Your Moment of Ravenna Zen: “Stop defacing stop signs”

September 15, 2012 by 6 Comments

You can find this sign at eastbound NE 70th St at 20th Ave NE.

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: Moment of Ravenna Zen, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Zen

RHS cross country teams to give Ravenna Park a “trial run” (PHOTOS)

September 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

RHS Girls Cross Country / Kevin Shear

Today, Wednesday, September 12, the Roosevelt High School girls and boys cross country teams will race the teams from Newport High School on the trails of Ravenna Park. This is a home meet for RHS, which is located just a few blocks from the park.

But Ravenna Park is not their usual home course. Lincoln Park, in West Seattle, is. 

RHS Boys Cross Country / Steve Wolfe

RHS Athletic Director, Mike Scott, explains the home course choice (via email):

For all of the past years that I have been here at Roosevelt, most of our meets have either been at Lincoln or at Lower Woodland.  Lower Woodland tends to be a METRO site, while Lincoln tends to be a KingCo site for the 4A schools, but there is no hard and fast rule regarding this.  Meets can have multiple teams involved, and the two sites listed above allow for better parking for multiple busses.

Scott says that the RHS cross country team is huge — over 100 students involved — and getting everyone (athletes, coaches) over to Lincoln Park and back requires two busses at $250-$300 (budgeted) each. And when the yellow school busess aren’t available, more costly charter busses must be hired.

A switch to a home course at nearby Cowen and Ravenna Parks would not only be great for the team, but nice on the budget.

RHS Girls Cross Country / Kevin Shear

So, what would make today’s meet a success for all involved (the team, the school, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and neighbors)?  We’ve contacted Dennis Cook at Seattle Parks and Recreation (Athletics) about what his department is looking for from the event, and are awaiting a reply.

Here’s what Athletic Director Scott is looking for:

What I am looking for is to have an event that is seen by the public and patrons of the park as a good use of this resource to provide our kids with a positive and healthy event.  It is my sincere hope that the patrons and neighbors will be understanding of the importance of this opportunity for our school to provide this for our kids and for our parents, as well as the community, and our commitment to be good neighbors and use this resource respectfully.

And if the people coming to the meet also decide to stop in the neighborhood and buy a hamburger or two from one of our local restaurants, that would be another great thing to come from this event!!

Neighbors of the park will be pleased to know that the parking plan for the visiting team’s busses has them parked at the high school campus, and not on surface streets.

Cowbells! On Aisle 12. / Maple Leaf Ace

As for today’s meet itself, the team is looking for volunteers to help direct runners at key intersections along the route. Meet the team in the grassy area of Cowen Park at 3:30 PM.

And, of course, neighbors and other spectators are encouraged to watch the races and cheer on the athletes (Girls race at 4 PM, boys race at 4:45). (See the previous photo for an Olympic-inspired way to do that). Boys team member and Roosevelt News Online Editor Mitchell Smith tells us the teams will be sporting their new uniforms today, too.

Special thanks to Frank Hodge (father of a RHS girls cross country team captain) for the original tip for this story.

……

UPDATE (6:40 PM): Here are some pictures of the meet (beforehand, and during the girls’ race).

Ah, this must be the place.

 

Big ol’ pile of Roosevelt backpacks and gear.

 

Kiosk at the entrance of Cowen Park with a pink notice posted about the event.

 

Directional marking near the start of the course.

 

The girls team practices their start.

 

The girls team during a pre-race moment, and some student photographers capturing said moment from on high.

 

Newport and Roosevelt girls teams at the start, getting directions from an RHS coach.

 

And they’re off!

 

 

 

 

I caught up with the girls again later in the course, as I peered over the edge of the 20th Ave NE footbridge:

Leading at this point in the course: Roosevelt.

 

Here’s the first Newport runner, alongside the third Lady Roughrider to pass under the bridge.

 

And what were the RESULTS of today’s races? We heard about the boys team first, from runner and Roosevelt News Online Editor Mitchell:

Later that night, however, we learned how the girls did against Newport:

Congrats to our girls cross country team!! They defended our home turf with a win of 41 to 22 against Newport! RIDERPOWER #canttouchthis

— Rider Nation (@RHSRiderNation) September 13, 2012

WELL DONE, LADIES.

Filed Under: Cowen Park, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School, Sports, Updates

Police release sketch of suspect in August 31 shooting

September 10, 2012 by 1 Comment

Today the Seattle Police Department released a sketch of the suspect in the August 31st shooting at 15th Ave NE and NE 75th St. Updated information on the car seen fleeing the scene was also released.

Sketch of the suspect sought in August 31st shooting at 15th Ave NE and NE 75th St / Seattle Police Department

The car type has been narrowed down to a silver 2002-2008 BMW Z4 convertible with a black interior:

2002-2008 BMW Z4 convertible with top up / Seattle Police Department

2002-2008 BMW Z4 convertible with top down / Seattle Police Department

The SPD Blotter post also included this description of the shooting:

Detectives are releasing an additional detail in this investigation: For reasons that are still unknown, the murder suspect was so enraged at Yancy Noll that he pulled up alongside him in the oncoming traffic lanes as Noll was stopped for a red light facing southbound on 15th Avenue NE where it intersects with NE 75th Street. The suspect then shot at Noll multiple times with a handgun and in the process shot out his own passenger window. The suspect was last seen speeding away down 15th Avenue NE.

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.

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

Photos from Friday night’s prayer vigil for Yancy Noll

September 7, 2012 by 3 Comments

We stopped by Friday night’s prayer vigil for Yancy Noll, held on the corner of 15th Ave NE and NE 75th St.

