Neighborhood planning coffee talks begin this week, local biz first topic

February 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In the coming months, as a part of the community-led planning process for the 35th Avenue NE business district, the Wedgwood Community Council is hosting a series of coffee chats related to neighborhood planning.

Eight talks are planned. The first of which, “Creating the Conditions to Support Neighborhood Businesses,” is this Thursday, February 23, from 7-8:30 PM, at the Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (8008 35th Ave NE). Speakers include Theresa Barerras from the Office of Economic Development, Beth Dufek from Impact Capital, and Wendy Schwartz, the owner of the late Fresh Boutique.

Probable topics of the remaining seven talks are:

  • Density and its benefits
  • Making a neighborhood walkable and the importance of proximity
  • Design at a human scale. A primer on architectural design concepts and “design guidelines with teeth”
  • Place-making and successful streetscape features
  • Financial realities of development.  Incentivizing successful development
  • The trade offs of land use planning (e.g, up-zoning increases property taxes, increased traffic/parking, etc.
  • Incorporating affordable housing and economic diversity into land use planning

We’ll include the dates and locations of these future talks here, once they are scheduled.

Although these talks are being put on by the Wedgwood Community Council, anyone in Northeast Seattle is welcome to attend.

Filed Under: Businesses, Civic Envolvement, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Wedgwood Community Council

Family Walking Group starts at Magnuson Park this Thursday

February 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Nursing students at the University of Washington are working with the American Heart Association this quarter, and bringing a Family Walking Group to Northeast Seattle.

The kickoff walk takes place this Thursday, February 23, at 2 PM (coinciding with Seattle Public School’s mid-winter break). Meeting place is Picnic Shelter #3 at Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE; north side of soccer fields).

Sign up your family at the Magnuson Park Meetup page. You can find the day’s walking route map there as well.

Thank you to Jessica Fosse for sharing the event information with us.

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Magnuson Park, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, University of Washington

Semi overturns on I-5, lands on NE Ravenna Blvd on-ramp (PHOTOS, UPDATES)

February 14, 2012 by 2 Comments

Just after 11 AM, reports the Seattle Times, a semi and a car collided on southbound I-5, sending the semi rolling over a barrier to land on the NE Ravenna Blvd on-ramp.

Mike Murphy at the Washington State Department of Transportation (also of Lynnwood Today, one of our fellow Seattle Times Local News Partnership sites) sent us these photos of the accident scene, taken by WSDOT’s traffic cameras not long after the incident occurred.

At the time of writing, all four southbound lanes of I-5 have reopened to traffic, but may be closed intermittently (along with the northbound express lanes) for the removal of the debris. The NE Ravenna Blvd on-ramp is expected to be closed for some time.

According to the Seattle Times, three occupants of the car sustained only minor injuries, and the semi driver was okay. An update on the conditions of all four people involved in the collision is below.

Seattle P-I photojournalist Josh Trujillo has a couple photographs taken from the on-ramp itself.

UPDATE (4:17 PM): The Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Line blog has updated information on the three car passengers and semi-truck driver, as well as a couple new photos of the accident scene.

Fire fighters at the scene of today's car/semi rollover collision had to cut the top off the car (a convertible) to remove its three occupants. / Photo courtesy Seattle Fire

UPDATE (4:41 PM): Seattle Parks and Recreation staff were nearby at the time of the accident and sprang into action (via a Seattle Parks and Recreation press release):

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Northeast grounds maintenance crew members were working along Ravenna Blvd., mulching tree rings, when they heard screeching metal and a crash.

Jon Campbell, Dale McLeod and Marvin Bentley ran to the end of the island they were working on and looked up at the on ramp (NE 65th St. southbound entrance to I-5) and saw a semi truck overturned on its side.

Campbell and McLeod asked colleague Andy Rasmussen to call 911. Bentley blocked the entrance to the freeway with his truck and began directing traffic away from the accident. Campbell grabbed a fire extinguisher in case of fire (none occurred).

