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:

  

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.

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.

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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).

Spring and Summer Parks & Rec brochures are now available

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Spring classes, and summer camps and classes, special events and pool schedules all await you the latest Seattle Parks and Recreation brochure. Hard copies are available in local community centers, but you can also download an e-edition right here (5.1 MB PDF).

Registration for summer camps has already begun, but registration for other types of classes starts on Tuesday, March 11.

 

Soup Swap 2014 set to simmer on January 25

Seemingly endless days of drizzle and 45°F temperatures are best fought with good neighbors and hot soup. Soup Swap 2014 is being held on Saturday, January 25 from 3-5 PM at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Avenue NE). Participants bring labeled quarts of frozen homemade soup and leave with a different set to enjoy at home.

Ravenna Blog's Soup Swap haul at the 2013 event -- brought four quarts of Pasta e Fagioli, came home with an assortment of yum.

Ravenna Blog’s Soup Swap haul at the 2013 event — brought four quarts of Pasta e Fagioli, came home with an assortment of yum.

Here are the details:

1. MAKE a BIG batch of soup.

2. FREEZE your soup in QUART sized containers.

3. BRING your frozen soup to the RECC on January 25, and swap ’em for others!

A+ labeling job on this batch of Curried Lentil and Squash Soup

A+ labeling job on this batch of Curried Lentil and Squash Soup

We’ve created a Soup Swap 2014 Facebook event page for those that would like to RSVP and/or chat about the event.

For more how-to Soup Swap info, check out this page at the National Soup Swap site.  Our post on Soup Swap 2013 includes a video of a group who have been swapping for quite some time.

Loaves of Ravenna and Wedgwood bread from Grateful Bread, waiting to be given away in a contest.

Loaves of Ravenna and Wedgwood bread from Grateful Bread, waiting to be given away in a contest.

And what is a soup meal without a little bread on the side? We’ll be bringing a few loaves of Grateful Bread’s Ravenna and Wedgwood breads to give away at the event.

The Soup Swap 2013 spread (complete with kale bouquet) waiting to be divvied up by participants.

The Soup Swap 2013 spread (complete with kale bouquet) waiting to be divvied up by participants.

You need not be from Ravenna or even Northeast Seattle to participate! Soup Wizards from across the Puget Sound region are welcome to attend.

Seattle Parks & Recreation winter registration is open!

The weather outside is frightfully cold, at the moment. But your local community centers are nice and warm!

Head inside your local community center or pool to pick up a copy of the Winter 2014 course brochure for Northeast Seattle, or download it here (3.04 MB PDF).

Seattle Parks and Recreation 2014 Winter Brochure for Northeast Seattle (click to download; 3.04 MB PDF)

Seattle Parks and Recreation 2014 Winter Brochure for Northeast Seattle (click to download; 3.04 MB PDF)

The Northeast Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities covered in the above brochure are:

Community Centers:

  • Laurelhurst (4554 NE 41st St)
  • Magnuson (7110 62nd Ave NE)
  • Meadowbrook (10517 35th Ave NE)
  • Northgate (10510 5th Ave NE)
  • Ravenna-Eckstein (6535 Ravenna Ave NE)

Pools:

  • Helen Madison (13420 Meridian Ave N)
  • Meadowbrook (10515 35th Ave NE)

Course registration began on Tuesday, December 3, so hurry up and register today before “Hip Hop Tots” fills up!

Long-time local kids coach, Liz Isaacson, hangs up her whistle (GUEST POST)

We here at the Ravenna Blog have the good fortune to live just up the street from a freelance journalist, Scott Johnson. Unfortunately, he’s got two small kids just like we do, and that makes it hard to make him write for us. Just not good for sitting and thinking and writing, the presence of the small children.

But where kids and news collide, Scott is there! (With his camera, too!)

Liz Isaacson won’t be roaming the playfield outside of Ravenna-Eckstein Center next week – or next summer, for that matter.

While that might not seem to mean much to local parents, these two words will:  Coach Liz.

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Coach Liz Isaacson (left) teaching a soccer class at Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center. Photo by Scott Johnson.

After 35 years in the profession, the past seven of which included time teaching soccer, Tee-ball, and other sports to young kids at Ravenna-Eckstein, Coach Liz is hanging up her whistle.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said after one of her final classes coaching soccer earlier this week. “I woke up this morning and almost started crying.”

The popular youth coach who grew up playing sports in the shadows of three older brothers decided this was the right time to get out of the game.

“My body’s telling me it’s time,” she said. “My mind wants to keep coaching, but my body just won’t let me do it anymore.”

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Coach Liz teaching Drew Johnson how to defend against a pack of girls at soccer practice. Photo by Scott Johnson.

Kids and parents hoping to say a final goodbye to Coach Liz before she goes back to being Liz Isaacson can attend a retirement party in her honor Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Northgate Community Center. Cake, snacks and games will be provided.

And if Coach Liz can’t hold back anymore, maybe even a few tears.

 

Scott Johnson is a stay-at-home father of two and freelance writer who counts The Associated Press, USA Today, The Sports Xchange and SportsPress Northwest among his part-time gigs. He lives in the Ravenna neighborhood with his wife, Erin, and their children, Drew and Molly.