Police have released more information about an attack reported on Friday, June 10, as a man was walking his dog at about Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 80th Street.

The man reported that a car pulled up behind him shortly after 9 p.m. and two men got out and shoved him to the ground, cutting his face and hand, according to the police report.

The victim told police the men went through his pockets, didn’t find anything to steal, and left without ever speaking to him.

In other police news, burglaries appear to be far rarer than a half-year ago.

Since our last post on this police report a home burglary on Sunday evening, June 12, in the 800 block of Northeast 106th Street.

Although your own garden may not be thriving, June is nevertheless a perfect month to celebrate food, and Fine Impressions Gallery is doing just that. From its home page:

This month we send you on an exploration of food…antique and contemporary views of where it comes from, how it is produced, and what we do with it. Some of the most beautiful depictions come from the 19th century botanical artists, who carefully documented hundreds of plants. We also have recipes, calligraphy pieces, children’s stories, and much more. Bon appétit!

Featured on its home page and in its monthly newsletter are various prints both educational, such as the above “Bulbiferous Great Round-Headed Garlic” from Anne Pratt, and more literary, including the illustration at left by Sarah Chamberlain for the Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the Grapes.”

Want to browse more prints of food to bring summer here faster? There are plenty more online and at the gallery, 8300 Fifth Ave. N.E.

When we first announced the grand opening of Hubbard Homestead Park, in Northgate at Fifth Avenue Northeast and Northeast 112th Street, a few readers were disappointed by the lack of a playground at the parking-lot-turned-public-park.

Donna Hartmann-Miller, a member of the Maple Leaf Community Council Executive Board, wanted us to let those community members know about an opportunity through the national nonprofit KaBOOM! that could result in a playground for the new park.

All interested parties must do is meet the criteria, apply and hope for the best.

The details can be found via the page “Playground funding opportunity needs a Seattle community partner“ on Seattle City Councilwoman Sally Bagshaw’s website.

Among the criteria, the organization must: (more…)

Although Northgate-based actor Timothy Brandt accidentally fell into theater just over 10 years ago, it’s now become such an important part of his life that he’s written and is starring in his own one-man show the next two weekends at Freehold Theatre, 2222 Second Ave.

Brandt co-wrote the play, called “The Preacher,” with director Gina Robertson, but he says the idea comes from a combination of his youth growing up in a conservative area of Pennsylvania and the video from the 1991 Genesis song “Jesus He Loves Me,” which stars singer Phil Collins as a evangelist.

“I like big characters and I’ve always wanted to play a TV evangelist,” Brandt said. “He’s not sincere, he’s just trying to swindle money out of you.”

The short description of the play:

THE PREACHER is a comedy about Joe Damonti aka Reverand Earl Smith and his journey to redemption through zany twists and turns in his personal and professional tangles! A gambler, Joe switches his identity to that of a TV Evangelist to attempt to make a quick buck selling a “One way ticket to Jesus”. The trials and tribulations related to the show as well as his personal issues with gambling debt lead you through funny and sometimes touching events. (more…)

Update: Customers arriving at Marie Callender’s are reduced to leaving notes stuck by the door to tell friends where to meet them: “Gone to Wedgwood Broiler.”

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Marie Callender’s restaurant at Northgate shut its doors - for good - Sunday.

The restaurant, at 9538 First Ave N.E., is one of several in Washington state that closed abruptly on orders from corporate management.

According to a report from q13FOX.com, a family birthday party was interrupted Sunday afternoon when they were told to leave: “We thought, ‘Why didn’t they wait until the end of the day?’ ” KOMO-TV has a similar report here.

MarketWatch is reporting that Marie Callender’s filed for bankruptcy today and has launched a store-reduction program to close 65 of its company-owned restaurants.

A Community Bazaar at the Idris Mosque, 1420 N.E. Northgate Way, continues until 5 p.m. today.

Stop by for some tasty desserts …

… entrees from Namfom Thai (its brick-and-mortar location is at 9586 First Ave. N.E.) …

… 0r just browse the wares and get to know members of the mosque.

Seattle Police just issued this alert:

On or between 9:00 p.m. last night (June 9^th) and 0730 hours this morning, unknown suspect(s) randomly slashed the tires of eight (8) legally parked cars in the 1600-2000 blocks of NE 77th Street. None of the victims contacted saw or heard anything.

The improved crosswalk at Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 90th Street (by Maple Leaf Ace Hardware) gets another improvement soon.

Brian Dougherty at the Seattle Department of Transportation emails to say:

I thought you might want to know that SDOT will be constructing new curb ramps at the marked crosswalk at Roosevelt Way and NE 90th Street. This project was initiated when the marked crosswalk was installed last year. Whenever SDOT installs a new marked crosswalk, curb ramps are provided to ensure the crossing is accessible to everyone including people in wheelchairs. They also improve access for parents with children in strollers, the elderly, people making deliveries, even kids on bicycles.

Pedestrian detours will be provided during construction.

Mayor Mike McGinn and a beaver dam, in the renamed park.

So long, Thornton Creek Park No. 6. Hello, Beaver Pond Natural Area!

