Eastlake Seattle

UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. Video of the crash scene has been added.

A high-speed chase across Capitol Hill ended around 6:45 p.m. this evening when a vehicle crashed into the northwest corner of the playground at Rogers Playfield.

Amazingly, there apparently was no one on the piece of playground equipment the car came to rest against. No one was injured.

The suspect in the chase was caught shortly after the crash.

Our affiliate news source, Capitol Hill Seattle, reports that the chase began at Bellevue and Pike after officers stopped the car's driver. The car, followed by half a dozen police cars, raced down 10th, then west on Roanoke over I-5 before the car jumped the sidewalk, went down a rocky embankment and landed next to the playground equipment.

Witnesses said the suspect fled the car and started across Rogers Playfield before doubling back. Officers captured him a short time later.

Officers at the scene would only say the chase was "the result of an ongoing investigation." Capitol Hill Seattle was monitoring police radio and reports:

According to East Precinct radio transmissions, the missing person investigation involves a woman reported missing to the Washougal police department a few days ago. When he was pulled over, the suspect told police he had just received the car from the woman but a plate check revealed that plates from another vehicle had been swapped onto the car. The suspect sped away east on Pike at 6:44 PM before heading up 15th Ave.

In fact, the plate on the front of the vehicle didn't match that on the back.

Police quickled cordoned off the area and searched the vehicle, removing some items.

Tow truck drivers maneuvered the vehicle out between playground equipment and several large trees about 7:45 p.m. and towed it away, with several police cars following close behind.

Thanks to Justin at Capitol Hill Seattle for sharing his reporting on this story.

UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. Links to a story by KOMO News was added.

One of the best known and most popular gardens in Eastlake is in trouble with the City of Seattle and part of it may have to be trimmed.

Mary Hansen has spent the last three years planting and growing her garden on the northwest corner of E. Lynn and Minor E. What was a nondescript corner of grass and a couple of shrubs is now a profusion of trees, vegetables and colorful flowers. People in the neighborhood may not know Mary but they do know her garden. The Seattle Times featured it and Mary's house in an article in April.

But sometime in the last few weeks, someone complained to the city's Department of Planning and Development that the height of the garden in the planting strips on Hansen's property violated city zoning codes and created a line-of-sight issue for cars turning at the corner. It's the second time the garden has drawn the scrutiny of city zoning inspectors because of its height.

In a letter dated July 16, a city zoning inspector informed Hansen that, under city zoning codes, any vegetation within 30 feet of the corner can be no taller than 24 inches high. Vegetation can't overhang the sidewalk unless it is at least eight feet up, the inspector said, then added:

"Even following these guidelines you are creating a very real and dangerous corner with your vegetation. Many people would not consider this neighborly.

"Please prune to develop the best line of sight from the corner as possible above and beyond the city requirements."

The letter notes that the inspector is "required to send you a $150 citation without warning for all future complaints." A second complaint would bring a $500 fine, he says.

In a report aired Friday (see below), KING 5 news quoted Planning and Development Customer Service Manager Bryan Stevens as saying the city isn't opposed to gardens but has to enforce zoning codes.

"It's beautiful landscaping, but it really is an issue of public safety at the intersection," Stevens told KING 5.

Hansen posted the city's letter at the corner and asked passersby to sign a letter of support "if you agree this garden creates community rather than danger (as the city contends)." She says she has collected several full sheets of names. Wednesday night, she brought the issue to the attention of the Eastlake Community Council.

"The garden isn't the problem," Hansen says, "the traffic is." She notes that traffic speeds down the hill on E. Lynn, creating a dangerous situation at the corner. Many of those signing her letter of support have written in agreement.

Don Bliss, a resident who lives diagonally across the intersection from Hansen, agrees. "A stop sign here wouldn't hurt," he says.

Bliss likes what Hansen has done with the garden. "I've watched this corner get better and better," he says.

Hansen would like to see something done about the traffic speeding downhill on E. Lynn.

"My plan is to have something come from this," she says of the zoning issue. "I hope we can all benefit from this."

