tragedy (last updated on Thursday, March 28)

Suspect in Monday’s traffic fatalities no stranger to DUIs (last updated on Sunday, March 31)

Multiple casualty incident on NE 75th St near Eckstein Middle School (PHOTOS) (last updated on Wednesday, March 27)

Filed Under: Crime, Events, Northeast Seattle, Photos, Ravenna, Seattle Fire Department, Updates, Wedgwood

Roosevelt “lake” views headed down the drain as reservoir empties (UPDATE)

April 9, 2013 by 17 Comments

Ravenna and Roosevelt neighbors near the Roosevelt Reservoir were told (via mail, around Saturday, April 6), that not only was the reservoir disconnected from the city’s water system on Monday, April 1, it will soon be drained…and stay that way, for two years.

Photo by Jenifer Gonzales

Roosevelt Reservoir, by neighbor Jenifer Gonzales.

The clock started ticking for all of the city’s open reservoirs back in the mid-1990s with the passage of an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This amendment “added new requirements related to annual water quality reports, operator certification requirements, system capacity, and source water assessment and protection.”

In 2004, the Seattle City Council approved a plan to fund the covering of four of the city’s reservoirs at a cost of $150 million.

Then, in 2006, a federal law “required all uncovered drinking water distribution reservoirs to either be covered or treated to a high standard.”

Of the city’s open reservoirs, six have now been replaced with underground structures: Magnolia in 1995, Lincoln in 2004, Myrtle in 2008, Beacon in 2009, West Seattle in 2010, and Maple Leaf in 2012. All but the Magnolia site were transformed into parks by various Seattle Parks and Recreation levy funds.

There are four above-ground reservoirs remaining: The Bitter Lake, Lake Forest Park, Volunteer, and Roosevelt Reservoirs.

Volunteer Park Reservoir in 2008, by Flickr user stevevoght

Volunteer Park Reservoir in 2008, by Flickr user stevevoght.

Floating covers have been installed at the Bitter Lake and Lake Forest Park facilities, and will remain through the operational life of these two reservoirs.

As for the Volunteer and Roosevelt Reservoirs, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has started testing them for potential decommissioning:

To perform the tests, the reservoirs were taken out of service on April 1, 2013. While out of service, Roosevelt Reservoir will be kept drained, while Volunteer Reservoir will remain full with water and continue to be a water feature at the park.

The reservoirs will remain disconnected from the City’s drinking water system throughout the two-year test. During this time, SPU will study the impact the out-of-service facilities have on Seattle’s overall drinking water system, make evaluations and determine whether the reservoirs can be permanently taken out of service.

If SPU finds that the reservoirs are no longer needed, the costs saved by not having to replace them with covered storage facilities would run between $10 and $50 million dollars. Each.

If and when SPU decides the Roosevelt and/or Volunteer Reservoirs ares no longer needed, public process would then kick in, and neighbors would have a say in their futures.

Until then, enjoy a nice, tall glass of (c0vered) Maple Leaf Reservoir water, now flowing out of our taps.

…

For more information on the Roosevelt Reservoir decommissioning test, visit the Reservoir Covering Project page on the Seattle Public Utilities website.

…

UPDATE (Thursday, April 18): At least one neighbor of the Roosevelt Reservior has asked SPU “Why us?” And here is the reply by Bill Wells, Senior Engineer of the Drinking Water Division:

We had to make a difficult decision in weighing the benefits of keeping Roosevelt Reservoir full versus the additional costs to the customers of Seattle. We estimated that it would cost an additional $100,000 each year (about $200,000 in total) to keep the reservoir full during the two-year decommissioning test.

The costs to keep Roosevelt filled and maintained are significantly more than that of Volunteer.  This is because Roosevelt Reservoir is a 50-million-gallon reservoir – more than twice the size of the 20-million-gallon Volunteer Reservoir.

Another key factor in the decision to refill Volunteer Reservoir is the park’s historical landmark status, of which the reservoir is a contributing feature.

