Carjacking leads to NE Seattle pursuit and shots fired (UPDATES)

December 6, 2015 by 5 Comments

We’re still gathering details at this time, but a carjacking in another part of Seattle developed into a pursuit including shots fired from the fleeing vehicle in our area. We have numerous reports from residents of gunfire heard in the vicinity of 35th Ave NE between NE 75 and 65th Sts.

The suspect was taken into custody near NE 65th St and 35th Ave NE just after 2:00pm, and believed to be injured in the process.

Updates to follow.

 

UPDATE (2:18pm): We’re hearing of multiple motor vehicle collision scenes up and down 35th Ave NE. Recommend using 25th and 40th Aves NE for north-south travel through the area. Place to AVOID is 35th Ave NE between NE 65th and 75th Sts.

UPDATE (2:25pm): Here now some tweets from residents during the pursuit:

UPDATE (2:34pm): Residents started reporting hearing Seattle Police sirens around 1:30pm.

We know of three SPD vehicles smashed up during the pursuit, trying to stop the fleeing carjacked vehicle: NE 45th St and Roosevelt Way NE, on 35th Ave NE near NE 70th St, and another on NE 68th St at 38th Ave NE.

Seattle Police Department SUV damaged during the pursuit of a carjacked vehicle. Photo by Shaun Kherberg via twitter.

Seattle Police Department SUV damaged during the pursuit of a carjacked vehicle. Photo by Shaun Kherberg via twitter.

UPDATE (4:33pm): The Seattle Police Department Blotter has the timeline up now. In total, two cars stolen at gunpoint in two different locations, multiple shots fired, at least three SPD vehicles with major damage, several officers and uninvolved motorists invited in collisions, and one dead suspect.

Today’s incident began around 12:30 PM when the suspect entered a downtown coffee shop armed with a handgun, leading employees to call police.

The man then fled to a tattoo parlor at 2nd Avenue and Lenora Street leading to another 911 call. After leaving the shop, the suspect reportedly stole a red Volkswagen at gunpoint and drove to the Montlake area. There, the armed suspect reportedly stole a second vehicle.

Officers began pursuing the suspect in Montlake, where they reported coming under fire from the fleeing suspect.

The man then drove onto westbound 520 and northbound onto Interstate 5 before exiting in the Ravenna neighborhood.

The suspect fired at officers at Northeast 68th Street and 35th Avenue NE. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding the man. He is believed to be a white male in his 30s.

Filed Under: 911, Crime, Northeast Seattle, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Police Department

August 4 Primary Election results for NE Seattle (UPDATE)

August 4, 2015 by 2 Comments

King County Elections posted ballot counts at 8:15pm on Tuesday, August 4 for Seattle City Council District 4, and here’s where the numbers stand:

SeaD4AUg4

Currently our top two candidates moving on to the November 3rd general election are Rob Johnson (33.72% with 3558 votes) and Michael Maddux (22.82% with 2408 votes).

Incumbent Councilmember Jean Godden is currently in third with 21.07% of the total (2224 votes). Former Ravenna-Bryant Community Association President Tony Provine is in fourth with 13.73% (1449 votes), and Abel Pacheco is in fifth with 8.39% (885 votes).

From here on out, and until the election is certified two weeks from now on Tuesday, August 18, King County Elections will post updates at 4:15pm. We’ll also add those new results to this page.

UPDATE (Thursday, August 6): As of 4:30pm today, two days after the primary, Rob Johnson is still in first place with 33.17% (5200 votes). Michael Maddux increased his lead further over incumbent Jean Godden — 24.48% (3838 votes) to 19.81% (3105 votes).

KING5 reported at 4:35pm that Godden has conceded the race to the general election to Maddux. He and Johnson will be our Seattle City Council District 4 candidates on the November 3rd general election ballot.

Filed Under: City Council, Northeast Seattle, Updates

Officer-involved hit and run; suspect flees into heart of Ravenna

July 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment

   BTW. This is smack in middle of Ravenna. This is a very quiet neighborhood. Use to live two blocks from this scene. pic.twitter.com/Gn6z6wtg26

— Photographer Fred (@PhotogFredKOMO) July 17, 2015

From the Seattle Police Department Blotter:

The officer was driving southbound on the freeway, just after 4 am, approaching the 65th Street exit, when the suspect vehicle intentionally rammed the patrol car from behind. The impact caused the officer’s vehicle to move across the lanes of traffic and into the embankment. The suspect vehicle then fled the scene.

Southbound I-5 north of NE 65th Street is affected to do the investigation at the hit and run scene.

From police scanner chat, it now looks as though the suspect fled in his vehicle east on NE 65th Street, and was stopped at Ravenna Avenue NE by officers. Homicide detectives are on scene now, as is Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole. Waiting on details from SPD to confirm an officer-involved shooting and the suspect being deceased.

At this time the intersection of NE 65th Street and Ravenna Avenue NE as well as the 6500 block of Ravenna Avenue NE is closed for police investigation.

More updates as we’re able.

 

UPDATE (5:44am): The main line of southbound I-5 is closed at this time from approximately NE 85th Street to NE 65th Street. WSDOT has opened the express lanes southbound for all traffic.

UPDATE (6:15am): The Seattle Police Department has confirmed that this was an officer-involved shooting on the 6500 block of Ravenna Avenue NE.

UPDATE (6:30am): one of the reporters at the scene notes that the body has not been cleared yet.

UPDATE (7:29am): NE 65th Street has reopened to traffic. Ravenna Avenue NE north of NE 65th Street remains closed due to the ongoing police investigation.
Filed Under: 911, Crime, Ravenna, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Seattle Police Department

Inaugural “Philanthropy Through Song Concert” on Saturday afternoon

June 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Thirty young singers from the internationally recognized Indianapolis Children’s Choir are performing in the inaugural Philanthropy Through Song Concert at the Sand Point Community United Methodist Church (4710 NE 70th St.) this Saturday, June 27, at 4:30 PM.

The choir is under the direction of Ruth E. Dwyer, who is also the founder and artistic director. Dwyer is the sister of Judy Dwyer Schulte, and aunt of Ravenna neighborhood friends Dan, Karina and Elias Schulte.

Indy youth choir

From the event’s press release:

In honor of our First Responders and the Schulte Family

…

Please join members of the Sand Point UMC Choir, Les Martin (Director), and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir in a joyful concert of hope, joy, endurance and the celebration of those who help one another. A free will donation will be taken with proceeds going to anti-drunk driving education and traumatic brain injury research and therapy.

Filed Under: Families, Fundraiser, Kids, Music, Northeast Seattle, Sand Point Community United Methodist Church

RBCA Spring Community Meeting on May 5 (LIVE COVERAGE)

May 5, 2015 by 5 Comments

IMG_6178.JPGTonight, Tuesday, May 5, the Ravenna Bryant Community Association will hold their spring community meeting. The meeting is being held at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Avenue NE) from 7-9 PM.

These expanded-from-their-usual-board-meeting events tend to feature more widely-relevant speakers and a round of board member elections, and that’s just what’s on the agenda for tonight (from the RBCA website):

Guest Speakers:

Seattle Police Assistant Chief Steve Wilske
Commander of Patrol Operations

Capt. Dick Reed & Lt. George Bray
Seattle Police Department’s 9-1-1 Call Center

Followed by:
Election of 2015-16 RBCA Board Members
Community Announcements

 

We’ll be there, providing live coverage below.

UPDATE (7:11 PM): Agenda and nominees for the 2015-2016 board:

  

Filed Under: Bryant, Live Coverage, Meeting, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Seattle Police Department

Your Busy Weekend in Northeast Seattle, April 3-9

April 2, 2015 by 3 Comments

The forecast calls for a partly sunny weekend with temperatures nearing 60 degrees.

FRIDAY, April 3

  • Donate your spring cleaning purge to the Annual Eckstein Middle School Band Rummage Sale. 
    • Drop off items in the school cafeteria at 3003 NE 75th Street between 1:30-4 PM. (The cafeteria’s exterior entrance faces the garden area in the back parking lot.) Items accepted include clothing in wearable condition, household items, books, music, furniture, toys, games, puzzles, and sporting equipment (no unassembled furniture, carseats or strollers).
  • Listen to local live jazz with friends and great coffee. 

SATURDAY, April 4

  • Score some bargains and support young musicians.
    • Annual Eckstein Band Rummage Sale, in the lunchroom and parking lot of the school at 3003 NE 75th St. Baked goods and music from the school’s jazz combos will also be on-hand. Money raised is used to offset some of the cost of off-camput music performances, repair damaged instruments, and provide scholarships to children who need assistance. 9 AM-3 PM. FREE.
  • Add to your collections of gardening books or botanical illustrations.
    • 10th Annual Garden Lovers’ Book Sale at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St. The used book sale benefits the Elizabeth C. Miller Library’s purchase of new books and magazine subscriptions. 9 AM-3PM. FREE.
  • Hop on over for your annual neighborhood Spring Egg Hunt.
    • Ravenna Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Ave NE. 10-10:15 AM. FREE.
  • Take the kids for pajama story time and drawing demo followed by free gelato. 

SUNDAY, April 5 – EASTER! 

  •  Add to your collections of gardening books or botanical illustrations. 

WEDNESDAY, April 8

  • Play a bookworm’s dream board game. 
    • Bring Your Own Book Game Night at Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 NE 20th Ave NE. Bring a book and then search for text to satisfy a selected prompt. 7-8 PM. FREE.

Anything else to add? Garage sale? Fundraiser? Lemonade stand? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll add it to the post!

Want to promote an upcoming NE Seattle weekend happening? Email us ahead of time, or use our online comment form to tell us about it.

We publish these Busy Weekend posts at noon on Thursdays.

Filed Under: Events, Northeast Seattle

Northeast Seattle Link Connections open house (LIVE COVERAGE)

March 26, 2015 by 6 Comments

The University of Washington and Capitol Hill Light Rail Stations are now just one year a way from opening to trains and passengers. How is transit going to get you to those stations?

Ahead of the University Link light rail extension opening in the spring of next year, King County Metro is proposing a slew of changes to Northeast Seattle Metro routes to better integrate service with the next link in the light rail chain: the University Link.

Tonight, Thursday, March 26, from 6-8PM at University Heights Center, Room 209 (5031 University Way NE), King County Metro holds their last open house meeting about these proposed changes (previous open houses were held on Capitol Hill on March 19 and the Eastside on March 25).
 
You can see the changes proposed (and the two alternative route change plans) here on King County Metro Online. Additionally, the Seattle Transit Blog has an overlapping, interactive map illustrating the differences (more on this below).
 
We will be at the open house, and plan to provide live coverage below this post.
____________________

The question for Northeast Seattle transit users regarding proposed route changes appears to be (generalizing here): Are we willing to trade in under-performing routes and stops for increased frequency?

FullSizeRender

We asked around, and this Metro stop sign, with the daisy logo in the lower left corner, dates to at least the mid-1990s. (Stop #38000, west-bound on NE 65 Street and Ravenna Ave NE).

 

For example: Could you imagine life without the good ol’ 71 Express? It’s tough, especially for residents in Wedgwood and View Ridge where service would be reduced. But what if it were replaced by a heavily revamped Route 16 that arrived every 15 minutes (instead of the 71’s 30 minutes) and created an enhanced east-west transit corridor from Green Lake all the way to Sand Point Way? Are residents willing to walk a little further for changes like these?

More on the map I mentioned above: For a visual, flipbook-style look at present service and proposed changes, we recommend checking out the map found in this Seattle Transit Blog post. Hover your cursor over the map image found there, then click and hold the vertical white line. Move the line left and right to see the changes.

The Seattle Transit Blog posted their take on the changes proposed for Northeast Seattle routes earlier this month. If one is looking for more detail about the proposed changes (and what the differences between Alternate 1 and 2 mean), their post is a good read. Included in the post is a list of route-by-route changes for riders wondering what their new alternatives would be.

UPDATE (6:39 PM): Alternative 1 Montlake Triangle Vicinity Routes map:



Filed Under: Civic Envolvement, Light Rail, Live Coverage, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, Sound Transit, Traffic

Your Busy Weekend in Northeast Seattle, March 20-26

March 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

We’ll likely see some rain on Saturday with temperatures in the mid-50s but Sunday has some potential for sun and slightly warmer temperatures.

FRIDAY, March 20

  • Watch and discuss a social justice documentary film. 
    • Meaningful Movies at Keystone Church, 5019 Keystone Place N in Wallingford. Showing Uranium Drive In in which a rural community in Colorado debates a proposed uranium mill. Every Friday, 7 PM. By Donation.

