Spring egg hunt is ON for Saturday at the RECC

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 7, grab a basket and head on over to the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE) at 10 AM SHARP for the annual spring egg hunt. Twelve and unders only, please*.

A little birdie told us that there might be passes to Tot Gym and/or the Play Room in a few of those eggs — a treat that the parents of the younger egg hunters would certainly enjoy.

The weather looks to be at least mostly cooperating (forecast of partly cloudy), but it would be hard to beat last year’s bright blue skies and warm temps.

Here’s the movie we made of last year’s hunt:

*Any self-respecting teenager would still be in bed at 10 AM on a Saturday anyway, AMIRITE?

Ravenna-Bryant Community Association Spring Community Meeting tonight (LIVE COVERAGE)

Packed house for last year's RBCA Spring Community Meeting

This evening at 7 PM, the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association holds its Spring Community Meeting at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE), and it’s looking to be a good ‘un.

Speakers include:

Jim Diers: The original Director of the Department of Neighborhoods, and author of Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way. You can read Jim’s full bio on his website.

Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw: CM Bagshaw is currently the Chair of the Parks and Neighborhoods Committee, and will be speaking about Greenways. Read her bio on her Seattle City Council website.

Ravenna Blog will be there! If you cannot attend, follow our live coverage below, or come back and read our notes at your leisure.

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Full disclosure: Ravenna Blog is on the RBCA’s Communications and Community Safety Committee. Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 18 at the Pied Piper Ale House (2404 NE 65th St), start time of 7 PM. You should join us.

LIVE update on Ravenna Blvd paving from Mayor on Wednesday

Mayor Mike McGinn was live from NE Ravenna Blvd Wednesday morning at 11 AM for a “Ravenna Blvd Paving and Road Maintenance Update.” Watch the archived video below:

Roosevelt Station project updates and meetings (Monday LIVE COVERAGE)

Lots of nearby North Link Light Rail news to report, including two open houses, building salvage, and fate of “overbuilding” at the Roosevelt Station.

Roosevelt Station Construction Open House

On Monday, March 26, Sound Transit staff will be hosting the Roosevelt Station Construction Open House at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE). The event goes from 6-8:30 PM, with the presentation portion starting at 6:30 PM.

Topics for the meeting include (via Sound Transit email):

Revised construction schedule
Construction noise and the night-time noise variance process
Updated street, sidewalk and parking restrictions
Potential construction mitigation measures

Ravenna Blog will be there covering the event. You can follow along at home on this page for live coverage, or come back later to read our notes at your leisure.

Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House

On Wednesday, April 11, Sound Transit will be holding the Roosevelt Station 60% Design Open House in the Roosevelt High School Commons (1410 NE 66th St). Initial art concepts will also be presented (you may remember that the Meet the Artist event in January was canceled due to snow). This open house also runs from 6-8:30 PM, with the presentation starting at 6:30 PM.

One part of that 60% design that we will not be seeing is any “overbuilding” of the station itself.

Sound Transit Decision on Roosevelt Station “Overbuilding”

At their February 23 meeting, Sound Transit board members were “presented recent analysis of the technical, financial and housing capacity implications of accommodating residential structures directly above the future underground Roosevelt Station.” Benefits and costs to “overbuilding” were discussed, but the board ultimately confirmed that the design of Roosevelt Station should proceed without providing accommodations for overbuilding the station entrance.

Sound Transit Board meetings are archived here, should you want to watch the “overbuild” discussion (though the player may not work on your mobile device).

Station Site Salvaging Begins

In other North Link news, Sound Transit says that building salvaging is underway at both the Roosevelt and Brooklyn* Station sites (though a drive-by of the Roosevelt Station sign on Sunday showed that the neon Standard Radio sign was still in place).

Visit Sound Transit’s Flickr photostream to see pictures of current salvaging at the Brooklyn Station site, as well as happenings all along the Light Rail route.

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*We’ll be calling the University District station “Brooklyn Station” as long as Sound Transit does.

Eckstein Middle School is looking for tutors

Eckstein Middle School (3003 NE 75th St) is looking for some tutor volunteers to help students during school hours.

Eckstein Middle School is seeking volunteer tutors to work with students who need a little extra one-on-one support. You don’t need to be a “math whiz” or have special teaching skills to help a struggling student be more successful this year. As little as one hour a week of your time can make a real difference! Tutors are needed Monday through Friday between 7:50 am and 2:20 pm in all subjects.

Here are a few examples of current tutoring needs:

  • Work with a 7th grade student who has missed a lot of school and needs some help to get caught up on math skills (M or F, 7:50 – 8:45)
  • Work with an 8th grade student who needs one-on-one support in Language Arts
  • Help ELL (English Language Learning) students with reading and writing skills (W, Th or F, 8:50 – 9:25)
  • Provide classroom support in a 7th grade science class (W or F, 9:50 – 10:45)
  • Help an 8th grade student in beginning Japanese class (Any day, 9:50 – 10:45)
  • Support a 7th grade student with 7th grade math work (T or Th, 11:10 – 12:40)
  • Work with 7th grade students who are struggling with basic math skills (Any day, 1:25 – 2:20)

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Eckstein Volunteer Coordinator LauraLeigh Young at llyoung@seattleschools.org or 206-252-5012.

One dead after early morning shooting in Ravenna Park (UPDATE)

UPDATE (Sunday, March 11): The Seattle P-I’s Casey McNerthney reports that the suspect arrested for the shooting was the shooter himself. He is being held on $500,000 bail and will be charged on Monday, March 12.