Read the rest of their story here.

UPDATE (5:02 PM): My Green Lake has been collecting photos and reactions from eye witnesses at or passing by the scene.

Filed Under: 911, Green Lake, Photos, Roosevelt, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Updates

I Love Ravenna (OPEN THREAD)

February 14, 2012 by 4 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day, neighborhood!

We’d love to hear what you love most about Ravenna, down in our comments section. Because we love to hear from you. (Also, because we’ve changed some settings in our comments section, and we’d really like you to give it a test drive.)

P.S. With the redesign, the comments link is now at the top of each post, just under the headline. xoxo

Filed Under: metablog, Ravenna

Eckstein Bikes, 35th Ave NE planning – Ravenna Blog Sunday Edition

February 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Bryant, Eckstein Middle School, Green Lake, Meeting, Ravenna, Seattle Fire Department, Sunday Edition, University District, University of Washington, Wedgwood Community Council

Overnight fire at Italian eatery Cafe Da Pino (UPDATES)

February 10, 2012 by 3 Comments

Seattle Fire Department units responded to a call at Cafe Da Pino (2207 NE 65th St) just after 2 AM.

Details are few at this time, but KING 5 News’ overnight photographer, James S, said (via Twitter) that there was a small fire in the wall, and that no flames were visible outside the restaurant.

The building the small Italian eatery is located in also contains Vitality Pilates and Thrive Art School.

We will have more details about the fire and damage later in the morning, and will post updates here.

UPDATE (9:31 AM): Picture of the building taken at 8:30 AM shows minimal damage to the exterior of the building. Vitality Pilates at the west end of the building (out of the picture) appeared to be open.

Picture of building that houses Cafe Da Pino, taken the morning after the fire.

UPDATE (10:17 AM): We have details now about the fire from the Seattle Fire Department’s Kyle Moore.

Someone driving by around 2 AM called 911 after seeing flames coming from a wall of the restaurant. After forcibly entering the building, fire fighters encountered lots of smoke, but no flames or heat. They determined the cause was faulty knob and tube wiring in a wall, which had been smoldering for some time. The fire was cut out of the wall. There were no injuries, and the damage is estimated at $20,000 (primarily smoke damage).

UPDATE (12:29 PM): Q13 FOX has story up about the Cafe Da Pino fire, which includes a picture of where fire fighters had to forcibly enter the restaurant (the east side of the building).

UPDATE (3:14 PM): The Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Line site has some photos of this morning’s action.

Click the photo above to read "Electrical Wiring caused Fire at Ravenna Italian Restaurant" on Fire Line

Filed Under: 911, Ravenna, Restaurants, Seattle Fire Department, Updates Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Bryant house fire quickly tapped, no one injured (UPDATES)

February 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A sharp-eyed neighbor called 911 after noticing a nearby two-story house (on the 6500 block of 37th Avenue NE) emitting smoke from the attic.

Twenty minutes later, responding Seattle Fire Department staff had the fire tapped. The fire had started in the kitchen of the home and spread upstairs to the attic, said the Seattle Fire Department’s Kyle Moore.

No one was home at the time of the fire.

UPDATE (1:05 PM): Seattle Red Cross is “assisting two adults and three children affected by the fire” (via Twitter).

UPDATE (3:19 PM): Some more details and fire safety tips from SFD PIO Kyle Moore (via email):

The cause was accidental. The homeowner accidentally activated the electric stove top with combustibles stored on top of the stove. Those combustibles ignited causing extensive damage to the kitchen and smoke damage to a majority of the house. A Seattle Fire Investigator estimates the damage at 50 thousand dollars to the structure and 20 thousand to the contents.
…
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home injuries. Here are some safety tips from NFPA:

  • Be alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop
  • Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
  • If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
  • Keep anything that can catch fire—oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains—away from your stovetop.
Filed Under: 911, Bryant, Seattle Fire Department, Updates Tagged With: , , , ,

February Story Time schedule for the Northeast Branch

February 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Children’s Services Librarian Erica Delavan will be in schools (talking about the Global Reading Challenge) and on vacation for part of the month of February, so the Story Time dates are few:

Toddler Story Time (Geared for ages 1-3)
Thursdays, February 2, 9 at 10:15 & 11:15 a.m.

