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.

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

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.

Family Walking Group starts at Magnuson Park this Thursday

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.

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

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.

I Love Ravenna (OPEN THREAD)

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

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