Farmers Market opens tomorrow, June 20th, with additional vendors, activities, pedal power smoothies!

The LC Farmers Market kicks off on June 20th.

Boxes of fresh veggies, the smell of grilled food and the sound of buskers will once again take over the area around the Lake City Library and Albert Davis Park on Thursday with the return of the much-loved Lake City Farmers Market.

Opening day will feature LC librarian Nancy Pew reading children’s stories from 3:30-4:30 p.m. and fiddle and accordion music from “Valerie & Brad” from 4-6 p.m. Elliott Bay Brewing Co. will be serving free sliders during opening day.

This year the market will have some big changes. Below are some of the changes organizers of the 2013 market have on tap for this year. We are guessing that they are going to make our market even better and more popular.

This year the market will be larger, have longer days, and there will be more prepared food vendors, making grabbing a bite to eat while shopping even easier. Plus, Pedal Smoothies will offer their pedal-powered smoothie maker so you can blend up your favorite market ingredients.

The 2013 market will expand into Albert Davis Park and the area between the Neighborhood Service Center and Lake City Community Center. It will open at 2:30 on Thursdays and run until 7:30 p.m.

A kids’ activity tent is planned and will feature story telling. The music hours will also be expanded.

And perhaps best of all, some great new vendors at the market this season include:

A Taste of Istanbul: humus, baba-ganoush, shawarma and gluten free falafel and more
Golden Harvest Bee Ranch: Washington State honey
Hedlin Farms: heirloom tomatoes and veggies from the fertile Skagit Valley
The Keep It Real Food Co.: low-glycemic products containing only naturally healthy ingredients.
Klickitat Canyon & Columbia Gorge Winery: a small, family-run winery that creates natural wines in the old world tradition. Processed entirely by hand.
Pedal Smoothies: make a smoothie with fresh Farmers Market ingredients- human powered by bike!
Streetzeria: with quality freshness, preparation and ingredients, Streetzeria loves to make people happy one pizza at a time
Tabby Cat Pickling Company: organic pickled cukes, dilly beans, dilled carrots, sunchoke skordalia and more
Teya’s Pastries and Cakes: delicious homemade cakes, cookies and pies
Wilridge Winery: Founded in 1988 by husband and wife duo, Paul Beveridge and Lysle Wilhelmi, Wilridge Winery is the oldest continuously operated winery in Seattle.

We hope to see you out there tomorrow!

For regular updates about the Lake City Farmers Market, you can follow them here on Facebook.

KIRO/7 features story on Mini Park Porta-a-Potty

KIRO/7 recently did a story on the Lake City Mini Park Port-a-Potty (video embedded below). The story said that North Settle Chamber of Commerce members want the toilet moved from the highly-visible location. The story also says that moving the toilet to a new city-owned property on 33rd Avenue NE across from God’s Lil Acre was rejected without explanation by the city.

The toilet has always been known as a haven for drug users —and an unsightly element in the center of a neighborhood working to define its’ identity.

Despite its visible presence in the center of the Lake City business community, neighborhood groups such as Douglas Park Cooperative that do litter patrols regularly find areas in the commercial core where people defecate and leave strong smells of urine.

Recently during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new 33rd Avenue NE, a contributor to Lake City Live witnessed a middle-aged, seemingly intoxicated man urinating behind Value Village, exposing himself to a group of six children that had just participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony. When approached and asked to not pee in the neighborhood or expose himself to children, one of the other men said to the people complaining, “I’m gonna shoot you,” as he rustled through his backpack. The police were called during the incident.

Even with the highly-visible public toilet offered by the City of Seattle, people still defecate and urinate in the business core.

When KIRO showed up to do their report, the reporter, Henry Rosoff, found a used hypodermic needle on the ground in front of the Port a Potty. This despite a sign on the door notifying drug users where to dispose of the needles.

You can see the KIRO/7 report below:

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Officers shoot and wound charging pit bull at God’s Little Acre

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From the Seattle Police Department’s Blotter:

A Pit bull charged officers responding to a disturbance Sunday morning in North Seattle. At approximately 8:30 a.m., officers responded God’s Little Acre in the 12000 block of 33 ave NE to a disturbance involving an intoxicated male subject.

While several officers were dealing with the uncooperative male an unleashed pit bull charged towards two of the officers. One officer shot the dog twice in the chest/shoulder area. The dog ran off but was contained nearby until animal control arrived. The injured dog was transported to the local veterinary hospital. Although bleeding, the dog was in remarkably good condition and actually walked with Animal Control to their vehicle. The two officers were not injured.

Homicide responded and processed the scene. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to Detox.