Preschool Story Time (Geared for ages 3-5)
Tuesdays, February 7, 28 at 10:30 a.m.

Pajamas & Puppets (All Ages)
Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m.

The Northeast Branch of the Seattle Public Library is located at 6801 35th Avenue NE, the same block as Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts (apropos of nothing).

Filed Under: Events, Kids, Northeast Branch, Northeast Seattle, Public Schools

UW professor’s propeller, bound for park, winds up stolen instead (UPDATE)

February 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

UPDATE (Friday, February 3): The propeller has been found! Via Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Parkways blog:

Seattle Parks has possession of the propeller that was stolen earlier this week from the University District. After discovering the stolen propeller at the Northwest Corporate Park in Kent, a security guard contacted the Kent Police Department.

___________________

Seattle Parks and Recreation is asking for the public’s help in finding a stolen object bound for installation at a north end park.

The missing object in question: A 70-inch diameter 1,260-pound stainless steel propeller.

Details from Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Dewey Potter (via email):

The University District Community Council and Philip Thiel, naval architect and Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington, were preparing to donate a 70” diameter, stainless steel propeller to Parks as an installation in a north end park.

Unfortunately, thieves drove up an alley in the University District this morning and, managing to overcome the obstacles of both a retaining wall and a fence, lifted the 1,260 lb. propeller onto a truck and drive away with it. There were no witnesses. Neighbors heard a commotion and called the police, but the thieves were long gone.

Professor Thiel and the missing propeller (pre-theft) / Photo courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation

The propeller is/was to be used in North Passage Point Park in the Northgate area.

The public is asked to keep an eye out for the missing propeller. If spotted, please call the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency number (206-684-5011) and contact Seattle Parks and Recreation (206-684-7241).

Filed Under: Crime, Lost/Found, Northeast Seattle, Seattle Parks and Recreation, University District, University of Washington, Updates Tagged With: , , , ,

Rough Rider senior players to be honored at tonight’s Roosevelt High basketball games (UPDATE)

January 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

UPDATE (Wednesday): The Roosevelt News has a wrap-up and slideshow of last night’s Girls varsity game. A piece on the Boys varsity game will join it later today, at that same link.

20120201-074339.jpg

____________________

At tonight’s Roosevelt High School varsity boys and girls basketball games, graduating senior players will be honored.

Before the evening’s games, senior members of each team will stand with family, be thanked for their time with their respective teams, and what college they will be attending (if known) will be announced.

The Boys’ varsity team has seven seniors: Corey Scott, Jake DiJulio, AJ Edwards, Adrian Noteboom, Turner Huletz, Joe Knight and Brian Merry. The Girls varsity team has five: Katherine Woodworth, Sydney Melkerson, Sydney Morrill, Tanner Adams, and Meg Monsen.

Girls take the court tonight at 5:45 PM, Boys at 7:30 PM, at Roosevelt High School (1410 NE 66th St). Both games are against Woodinville. Cost is $6 for adults, $4 for ages 6 through high school (with an activity card), and free for ages 5 and under, and home students with an activity card.

The Roosevelt High School newspaper, The Roosevelt News, was kind enough to share with us shots of the senior boys in action:

A.J. Edwards / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Turner Huletz / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Jake Dijulio / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Joe Knight / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Adrian Noteboom / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Brian Merry / Photo courtesy The Roosevelt News

Special thanks to RHS students Brian Merry (Varsity Basketball senior) and Mitchell Smith (Roosevelt News Sports Editor) for their help with this post.

Filed Under: Northeast Seattle, Roosevelt High School, Sports, Updates Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »