Early morning crash into Ravenna business sends police on a manhunt through the neighborhood (UPDATE)

UPDATE (5:32PM): Katie on twitter (@9livesimages) alerted me to this posting about last night’s police activity on the Seattle Police Department Blotter:

Reckless driving, hit and run, stolen gun in Lake City

On March 7th, at approximately 2:30 AM, a North Precinct officer was on routine patrol when she observed a white 2000 Cadillac driving at a high rate of speed westbound on NE 75th Street.  The officer broadcast the information about the vehicle, and approximately one minute later officers located that vehicle crashed into the side of a house in the 6500 Block of 16th Avenue NE.  Officers quickly contained the area and a K-9 responded to the scene.  The K-9 was able to track and locate three of the five suspects from the vehicle.  They were taken into custody.  A fourth suspect was located walking away from the scene on NE 65th and was also taken into custody.  A fifth suspect is still at large. Officers recovered a stolen handgun inside the vehicle.  One of the suspects, a 23 year old male, was later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of VUFA and Hit and Run.  The other two suspects, both 21 year old females, were interviewed and released from the precinct.  The fourth suspect, a 19 year old female, was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained during the K-9 track.

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Lucille Mroczek had finally gotten to sleep…when a car hit her building.

KIRO 7's story on last night's Ravenna car crash and ensuing manhunt (image links to the story on kirotv.com - CLICK TO READ)

Early Monday morning, around 3AM, a white Cadillac struck the side of Silhouette Antiques & Gifts (1516 NE 65th Street) before coming to a stop in the parking strip. Five people in the car then ran from the scene into the surrounding neighborhood. At least two people are in custody at this time, according to the KIRO 7 article above.

The car managed to take out the stop sign at the corner completely, and left a dent in a wooden wall at the base of the building. A down spout was also destroyed, but has since been replaced.

Silhouette's Lucille Mroczek (in red) talks with neighbors about last night's crash and police activity.

MyNorthwest.com has a similar story about the crash and manhunt, but incorrectly identifies the neighborhood as “Lake City” and gives an address of “5600 block of 16th Avenue.”

Ravenna Blog will be watching for the official police report and will update this post with any new information.

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Neighbors in the area: Did you hear any of the ruckus this morning? Tell us about it in the comments.

More pictures from Thursday night’s house fire

A neighbor across the street from the house fire in north Ravenna on Thursday night has shared some pictures he took from that evening (click on the pictures for a larger version):

Thank you to neighbor and picture-taker John and Four and 20 Blackbirds’ Wendy for sending these pictures on.

No injuries in last night’s house fire in north Ravenna (UPDATE)

The Seattle Fire Department responded to a house fire on the 7300 block of 23rd Avenue NE at around 10:40 PM on Thursday evening.

No one was injured in the fire.

The cause of the fire is as yet undetermined, but I will update this story when I have more information.

UPDATE (8:29 AM): I’ve heard back from Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick (via email):

The house fire at 7340 23rd Avenue Northeast was an accidental fire caused by a malfunctioning heater in a bedroom. There were no injuries. The estimated damage to the home and contents is $250,000.

North Seattle KOMO has a story up which includes a picture of the fire fighters in action last night.

View of the rear of the house, taken from the alley

As I arrived at the house this morning to take pictures, Engine 40 and her staff were on scene, watching the house.

Fire department staff will stay on scene until the cause of the fire has been determined. This is to both ensure that the building stays secure (“continuity of evidence” in case of an arson finding), and to make sure that the fire does not rekindle.

As I write this, there have already been three fire watch shift changes.

North side of the house

Fourteen fire department vehicles were dispatched to the house last night, which is considered to be a typical response for an incident like this one. The “extra” staff is on hand to provide support to those who are actively fighting the fire.

Vandalism hits Ravenna restaurant Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (corrections)

Correction: The vandalism occurred between the evening of Tuesday, March 1st and the morning of Wednesday, March 2nd. We regret the error.

Local Italian restaurant (and Ravenna Blog advertiser) Casa D’Italia Market & Cafe (2615 NE 65th Street)  was vandalized sometime between Monday the night of Tuesday, March 1st (after the cook went home), and Tuesday Wednesday morning, March 2nd, when an alert neighbor noticed the damage and called 911.

From an email with Casa D’Italia owner Angeli Donatone:

[W]e were vandalized [Tuesday Wednesday] am. A neighbor called 911 to report the damage early (6am-ish) [that] morning. Our large front window had a cinder block thrown thru it, as did a basement window. The  front door was shattered, although had safety glass.  One of the large wine barrels on 27th was tipped over. What a mess!

If anyone happened to be around the restaurant at the time the damage occurred, and has any information to share, contact the restaurant or call the Seattle Police Department’s non-emergency number (625-5011).

Broken pane of glass replaced by plexiglass temporarily.

Community meetings of note this week

Lots of community meetings this week which you may have interest/be a stakeholder in:

Roosevelt Neighborhood Association Land Use Committee Meeting
Monday, February 28, 7 PM
Calvary Christian Assembly, 6801 Roosevelt Way NE

Topics include the latest developments on the Roosevelt Development Group/Sisley project (which people particularly in northwest Ravenna should be paying attention to), and the Roosevelt neighborhood rezone.

Ravenna Bryant Community Association Board Meeting
Tuesday, March 1, 7 PM
Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Avenue NE

Monthly RBCA board meetings (first Tuesdays) are always open for residents to attend. No official agenda out yet, but there will likely be a recap of the previous evening’s RNA Land Use meeting.

Northeast District Council Meeting
(Tentatively) Thursday, March 3, 7 PM
Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 8008 35th Avenue NE

The NEDC generally meets on the first Thursday of the month, and the agenda often includes a speaker from city or county government (last month’s was City Council President Richard Conlin). Each active neighborhood council in the Northeast district of Seattle sends a representative to this meeting.

For a map of the Northeast District and the neighborhood associations that cover the area (the ones I’ve been able to find the geographical areas of, anyway), check out this map on the Ravenna Bryant Community Association’s website.

History Friday, Part 4: Original Beauty and Natural Wonders

This is part of the essay “Ravenna Park (Seattle)“, appearing here thanks to HistoryLink.org and author Peter Blecha, under a Creative Commons license.

[If you’re new to the series, you can start with Part 1 here.]

Original Beauty and Natural Wonders

In the wake of the great economic crash of 1893, the Becks’ Seattle Female College was shuttered, but they remained committed to their 60-acre park. Beck fenced it in between 15th Avenue NE eastward to 20th Avenue NE, and over the ensuing years he improved the property by carving out better trails. One was a path to the largest sulfur spring (sometimes known as the “Petroleum Spring,” located at the center of the park, below and just east of today’s 20th Avenue NE bridge), which he had wisely recast as the “Wood Nymphs’ Well.” He also built a teahouse, a 40- by 90-foot pavilion (“Ye Merrie Makers’ Inn”), picnic shelters, wading ponds, and an area called Rhododendron Way where rows of shrubs featuring the state flower were planted.

The park was touted as “a safe, clean, and beautiful place for women and children — a deputy sheriff in charge” (Beck, booklet, 1903). By 1902 it had become so popular that 10,000 visitors reportedly paid the 25-cent admission fee. Beck soon published a booklet that grandly sang the charms of his little piece of paradise: “Ravenna Park, with its standing or fallen giant trees; moss and fern covered canyons; dashing trout streams, preserves in quaint uniqueness every beauty of the wonderful Puget Sound forest, and is Seattle’s only forest unshorn by axe and fire of original beauty and noblest and grandest characteristics” (Beck, booklet, 1903).

For her part, Louise maintained a keen interest in music. Indeed, it would seem that during her earlier musical activities back east she made the acquaintance of more than a few major talents of the day, because when touring stars — including the famed Polish composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler, and British pianist Harold Bauer — came through town they invariably visited the park and were treated to the “hospitality of her Ravenna Park home” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1928).

Although prominent Seattle historian Clarence Bagley (1843-1932) snarked in 1929 that the park was merely a “dark, dank, dismal hole in the ground” (Manning), many other visitors were awestruck by the outsized flora and the fish-rich Ravenna Creek that flowed through the park (and the adjacent Cowen Park). Some considered it one of Seattle’s prime attractions, on a par with others of America’s treasures: “Like natural wonders such as Niagara Falls, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon, Ravenna Park offered a pilgrimage to the sublime, the contemplative, the spiritual, the terrifying” (Duncan).