Lions Club honors Flag Day with Stars and Stripes

Tom Lentz of the Lake City Lions Club gathers flags as a crew of Lions Club members head out to place flags on businesses in north Seattle and Shoreline on Flag Day, Friday, June 14, 2013. (Photo: seattlepi.com, Joshua Trujillo, used with permission)

Just as they do for every federal holiday, the Lake City Lions Club was out just after dawn on Friday morning, making sure Old Glory was easily visible for our community.

You can see more photos of the Lions efforts and read about why Flag Day is celebrated in this story by the Seattle P-I.

Lake City Community Center Martial Arts Camps

Is your child interested in martial arts? Here’s an opportunity to try it out for free. June 24-28 from 2-3pm at the Lake City Community Center, SAMMA, a local martial arts organization, is offering a free introductory camp for 7-14 year olds.

SAMMA (Seattle Asian Medicine and Martial Arts) opened its doors in the heart of Lake City in January this year. They offer a combination of health and wellness opportunities – from acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and qi gong to a variety of martial arts classes for youth and adults.

If your child likes the experience, three additional camps are also offered at the Lake City Community Center this summer. These are fee-based. See the flyer below for more details.

Download (PDF, 81.26KB)

Human fecal bacteria found in Thornton Creek, people advised to stay out of water

Thornton Creek is shown near Jackson Park Golf Course. (LCL photo)

Seattle Public Utilities has just sent the following information, advising people to stay out of Thornton Creek after a potentially dangerous level of fecal coliform bacteria was confirmed to be present in the creek. Thornton Creek runs through Lake City and many private properties in the neighborhood.

The creek is one of the most urban creeks in King County and often ranks high for fecal coliform bacteria.

“Human waste shouldn’t be in this creek,” said SPU Director Ray Hoffman.

All the TV stations and both the Seattle P-I and Seattle Times reported on the topic.

Here is KING/5′s story:

From SPU:

SEATTLE — A two-year investigation by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has confirmed human fecal bacteria are likely entering North Seattle’s Thornton Creek at multiple locations.

Funded by the Washington Department of Ecology and led by SPU stormwater scientist Jonathan Frodge, the study was based on samples collected at 45 sites throughout the watershed, under a variety of conditions

It has been known for years that fecal coliform bacteria concentrations in Thornton Creek exceed the state water quality standard and pose a potential threat to public health. The new study confirms human bacteria are present and contribute to the water quality problem. The study is also the first to identify sub-basins (general areas) where bacteria appear to be entering the stream.

The study is seen as an important step toward identifying and correcting bacterial sources in the creek.

Among the most urbanized streams in King County, Thornton Creek consistently ranks among the highest for fecal coliform bacteria.[1]

SPU stormwater investigators are continuing their work to locate sources of bacteria in the creek, and will be working in the Thornton Creek watershed this summer.

“Human waste shouldn’t be in this creek,” said SPU Director Ray Hoffman.

“While we don’t yet know the exact sources of the bacteria, this study will help us zoom in on the likely problem areas. Our next step is to find the sources — and control or eliminate them,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said SPU will be posting signs throughout the watershed, advising people to stay out of Thornton Creek. Public Health — Seattle & King County suggests that people avoid coming into contact with water in any urban stream, including Thornton Creek. If water gets on the skin, wash with soap and warm water.

Public Health noted that Seattle’s Matthews Beach Park, on Lake Washington to the north of the mouth of Thornton Creek, is regularly tested for bacteria, and there is nothing in the report that raises concerns for safety park users’ safety.

“We have the right starting point — knowing what kind of source to look for,” said Joan Nolan, Ecology’s water-quality improvement planner for the Lake Washington basin. “Further investigation should pinpoint specific sources to control and thus correct Thornton Creek’s bacteria problems.”

Previous efforts to locate bacteria in Thornton Creek have focused on finding illicit sewage inputs —cross connections — to the city’s stormwater drainage system, which empties into the stream at a number of locations. (In 2010, two cross connections were found by SPU’s Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) team and corrected.)

Guided by the new study, the IDDE team will now look for sources that enter Thornton Creek directly, in addition to sources that first enter SPU’s stormwater drainage system before entering the creek. The investigation could extend into the wet season, as the rising and falling water table may affect investigative techniques used in finding the sources.

Students from Nathan Hale High School recently uploaded this video about work they did with the Thornton Creek Alliance to help the health of the creek.

Father’s Day Celebration this Saturday

You are invited!

Dear Lake City neighbors and community leaders,

Seattle Housing Authority is in partnership with the North Seattle Family Center, and the Lions Club in organizing a 2013 celebration honoring all Fathers, Parents and Caregivers. Last year, we had over 150 people attended. We hope you could join us this year! At this event, we will have free BBQ, family photo booth (thanks to Kapchur.US Photography), lots of children’s activities, bubble man, and valuable community resource tables available. For more information, please see attached flyer.

