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

   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.

RBCA Spring Community Meeting on May 5 (LIVE COVERAGE)

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:

  

Wade into water fun at local parks

Summer is here! And so is the Seattle Parks and Recreation wading pool/outdoor swim/spraypark season.

Here’s the schedule for Northeast Seattle (and nearby) locations:

Wading Pools:

    • Dahl Playfield (7700 25th Ave. NE): June 24-August 18, Tuesday through Thursday, noon-7 PM
    • Green Lake Park (N 73rd St. & W Green Lake Dr. N): June 21-September 1, daily, 11 AM-8 PM
    • Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE): June 21-August 24, daily, noon-6:30 PM

Summer Beaches (swimming allowed when lifeguards are present on weekdays noon-7 PM and weekends 11 AM-7 PM):

Sprayparks:

    • Northacres Park (12800 1st Ave. NE): May 24-September 1, daily, 11 AM-8 PM

Wading pools are filled when the day’s temperature has been forecast to be 70°F (21°C) or higher. If you want to double-check with Parks & Rec before loading up the picnic basket, there’s a Wading Pool Hotline you can call (updated daily by 9:30 AM): 206-684-7796.

The city-wide Wading Pool and Spraypark Schedule can be found here (small PDF; lots of Comic Sans).

Schedule for 2014’s Outdoor Movies at Magnuson Park

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Outdoor movies at Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE) are back for a fourth season starting Thursday, July 10!

Each Thursday evening, from July 10 through August 28, you and yours can head down to Magnuson for “big screen flicks, cirque performances by The Cabiri, movie trivia and Seattle’s best food trucks.”

Here’s the movie schedule (all on Thursday nights with seating opening at 7 PM and movies starting at dusk):

July 10: Grease (1978, PG-13, 110 minutes)

July 17: The Lego Movie (2014, PG, 100 minutes)

July 24: Gravity (2013, PG-13, 91 minutes)

July 31: Sixteen Candles (1984, R, 93 minutes)

August 7: Jurassic Park (1993, PG-13, 127 minutes)

August 14: Pitch Perfect (2012, PG-13, 112 minutes)

August 21: The Little Mermaid (1989, G, 83 minutes)

August 28: Ghostbusters (1984, PG, 105 minutes)

For the weekly food truck schedule, details on seating, parking, and more, visit the PEMCO Movies at Magnuson Park homepage.

Women of NE Seattle Schools Kickball Tournament this Sunday (UPDATE)

[Cue “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor]

For about eight years now, women with kids in various north end schools have gathered to challenge each other in the ultimate contest of playfield supremacy: KICKBALL.

At 4 PM on Sunday, June 8, some of these glorious ladies of wisdom will face each other once again at the lower View Ridge Playfield (4408 NE 70th St).

At this time, we know that Bryant, Eckstein, Roosevelt, Thornton Creek, Laurelhurst, Assumption, and Wedgwood schools have teams (UPDATE: View Ridge Elementary also has a team). The team from Laurelhurst Elementary is returning as the previous tournament’s champions. CAN THEY KEEP THE GOLDEN KICKBALL TROPHY IN THEIR POSSESSION???

"I think the trophy reflects the level of sophistication of this event," says Terrie McCoy. (Photo provided by Terrie McCoy)

“I think the trophy reflects the level of sophistication of this event,” says Terrie McCoy. (Photo provided by Terrie McCoy, trophy by the Barker Sherman family.)

 

More information about the tournament from Terrie McCoy, who has kids at Roosevelt and Eckstein (via email):

The general idea is that teams consist of women from each school, mothers, guardians, staff, etc. Each school has one team but rosters have varied from the minimum of 9 to as many as ~25. Kids cheer and often provide coaching tips but do not play. A group of Bryant/Eckstein/RHS dads have barbequed in the past and families from all schools have brought money to pitch in for the refreshments. Several of those dads are not available this year but I think we have at least one Wedgwood dad ready to bbq. With 8 or more teams we have two round robin tournaments with the winners of each playing in a championship game. Games typically consist of 3 innings. The quality of trash talk tends to be better than the quality of kickball so I encourage people to bring their thick skins.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

[Cue “The Final Countdown” by Europe]

Teacher Carol retirement party on Wednesday, June 4

After 20+ years coaching and teaching local tots, Carol Rasp is retiring.