Next week: Big Tree Park and Cowen Park

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Sources:
W. W. Beck, Ravenna Park — ‘Im Walde,’ (1903), Peter Blecha collection, Seattle; W. W. Beck, Ravenna Park — ‘Im Walde,’ 16-page postcard booklet, undated, in Peter Blecha collection; W. W. Beck, Ravenna Park (ca. 1909), Peter Blecha collection; “Ravenna Park Guide,” brochure, 1909, Peter Blecha collection; “Ravenna Or Big Tree Park: It is Famous = “Nature’s Exposition,” postcard, 1909, Peter Blecha collection; Harvey Manning, Winter Walks and Hikes (Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2002), 42; Betty McDonald, Anybody Can Do Anything (Philadelphia / New York: J. B. Lippincott Co, 1950), 129-130; Paula Becker, “Time Traveling The Roosevelt District With Betty Macdonald,” Seattlepress.com website accessed July 13, 2010 (http://seattlepress.com/article-9455.html); “One of Ravenna’s Giant Trees Christened ‘Paderewski,'” Interlaken, February 8, 1908, p. 1; Sophie Frye Bass, When Seattle Was A Village (Seattle: Lowman & Hanford Co., 1947), 106-108:  David Buerge, “Indian Lake Washington,” Seattle Weekly, August 1-7, 1984; Seattle Polk City Directory (1901-1934); Directory of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (Washington D.C.: Memorial Continental Hall, 1911), 1340; “Mrs. L. C. Beck Funeral To Be Held Today: Woman Widely Known In Musical and Club Circles Is Mourned By Seattle Friends,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 9, 1928, p. 13; Kate C. Duncan 1001 Curious Things: Tales from Ye Olde Curiosity Shop (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2000), 73-78; Andrea Casadio, email to Peter Blecha, January 30, 2008; “No Finer Site: The University of Washington’s Early Years On Union Bay,” Web exhibition, University of Washington Libraries website accessed August 19, 2010 (http://lib.washington.edu/exhibits/site/); HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, “Seattle’s Ravenna Park Bridge is constructed in 1913” (by Priscilla Long), and “WPA builds Cowen Park Bridge in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood in 1936” (by Priscilla Long), and “John Olmsted arrives in Seattle to design city parks on April 30, 1903” (by David Williams and Walt Crowley), and “David Thomas Denny (1832-1903)” (by David Wilma), http://www.historylink.org/ (accessed August 1, 2010); Esther Campbell, Bagpipes in the Woodwind Section (Seattle: Seattle Symphony Women’s Association, 1978), 9; William Arnold, “The Great Mystery of Ravenna Park,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Northwest Today section, December 17, 1972, pp. 8-9; Steve Cronin, “Ravenna Park’s Famous Trees Vanished Furtively,” UW Daily, May 25, 1977, p. 3;  James Bush, “Remembering William W. Beck: The Father of Ravenna Park,” The Seattle Sun, August 2003, The Seattle Sun website accessed August 25, 2010 (http://parkprojects.com/2003news/0308aug/hisbeck.html); Mary R. Watson, travel diary (handwritten), 1910, portion accessed on eBay, December 2006, copy in possession of Peter Blecha; Russ Hanbey, “1916 Seattle was a Hotbed of Sin When 2 Officers Were Killed,” The Seattle Times, February 6, 2010 (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com); and Peter Blecha archives.

Hey, Ravenna (and Roosevelt) neighbors: Let’s all go to a ballgame!

Happy Neighbor Appreciation Day, neighbor.

Without you, the Ravenna Blog would not exist! There’d be no one to send in questions and news tips to report on, no one to read the posts, and no one to talk to in the comments. So, thanks for being here.

As a thank you for being my neighbors, I would like to purpose some summer fun: LET’S ALL GO TO A MARINERS GAME TOGETHER.

This is not a fundraiser of any type — it is a community FUN raiser; a chance to hang out with each other and enjoy a baseball game together.

Here’s how it will work:

  1. We’ll vote on which of two games the most people can attend (see below).
  2. We team up with our neighbors next door in Roosevelt so we can get a REALLY big group together, which means…
  3. The Mariners will assign us a Group Manager to handle all the ticket sales.
  4. Tickets will go on sale a couple months out from the game date, and can be purchased online through the Mariners website, with a special discount code.
  5. We show up to the game, have a good time, and see OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE SCOREBOARD during the Group Welcome inning¹.

But before we can reserve a section for our neighborhoods, we have to decide on a date.

Mariners Game Poll²

Don’t worry about whether or not you are sure you can attend either of these dates: I am looking to find out which of these two dates would work for most people.

The following poll will be open until noon on Monday, February 21st. One vote per household, please.


Have questions? Want to express your love of (or concern for) this idea? Let me know in the comments!

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¹ This is sort of what spawned the whole idea: “MARINERS WELCOME THE NE SEATTLE NEIGHBORHOOD OF RAVENNA.”

² Here’s how I came to choose these particular dates:

  • Good weather is more likely to happen AFTER mid-July, hence the July 31 and August 27 dates.
  • Visiting teams are not teams we see in town all the time (like the Texas Rangers or the Oakland A’s).
  • There is an evening game and a day game to choose from, as well as a Saturday and a Sunday.
  • Only two choices to make it easier for people to choose.