She'd like to see a four-way stop at Lynn and Minor. She plans to contact the Seattle Department of Transportation to see what can be done.

Hansen was planning on working on the the roses on the Lynn Street side of her lot this weekend, moving some bushes and reducing the height of others. She will be meeting with the zoning inspector who sent her the warning letter on Wednesday to find out what exactly she has to do to be in compliance. She's hoping she won't have to take out any of the plants on the Minor E. side of her lot.

RELATED STORIES:

• KOMO 4 News had a report on Saturday that includes video.
• KING 5 news reported on the controversy on Friday:

We have more details about the big Eastlake community celebration event set for the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 14. The event will celebrate the new shoreline and green street at Wards Cove and the completion of the new plots at the Eastlake P-Patch.

The event will be from noon to 5 p.m. on Fairview Avenue E. from E. Hamlin to the P-Patch and Fairview Park. That stretch of Fairview will be closed during that time.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn will stop by about 2:30 p.m. to participate in ribbon cuttings for the beach, shoreline and street at Wards Cove and the 24 new plots at the P-Patch.

Wards Cove will be celebrating the redevelopment of its Seattle base. Gone are buildings that housed fishing equipment during the winter. In their place is an office building, a marina, new houseboat slips and a green street in the 2800 block of Fairview E. that includes the beach, new pathways and sidewalks, and natural landscaping that helps slow and clean storm runoff.

The event includes the return of the historic Eastlake "walking fish" art, this time as an art competition. Neighborhood businesses and residents are encouraged to decorate a plywood walking fish before the event and enter it. The creators of the winning fish will receive a $100 gift certificate to the Eastlake business of their choice. If you'd like to decorate a fish, contact Kathleen at 206-789-5668.

(I don't know much about the walking fish. You can see an example of the fish in a photo from the Eastlake Community Council archives that is attached to this post. If you know the history of the fish, please feel free to post it in the comments below.)

Other activities at the community celebration include:

• A pet parade (gather at 12:30 p.m. at the Washington Employers parking lot at 2940 Fairview E.)
• Live music
• Non-profit educational booths
• Antique cars and trucks
• P-Patch tours
• A display on the history of Wards Cove Packing Company

A new essay on the history of the houseboats by HistoryLink.org will be shared. Bring your own picnic lunch to enjoy in the park. There will also be food available for purchase.

I haven't had a chance to stop by, but both Nancy Leson from the Seattle Times and Jason Sheehan at the Weekly report that Eastlake's newest restaurant, Tamura Sushi Kappo, has opened at 2968 Eastlake Ave. E. (in the Ruby Condos building, across from the Eastlake Bar and Grill).

Chef Taichi Kitamura owned Chiso and Kappo in Fremont before moving to Eastlake. The restaurant opened this past Sunday.

Leson had a $60 tasting menu at the new Eastlake restaurant and concluded: "Dinner was delightful, as was the company on both sides of the sushi bar."

Patrons at the restaurant can either order omakase, where the chef decides what you'll be eating, or pick and choose. Sounds delicious!

UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. The Aug. 14 event will feature space for non-profits.

And we have a movie!

The Eastlake Community Council voted Wednesday evening to show "Up" as the feature at the Eastlake Movie Night on Aug. 21. The film features the voices of Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer and tells the story of an elderly man and a young boy who fly to South America in a house lifted by helium-filled balloons.

The film will be screened on the Rogers Playfield lawn the evening of Aug. 21. 

Although the community council will be funding Movie Night, they are still looking for sponsors. Businesses or individuals are encouraged to help out. Sponsors will be listed on the event poster. The ECC also is looking for a sound system and a computer projector (3,500 to 5,000 lumens) to show the film. 

If you can help, e-mail info@eastlakeseattle.org.

The ECC is also sponsoring Eastlake's Night Out event on Aug. 3. The anti-crime event will run from 6-9 p.m. on Yale E. between E. Boston and E. Newton.

