Friends and neighbors say goodbye to Yancy Noll near Roosevelt Reservoir

September 3, 2012 by 4 Comments

Word started getting around on Saturday that the victim of Friday night’s shooting at 15th Ave NE and NE 75th St was Yancy Noll.

Noll lived nearby, and worked as the wine steward at the Broadway Market QFC on Capitol Hill.

KIRO 7 was at the scene on Saturday night as people stopped by a growing memorial to pay their respects (segment starts after ad):







Folks who knew Yancy have been leaving remembrances on this Capitol Hill Seattle post.

I stopped by the memorial on Sunday night, and took the following pictures:

Peace to be to his memory.

Filed Under: Crime, Maple Leaf, Photos, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Video

Shooting at NE 75th St and 15th Ave NE on Friday night (UPDATES)

August 31, 2012 by 16 Comments

UPDATE (Monday, September 10): The Seattle Police Department has released a sketch of the suspect, as well as some other additional information.

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Shortly after two local residents reported hearing “four ‘pops’ in rapid succession” and then a “[h]elicopter overhead, sirens everywhere,” came this post on the Seattle Police Department’s Blotter:

Tonight at approximately 7:26 p.m. officers responded to the 7500 block of 15th Avenue NE for the report of multiple shots fired. Officers arrived on scene and located a male victim in his 40′s who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
View August 31 shooting in a larger map The circumstances just prior to the shooting (as well as description of the suspect and the vehicle) are not available at this time, says the Blotter post. However, a local scanner listener reports hearing talk of a “pos suspect driving a red BMW convertible.” We will update this post with any new information on the victim and/or suspect(s) as we get it.

UPDATE (9:14 PM): KING 5’s Jim Forman was at the scene at 7:55 PM and tweeted the following (click the links for photos of the scene):

UPDATE (11:46 PM): KING 5 reported in their 11 PM newscast that the shooting victim has died of his injuries. The Seattle Times has more details about the shooting here.

UPDATE (Saturday, September 1, 6:16 AM): The SPD Blotter post has been updated overnight with more information, including this description of the shooting:

Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect pulled up next to the victim in his car and for reasons yet to be determined, fired multiple rounds at the victim, striking him several times. The suspect then fled the scene in his car and remains at large.

The suspect is described as a white male with dark hair, age 20 to 30, driving a smaller silver or grey BMW. Anyone with information about this incident (identity of the shooter and/or his vehicle) should call 911 or the Seattle Police Homicide Tip Line at (206) 233-5000. Anonymous tips are welcome.

UPDATE (Saturday, September 1, 5:56 PM): Ravenna resident Jake Z. has taken a few pictures of a growing memorial at the site of the shooting (click the links below if the images are not visible):

UPDATE (Sunday, September 2): The SPD Blotter has been updated with more information on the shooting, including a more detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle:

The suspect’s vehicle is described as a silver BMW Z4 convertible. The car may have recent body damage including a broken out passenger side window.
Several witnesses describe the suspect as a well-dressed White or Asian male in his late 20′s to 30′s with dark, slicked-back hair.

The car looks similar to this one (image from the SPD Blotter):

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Footage from a surveillance camera in the Roosevelt Reservoir shows the vehicle on 15th Ave NE around the time of the shooting:

It is now believed that the shooting “may have been directly related to a road rage type of traffic incident.“

Filed Under: 911, Crime, Photos, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Seattle Police Department, Updates

Roosevelt Moves: Sound Transit townhouse relocation (PHOTOS)

August 3, 2012 by 6 Comments

Sound Transit’s Andrew Schmid takes a picture of Nickels Bros. and other workers in front of the first townhouse, before it gets underway.

Schmid again, taking a picture of Sound Transit Project Manager Kristin Hoffman while she is interviewed on camera.

Another shot of the first townhouse prior to moving.

Hoffman again, mid-interview. Schmid said that she has worked on the townhouse portion of the Roosevelt Station project for a year and a half, culminating in the moves.