A photo tour of the new Fire Station 38

The new Fire Station 38 (4004 NE 55th Street) is nearly ready. In my last email with Helen Fitzpatrick, spokeswoman of the Seattle Fire Department, a tentative move-in date in early February was given.

And once the firefighters move in and get settled, there will be an OPEN HOUSE.

Before doing a little grocery shopping across the street on Sunday, a took a few pictures of the station’s exterior and interior.

Starting on the south side of the station: Two bays for fire department vehicles (Engine 38 +1), the doors of which face NE 55th Street.

View straight up from ground level of the red corrugated metal siding on the south side of the station.

View inside the doors. I believe I can safely say, though I did not have my tape measure with me, that the old Station 38 could fit inside the new station’s vehicle bay.

The “front door” of the new station, at the southwest corner. There is a doorbell, and the red box conceals a telephone. This entry can be reached via stairs (railing visible) or by a ramp (to the right, out of the frame of the picture).

The flag pole near the entrance is already sporting an American flag.

On the west side of the station now (the 40th Avenue NE side). Looks as though the plants adjacent to the station are watered by rain collected from the roof and west side of the building.

Close up of the gutter at the base of the wall (catches water running down the side of the building) and the pipe (bringing runoff down from the roof) which both empty into a V-shaped cement structure (which allows the water to seep into the surrounding soil).

Oregon grape planted in the NE 4oth Avenue parking strip seems happy to be here.

North side of the station. It looks as though Engine 38 can come back from a call and drive straight into the station, no blocking traffic on NE 55th Street to back in.

This concludes our tour! Stay tuned to the Ravenna Blog for more information on Fire Station 38 (old and new).

The tricked-out grill of Engine 38 thanks you for your time.

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A little new Fire Station 38 background:

Seattle P-I reporter Casey McNerthney did a story on the ground breaking and the impetus of the new station back in September 2009 (“Chief, mayor break ground for new fire station“).

And the fate of little old Station 38 (5503 33rd Avenue NE), once it’s empty? The city is expected to sell it. For how much? Well, McNerthney’s article states that the property was appraised at just over a million dollars*, according to King County property records in 2009. Save your pennies!

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*I think this figure dashes any plans that former Ravenna resident now Camano Island blogger Jeff and I had for buying the old firehouse and turning it into a little neigborhood pub called the Ravenna Hole.

Final days for The Shoe Zoo on Blakeley

Another long-time area business is closing its doors.

After 23 years of business, The Shoe Zoo (2920 NE Blakeley St # B) is going out of business.  A 30% off sale begins today.

The news was sent out via email  (and passed on to us by our friends at My Green Lake):

Well, it is with a very heavy heart, that after 23 years of taking care of the best customers I could ask for, I must announce, that starting today, we will begin our last sale ever – our going out of business sale. This was a very tough decision to make, but one that had to be made.  I can’t give an exact date of how long we will be here, but I must sell everything in the store. You name it, it’s for sale.  I will start by making all merchandise 30% off.  Hopefully, you can help me get the word out.  Please tell everyone you know, who has kids, the news.  I would really appreciate it.  If this store has made a difference for your families over the years, please come in and pick up a few pair of shoes.  Please be sure to use any credits, or gift certificates as soon as possible.

The Zoo Keeper 🙁

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I purchased my son’s very first pair of “big boy” shoes at The Shoe Zoo. 🙁

More info on area power outage on January 24

Roosiehood's post on the outage of January 24th (click the picture to redirect and read)

Our next door neighbor blog, Roosiehood, reported on last week’s power outage that affected around 840 Seattle City Light customers. (Ravenna Blog HQ wasn’t affected, just AFK.)

The good news is Seattle City Light crews know exactly where the problem occurred and were able to restore power within the hour.

The unfortunate news is they did not find a cause.

We talked with Scott Thomsen, Seattle City Light’s Communications and Public Affairs guy, about where the problem occurred, and he gave us a little Electric Grid 101 as a bonus.

From power generation sources (hydroelectric dams, for example), power flows to substations, then through feeder lines to lateral lines and then to places of service (stores, schools, your house, etc.).

In the case of the January 24 outage, power from the University Substation was heading to customers via an underground feeder, like usual. A breaker on this feeder line tripped, and around 840 customers were put in the dark. (This particular feeder serves around 3,500 customers, so things could have been worse).

In the event of another outage, we’d be happy to call up Scott again. But we hope we don’t have to. (No offense, Scott.)