Arcaro Boxing, which is training Olympic hopeful Jen Hamann, has started a series of profiles of local sponsors. Recently, they profiled Kismet Salon at 34th and Spring in Madrona:

1.  What prompted you to start your own business?

I started Kismet Salon after I adopted my eldest daughter and was pregnant with my second. I needed a place to work when I came back from maternity leave.  I thought owning my own business would provide me a stable place to work and flexibility I would need with two small children.  I think I probably had always thought about owning my own place when the timing and need coincided.  One could say destiny or fate, I might just say Kismet.

2.  What is your favorite thing about Kismet Salon?

My favorite thing about Kismet Salon is that we are a friendly neighborhood salon and that our clients will just stop in to say hello when they are walking by.

Green Plate Special has grown dramatically over the years, starting in early 2011.

After three years at MLK and Union, Green Plate Special is moving south to 25th and S Walker Street.

Among other benefits, the new location will be permanent and allow the youth education and empowerment organization to invest in a greenhouse and permanent cooking facilities.

The group’s three-year lease at its current location at MLK and Union is up at the end of the year. Owner the Madrona Company, a developer that has built several projects in the neighborhood, told CDNews it does not have any immediate plans for the property.

“In a couple of months, we’ll have a better idea,” said Marty Liebowitz of the Madrona Company.

More details on the move from the Green Plate Special blog:

There’s been talk, but we are making it official

Green Plate Special has a new permanent home in 2014

Thanks To….

The Mark and Susan Torrance Foundation for generously funding the garden and for their vision and belief in the importance of garden to table education

Thistledown LLC for providing a beautiful property to Green Plate Special, as our permanent home

New Digs…yes it’s a pun

WHERE: Continue reading →

SPD posted this photo during the search for the suspect, Kevin Ross

A CDNews reader says it took two calls to the police before officers realized the man sleeping near Peppi’s Playground was a wanted suspect who allegedly stabbed his mother earlier this week in her 18th and Madison apartment.

From CDNews commenter Leschi:

We called 911 last night because my son and his friends found someone matching this description sleeping in the woods by Peppi’s Park. When they went to play in the woods today after school, the man was still there in the same spot. We again called the police. This time they showed up and are saying that it was Kevin Ross.

I fell really frustrated that the police didn’t respond to the call last night.

Police confirm they have arrested Kevin Ross, the suspect in the case. More details from the Blotter: Continue reading →

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.

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 →

Image from the Wood Technology Center’s website

Seattle Central Community College, based on Broadway, is not just a Capitol Hill institution. Recently, Beacon Hill Blog reported that the college is looking to move its health programs into Beacon Hill’s looming, iconic and mostly vacant Pacific Medical Center building.

That news comes six months after the opening of Seattle Central’s new Wood Technology Center at 23rd and Lane. The college invested in the Judkins Park facility, which houses a program that traces its roots back to the 1930s.

For a look inside the facility, see this February story in the New City Collegian:

The Wood Technology Center is a section of Seattle Central Community College of which most students at the Broadway Campus have no knowledge. Tucked away on South Lane Street in the Central District a brand new building houses a vocational institute dedicated to woodworking. The school has been around in various iterations and locations since 1936, and became a part of the Community College system in 1967. The new building, finished last year, is state-of-the-art, with high ceilings and steel beams accented with fine woodwork.

With the city of Boston still in crisis following deadly explosions near the finish line of their iconic marathon, CDNews sends its best wishes to residents, victims and first responders.

The Seattle Police Department said that though there is no indication any incidents are planned in the city, they are joining cities across the nation in taking extra precautions. From the SPD Blotter:

Our thoughts are with the people of Boston, the athletes participating in the Boston Marathon and their families.

We have been in communication with the Mayor’s Office and the Office of Emergency Management. We haven’t received any information to indicate that there is a threat to Seattle. Still, we have begun taking reasonable precautions to protect our community.

On duty resources have been directed to increase their patrols in our neighborhoods and around our infrastructure. Seattle residents may see an increased police presence.

We are also asking for public support. Please report any suspicious activity to 911.