Peaks Custard supplied coffee and assorted accoutrements at the site.

A marked “oversize load” truck waits to lead the convoy to 15th Ave NE.

A scrum of utility workers, Sound Transit staff, and Nickels Bros. movers huddles around a woman leading the pre-move safety meeting.

A Seattle City Light worker adjusts an overhead line adjacent to the moving site.

Part of the crowd gathered across the street from the townhouses on 12th Ave NE, waiting for the move to begin.

A shot of the full scene along 12th Ave NE taken from up by the Roosevelt High School track.

The first townhouse now partially IN 12th Ave NE.

A Nickels Bros. worker attending the “rear” of the first townhouse as it slowly makes its way down 12th Ave NE.

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11:45 PM – Seattle City Light here now, working on the overhead wires. The truck supporting the first townhouse to be moved has crept forward a bit, testing the load.

11:04 PM – The action really starts happening at 12:01, in case you at home would like to come down.

10:50 PMstrong> – On site now. Lots of folks on hand, neighbors and Sound Transit.

8:52 PM – Setting up the live coverage post here, and adding the street closures due to the relocating townhouses (per Sound Transit):

Streets will be closed as the convoy moves through the area and reopened after the convoy has passed. Street closures include:

  • 12th Avenue Northeast—closed at the intersection of Northeast 65th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast
  • Northeast 66th Street—closed from Roosevelt Way Northeast to 15th Avenue Northeast
  • 15th Avenue Northeast—closed from Cowen Bridge to Northeast 68th Street

The route will be “east down Northeast 66th Street to final destinations on 15th Avenue Northeast just south of Northeast 65th Street.”

Our next update will be around 10:45 PM, when Sound Transit will be available to the media at the current townhouse site (NE 66th St and 12th Ave NE).

Filed Under: Events, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Photos, Roosevelt, Sound Transit, Updates

Roosevelt townhouses to move on down the road in early August

August 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

August is a tremendous month for Light Rail in North Seattle, as construction plans go into the ACTION phase.

But before Sound Transit starts any station site excavation at the Roosevelt Station location, there will occur some townhouse relocation.

Nickel Bros truck at 12th Ave NE and NE 66th St

The four townhouses on NE 66th St were purchased from Sound Transit (and thus saved from demolition), and are being moved 4 1/2 blocks away to the now former site of the Betty MacDonald house and adjoining property on 15th Ave NE.

The former location of the Betty MacDonald house, just south of the Fruit Stand at 15th Ave NE and NE 65th St.

Here’s a map showing the current (upper left) and future (lower right) locations of the townhouse buildings:


View Roosevelt townhouse move in a larger map

One of the townhouse buildings prepared for the move from NE 66th St to 15th Ave NE.

Now, just how does one move BUILDINGS through a busy neighborhood? That’s not quite our area of expertise. But we can ALL find out just how it’s done come the Friday evenings of August 3 and 10.

From Sound Transit’s Northgate Link* Extension Update newsletter (emphasis ours):

Preparations to relocate four townhouse buildings on Northeast 66th Street are in full swing. The relocation will occur late at night over two weekends starting Friday, Aug. 3. More townhouses will be moved the following weekend, Friday, Aug. 10.

We invite you to witness this monumental move on one or both weekends. Meet at the northeast corner of Northeast 66th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast around 11:45 p.m. on either of the Friday nights. Sound Transit staff will be there to answer questions. As the townhouses move east down Northeast 66th Street, we’ll walk along the sidewalk with them.

Sound Transit says that the buildings “should be on the road by midnight,” and at their new address “no later than 6 a.m. each Saturday.” Four buildings (of two units each) will be moved in total.

Ravenna Blog will be there, camera in hand, for the action this Friday night — it’s a Seafair Weekend parade we don’t wanna miss.

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* Now that the three northernmost stations in the Light Rail system have their permanent station names (“U District Station,” “Roosevelt Station,” and “Northgate Station”), the name of the extension as a whole is now “Northgate Link Extension.” Now you know.