Please come join us and bring your friends and families.

We also in needs of volunteers! To make this event a successful one, we really depend on our wonderful volunteers. If you + your friend/family are available to help even for couple hours, please contact Lisa Uemoto at 206-295-8942, or cuemoto@seattlehousing.org

We hope to see you this Saturday, 6/15/2013 from 12pm to 3pm at Lake City Court – 12536 33^rd Ave NE

Casino bus driver rescues woman injured in her home

A casino bus driver rescued a woman recently after she failed to show up for her regular trip from the Lake City Elks Club, according to this report from KIRO/7.

The 76-year-old woman was injured and trapped for days in her home. From KIRO:

“Cap” Karlan picked up 49 passengers Sunday at the Elks Club at 14540 Bothell Way N.E. and noticed the group’s leader was missing. Karlan has driven the group for years and thought it was odd she didn’t show.

So Karlan took action.

“I decided I was going to take the bus off the route down these little streets and go to her house and see if there she was there,” he told KIRO/7.

When the driver arrived at the home and saw the woman’s car he called 9-1-1. Firefighters found her on the floor where she had been for three days. You can see the full video story below.

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Hollywood comes to Olympic Hills neighborhood

Director Lynn Shelton looks through the viewfinder during filming Monday on 19th Avenue NE in the Olympic Hills neighborhood. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com, used with permission)

The Olympic Hills neighborhood got to play a starring role in a Seattle-based movie on Monday.

A crew shooting scenes for the film "Laggies" took over 19th Avenue NE near NE 137th Street, just blocks from Olympic Hills Elementary School. The crew worked for most of the day in an area secured by Seattle Police officers during the filming.

The film, "Laggies," is a dark comedy about a woman, stuck in permanent adolescence, who lies to her fiancé about going on a retreat. She spends the time instead hanging out with friends.

Keira Knightley

The film stars actress Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride and Prejudice, Star Wars, Bend it Like Beckham, Love Actually). The movie also features actress Chloe Grace Moretz and actor Sam Rockwell.

In recent days the crew has been spotted filming at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, and at Ballard's Olympic Manor. It was also reported that they were recently filming on the decommissioned ferry Skansonia on Lake Union.

The filming on Monday included an action scene where a car crashed into a row of mailboxes on the street. A camera was seen mounted inside an older model Ford station wagon used in the scene.

Neighbors came out to see the filming but were asked to keep back as the crew buzzed around the set. Many others wandered over, wondering what was happening in the usually quiet neighborhood.

The movie is directed by accomplished actress, director and writer Lynn Shelton (Humpday, Your Sister's Sister).

A car is prepped for a shot where it crashes into a row of mailboxes. (Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com, used with permission)

Mayor, local leaders kick off repaving of NE 125th Street

Mayor Mike McGinn speaks during to kickoff of a project to repave NE 125th Street and Sand Point Way. (Photo by Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com, used with permission)

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and other local leaders kicked off the repaving of NE 125th, Sand Point Way NE and a section of NE Roosevelt Way on Monday morning with an event near where 125th becomes Sand Point Way.

Officials from the Seattle Department of Transportation and others working on the project were joined by Annette Heide-Jessen of the North Seattle Chamber of Commerce and co-owner of Kaffeeklatsch bakery and coffee shop during the event. Mayor McGinn said the event also served to highlight work being done on aging local streets and the importance of a local funding options bill to state leaders in Olympia.

The orange barrels are going up on NE 125th Street and Sand Point Way as a repaving project kicks off. Expect to see more of these. (photo by Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com, used with permission)

The project will repave about 5 miles of roadway in NE Seattle, offering improvements for drivers, transit riders, freight and cyclists.

The deteriorated roadway has long been a sore point at community meetings where city officials are often grilled by residents about the state of the road. An earlier project that added bike lanes and re-channeled traffic with the addition of a center turning lane has been successful at slowing traffic and giving people a safer way to cross the busy roadway, said McGinn after the event. Data on the effect that project has had on traffic is expected to be released in the next few weeks.

You can read Lake City Live’s previous coverage of the repaving project here to see how it will impact you.

Annette Heide-Jessen speaks during to kickoff of a project to repave NE 125th Street and Sand Point Way. (photo by Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com, used with permission)

Mayor Mike McGinn stands near a sign highlighting the Bridging the Gap funding used as part of the money allotted to repave NE 125th Street and Sand Point Way. (photo by Joshua Trujillo, seattlepi.com, used with permission)