The city on Thursday renamed a number of parks, including several on Thornton Creek.

The one with the beaver dam got the obvious name. Here’s the local list:

Kingfisher Natural Area on Thornton Creek is a large assemblage of properties that follows the South Branch of Thornton Creek southeasterly from approximately 15th Ave. NE and NE 105th St. to NE 98th St. west of 20th Ave. NE. There are formal access points at NE 102nd St. and 17th Ave. NE and at NE 104^th St. and 17th Ave. NE, as well as two areas along NE 100th St. The park features viewpoints, wetlands, and an abundant wildlife habitat. Kingfishers used to be spotted nesting in this area and are now passing through. This name helps to highlight the importance that preserving and protecting these areas has on wildlife habitat.

Beaver Pond Natural Area on Thornton Creek consists of several contiguous parcels located near the Northgate Community Center and continues northeasterly into the Maple Leaf neighborhood. It is bordered by NE 103rd St. and NE 107th St. to the south and north and by 5th Ave. NE to the west and Roosevelt Way NE to the east. The park includes the South Branch of Thornton Creek, wooded areas, wetlands, and several trails. Visitors will see a wide variety of wildlife including an active beaver pond. There are several major access points located at the south end of the park, on NE 105th St. and at the corner of NE 106th St. and 9th Ave. NE. The Beaver Pond is a unique feature that brings many visitors to this site. The beavers have completely changed the configuration and vegetation of the site in a way that will be there for years to come. This is a very distinct and unique feature for this part of Thornton Creek.

LaVilla Meadows Natural Area on Thornton Creek is just east of Lake City Way between Fischer Pl. NE and Ravenna Ave. NE, north of NE 100th St. to approximately NE 103rd St. Access to the park is from Fischer Pl. NE, at the north side of the Shutter Shop parking lot, along the fence. This site was once a dairy operated by the Blindheim family and is now a natural area that includes the confluence of Willow Creek and the South Branch of Thornton Creek. There has been a focus on restoration and stewardship of the creek and the native vegetation in this area. This name reflects the history of the site and is a familiar reference for those who live and work near and visit this neighborhood jewel.

Terrie Johnston became the crime prevention coordinator for the Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct about one month ago, but she already knows when her last day will be: Dec. 31.

That’s because city budget cuts are forcing the elimination of the program, which oversaw the popular National Night Out against crime and provides safety walk-throughs of homes and businesses, coordination of Block Watch captains, and a more personal touch for neighborhoods to contact SPD.

“The bad news is that we have been cut and cut and cut, and we (crime prevention coordinators) are going away on Dec. 31,” Johnston told the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce last Friday.

SPD’s Crime Prevention Coordinator program was created in 1973 and has received international attention. Johnston said Seattle’s CPC program was the best in the nation.

“People from other countries used to come and find out how we did it,” she said. “I’m just sad about it. I have over 1,800 block watch captains that I contact.”

Johnston has been with SPD for 30 years and has worked at every precinct except West Seattle.

All crime prevention coordinators have taken training called Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and will work for free with businesses and homes to assess security issues. (For example, CPTED training helps identify bushes and trees that obscure sight lines in parks or around front and back doors where criminals can hide, as well as how lighting can affect safety.)

Johnston tells business owners and homeowners to frequently check windows, doors, locks, cameras and security systems.

“A lot of it is just human error,” she says of burglaries. “They run to the bank and forget to set the alarm, or they could have sworn they locked that back door.”

As a CPC, Johnston wants to make it clear that people should call 911 even if it’s not a life or death emergency. She said that if you see someone suspicious in your neighbor’s back yard, call 911 and report it. She cited a recent example of a neighbor calling 911 to report two suspicious people at her neighbor’s house, leading to the arrest of two prolific burglars.

“That would not have happened had the woman not been suspicious and called 911,” Johnston said.

She says residential burglary is one of the highest priority calls because it could be a crime in progress. “That is a big, big and very scary crime,” she said.

All 911 calls are prioritized, so Johnston said you shouldn’t worry that your call will take away resources from a more serious crime that may be happening. Officers may be sent to check out a suspicious person, but if they then get a call for an assault in progress, they will respond to that call first.

And don’t assume someone else has already called 911 when something major has happened. Having more 911 calls helps SPD know how serious it is, and you may have details others don’t.

The way you report a crime is important, she said. Be brief and to the point. For example, you might say “there are two suspicious men creeping out of my neighbor’s secluded back yard.”

If you have a complaint about police response to a 911 call, Johnston encourages you to call her and she can look up the details. For example she’ll be able to tell you that officers were on their way but then got called to something more serious, or they did stop the suspicious person a few blocks away but verified their story or credentials.

Johnston said she’s pleased about how the North End neighborhoods watch out for each other. She said the annual national Night Out against crime program on the first Tuesday of August (Aug. 2 this year) has far more participants in the north end of the city than anywhere else. She counted up the block parties that registered last year and said 787 blocks in the North Precinct had registered, compared to a combined 400 in the city’s other four precincts.