SATURDAY, March 21

  • Shop gently-used kids’ gear.  
    • Phinney Neighborhood Center Preschool Co-op’s Kids Sale in the Community Hall of the brick building at 6532 Phinney Ave N. Items include clothing, toys, books, strollers, furniture, gear, and maternity wear. Many items discounted 50% starting at noon. Get a peek at some goodies up for sale here. 9 AM-1 PM. FREE.
  • Sample wines from Elk Cove Vineyards at your local wine merchant.
    • Wine tasting at McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants, 6500 Ravenna Ave NE. Every Saturday, 11 AM-5 PM. FREE.
  • Entertain the kids with storytime.

SUNDAY, March 22

  • Attend an all ages variety show.
    • Evan’s Family Variety Show in the brick building at 6532 Phinney Ave N. Magicians, jugglers, dancers, circus artists, etc. FREE but tickets required. Register HERE.

TUESDAY, March 24

  • Listen to original poetry by Lincoln Elementary 5th Grade Students. 

WEDNESDAY, March 25

  • Cozy up in your pajamas for stories and puppets.

Anything else to add? Garage sale? Fundraiser? Lemonade stand? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll add it to the post!

Want to promote an upcoming NE Seattle weekend happening? Email us ahead of time, or use our online comment form to tell us about it.

We publish these Busy Weekend posts at noon on Thursdays.

Filed Under: Events, Northeast Seattle

District 4 candidates forum (LIVE COVERAGE)

March 16, 2015 by 2 Comments

On Wednesday, March 18, the District 4 Seattle City Council candidates will once again meet before a live and local audience.

A forum is being held at Sand Point Community Church’s Perry Hall (4710 NE 70th Street) from 7:30-8:30 PM. Candidates have previously met before District 4 residents on two occasions (before the Eastlake Community Council and the Roosevelt Neighbors’ Alliance). 

Candidates participating include: Rob Johnson, Taso Lagos, Michael Maddux, Tony Provine, and incumbent Jean Godden.  

Nancy Bolin (with the View Ridge Community Council) will moderate the event, sponsored by Hawthorne Hills Community Council, View Ridge Community Council, Laurelhurst Community Club and Ravenna-Bryant Community Association.

Wednesday night’s event is the last scheduled one for the current candidates before the Northeast District Council forum on Wednesday, June 17. 

We will be attending this event and will provide live coverage below (as reception at the venue allows).

Filed Under: Bryant, City Council, Laurelhurst, Live Coverage, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna, Ravenna Springs, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Roosevelt, Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, Sand Point, Sand Point Community United Methodist Church, University District, University Park, View Ridge, Wedgwood, Wedgwood Community Council, Windermere

Ol Faithful Brewing Company prepares to erupt in Ravenna

March 15, 2015 by 7 Comments

Walking around the corner of NE 55th Street and 26th Avenue NE, you’d never guess someone’s dreams were about to come true.

But just behind/under Carl’s Foreign Car Services, that is exactly what is happening.

Old Faithful Brewing's future front door with patio (after the wood gets hauled away, of course).

Old Faithful Brewing’s future front door with patio (after the wood gets hauled away, of course).

Tommy and Elise Ortega are in the midst of turning what used to be an old motorcycle shop into a neighborhood craft brewery. A patio will grace the front of the establishment, while the indoor seating will include a view of the brew equipment currently being installed on a sunken platform in the floor. Brother-in-law Bud will be running the front of the house.

20150315-103054.jpg

Interior of the Ol Faithful Brewing space, currently under construction (photo by Old Faithful Brewing Co, used with permission).

More about the Ortegas’ vision for Ol Faithful (via email):

We plan on having the locals decide what they want on some taps, perhaps by having a large chalk board, or something of that nature. We also plan on having some locals help with some brews that were elected by the community. We plan to engage the neighborhood, not only by providing craft beers, but being part of the ongoing development of it. Volunteering, sponsoring, and being actively visual to the community.

The name, Ol Faithful, comes from the couple’s name for their home — a Craftsman in Fremont built in 1907:

We think our house has been faithful to all it’s prior owners (its a very old house, I can’t believe its still standing), so we named the house [Ol Faithful]. Seeing how we always brewed there, it was easy to just transition the name to the brewery. (now we just need a new name for our house)

You can see some of the Ortegas’ past brews here on Untappd, a social media site and app for beer appreciators.

Ol Faithful Brewing Company is aiming to erupt open this summer.

Filed Under: Construction, Photos, Ravenna, Restaurants
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