Mayor McGinn in Ravenna for tour and a town hall (LIVE COVERAGE)

November 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As a part of the Engage Seattle initiative, Mayor Mike McGinn is coming to the Ravenna neighborhood for both a tour and a town hall with residents on Saturday, December 1.

The town hall/Q&A portion will be held in the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center gym (6535 Ravenna Ave NE) from 11 AM – noon. Everyone is welcome to attend. The mayor, members of his staff, and representatives from various city departments will be on hand to answer questions.

Prior to the town hall, from 10-11 AM, the mayor, members of his staff, and select community leaders and members will be touring parts of Ravenna both on foot and by bicycle (the latter for the first time for this type of event). Ravenna Blog is along for the ride, providing live coverage, and speaking at a couple of the tour stops.

Live coverage of the tour and the town hall can be found below, once the event starts. The Seattle Channel has recorded previous town halls in other neighborhoods, and should they do so for ours you will find the video embedded in this post once it becomes available.

Filed Under: Civic Envolvement, Cowen Park, Live Coverage, Mayor's Office, Meeting, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Seattle Department of Transportation

15th Avenue NE closed as police investigate ‘possible explosive devices’ (UPDATES)

September 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

Via the Seattle Police Department twitter feed:

15th Avenue Bridge closed in Ravenna as ABS investigates possible explosive devices found in the area. More info on the Blotter shortly.

The helicopter that can be heard in our area is over the scene.

More updates here when we get them.

UPDATE (12:11 PM): Police have determined the the suspected explosive devices are harmless. Via twitter:

Suspected pipe bombs deemed harmless. Everything on 15th should be back to normal shortly.

UPDATE (12:15 PM):SeattlePI.com’s Casey McNerthney has the story from police:

The suspicious devices were found shortly after 10 a.m. near the 15th Avenue Northeast bridge, which was closed for more than 2 hours as detectives investigated. The devices, made with capped PVC pipes, were also found near a regular homeless encampment, detective Renee Witt said.

Read the full story on SeattlePI.com’s Seattle 911 blog.

Filed Under: 911, Cowen Park, Crime, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Roosevelt, Seattle Police Department, Updates

RHS cross country teams to give Ravenna Park a “trial run” (PHOTOS)

September 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

RHS Girls Cross Country / Kevin Shear

Today, Wednesday, September 12, the Roosevelt High School girls and boys cross country teams will race the teams from Newport High School on the trails of Ravenna Park. This is a home meet for RHS, which is located just a few blocks from the park.

But Ravenna Park is not their usual home course. Lincoln Park, in West Seattle, is. 

RHS Boys Cross Country / Steve Wolfe

RHS Athletic Director, Mike Scott, explains the home course choice (via email):

For all of the past years that I have been here at Roosevelt, most of our meets have either been at Lincoln or at Lower Woodland.  Lower Woodland tends to be a METRO site, while Lincoln tends to be a KingCo site for the 4A schools, but there is no hard and fast rule regarding this.  Meets can have multiple teams involved, and the two sites listed above allow for better parking for multiple busses.

Scott says that the RHS cross country team is huge — over 100 students involved — and getting everyone (athletes, coaches) over to Lincoln Park and back requires two busses at $250-$300 (budgeted) each. And when the yellow school busess aren’t available, more costly charter busses must be hired.

A switch to a home course at nearby Cowen and Ravenna Parks would not only be great for the team, but nice on the budget.

RHS Girls Cross Country / Kevin Shear

So, what would make today’s meet a success for all involved (the team, the school, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and neighbors)?  We’ve contacted Dennis Cook at Seattle Parks and Recreation (Athletics) about what his department is looking for from the event, and are awaiting a reply.

Here’s what Athletic Director Scott is looking for:

What I am looking for is to have an event that is seen by the public and patrons of the park as a good use of this resource to provide our kids with a positive and healthy event.  It is my sincere hope that the patrons and neighbors will be understanding of the importance of this opportunity for our school to provide this for our kids and for our parents, as well as the community, and our commitment to be good neighbors and use this resource respectfully.

And if the people coming to the meet also decide to stop in the neighborhood and buy a hamburger or two from one of our local restaurants, that would be another great thing to come from this event!!

Neighbors of the park will be pleased to know that the parking plan for the visiting team’s busses has them parked at the high school campus, and not on surface streets.

Cowbells! On Aisle 12. / Maple Leaf Ace

As for today’s meet itself, the team is looking for volunteers to help direct runners at key intersections along the route. Meet the team in the grassy area of Cowen Park at 3:30 PM.

And, of course, neighbors and other spectators are encouraged to watch the races and cheer on the athletes (Girls race at 4 PM, boys race at 4:45). (See the previous photo for an Olympic-inspired way to do that). Boys team member and Roosevelt News Online Editor Mitchell Smith tells us the teams will be sporting their new uniforms today, too.

Special thanks to Frank Hodge (father of a RHS girls cross country team captain) for the original tip for this story.

……

UPDATE (6:40 PM): Here are some pictures of the meet (beforehand, and during the girls’ race).

