CDNews received this note from a reader this morning:

…my spouse was waiting at the bus stop on Jackson, near 22nd Avenue, and noticed that across the street there were several police vehicles at the Washington middle school (located next to Franz bakery). Police were apparently looking in and around the school and talking to a man. It would be nice to know what happened.

According to police, an apparent burglar set off a silent alarm at the school early Thursday morning. Officers arrived, surrounded the school and caught him in the act.

More details from SPD:

East Precinct officers arrested a burglar early this morning at Washington Middle School (2101 South Jackson Street) after they responded to a silent alarm call.

Shortly after 4:00 this morning, officers were dispatched to an alarm call at the school.  Officers set up containment around the building and saw a man walking through the school.  The suspect attempted to run out the west doors of the school, but was quickly taken into custody without incident.  Officers located several items in the school hallway that it appeared the suspect was attempting to steal.  A K-9 team searched the school for additional suspects, but none were located.  It appears that the 50-year-old suspect was acting alone and may have entered the building through an unlocked classroom window.

The suspect was later booked into the King County Jail.

The block southeast corner of 23rd and Union could someday be the site of one or more 65-foot buildings. Comment period is officially open on plans to rezone the property from 40 feet to 65 feet, a change that property owners hope will make it easier to find a developer who will replace the aging strip mall. 65 feet — likely six floors — is the same height as the already-approved-but-stalled project across the street.

Efforts to rezone and redevelop the property kicked into high gear in recent months with the announcement that the Post Office will be leaving. The Post Office is by far the property’s biggest tenant, and property owner Tom Bangasser is not hopeful that another business or organization will want to invest in the space, especially the sprawling 24th and Union parking lot that used to house mail delivery vehicles.

The Post Office has already moved its distribution efforts to 4th and Lander, and the PO Boxes are moving to Broadway. The whole Post Office will be gone by January.

To comment on the rezone, call (206) 684-8467 or email [email protected] (refer to Master Project #3005931).

Because the Post Office is such an anchor to the block, other businesses in the area are concerned about declining foot traffic. As the longtime property owner for the entire block, Bangasser believes it is time for large-scale changes. He has already spearheaded community outreach efforts to start the conversation about the future of the storied corner, and he said there are plans for many more such efforts in the near future (stay tuned for details).

Often, rezones like the one currently proposed are part of a specific project. In this case, there are no building designs and no developers involved. This zone change would make it easier for a prospective developer to get a 65-foot project moving. It will require approval by the City Council, and will likely not be decided until late this year or early 2014.

Police searched an apartment building in the 1800 block of E Madison early Tuesday following a report that a victim had been stabbed or cut on the face just after 4:30 AM. UPDATE: Police have confirmed they are investigating the assault and said they will have details later Tuesday. UPDATE x2: Police say the suspect is the woman’s son. Details on the incident and suspect Kevin D. Ross, below.

Here is the preliminary report from SPD:

Man Stabs Mother in Central District Early this Morning
Police are looking for a 34-year-old man who stabbed his mother at her Central District apartment early this morning.

At 4:30 this morning, the man showed up at his mother’s apartment, near 18th and East Madison Street, and buzzed himself into the building.

When the victim opened the door, the suspect reportedly stepped forward and said “This is what you get!” and began stabbing his mother in the face with a knife.  The victim screamed as she was attempting to fend off her son.  The victim sustained three deep stab wounds to her face, a cut to her finger and a cut to her chest.

Bleeding badly from her wounds, the victim—who is in her 60′s—staggered backward and fell to the kitchen floor.  The victim’s boyfriend was in another part of the apartment and heard the commotion.  He ran into the kitchen where he saw the suspect standing over the victim.  As the boyfriend came into the kitchen, the suspect turned and left the apartment.  The boyfriend followed him out and saw him walk down a stairwell before he lost sight of him.  The boyfriend then returned to the kitchen to assist the victim.

Seattle Police and Fire were called and responded to the scene.  Medics treated the victim at the scene and then transported to Harborview Medical Center.  Officers set up containment, conducted an extensive search for the suspect and brought in a K-9 team, but unfortunately did not locate the suspect.

According to other family members, the suspect is homeless, suffers from mental illness, and is abusing various substances, specifically crack cocaine.

The suspect is Kevin D. Ross.  He is described as a black male, 34 years old, 6′ 2″ tall, 240 pounds.  He was wearing all dark clothing and may be unshaven.  He might have been wearing a skull cap.  He has very distinctive tattoos:  “Mr. Ross” on his neck, an eyeball on his Adam’s Apple, and a Grim Reaper on his forearm.  He is homeless, but is known to frequent several of the parks in the Central District.

He was last seen with a knife in his hand, so he is considered very dangerous.  If anyone sees the suspect, they are urged to call 911 immediately.

Seattle Fire tells CHS that medics responded to treat a 45-year-old woman who had been stabbed in the face. “She was conscious, alert and able to speak to us,” a SFD spokesperson said. The woman was rushed to Harborview in stable condition.

Police were searching the top floors of the Views at Madison building at 1823 E Madison. The seven-story building below the E Madison radio and TV towers is also home to the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center.

A tree fell on some power lines in Leschi, plunging thousands of homes into darkness Saturday evening. Like many others, residents at a house near Lake Washington Blvd and Erie Ave found other ways to get some light during the hours-long weekend outage.

Unfortunately, one kerosene lamp in the house turned over, catching fire and resulting in a huge emergency response. In the end, though, the fire was put out quickly and there were no injuries.

Details from Seattle Fire:

Seattle Fire Investigators determined fire in a Leschi home was accidental caused by an overturned kerosene lamp onto combustible materials. Continue reading →

UPDATE: The power was all restored, says City Light:

@SEACityLight: Seattle City Light crews worked through the night and restored power to all Leschi area customers at 6:30 a.m. today.

Original story:

A tree fell on a power line in Leschi, causing a large power outage stretching as far west as 23rd Ave, north to Union and south to Jackson, according to @maggythebrave. Continue reading →

Two teens were arrested Thursday evening after armed robberies at 24th and Olive and in Montlake.

The teens, who allegedly robbed two people on the street within 15 minutes of each other, were arrested as they biked through the U District. Each had a BB gun on them, according to police.

From the SPD Blotter:

Two robbery suspects are now in custody following armed robberies last night in the Central District and Montlake neighborhoods.

Last night, at 9:50 pm, a woman was robbed at gunpoint while she was walking in the 1700 Block of 24th Avenue.  According to the victim, the suspects, described as two black males, approached her and took her purse before fleeing northbound on foot.  The victim was not injured and was able to call 911.

About 15 minutes later, 911 received a call regarding two suspicious black males in front of a residence in the 300 Block of 22nd Avenue East.  The suspects matched the description of the earlier incident.  Officers responded along with a K-9 team and conducted a search, but did not locate the suspects.

While officers were investigating the two incidents, a second armed robbery occurred at Boyer Avenue East and East Edgar Street at around 10:30 pm.  A woman was approached by two black males and robbed of her wallet and cell phone at gunpoint.  The victim was not injured.  She did tell officers that at least one of the suspects was riding a bicycle.  Again, the suspects left northbound.

Realizing that the suspects were generally headed in a northbound direction, several East Precinct officers headed up to the University District to search for them.  About 10 minutes after the Boyer robbery, an officer saw two black males riding bicycles in the area of 42nd Avenue and Roosevelt.  Both suspects matched the physical description provided in the earlier robberies.  The two suspects were stopped and identified.  One suspect had a BB gun in his waistband and the other admitted that he had a BB gun in his backpack. Continue reading →