Or, in her own words, “Quitting.” More fitting as Rasp as more energy at 60-something-or-another than most 30-year-olds I know. She’s moving on to more adventures, many involving her husband and their tandem bicycle.

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Teacher Carol with her morning Spring Quarter 2014 Tiny Tots class

In her honor, there will be a potluck party at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Avenue NE) on Wednesday, June 4, starting at 6:30 PM.

The center itself is providing hamburgers and hot dogs. If you and yours are planning to attend, please call the center at 684-7534 to RSVP.

Carol Rasp works with Ravenna Blog Intern #2 on an art project in class.

Carol Rasp works with Ravenna Blog Intern #2 on an art project in class.

Outdoor basketball court at the RECC getting a makeover

The outdoor basketball court behind the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center is getting some work done.

Weather and contractor permitting, over the next week or so (starting Tuesday, May 27), apshalt-cracking tree roots will be removed, the playing surface will be repaired and leveled, and new standard-height hoops will be installed.

RECC users and visitors: The small parking lot off Ravenna Avenue NE will be closed during the project for staging equipment.

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Workers began removal of the old basketball hoops on Thursday, May 22.

In case you’re not sure where it is, the RECC’s outdoor basketball court is tucked between the small parking lot off Ravenna Avenue NE and the tennis courts. The court lines are faded. The playing surface is uneven, cracked asphalt. The hoops are not set at a standard height.

RECC coordinator Tim Ewings tells us that last fall the Ravenna-Eckstein Advisory Council put the wheels in motion to get the project started, requesting funds for a 2014 capital project. The plan was approved (funds coming from the Associated Recreation Council who partners with Seattle Parks and Recreation to provide instructors), a project manager fleshed out the details, timing, and final pricing, and the work has begun.

In the event that the work schedule changes, we will post updates here.

Third Annual NOAA Open House on Friday, May 16

Weather prediction? Tsunami detection? Sustainable seafood production? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has you covered.

NOAA is an immense government agency, collecting and distributing scientific research and informing decisions that affect our daily lives. But the Western Regional Center of NOAA is in our own backyard, just north of Waren G. Magnuson Park at 7600 Sand Point Way. Friday’s open house is an opportunity to learn more and meet some folks doing this important work.

NOAA_open_house

Courtesy NOAA Western Regional Center

As part of the Seattle Maritime 101 Festival NOAA’s Western Regional Center campus will open its gates to the public on Friday May 16 from noon to 7PM! Come explore the work NOAA in Seattle does to support the maritime industry through weather forecasting, healthy ecosystems, safe waterways, protecting our coasts, and observing our planet. Come visit us for tours, hands-on activities, movies, and the chance to meet NOAA scientists.

Arrive early as tours will fill up on a first come, first served basis. Tours will include and are scheduled as follows:

WEATHER – Take a tour of NOAA’s National Weather Service Seattle office forecast center and learn how meteorologists work 24/7 to forecast the Seattle area weather from the waters of Puget Sound to the Cascade Mountains and everything in between. Tour is 45 minutes and start times are: 12:30, 1:45, 3:00, 4:15, 5:30.

OCEAN ANIMALS –This tour includes rare access to the NOAA marine mammal bone scientific collection that includes Orca Whale skulls and a Narwhal tusk! Then continue on to the Fisheries net loft where you will see how NOAA manages fisheries that produce sustainable seafood. Tour is 1 hour and start times are: 12:30, 1:00, 1:45, 2:15, 3:00, 3:30, 4:15, 4:45, 5:30.

OCEAN ENGINEERING – Step into NOAA’s engineering workspace where engineers are hard at work building and testing new technology to collect data from our oceans. See the evolution of tsunami sensing moorings and learn how we can now detect a tsunami smaller than a centimeter in the open ocean. Tour is 30 minutes and start times are: 12:30, 1:00, 1:45, 2:15, 3:00, 3:30, 4:15, 4:45, 5:30.