Ah, this must be the place.

 

Big ol’ pile of Roosevelt backpacks and gear.

 

Kiosk at the entrance of Cowen Park with a pink notice posted about the event.

 

Directional marking near the start of the course.

 

The girls team practices their start.

 

The girls team during a pre-race moment, and some student photographers capturing said moment from on high.

 

Newport and Roosevelt girls teams at the start, getting directions from an RHS coach.

 

And they’re off!

 

 

 

 

I caught up with the girls again later in the course, as I peered over the edge of the 20th Ave NE footbridge:

Leading at this point in the course: Roosevelt.

 

Here’s the first Newport runner, alongside the third Lady Roughrider to pass under the bridge.

 

And what were the RESULTS of today’s races? We heard about the boys team first, from runner and Roosevelt News Online Editor Mitchell:

Later that night, however, we learned how the girls did against Newport:

Congrats to our girls cross country team!! They defended our home turf with a win of 41 to 22 against Newport! RIDERPOWER #canttouchthis

— Rider Nation (@RHSRiderNation) September 13, 2012

WELL DONE, LADIES.

Filed Under: Cowen Park, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Roosevelt, Roosevelt High School, Sports, Updates

Python loose in the park! But which park?

August 13, 2012 by 11 Comments

We got a voice mail from North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston this afternoon at 2:50 PM, saying, “I hope you’re not at Cowen Park playfield…uh playground. A seven-foot yellow python got loose and he’s headed for the playground.”

Now, that’s an amusing story, but Cowen Park is not in Ravenna. So I just mention the missing snake on twitter, like this:

A few minutes later, the official Seattle Police Department twitter feed says this:

Oh no! Wrong neighborhood! And wrong park! Lower case “p” or not, people are going to get confused!

But I check with Terrie Johnston again, to make sure. “61st and Brooklyn Cowen Park” is the email reply.


View Snake on the loose! in a larger map

Decidedly NOT Ravenna Park.

But the damage has been done. The SPD tweet has now been REtweeted over 300 times (probably because of that “Snakes on a Plane” movie reference being clever and all).

And, of course, someone has started a new twitter feed…FOR THE SNAKE:

Thankfully, the SPD just updated the story on their blog, and you can read it here (“Officers On Python Patrol After Snake Escapes In Ravenna Neighborhood“).

An excerpt for you:

As police officers and officials from Seattle parks department and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife search the neighborhood and Cowen/Ravenna Park for the snake, you and your small pets should keep to the trails, and stay away from drainage ditches, thick foliage, and hollow logs, according to Seattle’s resident snake expert, Peter Miller.

Miller, reptile keeper at Woodland Park Zoo, estimates the snake is around 15-20 pounds and says it “has the potential” to be dangerous. ”These guys are ambush predators,” he says. “They find a well protected covered area and they sit and they wait.”

KING 5 news Reporter John Langeler got the location right, though:

And it looks like Seattle Parks and Recreation has put up signage.

John Langeler / KING 5

If Timid the Albino Python is found (yeah, his name is Timid), we’ll let you know here.

Filed Under: Cowen Park, Lost/Found, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Roosevelt, Seattle Police Department Tagged With:

Mini-craft fair at Boulevard Grocery

August 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

The reincarnated Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd) is holding their second mini-craft fair this afternoon, Sunday, August 12, from noon-3 PM, in front of the store.

A selection of vegetable portrait postcards by Chavas Garden.

Some of the vendors and their wares include:

There will also be face painting for the young (and young-at-heart).

Another great opportunity to check out the little store, too, if you haven’t already!

Filed Under: Businesses, Events, Families, Food, Kids, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park Tagged With:

NEW weekly feature: Your Moment of Ravenna Zen

April 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As your friendly neighborhood news site, we often come across little bits and pieces of interesting things that we don’t quite know where to put on the site.

This week, we decided that we’ve been hoarding these interesting tidbits for long enough.

Welcome to “Your Moment of Ravenna Zen”* — a (hopefully) weekly look at the little things that make our neighborhood the special place that we know and love.

For this first installment, we bring you 49 seconds of Ravenna Creek, from seacam’s YouTube channel. Enjoy.

Do YOU have a Moment of Ravenna Zen to share? Email rebecca@ravennablog.com, or use our handy dandy comment form to tell us about it.

____________________

*Yes, keen observers will note that we may have been inspired by a similarly named segment at the tail end of every episode of The Daily Show.

Filed Under: Moment of Ravenna Zen, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Ravenna Zen, Video Tagged With:

Take a tour of the new old Boulevard Grocery (PHOTOS)

April 18, 2012 by 8 Comments

The exterior of the building is still forest green with red trim, but the interior of Boulevard Grocery (2007 NE Ravenna Blvd) has undergone quite a transformation this year.

Since Seven Coffee Roasters’ Sean Lee took over the business around the close of 2011, the barely 800-square-foot neighborhood grocery store has added two more jobs to its own resume: cafe and art space. All three facets seek to tempt both long-time residents and university students alike to come in, enjoy each others’ company, and head home with food and drink for their tables.

