Ballard

As of May 17, Emerald City Trolley is making the rounds in Ballard.

No, it's not the high capacity transit that residents have been waiting for for years, but it is one of few tour companies to make its way out of the downtown core and give neighborhoods such as Ballard and Fremont some love.

In addition to all of the traditional sightseeing stops -- such as EMP, the Space Needle, the Aquarium, Pier 66 -- the trolley will have a north line that comes up and explores Fremont, the Woodland Park Zoo, downtown Ballard and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In addition, there will be two other lines exploring other parts of the city.

“We’re thrilled to launch the trolley network and think it will add a great deal of enjoyment for tourists and locals who want to experience the highlights of Seattle at their leisure,” said Howard Wright, founder and CEO of the Emerald City Trolley. “By hopping-on and hopping-off, our guests will have the ability to explore Seattle in new ways –- whether it is the Zoo, Aquarium, Pioneer Square, Ballard Locks or the Seattle Art Museum.”

From SPD Blotter

An officer on patrol in North Seattle was struck by a hit and run drunk driver early this morning on 3rd Avenue Northwest.

At approximately 3:12 a.m. a uniformed patrol officer in a fully-marked Seattle Police car was driving northbound in the 6700 block of 3rd Avenue NW when the suspect driver suddenly cut across 3rd Avenue NW traveling westbound and collided with the police car. The female suspect/driver then fled the scene. The suspect was located soon afterward at 15th Avenue NW and NW Market Street and taken into custody.

The suspect was processed for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Neither the officer nor the suspect were injured in the incident.

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Residents who fall into the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct, which includes the Ballard area, may soon see a new police station.

According to the city of Seattle, the existing North Precinct Police Station, built in 1984 to house 154 staff and now home to 254, is badly overcrowded and there is not enough space available to adequately expand it on its current site.

Now, Mayor Mike McGinn and the City Council are accelerating the process to create a new station.

In September 2012, as part of the budgeting process, Mayor Mike McGinn proposed doing the planning required in 2013 to acquire land for a new station in 2014. The City Council accepted the Mayor's proposal and accelerated the schedule by moving funding from 2014 to 2013 to support activities related to planning and site acquisition.

For the Ballard High Jazz Band students, winning first place at the Mount Hood Jazz Festival the weekend of May 4-5 was no sure thing.

"It was actually a surprise for me," said junior Emerson Jordan, who plays tenor sax. "It was hard to judge sort of how good the other bands were. It felt good when they said our name."

Of course, the band didn't go to the festival necessarily to win. Students said they simply wanted to play well and put on a good performance.

"One of the things we focused on was not trying to win ... to win, that was just a nice surprise," said junior Julian Amrine.

Along with the first place trophy, the talented band also had three students get recognized as outstanding soloists: Amrine on Trumpet, Will Radford on Alto Sax and Luca Cartner on Drums.

"We know we played well, but we didn't hear all the bands," said director of bands Michael James. "I was hoping to place, but to get first place was fantastic. I think the kids worked so hard, so I was just very proud of their performance."

By Cassandra Baker

9:48 p.m., May 10. 84th block of Seaview Pl NW

Police responded to reports of a violent robbery at Golden Gardens on the night of May 10. The 911 caller reported that the two suspects, both male, had fled the scene. The responding officer found the victim sitting in the parking lot. He had a cut and a bump above his left eye, and his clothes and hair were stained with blood. The victim said that he had only met the suspects a few minutes before the assault. He asked if they would give him a cigarette, and they told him to follow them from the parking lot to the beach.

A red tide was spotted earlier today by Ballard News-Tribune reader Catherine.

Don't worry, though, it's not the toxic kind, according to the Seattle Times, which reported on its appearance first near Edmonds. This red tide is the result of an algae bloom, specifically noctiluca, which is often seen in the Puget Sound as the sun warms the water, creating large reddish-brown streaks in the water.

The Times' has more:

"Noctiluca is a harmless single-celled micro-organism that bioluminesces and occurs normally at this time of year. This kind of plankton does not photosynthesize, but gets its red color from the phytoplankton it eats."

They add, "If you see red, brown or orange water in Puget Sound, it is likely this bloom. However, Ecology staff urge caution: It could be a toxic algae bloom that is poisonous to humans and animals."

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A little over a year ago I ran into then Ballard News-Tribune news reporter/online editor Anne Marije Rook at the Ballard Bartell’s. I pulled out my camera, already considered vintage digital, and showed her a photograph of the Egan’s Ballard Jamhouse marquee from the night before, upon which was written in large, “Ballard Writers.”

“I feel like a proud mama,” I said. Inspired by friends who would mention other friends who were writers, I had launched the Ballard Writers Collective. Despite the events already under our belts, nothing means more to a writer than seeing their creation in really big letters.

“Are you going to write about it?” Rook asked. It hadn’t occurred to me. I just wanted to show everyone the photograph. Contrary to what my family and neighbors may fear I really don’t write about all aspects of my life. I happened to be present at the birth of Ballard Writers but they don’t belong to me; however, I am exceedingly proud of the connections that happen when we share our stories.

For the residents around NW 52nd St in East Ballard, the last thing they expected was for them to be the victims of a string of car break-ins. Everyone interviewed said they lived on one of the safest blocks in the neighborhood.

“I have been here for 5 years and this is the first time I have experienced anything like this,” Nicole Matuska wrote to the Ballard News-Tribune. “I brag to others about the safe and wonderful neighborhood in which I live. Now I am starting to be concerned about staying here if this doesn't change, especially as the block seems to be targeted night after night right now.”

While Matuska’s car was broken into and her belongings rifled through, she did not have anything actually stolen. Other neighbors have reported the same strange incident.

But things began escalating last week. On the night of Sunday, May 5, Angie Calvetti’s woke up in the middle of the night to her daughter’s car alarm going off. The suspect or suspects had broken into the car and stolen her daughter’s wallet. Nearby neighbors reported seeing a man, apparently spooked, run away and jump on a bicycle.

By Shane Harms

At approximately 6:14 p.m., the Seattle Fire Department responded to a small fire in Fisherman's Terminal that occurred while crew members were making repairs on Oceanic Cape, a 100 ft., thirty-year-old fish processing ship.

The fire was caused when a fuel line was accidentally cut by welding and less than five gallons of residual diesel fuel spilled into a vacant space below deck called the "void." Crew members flooded the room and were able to put out the blaze with fire extinguishers.

SFD Spokesman Kyle Moore said 27 units responded, including units from Ballard, Queen Anne, and Greenwood. Harbor patrol boats were also called.

"Ship, pier, and marine fires call for the most attention because these vessels are all very close together and full of fuel making fires spread quickly."

Moore explained that a commercial vacuum truck will remove the rest of the water and fuel mixture.

Captain Kieran Kelly said the fuel lines to the tank were dry so there was not a lot of fuel for the fire to burn. "We were lucky that the crew acted so quickly and that the responders got here when they did."

If you're headed to the off-leash dog park at Golden Gardens, watch out for work being done.

Fifteen parking spots will be taken up as Parks and Rec workers remove 450 cubic yards of wood chips and temporarily place them in the middle parking lot, according to Joelle Hammerstead, spokeswoman of the Seattle's Park and Recreations Department. Workers will be replacing the wood chips with gravel, for better drainage.

The dog park will be closed through Friday, May 17, at the latest. The parking spaces will be closed through Friday, May 24, at the latest

Zachariah Bryan can be reached at zachb@robinsonnews.com

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