Cat escapes from hospital, may be headed to Ballard

Phinney Animal Hospital on Greenwood Ave. has had an escapee. Please keep your eyes open for an orange cat with a blue e-collar (those plastic cones they get after a procedure). Her name is Elsa. She was last seen on 83rd St. between Greenwood and 1st around 11 a.m. Needless to say, the owner is distraught. …

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Ballard banks use kindness to scare off robber

Two neighboring banks on 15th Avenue used the “safe catch” method, using kindness to scare off a would-be bank robber, the FBI says. The suspect popped into the First Mutual Bank at 6310 15th Ave. NW on Tuesday afternoon and employees recognized him as a suspect in an Oct. 16 bank robbery on Sandpoint Way. Before he …

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Sunday is J.P. Patches Day

A statue honoring Chris Wedes, better known as the clown who has entertained generations of Seattle-area kids, is being unveiled at a celebration from 1-3 p.m., Sunday, in Fremont. Any kid living in Seattle from 1958-1981 grew up watching J.P. Patches and his sidekick Gertrude on TV. When J.P. and Gertrude make an appearance these …

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Snoose Junction opening Greenwood pizzeria

Environmentally friendly Snoose Junction Pizza of Ballard, will soon open a second store on the far north end of Greenwood. If you’re not already familiar with them, Snoose Junction has gotten rave reviews for their finely crafted pizza, as well as their use of recycled building materials in their first restaurant and their delivery of …

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‘Mutant bicycles’ descend on Ballard

Hundreds of colorfully dressed riders on often misshapen and mutant bicycles kicked off the 13th annual Dead Baby Downhill Race at El Chupacabra on Phinney Ridge Friday evening. Friday’s race, which finished in Ballard, is part of a weekend of events celebrating mutant bicycle culture. There was tall bike jousting, bands, bike dance perfromances and …

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Mystery of Green Lake spikes solved

When word broke of sharpened metal spikes being found in Green Lake, a Seattle Parks Department spokeswoman speculated someone maliciously put them there to “hurt people.” A Seattle Times editorial called the perpetrator a “sick puppy.” Now the mystery is solved. And the sick puppy responsible for placing them there? The Parks Department. D’oh! It …

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Coming soon to a store near you: 20 cent bags

The Seattle City Council has just approved a 20 cent fee on disposable paper and plastic bags which will take effect Jan. 1 at local stores, including Ballard Market and Bartell’s. Some carryout styrofoam containers will eventually be banned too.

Bag fee going to a council vote

We had quite the discussion on this story a few weeks ago, so here’s an update. The full Seattle City Council is expected to vote Monday on a proposal to charge shoppers 20 cents for paper or plastic bags. If it’s enacted, Seattle would become one of the first large cities to push the use of reusable …

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Patas monkey dies at Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo staff euthanized T.C., a 14-year-old male patas monkey, following a “sudden and severe decline in health due to congestive heart failure.” Patas monkeys can live 15 to 20 years in the wild and more than 20 years in zoos. “The degree of heart failure was severe and the quality of this monkey’s …

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Low tide walks this weekend

It’s another very low tide this weekend, so if you’ve ever wondered what seastars eat, why barnacles stand on their heads and how moon snails lay their eggs, ask the Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists on hand at Golden Gardens and Carkeek Park from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. If you can’t make …

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Scooter crash on 8th Ave.

With high gas prices, we’ve seen a lot more scooters on the road lately. Shortly after 8 a.m. today, a woman crashed her scooter on 8th Ave. near 73rd St. Witnesses said her bike simply flipped. The woman was able to tell them her back hurt. Paramedics put her on a spine board and transported …

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Celebrate Dump the Pump Day at Gas Works Park

Thursday marks the third annual National Dump the Pump Day, and the Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting a celebration from 4-6 p.m. at Gas Works Park. “Oh, the irony,” they say on their site. Indeed. Transit agencies, including Metro are encouraging people to get out of their cars (as if $4.20+ a gallon gas isn’t …

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