The corner at the intersection where Noll lost his life, one week ago today, was packed with friends and neighbors. The close quarters next to the busy intersection made it hard to hear the message being given. So we share with you here some images from the event.

KIRO 7’s Deborah Horne and KING 5’s Jim Forman were there with camera crews. We will add their reports here when we have them.

Filed Under: Crime, Memorials, Photos, Ravenna, Roosevelt

Memorial events for Yancy Noll scheduled (UPDATE)

September 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

UPDATE (September 11): A public memorial service for Yancy Noll has been scheduled for Sunday, September 16, from 3-6 PM, at the Mountaineers Program Center at Magnuson Park (7700 Sand Point Way NE). RSVP at the Yancy Noll Memorial Facebook page.

From the Yancy Noll Memorial Page via Facebook

 

 

A number of gatherings related to Yancy Noll and the events of last Friday have been scheduled for the upcoming days, two of which are local to our area.

This Thursday, September 6, at Mutiny Hall (1205 NE 65th St) there will be a time for friends and neighbors of Yancy Noll to gather, and talk, and celebrate. Start time of 6 PM.

A prayer vigil will be held at the corner of 15th Ave NE and NE 75th St on Friday, September 7, at 8 PM.

Up on Capitol Hill on Saturday, September 8, there is an event being held in the backroom of the Deluxe Bar & Grill (625 Broadway Ave E). “Come down to meet and share condolences with the wonderful people of QFC and other coworkers of Yancy,” says the invitation on the Yancy Noll Memorial Facebook page. The event starts at 3 PM.

More remembrances from Noll’s friends, coworkers, and fans can be found on these two posts on Capitol Hill Seattle.

Filed Under: Crime, Memorials, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Updates

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.

…

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):

20120902-191012.jpg

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

Everybody into the [wading] pool, before it closes!

August 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s August, and Seattle summer is chugging right along: Lots of sun, temperatures consistently in the mid- to upper-70s…this time of year is why we live here.

So, naturally, the city’s wading pools are all preparing to close for the season.

Our region of the Seattle Parks and Recreation map (the Northeast) has two wading pools and two swimming beaches open during the summer. Here are their remaining days of use:

  • Dahl Playfield Wading Pool (7700 25th Ave NE): open August 14-16, noon – 7 PM
  • Magnuson Park Wading Pool (7400 Sand Point Way NE): open daily from noon – 6:30 PM through August 26
  • Magnuson Park Summer Beach (7400 Sand Point Way NE): open through August 26
  • Matthews Beach Park Summer Beach (9500 51st Ave NE): open through September 3

At this time, NE Seattle does not have any of the unstaffed sprayparks, which tend to stay open later in the season. However, Sarah (raintea on twitter) would like us to mention the brand new spraypark at Northacres Park (12718 1st Ave NE). It’s open daily from 11 AM – 8 PM through September 3. It is technically in Seattle Parks and Recreation’s NW geographic area, but when you and the kids are too hot, who cares.

You can find the full list of Seattle’s wading pools, sprayparks, summer beaches and pools and their schedules right here (280 KB PDF; comic sans).

Filed Under: Dahl Field, Families, Kids, Magnuson Park, Northeast Seattle, Open/Closed, Seattle Parks and Recreation

Python loose in the park! But which park?

August 13, 2012 by 12 Comments

We got a voice mail from North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston this afternoon at 2:50 PM, saying, “I hope you’re not at Cowen Park playfield…uh playground. A seven-foot yellow python got loose and he’s headed for the playground.”

Now, that’s an amusing story, but Cowen Park is not in Ravenna. So I just mention the missing snake on twitter, like this:

A few minutes later, the official Seattle Police Department twitter feed says this:

Oh no! Wrong neighborhood! And wrong park! Lower case “p” or not, people are going to get confused!

But I check with Terrie Johnston again, to make sure. “61st and Brooklyn Cowen Park” is the email reply.


View Snake on the loose! in a larger map

Decidedly NOT Ravenna Park.

But the damage has been done. The SPD tweet has now been REtweeted over 300 times (probably because of that “Snakes on a Plane” movie reference being clever and all).

And, of course, someone has started a new twitter feed…FOR THE SNAKE:

Thankfully, the SPD just updated the story on their blog, and you can read it here (“Officers On Python Patrol After Snake Escapes In Ravenna Neighborhood“).

An excerpt for you:

As police officers and officials from Seattle parks department and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife search the neighborhood and Cowen/Ravenna Park for the snake, you and your small pets should keep to the trails, and stay away from drainage ditches, thick foliage, and hollow logs, according to Seattle’s resident snake expert, Peter Miller.

Miller, reptile keeper at Woodland Park Zoo, estimates the snake is around 15-20 pounds and says it “has the potential” to be dangerous. ”These guys are ambush predators,” he says. “They find a well protected covered area and they sit and they wait.”

KING 5 news Reporter John Langeler got the location right, though:

And it looks like Seattle Parks and Recreation has put up signage.

John Langeler / KING 5

If Timid the Albino Python is found (yeah, his name is Timid), we’ll let you know here.

Filed Under: Cowen Park, Lost/Found, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Roosevelt, Seattle Police Department Tagged With:

Mini-craft fair at Boulevard Grocery

August 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

The reincarnated Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd) is holding their second mini-craft fair this afternoon, Sunday, August 12, from noon-3 PM, in front of the store.

A selection of vegetable portrait postcards by Chavas Garden.

Some of the vendors and their wares include:

There will also be face painting for the young (and young-at-heart).

Another great opportunity to check out the little store, too, if you haven’t already!

Filed Under: Businesses, Events, Families, Food, Kids, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park Tagged With:
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