The City's Department of Neighborhoods has contributed $1,000 to help fund the Eastlake event. Cecilia Grevson, who is one of the organizers for the Night Out, says there will be food (hotdogs, grilled oysters, vegetarian chili, watermelon, ice cream and more), music, kids games, emergency preparedness information and visits from fire and police officers.

If you'd like more info on the Night Out, contact Randy Wright at 206-255-1648 or Judy Schoen at 206-406-5529.

The third event on the summer agenda will be a community celebration and block party on Aug. 14 on Fairview between Hamlin and Fairview Park. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m.

The event will have music, an appearance by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, antique cars and booths featuring local non-profits. Eastlake residents are encouraged to bring their own picnic and dine out with their neighbors.

The community council board also discussed the Eastlake News, the ECC's quarterly publication. The long-time editor of the paper has had to give up the post and the board has been looking for someone to take over editing and design duties. Chris Leman reported that a former Eastlake News editor has indicated she would be willing to take on the job again. The board agreed to spend up to $800 on computer design software for the new editor to use in producing the paper.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says that maintenance work on the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge will continue this weekend.

Two of the northbound lanes will close at 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and reopen at 9 a.m. each day. Two lanes will remain open at all times.

The big noise begins at 4 a.m., WSDOT says. If you'd like earplugs, contact Mike Murphy at 206-440-4699. You can find current construction information at the WSDOT website.

Neighbors of the Hamlin Street End Park are raising money to have a damaged eucalyptus tree located in the park pruned in hopes of reviving it.

Ruth Kunath lives near the park and, along with Barbara McPherson, has adopted it and looks out for it. She says they have been working with Joshua Erickson, an arboriculturist with the City of Seattle, to have the eucalyptus tree assessed. The tree was damaged by winter cold.

Kunath says the city offered to remove the tree and replace it with a new, indigenous tree. But, Kunath says, the city agreed to let the neighbors attempt to prune, reshape and restore the tree "in hopes it recovers."

She adds:

"Eucalyptus tree are typically long lived in the perfect climate. The tree is approximately twenty years old, young in 'eucalyptus years,' and has a graceful, high canopy over the park."

Right now, Kunath and another neighbor, April Boyd, are soliciting bids from tree pruning companies and raising donations from the community to pay for the work. They estimate it will cost approximately $400-$500 for the pruning.

They don't have a formal non-profit organization to do this, Kunath says. Donation checks will be written directly to the tree pruning company.

If you'd like to donate, contact Kunath at rbkunath@gmail.com. She'll have the details on the pruning company and where to send your donation.

A group of Eastlake folks gathered Tuesday evening for the first planning session on this summer's Eastlake Movie Night (Aug. 21, Rogers Playfield, put on by the Eastlake Community Council).

Kate Dulemba, who is organizing the event again this year, says they could use help in the following ways:

• Sponsorships: They're looking for Eastlake businesses or individuals who would be willing to donate either money or in-kind services. (Eastlake Ave. will be a sponsor again this year.) Sponsoring businesses will be named on the event poster being created by Mary Hansen.
• Computer projector: They need a projector of 3,500-5,000 lumens and/or a basic sound system to borrow for the night of the event.
• Volunteers: People to help out with the event in many ways are always needed, Kate says.

If you'd like to donate or help out, e-mail info@eastlakeseattle.org and put "Movie Night" in the subject line.

It's summer and that means ROADWORK! Crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation will be doing their annual repairs on the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge deck for the next two weekends.

This weekend, they'll close two southbound lanes at 4 a.m. each day and work until 9 a.m. Next weekend, they'll do the same thing on northbound lanes. Express lanes will open as usual.

Be prepared for some noise, the WSDOT e-mail says:

This is noisy work. Crews will use jackhammers to remove broken concrete and dump trucks to haul it away. While we do our best to use quieter back-up alarms, the work will likely be noticeable. Residents can contact WSDOT at 206.440.4699 to get earplugs in advance of the work. 

Ah, the peaceful sounds of summer!

Got questions? E-mail holterj@wsdot.wa.gov.

The Eastlake Community Council will again sponsor a Movie Night outdoors on the Rogers Playfield lawn. This year's event is set for Saturday, Aug. 21.

Kate Dulemba, movie night organizer extraordinaire, once again will be putting on the show with the help of a dedicated band of volunteers. And Mary Hansen is, we hear, going to do the poster again (last year's was a collectable). Kate says she'll be announcing the movie in a week or so.

Many people bring dinner to the playfield to enjoy before the film. The movie is projected on a big screen hung on the tennis court fence. Last year's event was great fun and a chance to hang out with your neighbors and see a terrific film (last year it was "Groundhog Day").

We'll have more details, including the announcement of the movie, as they become available. Until then, here's a short video of last year's Eastlake Movie Night:

Metro's Route 49 just brushes the edge of Eastlake: It comes down Capitol Hill on 10th E., jogs on Roanoke and then goes down Harvard Avenue E. before crossing the University Bridge.

On Aug. 7, Metro will close three of the stops on Harvard, at E. Edgar, E. Hamlin and E. Allison. Those stops also serve Route 25.

The stops are being eliminated to help cut costs and fuel consumption and to allow buses to move faster and more reliably. According to a Metro press release:

Currently, the [Route 49] corridor has 50 bus stops between Convention Place Station and the University Bridge, with an average spacing between stops of 835 feet. Metro will remove 13 of these stops, increasing the average stop spacing to about 1,145 feet.

To see a map of Route 49 and the stops to be eliminated, or to submit comments, go to Metro's website for the route by clicking here.

News from Cicchetti: On Tuesday, they'll be starting a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m.

The restaurant and bar, located behind Serafina at 121 E. Boston, features small Italian plates and hand-made cocktails.

They've added several new items to their menu, including Corona bean salad with white Spanish anchovies; spicy beef jerky with Romaine leaves, lemon-cumin dressing and quince molasses; baked figs, goat cheese, arugula and 12-year balsamic; and many more.

They also turned on their new air conditioning today, so it's cool inside. Perfect timing!

Forget the sacked lunch and try out Eastlake's latest lunchtime hot spot located behind the Silver Cloud Inn—Kaosami's Thai Truck. Best known as one of the best Thai restaurants in Fremont. Their orange mobile copy serves up the same fantastic food and service as their original location. In  2008 it was rated the #1 street food vendor in Seattle by Restaurant Magazine.

Kaosami's Thai Truck can be found every weekday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at 1150 Eastlake Ave E. They have a short menu with many Thai favorites including Phad Thai, Panang Curry, Tom Yum, and Phad Kee Mow. The food is also excellently priced, ranging from $6-8 a dish.

Fast, cheap, and delicious. Kaosami’s Thai Truck is a welcome addition to the Eastlake lunch scene.

The July 5 post-fireworks clean-up event, sponsored by Starbucks, is under way in Eastlake.

Scores of volunteers gathered at Rogers Playfield this morning to begin picking up neighborhood litter after last night's fireworks show. Starbucks was providing shirts, coffee, food, plastic bags, work gloves and litter pick-up tools to those participating. There was even a shuttle bus to help people get around the neighborhood.

The event runs until 2 p.m. today.

Some areas, such as Fairview, were surprisingly clean despite the crowds that came for the fireworks. Sides streets like E. Lynn and Minor Ave. E. seemed to have more empty cans and bottles and spent fireworks. I did see a Parks Department truck coming down Fairview, picking up bagged trash just before the fireworks began, so that may have helped.

Volunteers were being asked to sort out recyclables. Litter and recyclables were being left in several locations to be picked up later.

The clean-up route included Eastlake Avenue E., Fairview Avenue E. and E. Boston and E. Roanoke west of Eastlake. But, enterprising volunteers were fanning out to other streets looking for trash.

Volunteers came from all over the city and region. I talked to people from the University District, Wallingford, Beacon Hill, West Seattle and even Auburn. A couple of people said they used to live in Eastlake and wanted to come help. Several said they enjoyed the fireworks and wanted to do their part to clean up after the event.

Volunteers will be eating lunch at Rogers Playfield until 12:30 p.m. If you know of an area that needs attention, stop by the green tent and let them know where to head out to for their afternoon.

UPDATE: This post has been changed since first published. A video has been added. This was first posted at 11:35 p.m. on Sunday. 

The fireworks are over for another year and Eastlake's streets are busy as everyone heads home.

The wet weather finally ended several hours before the 10:15 p.m. show began. Thousands of people crowded Gas Works Park and the streets, rooftops, decks and docks of Eastlake to get a look at the show.

There were official fireworks on the barge in Lake Union and unofficial fireworks on most streets, many of which were still going on an hour after the big show ended.

I stood with a large and appreciative crowd at the corner of E. Lynn and Fairview E. The view was great, the crowd was well-behaved and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

People are now filing out of the area west of Eastlake, looking for a bus or taxi or trying to find their cars.

See you next year!

If you're driving to Eastlake, you'd better have a place to park because there aren't many spaces left.

People are circling the blocks in a vain attempt to find a place to park for the fireworks show at 10 p.m. But spaces are few and Parking Enforcement officers are towing people who park where they shouldn't.

Shortly after 3 p.m., tow trucks were removing three vehicles from the north side of E. Lynn beside the Eastlake Zoo and the Dog Zone. One distraught woman returned a few minutes later to find her car gone. The spaces are clearly marked as a "no parking" zone.

If you need to park, there are spaces available for $15 in the garage under the office building at Eastlake and Hamlin.

A large fireworks explosion on Rogers Playfield drew police attention shortly before 5 p.m. Two officers stopped by minutes later and talked to folks there, presumably warning them to not repeat the blast.

One group has erected a large tent at Rogers Playfield and they're sitting inside, waiting for the rain to quit. Another group is under the trees where it's drier. And yet another group is picnicing on the porch at Seward School.

There isn't a street party on Minor Avenue E. this year, but Christina Choi from Nettletown is cooking in the 2200 block of Minor. She's serving bratwurst sandwiches, beef short ribs and tofu sandwiches, along with desserts.

And, yes, it is raining. It's not a heavy rain but it is wet and doesn't seem inclined to quit just yet. Only in Seattle would people party and barbecue outside in the rain. But, this IS Seattle. 

Stay dry!

Good morning and happy Fourth of July!

Lady Liberty is inflated atop Kite Hill at Gas Works Park and the forecast, while it won't be as warm as last year, isn't bad: partly cloudy, highs in the upper 60s. If it rains, it looks like it won't be much more than a sprinkle. Maybe.

Here's a wrap-up of our Fourth of July coverage:

• Where to park and drive in Eastlake: Check our map and details on traffic and parking restrictions to see where you can and can't go. Have guests coming over? Tell them to get here by 6-7 p.m. and make sure they have a place to park or they're taking the bus.
• What's open? Our list shows what's open in Eastlake today and what hours they'll be open.
• Cleaning up after the fireworks: Join Starbucks Monday morning at 10 at Rogers Playfield to help clean up the neighborhood after tonight's fireworks. Starbucks is providing the coffee, lunch and t-shirts. For more info or to register, go to their website. You don't have to register but doing so helps them make sure they have enough food, coffee and shirts for everyone.

Have a happy Fourth of July!

Providence Cicero reviews Eastlake's Ravish in Friday's Seattle Times and she likes it.

This despite a major kitchen meltdown the week before (chef called in sick, backup didn't prep enough food). On her second visit, all was well and she says: "Everything I had that night was well executed."

Says Cicero:

But I admired the staff's pluck, their grace under pressure and their show-must-go-on resolve. I'm glad I returned for chubby crab cakes flecked with jalapeño and flattered by Thai chili sauce. Also for wonderfully crusty flatbread, an oval of dough sparingly topped pizzalike with spicy tomato sauce, prosciutto, artichoke hearts, Gouda and lots of fresh basil.

Read more of Cicero's review here. Ravish is at 2956 Eastlake Ave. E.

The good news regarding the Fourth of July (Sunday) in Eastlake is that things haven’t changed much from last year.

As we reported in April, the parking and traffic restrictions will be pretty much the same as they were last year. The only big change in the Seattle Police Department’s traffic control is to make E. Newton the southern line of restrictions and closure. Officers will be posted along Newton at Eastlake, Yale, Minor and Fairview to control access.

The attached map gives you the traffic control plan on a single page. Here are the more in-depth details:

The big question: What do I tell people who are coming to my place to watch the fireworks, which start a little after 10 p.m.?

Last year, Officer Mark Wong of the SPD told the Eastlake Community Council: “I’d get down here before 6 to 7 p.m.” After that, the SPD starts to tighten up access in the area west of Eastlake and it can be difficult to impossible to drive in and park. 

Your visitors won’t need a written invitation, but they will need to know where they’re going and where they’re going to park.

Other things you’ll need to know:

Traffic/parking map: Click to see a larger version.

• Parking along Eastlake: There won’t be much. Parking is totally prohibited on both sides of Eastlake from Hamlin south to Newton from 11 a.m. to midnight on the Fourth. North of Hamlin, you won’t be able to park on the east side of the street. Warning signs are already up and officers will be out and ticketing people on the Fourth.
• Pre-show limited access: The area west of Eastlake to the water will have limited access during the day (gray zone on the map). During the day, SPD officers will check with people attempting to drive in to that area to make sure they have a place to park and are aware that they’ll be towed if they park illegally.
• Traffic barricades along Eastlake: On the map, you’ll see orange barricades marked on Newton and along Eastlake. Officers will start staffing those positions around 6:30 p.m. Around 7:30 to 8 p.m., they’ll begin to assess the traffic and around 8:30 p.m. they’ll close car access to that area until after the show. You can always walk or ride a bike in to this area. After the show, barricades move from the west side of Eastlake to the east (blue circles on the map).
• I-5 off ramps: They’ll be closed from 9 to 11 p.m. (see photo). Mercer, Boylston and Roanoke are all closed at this time by the State Patrol. The Patrol will reopen them as quickly as possible after the fireworks. The Lakeview Overpass will also be closed for the show.
• Street flow after the show: Big changes after the show is over. The two blocks of Lynn from Eastlake to Boylston become a one-way street heading east. If you want to go south on I-5, get in the right-hand lane. Want to be north? Get in the left-hand lane. Harvard E. from Roanoke to Eastlake becomes a one-way street going north.
• Who ya gonna call? Officer Wong says if you see someone parking in front of a fire hydrant or blocking a driveway, call the police early ("The sooner before the 4th of July evening gets under way, the better," he writes in an e-mail) and they'll take care of it. Don't call the East Precinct. Instead,
• Fireworks: They’re illegal inside the city limits. But, folks have them and, as the SPD said last year, they just don’t have enough personnel to respond to them. If fireworks are potentially causing a fire or safety hazard, police urge you to call 9-1-1 and report it.

If you're planning on going to Gas Works, the SPD has a few tips at their blog.

That’s it for now. I’ll add updates if I receive any.

Starbucks is one of the sponsors of the Lake Union fireworks this year and, after the event, they're going to help clean up around the lake.

The company will be sponsoring a clean up event on Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. One of the gathering places will be Rogers Playfield in Eastlake. (You can also go to the Center for Wooden Boats.)

Starbucks will provide the coffee, lunch and t-shirts. Go to their website to sign up. You don't have to sign up but they say that doing so will allow them to make sure there's enough shirts and food for everyone.

They're still looking for suggestions on where to focus the cleanup crews. Where in Eastlake should they go to do the most good? Post your ideas in the comments section below.

Our news partner, the Seattle Times, has a video online showing how crews are prepping the Lake Union fireworks display that will be set off Sunday evening.

In other Fouth of July news, the Times and other news sources are reporting that One Reel, the producers of the Lake Union fireworks, are planning on counting on more donations to fund next year's event. This year's fireworks almost didn't happen when One Reel wasn't able to find a corporate sponsor to provide the $500,000 it costs to produce the event.

In a press release issued Thursday, One Reel says they'll change their funding model for 2011:

While One Reel didn’t initially consider soliciting donations for the 2010 event, the overwhelming public response to saving this cherished Independence Day celebration caused the organization to rethink the sponsorship model that has been in place since the event was first created in 1988. As of July 1st, family4th.org will be prepared to accept donation pledges and sponsorship inquiries for the 2011 event.

In March, One Reel announced that they'd been unable to find a sponsor to replace JP Morgan Chase, which had paid for last year's show after it took over Washington Mutual, the previous sponsor. One Reel said there wouldn't be a show this year. But KIRO's Dave Ross and several local business stepped up to mount a fundraising campaign that gathered enough money to put on the show.

Our news partner, the Seattle Times, reports that a new federal audit finds that NOAA didn't consider using cheaper, existing federal facilities in Seattle rather than move to Newport, Oregon.

NOAA announced last summer that it would leave its long-time base on Lake Union in Eastlake and relocate to Newport. Despite appeals by Bellingham, which also tried to win the base, and Washington elected officials, NOAA has insisted the move was the best decision for the agency.

The new audit comes from the Commerce Department's Inspector General. NOAA is part of the Commerce Department, which is headed by former Washington Gov. Gary Locke.

The Times story says of this new audit:

The report also takes NOAA to task for failing to analyze the total, long-term cost of moving the ships to Newport, which lacks major maritime facilities and is more than 200 miles from the Seattle-based researchers who commonly use the vessels.

The Times' story says it's unclear if the auditor's report will cause NOAA to reassess it's move. The Newport base is already under construction.

Read more of the Times' story here.

UPDATE, 11:18 a.m.: Real-Time 911 shows the call is now closed. The P-I says firefighters report the leak was caused by a ruptured pipe. More from SeattlePI.com is here.

Seattle Fire Department personnel have responded to a "major" natural gas leak in the 3200 block of Harvard Ave. E.

The building, a 1920s-era apartment that also houses several businesses, was reportedly evacuated.

Casey McNerthney at SeattlePI.com reports that fire crews reported that gas in the building's boiler room was turned off at 10:50 a.m. McNerthney reports that fire officials say there were no injuries.

The emergency call is still active at this time (11:15 a.m.).

Rebecca Partington sends along the attached list of local businesses and invdividuals who have donated to the Eastlake P-Patch expansion project. 

This list notes:

"We’ve accomplished a great deal, but none of it would have been possible without our generous donors. We’d like to thank everyone who has donated their time, donated money, or donated materials."

Click the attached list to see who all has helped out.

Work continues on the P-Patch expansion. Work parties are generally scheduled on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Contact Rebecca at rebeccaapartington@gmail.com or 206-601-3453 for more information.

For a selection of our previous coverage of this major expansion project, click here.

News from Nettletown, Christina Choi's wild food restaurant at Eastlake and Lynn:

• First Week of Summer Dinner: 7 p.m. this Friday, June 25, $35. Christina says they'll be celebrating the season (yes, it really is summer) with "a bounty of summer produce and wild things -- fresh bamboo shoots, peas, morels, porcini, seabeans, asparagus, new potatoes, halibut, cherries, elderflowers ..." Food will be raw, pickled, steamed, roasted. Reservations at nettletown@gmail.com or 206-588-3606.

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• Friday and Saturday night dinners: Coming starting July 11. Check their website closer to the date for more info, Christina's e-mail says.
• Fourth of July: Nettletown will be the restaurant of choice at the Minor Avenue Fourth of July party. They'll be barbecuing on Minor at the party, which is just south of Lynn Street from 3 p.m. until the food runs out, Christina says.
• New menu: More sandwiches and other small changes, Christina says. Plus, she's added a dessert menu.