Filed Under: Construction, Events, Light Rail, Photos, Roosevelt, Traffic Tagged With:

Flue fire gets the works on the fourth

July 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A full Seattle Fire response filled the streets near the intersection of 25th Ave NE and NE Blakeley St shortly before noon on Wednesday, July 4.

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Photo above taken from the east side of 25th Ave NE looking north. Photo courtesy Thomas Field.

A small fire had started in a cooking flue extending from the roof of the multi-story, multi-use building at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Kyle Moore of the Seattle Fire Department shared the details (via email):

At 11:45 a.m. a 911 call came in to the Fire Alarm Center reporting smoke coming from the roof of a building in the 5100 block of 25th Avenue NE. Dispatchers sent a full-response which involved 6 engines, 2 ladder trucks and a medic unit, an aid unit and other apparatus.

University District’s Ladder Company 9 arrived first and ran an aerial to the roof to investigate the source of the smoke. Firefighters used thermal imagers to detect the fire was confined to a flue at the roof. Crew used water from their pump cans which are basically large fire extinguishers to knock down the fire.

After some investigation, firefighters learned that residue had built up in the flue and caught fire. The owners of the flue were advised to clean the pipe regularly.

Filed Under: 911, Photos, Ravenna, Restaurants, Seattle Fire Department, University District

Video and impressions of Thursday night’s “Walk for Love”

June 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We were able to catch a bit of last night’s “Walk for Love,” organized by Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders. Below is video of the walk as it traveled down 12th Ave NE from the starting point at Cowen Park (5849 15th Ave NE), and a bit of the music heard in one section of the walk (“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in the style of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole).

As we joined the walk, we took to twitter to share the walk route, pictures, and our impressions. (Forgive us our misnaming the event occasionally.) Seattle P-I photojournalist Josh Trujillo was also present, and we have included some of his pictures as well.

Filed Under: Cowen Park, Events, Restaurants, Roosevelt, University District, Video

Cafe Racer community remembers, and celebrates (PHOTOS)

May 31, 2012 by 3 Comments

Last night, as people started to gather at Cafe Racer (5828 Roosevelt Way NE) to mourn and to celebrate, we asked one of our Ravenna neighbors, Steve Sorbo, if he wouldn’t mind heading over there to take some pictures and share the experience. (Steve also worked with us on the Steve Jobs tribute posts last October.)

We are leaving his photo collection here for the neighbors and friends of Cafe Racer who could not be there last night, and to honor those whose lives were lost.

Peace be to their memory.

Filed Under: Events, Photos, Restaurants, Roosevelt Tagged With: , ,

Author’s old Roosevelt residence to make way for apartments (UPDATES)

May 16, 2012 by 11 Comments

UPDATE (Sunday, May 20): We received an email from Paula Becker who wrote both the HistoryLink.org and Seattle Press essays on Betty MacDonald, and she has clarified the timeline for us:

Betty’s mother bought the house at 6317 15th Avenue NE around 1930.  Prior to that, the family had been living in Chimacum — Betty with her husband Robert Hackett and two young daughters Anne and Joan, her mother and other family members nearby — those are the years described in The Egg And I.  Betty left her marriage in ca. 1931 and moved in with her mother and other family members.  The following years are those described in Anybody Can Do Anything.  It was in this house that Betty was living when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and entered Firland Sanatorium for treatment during 1938-1939.  Her daughters stayed with her mother in the house.  The family lived in the house until ca. 1942, when Betty married Don MacDonald and her mother apparently sold the house — at any rate, they moved out.

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The Roosevelt home of author Betty MacDonald (“The Egg and I,” “Mrs. Piggle Wiggle,” and more) will be removed should the city’s Department of Planning and Development approve plans for apartments in its place.

Author Betty MacDonald resided here at 6317 15th Ave NE between 1931 and 1938 (correction).