You can read more about the Ravenna Park shooting suspect on the Seattle P-I’s Seattle 911 blog.

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One man is dead after a shooting near the Ravenna Park Softball Fields. One man is in custody at this time, and police are looking for two others.


View Ravenna Park Shooting in a larger map

From the Seattle Police Department blotter:

On 3/8/12, at approximately 4:15 a.m., a man was shot in Ravenna Park (55 NE and NE 25th). The victim, a man 40-50 years old, suffered a gunshot wound to the upper left-arm chest area. He is being transported to Harborview Medical Center by Seattle Fire Medics with life threatening injuries.

According to witnesses, the 3 suspects came into the park and an argument ensued between the suspects and victim. The victim challenged the suspect at which point the suspect fired upon the victim. Unknown how may shots were fired.

The suspects ran off W/B from that location. Nothing further on the suspects.

The injured man was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he has since died of his injuries.

We will update this post as more information becomes known.

This is the second violent attack this year in Ravenna Park: A man and woman were beaten with a baseball bat on the morning of January 12.

Red Card: Luna the Soccer Dog stolen Saturday night (FOUND)

UPDATE (Monday, March 5, 2:42 PM): Confirmation from Anita that Luna has been found!

Yes — the fliers and announcements worked and someone took the dog away from the woman who had stolen her — called us and we got her back on the Ave this morning.

UPDATE (Monday, March 5, 9:21 AM): We now have a description of Luna’s abductor (via email from Anita):

The SPD has confirmed that Luna was spotted with a known transient female — Renee Gundersen — on the ave today. Ms. Gundersen is a known addict and has reddish hair, freckles, is very gaunt and wears clothes that are too big/look like they are hanging off of her. She and her boyfriend move between the U District and Capitol Hill. They do hang out around the U District Safeway, Jack in the Box, around 50th and the Ave.

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Luna the Soccer Dog / Photo courtesy Anita Ramasastry

Sounders fans may already be familiar with Luna the Soccer Dog, but now her owners are asking everyone to keep an eye out for her (emphasis mine):

Bring Luna home.  Luna the Soccer Dog appears to have been stolen from outside her Seattle university area home about 5.30 p.m., Saturday, March 3, 2012.  Female Kelpie mix (border collie with dingo ears), black coat, white vest, four white socks, 30lbs.  Wearing tag showing her address (5810 16th Ave, N.E.) and phone (206) 729-8322.  She responds to her name Luna. Responds uniquely to commands including “Pass the Soccer Balls” and “Play Soccer, Luna.”

An eyewitness saw Luna the Soccer Dog being taken by a young white woman, brown hair, in her 20s, who led her in the direction of Ravenna Park.  GENEROUS REWARD For information leading to Luna’s safe return, no questions asked.  Contact above phone (206) 729-8322 or address or email ramawawa1@msn.com.

Luna’s amazing soccer skills have thrilled thousands before Sounders games and in countless other exhibitions (Seattle Weekly YouTube video). Described as World’s Greatest Four-Legged Soccer Player.  BRING LUNA THE SOCCER DOG HOME!

Here’s a map of the area around Luna’s house:


View Luna the Soccer Dog stolen in a larger map

And here’s that Seattle Weekly video she mentioned (from this 2009 SW story):

Collision on 25th Ave NE sends SUV into yard (PHOTOS)

Picture of the scene from a neighbor, received via twitter

At approximately 2:17 PM, Seattle Fire Department units responded to a Heavy Rescue call just south of the intersection of NE 65th St and 25th Ave NE. A car and an SUV had collided, sending the SUV up over the sidewalk on the west side of 25th Ave NE and onto a residence’s front yard.

Photo by John Eddy

Seattle Fire Department PIO Kyle Moore said that one person was taken out of the SUV and was conscious. A bystander at the scene reported that the SUV occupant “was going off in a neck brace in the ambulance,” and that the other car “had damage to the left rear quarter.”

Photo by John Eddy

Thank you to Duncan, John, and Eric for their information gathering assistance for this post.

March Story Time Schedule for the Northeast Branch

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The Seattle Public Library’s Northeast Branch (6801 35th Ave NE) Children’s Services Librarian, Erica Delavan, sent out the March Story Time schedule this week:

Toddler Story Time (Geared for ages 1-3)
Thursdays, March 1, 8, 22, 29 at 10:15 & 11:15 a.m.

Preschool Story Time (Geared for ages 3-5)
Tuesdays, March 6, 20, 27 at 10:30 a.m.

Pajamas & Puppets (All Ages)
Wednesday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m.

Time to apply for city-wide summer Seattle Parks & Recreation jobs

Click to see the whole 2012 Summer Recreation Employment brochure (571 KB PDF)

It may still be winter, according to the calendar, but Seattle Parks and Recreation is already looking for summer employees.

The 2012 Summer Recreation Employment brochure is out, and chock full of seasonal jobs, including:

  • Special Needs Youth Counselor
  • Boat Ramp Ranger
  • Lifeguard
  • Wading Pool Attendant
  • Day Camp Director, Counselor, and Jr. Counselor
  • and more!

Volunteer opportunities are also available (go to the Seattle Parks Volunteers homepage for more information).

All current Seattle Parks and Recreation employment opportunities are listed on the main City of Seattle employment homepage.