RESTORATION WALK (this may also be self guided at any time as well) – Take a walk with NOAA restoration experts and learn what we are doing to restore our campus shoreline on Lake Washington and habitats throughout Puget Sound. You will also learn about the history of our campus and various art installations along the way including the Sound Garden. Tour is 1.5 hours and start times are: 12:30, 2:15, 4:15.

Adding to the fun, the PIE food truck will be serving up sweet and savory pies (baked fresh daily) from 12:00-4:00 p.m. and Curb Jumper Street Eats will be serving speciality sliders, sandwiches, and fries from 12:00 – 7:00 p.m.  

If you have questions, contact Lauren Koellermeier lauren.koellermeier@noaa.gov or Rebecca Reuter Rebecca.Reuter@noaa.gov

RBCA May meeting features the City Attorney, SDOT, more (LIVE COVERAGE)

One of many signs up around the neighborhood, advertising the meeting. "You'all Come?"

One of the topics of the next Ravenna-Bryant Community Association community meeting (Tuesday, May 6 at 7 PM, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center) is near and dear to many of our hearts here in Northeast Seattle: Hugh Sisley.

The full slate of topics for the spring community meeting is as follows:

  • City’s efforts to tackle housing code violations in the Ravenna and Roosevelt neighborhoods — City Attorney Pete Holmes
  • Safer roadways including safe routes to school and traffic calming — staff from the Seattle Department of Transportation
  • Getting creative: Community pARTnerships

We’ve also heard that someone Steve Johnson, Director of the Office of Economic Development, will be there to talk about the city’s Only in Seattle Initiative (Grants! Tools! Business Improvement Areas!).

We will be attending the meeting, and you can read our LIVE COVERAGE below (starting around 6:45 PM-ish) if you are unable to attend.

RECC3

UPDATE (Tuesday, May 6, 3:20 PM): Looks like KOMO News is thinking about Hugh Sisley today, too: Reporter Joel Moreno teased some shots allegedly from inside one of Sisley’s rentals.

UPDATE (Wednesday, May 7): KOMO News did indeed have a story about Hugh Sisley and the fines last night, which also features a walk-through of one of Sisley’s properties in Ravenna (6515 16th Avenue NE). 

You can read the story and/or watch last night’s report here.

Scramble for eggs this Saturday

[in our best monster truck voice]: SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY!

Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center Spring Egg Hunt starting line in 2011.

Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center Spring Egg Hunt starting line in 2011.

This Saturday, April 19, at 10 AM SHARP, Seattle Parks and Recreation is holding Spring Egg Hunts all over the city. You can see the full, city-wide list on their website, but here are the hunting grounds closest to our area:

NORTHEAST

April 19 Spring Bunny Trail
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center [6535 Ravenna Ave NE], 10 a.m., Ages 12 and under

April 19 Spring Egg Hunts
Nathan Hale Stadium [10750 30th Ave NE], 10 a.m., Ages 1-11
Laurelhurst Park [4554 NE 41st St], 10 a.m., Ages 12 and under

NORTHWEST
April 19 Spring Egg Scramble
Green Lake Community Center, 10 a.m., Ages 3 and under
Green Lake Community Center, 10:30 a.m., Ages 4-7
Green Lake Community Center, 11 a.m., Ages 8-10

Another option in NE Seattle is Calvary Christian Assembly’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at Cowen Park (5849 15th Ave NE). From the CCA website:

Registration begins at 11:30 am. We partner with Roosevelt Neighborhood vendors for this event that features 3 age-specific egg hunts as well as crafts, games, prizes, inflatables and more! Want to help? We will need people to donate candy and work at the event.

For all of these events, you’ll want your kids to bring baskets with which to carry their ovate loot.

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Ravenna Blog publisher posing with the largest holiday decoration in NE Seattle (outside of Candy Cane Lane).