We wish we could maintain water in both reservoirs throughout the two-year test period, but in the end we decided it was in the best interest of the city as a whole to keep Roosevelt Reservoir empty throughout the testing period.

Filed Under: Government, Maple Leaf, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Utilities, Updates

Timeout to say THANK YOU, on behalf of the Schulte family (UPDATES)

April 7, 2013 by 17 Comments

What follows is a compilation of the ways that neighbors and local businesses have helped the Schulte family since Monday, March 25.

We do not claim to know every story of giving surrounding the days and weeks after the tragedy, but this post is our attempt to list as many as we can.

If we’ve left anything out, feel free to leave your stories of kindnesses and thanks in the comments below.

…

During the last week of March, in the first days after the tragedy, local businesses stepped in and donated food to the family:

  • Grateful Bread (7001 35th Ave NE) donated sandwiches, salads and soup on March 28.

Grateful Bread_crop

  • Eat Local (nearest location at 503 Broadway E on Capitol Hill) donated six meals to the family on March 28.
  • When we found out that Karina’s birthday was on March 28 (mentioned by Schulte family friend Adrienne Bergman on one of the medical fundraiser sites for the family), we contacted Trophy Cupcakes (Northeast Seattle location in University Village). They graciously and swiftly donated a dozen cupcakes, which we were able to get to the family at Harborview Medical Center that day.

Trophy_crop

  • Cafe Javasti (8617 35th Ave NE in Wedgwood and 8410 5th Ave NE in Maple Leaf) donated pastries and coffee for breakfast on March 29.

…

After the first few days of meals were covered by local businesses, Wedgwood resident Jess Creach set up a site for the Schultes at Take Them a Meal. People interested in helping the family with food can sign up for a specific date and meal (lunch, snack, dinner), which can be delivered in advance to the Sand Point Community United Methodist Church for pick up.

ttamlogo

 

At the time of this writing, the meal calendar for the Schultes was full through April 27. So far, 61 different people have signed up.

You can still sign up, too, if you’d like.

…

By the time we contacted the manager of Sand Point Metropolitan Market (5250 40th Ave NE), Mark Marsh, on Thursday, March 28, his store had already contributed flowers to the memorial site and food for after the prayer vigil.

On Friday, March 29, his store began taking donations at their checkstands from community members. Marsh told us on the morning of Friday, April 6 that the total amount donated by community members at their checkout stands so far is $7,434.00. This total does not yet include the $1,000 that Metropolitan Market will also be donating on top of that.

_schulte_MetMarket

With the hope of reaching $10,000, the store will continue taking donations at the registers for one more week, until Friday, April 12.

…

Thank you to Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Car Free Days, Eckstein Bikes, the Wedgwood Community Council, the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, and anyone else who helped organize the Memorial Walk on Monday, April 1.

Thank you to the Seattle Police Department for closing off roads and providing an escort during the walk. And thank you, Mayor Michael McGinn, for attending.

Thank you to the Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts location for supplying participants of the Memorial Walk with doughnuts and coffee. And thank you for the use of your property as a gathering, starting, and ending point for that walk.

Furthermore, Top Pot, thank you for walking, too.

Top_Pot_Memorial_Walk

Wedgwood Top Pot manager Jennifer Surbaugh and one of the owners of Top Pot, Mark Klebeck, on the walk.

…

Other local fundraising:

  • The Wedgwood Safeway (7340 35th Avenue NE) donated a gift card for $100 on March 28. Also, thanks to  Bridgette in the floral department for donating buckets and food for flowers left at the memorial site.
  • The employees at the Wedgwood QFC (8400 35th Ave NE) made a donation to one of the funds for the family set up at the Wedgwood branch of HomeStreet Bank on March 28.
  • The Van Gogh Coffeehouse (8210 35th Ave NE) donated all their tips from Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30, for a total of $786.48.
  • Thank you to the (as of the publishing of this post) 989 people who donated $59,492 to the medical fund for Karina and Baby Elias that friends of the family Adrienne and Brett Bergman set up.

UPDATE (11:12 AM): We’ve been told by Per Johnson that the online amounts for the funds at HomeStreet Bank are only the online totals. “There have been a ton of people who have donated in-person to the tune of $5000,” Johnson says.

We’d also like to thank the staff of the Wedgwood Branch of HomeStreet Bank for all of their assistance.

UPDATE (1:38 PM): We’ve learned that the Wedgwood Drama Studio also donated money to the Schulte family. You can read about the studio’s mission here.

…
Bike to Bryant was started around 2007 by parents of Bryant Elementary students. The group’s goal is to encourage families to walk and/or bike to school together on a more regular basis.
This year’s big spring ride, scheduled for Friday, March 29, was almost canceled, in light of the tragedy. But organizers went forward with the ride and turned it into a moving memorial to the Schulte family. One hundred and fifteen riders participated. A moment of silence was observed at the start, and $106 was collected for the Karina & Elias Ulriksen-Schulte Medical fund.
Also, the Seattle Police Department provided an escort for the group, and closed down 35th Avenue NE during the ride to school.
Police closed down 35th Ave NE for the annual Spring Bike to Bryant Elementary ride. Photo by Car Free Days, used with permission.

Police closed down 35th Ave NE for the annual Spring Bike to Bryant Elementary ride. Photo by Car Free Days (carfreedays.com), used with permission.

…

Thank you to National Barricade (6518 Ravenna Ave NE) for donating use of some of your street signs (a pair of SLOW DOWN and yellow pedestrian signs) at both the east and west ends of NE 75th Street (at approximately 27th and 34th Avenues NE).

ped_sign

…

Thank you to the community members who attended the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association Spring Community Meeting on Tuesday, April 2. And thank you to the officials who attended or participated in some way, including (alphabetical by last name):
Rachel Cormier Anderson (City Attorney’s Office)
Nancy Bolin (View Ridge Community Council)
Tim Burgess (Seattle City Council President, mayoral candidate)
Dongho Chang (Seattle Department of Transportation)
Sally Clark (Seattle City Council President)
Captain Robin Clark (North Precinct, Seattle Police Department)
Rebecca Deehr (Mayor’s Office)
Dr. Beth Ebel (Harborview Medical Center)
Senator David Frockt (46th Legislative District)
Beth Goldberg (Mayor’s Office)
Peter Hahn (Seattle Department of Transportation)
Beth Hester (Mayor’s Office)
Gina Iandola (HomeStreet Bank)
Sherri Kokx (Eckstein Middle School)
Officer Eric Michl (North Precinct, Seattle Police Department)
Sergeant Dianne Newsom (North Precinct, Seattle Police Department)
Representative Gerry Pollet (46th Legislative District)
Tom Rasmussen (Seattle City Council)
Sergeant Don Smith (North Precinct, Seattle Police Department)
Peter Steinbrueck (mayoral candidate)
Eileen Whalen (Harborview Medical Center)
RBCA_75th_meeting

Thank you also to the staff of the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, the respective board members of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association and Wedgwood Community Council, and Jenny Frankl with the Department of Neighborhoods for help making the meeting happen.

…

Thank you to the two women on 33rd Avenue NE who, very late on the night of Tuesday, March 26, worked together to scrub NE 75th Street clean with soap and water, and their own loving hands.

Schulte_memorial_night

Thank you to the three neighbors on 33rd Avenue NE who made the two white crosses for Judy and Dennis Schulte at the memorial site, added on Friday, March 29.

Thank you to the sixth grade class in one of Seattle’s middle schools who wrote a card for the family.

Thank you to Lacia Lynne Bailey for taking on the role of caretaker for the memorial on the corner of 33rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street. Thank you for respecting every last flower petal, slip of paper, and stuffed animal left at the site, in honor of the victims.

Thank you to Judy’s Truffle, for being such a comforting (and fuzzy) presence at the memorial site, hugged and cried upon by countless people.

…

And finally, some thank-yous from the Schulte family, conveyed through Lisa Schulte (wife of Mike Schulte, a cousin of Dan).

Here are some thank you’s the family would like mentioned locally!!

Addy and Brett Bergman (set up the donation site)
Pastor Cathy and Sand Point Community United Methodist Church
The awesome neighbors and dear friends of the family including Daniel and Jennifer, Trevor, Felipe and Indre
Seattle Fire Department and EMTs
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways walk coordinator
EMI
Wedgwood/Ravenna Community, Jess Creach, Per Johnson (Wedgwood Community Council) & Rebecca Nelson (Ravenna Blog)
Harborview doctors and nurses
Seattle Children’s Hospital (Karina’s work)
Colehour and Cohen (Dan’s work)
Sand Point Metropolitan Market
All the incredible people who have donated time, money, food etc.

Lisa has acted as the main point of contact with the family during the last two weeks, and we (and other community members and organizations) are very, very thankful for her and the role she has played.

…

More on this story on Ravenna Blog:

Memorial service in Indiana for Judy and Dennis Schulte (last updated on Thursday, April 11)

Arraignment of NE 75th Street DUI homicides suspect on Thursday (last updated on Thursday, April 11)

Hundreds walk to remember, honor the Schulte family (PHOTOS) (last updated on Monday, April 1)

Prayer Vigil for mother and child this Thursday night (PHOTOS) (last updated on Friday, March 29)

Memorial to the family at NE 75th St grows (PHOTOS) (last updated on Sunday, March 31)

Memorial and medical funds set up for victims of Monday’s traffic tragedy (last updated on Thursday, March 28)

Suspect in Monday’s traffic fatalities no stranger to DUIs (last updated on Sunday, March 31)

Multiple casualty incident on NE 75th St near Eckstein Middle School (PHOTOS) (last updated on Wednesday, March 27)

Filed Under: Businesses, City Council, Crime, Events, Food, Fundraiser, Mayor's Office, Memorials, Northeast Seattle, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Restaurants, Sand Point Community United Methodist Church, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Police Department, University Village, Updates, Wedgwood, Wedgwood Community Council

T-bone/Rollover collision at 12th Ave NE and NE 75th St (PHOTOS)

April 3, 2013 by 2 Comments

Wednesday morning, at approximately 10:15 AM, Seattle Fire Department units responded to a two car t-bone/rollover collision at 12th Avenue NE and NE 75th St.

Rollover scene, approximately 30 minutes after the collision. Photo by Allan Waite, Roosevelt resident

Rollover scene, approximately 30 minutes after the collision. Photo by Allan Waite, Roosevelt resident.

From Seattle Fire Department PIO Kyle Moore:

Engine Company 16 , Engine Company 17, Ladder Company 9 , Medic 1 and Medic 44 responded to 12th Avenue NE and NE 75th Street for a 2 car MVA. It was a t-bone accident with an SUV on its side. The other car was a station wagon. Medics evaluated the driver of the station wagon and determined she did not need medical treatment. The driver and passenger of the flipped over SUV were transported to an area hospital by AMR as a precaution. The driver and the passenger of the SUV all were able to self extricate. They were wearing their seatbelts and the airbags did deploy.

Seattle Police are investigating the cause.

SUV after being righted. Photo by Allan Waite.

SUV after being righted. Photo by Allan Waite.

Filed Under: 911, Photos, Roosevelt, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Police Department, Traffic

Key Bank near 35th Ave NE and NE 73rd St robbed (yet again); suspect in custody (UPDATE)

April 3, 2013 by 15 Comments

Just as we were writing up the rollover collision this morning at 12th Ave NE and NE 75th St, followers on twitter started reporting from seven to nine Seattle Police patrol cars heading up east NE 75th St.

Sent at 11:25 AM:

They were responding to a robbery at Key Bank at 35th Avenue NE and NE 73rd St. Again.

Good news is: A suspect was arrested in the University District, near 9th Avenue NE and NE 42nd Street.


View Key Bank robbery in a larger map

UPDATE (12:01 PM): Update from the Seattle Police Department Blotter:

Just after 11:15 am, a masked man walked into the Key Bank at 73rd Avenue NE and NE 35th Street demanded money, and fled the bank.
Eighteen minutes later, police had tracked the suspect to the University District (using high-tech gadgets AND old-fashioned sleuthing!) and arrested him near NE 42nd and 9th Avenue NE after a brief foot chase.
Officers will likely be around the Wedgwood and University District scenes for some time as they search for evidence.

Suspect was described as a masked, white male, age 20-30, wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, and black and yellow shoes. He displayed a small gun at the bank before taking off.

 

Filed Under: 911, Crime, Ravenna, Seattle Police Department, University District, Updates, Wedgwood

RBCA community meeting on crime/NE 75th Street (LIVE COVERAGE)

April 2, 2013 by 17 Comments

Our live coverage of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association Spring Community Meeting will be posted below starting around 6:30 PM on Tuesday, April 2.

You may download the agenda here (62 KB Microsoft Word document). Or refer to the abridged version posted below:

7:00 PM:  Moment of silence (Lead by Virginia Gunby, RBCA Board Member, Transportation Committee Chair)

7:05: Welcome (Sarah Swanberg, Outgoing RBCA President)

March 25 vehicle/pedestrian double fatality collision on NE 75th Street

7:10: Traffic & pedestrian safety, DUI enforcement & prosecution

  • Seattle Police Department
    • Captain Robin Clark, North Precinct
    • Sergeant Don Smith and Officer Eric Michl
  • Seattle City Attorney’s Office
    • John Schochet, Deputy Chief of Staff
    • Rachel Cormier Anderson, Criminal Division Attorney
    • Jana Jorgensen, North Precinct Liaison

 7:30: Report from Harborview

  • Eileen Whalen, Executive Director, Harborview Medical Center
  • Dr. Beth Ebel, Director, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center

7:50: NE 75th Street improvements

  • Dongho Chang, Chief Traffic Engineer, Seattle Department of Transportation
  • Peter Hahn, Director of Transportation

 8:20: RBCA business

  • Sub-committees to address traffic, safety, DUI issues in Ravenna-Bryant
  • Election of RBCA officers

8:40: Q and A with local leaders

City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
Rebecca Deehr, Mayor’s Office
Senator David Frockt

Filed Under: City Council, Crime, Live Coverage, Mayor's Office, Meeting, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Police Department, Wedgwood, Wedgwood Community Council

Meeting between city, neighborhood representatives yields NE 75th St improvement plan

April 2, 2013 by 9 Comments

In the early afternoon of Monday, April 1, before the Memorial Walk for the Schulte family, neighborhood groups, pedestrian/bicycle safety advocates, and staff from Eckstein Middle School, gathered at Eckstein (3003 NE 75th St). They met with representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the Mayor’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department and discussed plans to improve the safety of NE 75th Street.

MCI_memorial07

The Mayor’s Office met with SDOT several times throughout the last week, and developed a list of planned improvements and actions for NE 75th Street (4 KB PDF; presented to the assembled groups that afternoon), including:

• Installing a flashing school zone beacon on Northeast 75th Street in front of the school

• SDOT will begin the process of evaluating and potentially installing a school zone speed camera on Northeast 75th Street

• The crosswalk at Northeast 68th Street and 25th Avenue Northeast will be remarked with fresh and highly visible paint

• The intersection of Northeast 68th Street and 25th Ave Northeast will be evaluated for a traffic signal

• SDOT will install new pedestrian countdown heads [crosswalk signs with timers] at 75th Street Northeast and Northeast 31st Street

• SDOT has already installed pedestrian countdown heads at 75th Street Northeast and Northeast 35th Street

The timeline for these improvements shows a tentative completion date of August 2013 (just before Seattle Public Schools are back in session for the 2013-1014 school year).

Read more about the planned street safety improvements on the Mayor’s blog, here.

Filed Under: Construction, Crime, Eckstein Middle School, Mayor's Office, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Police Department, Traffic, Wedgwood, Wedgwood Community Council
« Previous Page
Next Page »