We stopped by the 96-year-old-building in January (for the soft open) and again here in April to witness the progress and share it with you here.

From left to right: Owner Sean, Barista Patrick, and Manager Jeff (photo taken at the soft open)

Whole bean Seven Coffee Roaster coffee was first to line the shelves back in January...

...and has since been joined by other goods such as pasta, oatmeal, soup, condiments, and more.

The Four Loko is gone, happily replaced by 22 oz bottles of local beers.

Wall o' wine at the rear of the store.

During our January visit these built-in benches had just been completed. They've since been joined by a large table.

The new pastry case, rife with hand pies from High 5 Pie.

Sandwiches by Blue Saucer in Maple Leaf wait to be purchased for a picnic.

Bread by the Essential Baking Company, delivered every other day.

Free toast with coffee special advertised next to a jar of doggie treats.

Sorry, kitty: No treats for you.

A small flock of origami birds cluster together on a windowsill.

A painting of Boulevard Grocery itself, done by a local.

The Compassion Wizard even hangs out here.

A mixed media work by Narboo (note the plastic soda can rings on the left).

A limited run of handpainted bags on display -- portions of each sale go to the artist, the store, and a charity.

With the beans removed, your coffee bean bag artwork is suitable for framing.

For more on the gallery side of Boulevard Grocery, check out this piece by Lauren Kronebusch of The Daily at the University of Washington: “Boulevard Gallery: View From A Coffee Cup.”

Boulevard Grocery is also holding an artwalk this Friday, April 21st, from 6-9 PM. Works by Greenwood’s Narboo and Starheadboy will be showcased, with live acoustic music.

Filed Under: Businesses, Families, Food, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park

One dead after early morning shooting in Ravenna Park (UPDATE)

March 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

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.

____________________

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.

Filed Under: 911, Crime, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Seattle Police Department, Updates

Man and woman seriously injured in Ravenna Park attack (UPDATES)

January 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

A man and a woman were both beaten with a baseball bat early this morning in Ravenna Park. Police have not yet located the two suspects, and the investigation is ongoing.

We heard the news first from a resident of the area (via twitter direct message sent at 3:50 AM; kept anonymous due to privacy concerns), who said:

…police and medics congregated at 55th and Ravenna PL after a fight broke out. In the park. As officers arrived, two men emerged from the south end of the park saying that someone had beaten one or both of them with a bat.


View Ravenna Park in a larger map
View Larger Map

Just before 9 AM, Detective Mark Jamieson with the North Precinct of the Seattle Police Department, posted the following on the SPD Blotter:

On January 12th, at approximately 3:30 am, a citizen called 911 after hearing yelling and someone crying for help inside the southeast corner of Ravenna Park (approximately NE 55th Street and west of 25th Avenue NE). As officers arrived in the area, two victims, a 41 year old male and a 54 year old female, emerged from the wooded area. They had been beaten with a baseball bat multiple times. Both victims had head injuries as well as other injuries to their bodies. According to the victims, the suspect is a known male who they had a dispute with earlier. The suspect, described as a black male armed with the baseball bat, was accompanied by a white male. There is no further description of the white male. It appears that the suspect with the bat did the attack.

The Seattle Fire Department transported the couple to Harborview Medical Center with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.

A K9 team attempted to locate the suspects within the large wooded park, but was unable to find them. The investigation is open and ongoing at this time.

We will update this story here when more information becomes available.

UPDATE (11:24 AM): Talked briefly on the phone and via email with Terrie Johnston, Crime Prevention Coordinator for the North Precinct. The first suspect is a regular denizen of the park, described as a black man in his late 30s-early 40s, wearing a black trench coat, a black backpack, black boots, and carrying a baseball bat. The second suspect is a white male adult. There was a fast response by multiple SPD units who established containment of the area quickly. Unfortunately, the K9 track produced neegtive results.

When I asked about the current state of Ravenna Park and if there were any additional concerns for park users and residents of the area, Johnston said this event wouldn’t stop her from using the park. She advised that users keep up their usual level of alertness though the park. Via the email:

As always, be aware of your surroundings, carry a cell phone to call 911 should you see anything suspicious.  Trust your gut feelings, if someone gives you a bad feeling, avoid them, leave and report them if appropriate.

UPDATE (12:58 PM): Kirotv.com has video of their report from their mornings newscast, as well as a slideshow of photos taken while police and fire crews were in the area.

Filed Under: 911, Crime, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, Updates Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Ravenna’s Candy Cane Lane set to open December 10

December 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

We’ve heard from one of the homeowners on Candy Cane Lane (NE Park Rd) that their annual holiday light extravaganza is set to start on December 10 this year.

Looking festive now — Imagine what it will look like at night!

Here’s a story on the history of this annual neighborhood tradition from the Seattle Times last year.

Filed Under: Families, Holiday, Northeast Seattle, Open/Closed, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna Park, University Park Tagged With: , , , , ,