Johnston encouraged everyone to attend the North Precinct annual picnic, at 10049 College Way N., from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. Hundreds of people attend the picnic to meet police officers (and their department horses and dogs), watch a bomb robot demonstration, tour the precinct and listen to music.

North Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston can be reached at 206-684-7711 or [email protected].

Maple Leaf’s newest restaurant, COA Mexican Eatery & Tequileria (7919 Roosevelt Way N.E.), had a slower start than it’d hoped for because of a delayed liquor license. But if you were worried that would put a stop to the Tacos for Life party, never fear!

With liquor license now in hand, COA plans to announce tonight on its Facebook page that its Happy Hour Release Party will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, June 10. And if you were one of the 700-plus Facebook users who “liked” COA, or if you’re one of the nearly 300 Twitter followers @coatequileria, you have a shot at being announced a winner of the restaurant’s Tacos for Life campaign.

And yes, it means exactly what it looks like. From that earlier post:

The two winners will have a daily opportunity, during restaurant hours, to savor as many Carne Asada and Carnitas tacos their heart desires, for FREE.

But hey, even if you didn’t enter to win tacos for life, there’s always happy hour!

A “coming soon” sign has popped up on the website and Facebook page for the strip club proposed for the old Seven Seas Restaurant site.

“Work Hard, Play Hard. Life is for living,” is given as Pandora’s motto.

Thing is, the sign doesn’t exist. Yet.

The bricks and mortar sign at the site, 8914 Lake City Way N.E., is still the same as it’s been for decades. (The windows have been boarded up, though.)

Meanwhile, the SeattlePI.com has a story that Rick’s strip club, just up the street at 11332 Lake City Way N.E., might reopen as Chantal’s Gentleman’s Club. Seems that the same man who opened Jiggles on Roosevelt Way has bid at the auction for Rick’s.

Read the PI story here.

By Katie Melton

Update June 8: Our news partner The Seattle Times has a story about Kent ordering the closure of any medical marijuana dispensaries in that city.

While the fight over medical marijuana raged nationally and in Olympia, a non-profit marijuana dispensary quietly opened at the corner of Lake City Way Northeast and Northeast 98th Street.

The dispensary is Greenside Medical, 9804 Lake City Way N.E., and is a non-profit organization, run by its two founders and a staff ranging from between two to five employees.

According to its website, Greenside Medical:

Is dedicated to being the premier medical marijuana dispensary in Seattle, WA. Here at Greenside Medical, we are committed to providing our patients with a safe and secure environment with the highest quality locally made, natural medicines.

And it has specific requirements for patients: “In order to apply to be a patient of Greenside Medical you must already have a valid Washington State Medical Marijuana Authorization as defined by Chap 69.1a RCW.”

That means a “green card,” obtained from a physician who prescribes medical marijuana as a legal natural medicine.

Because by law it is illegal to sell marijuana, Greenside stays in business by receiving donations.

“You cannot purchase anything here. It’s all donated,” Seth Simpson, one of the founders and managers, said. “Patients get it for a suggested donation, and we get donations (of marijuana) from patients.”

Opened a month and a half ago, Greenwood is certainly not the first medical marijuana dispensary in Seattle. Our partner blogs My Ballard and Phinneywood recently posted on new dispensaries. From Phinneywood:

In 1998, Washington state passed a law that allows patients suffering from terminal or debilitating physical conditions to use medical marijuana. However, marijuana use remains illegal under federal law. The state law is actually vague on who exactly can grow medical marijuana and how much.

That situation didn’t get any better when the state Legislature last month abandoned attempts to clarify the situation. “Cities around the state will have to choose between tolerating dispensaries or cracking down,” The Seattle Times reported. It also quoted King County Prosecutor Dan Satterburg:

The new law “puts cops and prosecutors back in the business of making the medical-marijuana law work. I don’t think that’s fundamentally the law that cops and prosecutors should be in. It should be a medical issue, not a law-enforcement issue.

“Dan Satterberg knows there’s 30,000 patients in the Seattle area that rely on medical marijuana,” Simpson said. “If they shut us down, those patients will go back to purchasing off the streets. I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”

Here’s how Greenwood Medical hopes to work: “Each patient (with a legally obtained green card) is allowed to grow up to 15 plants,” Simpson said. “Usually what happens is that there’s overage because they can’t go through that much in 60 days. They donate what’s left to us, we look at it to make sure it doesn’t contain any bugs or mold or anything that would negatively affect the patient, then package it here.”

Simpson asked us not to publish his photograph, and - since Maple Leaf Life doesn’t have a green card - we couldn’t inspect the merchandise. There are photos here, though. (more…)

Phone are ringing with a recorded message from Seattle City Light: Come to a planning meeting on Thursday and get a free compact fluorescent light bulb.

In addition to the phone calls, City Light has issued a news release:

Help determine City Light’s approach for at least the next six years on issues such as conservation and energy efficiency, rates, power reliability, infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, new technology and more.

The June meeting for north neighborhoods is set for Thursday, June 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Northgate Community Center, 10510 Northgate Ave. N.E.

Join Seattle City Councilman Bruce Harrell, the Seattle City Light Review Panel and Seattle City Light officials - and pick up that free bulb.