The large white Notice of Proposed Land Use Action sign describes Project # 3013282 as “Land Use Application to allow four three unit apartments (12 units). Existing single family residence (6313 15th Ave NE) to remain; existing single family residences (6317 & 6321 15th Ave NE) to be removed. For a total of 13 residential units.”

6313 15th Avenue NE (left, light green) will remain

The house was built in 1910. A picture of the residence taken in 1939 is included in the HistoryLink.org slideshow of the King County homes of Betty MacDonald and her sister, Mary Bard.

Betty MacDonald (1908-1958) was the author of ten books, many of which were autobiographies detailing her humorous and adventurous life in Washington state. The best known of these, “The Egg and I,” published in 1945, was based on her experiences running a chicken farm with her husband on the Olympic Penninsula. A film loosely based on the book came out in 1947, and starred Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.

From the self-guided walking tour of MacDonald’s 1933 Roosevelt: “Time Traveling in the Roosevelt District with Betty MacDonald” (via the Internet Archive):

Elsie (Sydney) Bard, Betty’s mother, was widowed when Betty was twelve years old. Left with five children, Sydney lived on in the big house in Laurelhurst she and her husband had purchased in 1919. By 1924, reduced funds and the desire to be closer to the new Roosevelt High School, which opened its doors in 1922, brought the Bard family to 15th Avenue NE. Sydney and various of her children lived in the house, number 6317, for almost twenty years.

MacDonald describes the house at the time her family resided there in her 1950 book, “Anybody Can Do Anything:”

According to real estate standards Mother’s eight-room, brown-shingled house in the University district was just a modest dwelling in a respectable neighbourhood, near good schools and adequate for an ordinary family. To me […] that shabby house with its broad welcoming porch, dark woodwork, cluttered dining room plate rail, large fragrant kitchen, easy book-filled firelit living room, four elastic bedrooms–one of them always ice-cold–roomy old-fashioned bathrooms and huge cluttered basement, represents the ultimate in charm, warmth and luxury.

UPDATE (2:35 PM): The notice on the property lists a comment period ending May 16, but could be extended to May 30. Comments can be sent to PRC@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-8467. Be sure to mention the project number: 3013282.

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Filed Under: Construction, Government, History, Laurelhurst, Photos, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School, Updates

My Green Lake evolves, says goodbye. We say THANK YOU.

May 8, 2012 by 5 Comments

Some bittersweet local neighborhood news to report today: My Green Lake, the local news website for the Green Lake neighborhood, has ceased regular operations.

The content on the site will remain, but no new stories are to be published. Readers and Green Lake neighbors are encouraged to check out the Seattle EveryBlock site to get their local happenings fix and connect with each other.

You can read about the site’s transition in the final post, here.

The old MGL on the left, and the new MGL on the right.

We here at Ravenna Blog have not only linked to MGL’s great info in the past, but have pestered sought local news blogging advice from publisher Amy Duncan on countless occasions. She has been endlessly helpful and encouraging. We will continue to consider her one of our Hyperlocal Gurus.

We are also thankful to MGL/Amy for helping us goad encourage Patty over in Roosevelt to start Roosiehood, the Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog.

Thank you, Amy, for your years of service to your community, raising the bar for hyperlocal reporting in Seattle, and for being a good friend.

Filed Under: Green Lake, Media, metablog

Your Moment of Ravenna Zen: Falling cherry tree blossoms

April 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

In mid-May of last year, I happened to be at the playground at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center on a breezy sunny day. And every time the wind hit the blossoming cherry trees it would cause a cascade of petals to fall to the ground. It was so beautiful. So I took some pictures, and some video.

This week’s Moment of Ravenna Zen: Two minutes and thirty-eight seconds of falling cherry tree blossoms. (In the background you can hear the wind, children playing, a jet plane going by, and my son saying, “Look at all that snow!”)

Do YOU have a Moment of Ravenna Zen to share? Email rebecca@ravennablog.com, or use our handy dandy comment form to tell us about it.

Filed Under: Kids, Moment of Ravenna Zen, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Zen, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Video
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