July 2013

Last thursday, The Ballard News-Tribune joined the East Ballard Community Association and FeetFirst on a walking tour of East Ballard. The tour gave an update on several infrastructure-related actions happening in the neighborhood, including the Ballard Greenway, RapidRide, high capacity transit, the 14th Ave NW Boulevard Park, roadside rain gardens and the dangerous pedestrian crossing at 11th Ave NW and NW Market St.

While The Ballard News-Tribune has covered all of these stories, the walking tour gave a nice overview and showed how they all connected and worked together.

The group met up at Reuben's Brews, the now almost year-old small brewery headed by owner Adam Robbings. In his short tenure in Ballard, Robbings' has been racking up award. Recently, at the Washington Beer Awards, his brewery won five medals and runnerup for best small brewery -- no small feat in a state (and a neighborhood) oozing with breweries.

In addition, Reuben's Brews has started taking a stake in the community with their thank You thursday, which benefits community organizations each week. $1 per pint goes toward the week's selected organization. Last week, they benefited FeetFirst.

Stealing from those in need
A panhandler located on the 4000 block of California Ave. S.W. believes he was knocked unconscious by someone wielding a board shortly before midnight on June 20. The victim awoke with a bump on the back of his head and realized someone had stolen all of the money he had collected from his tin can. Police said the victim is well known to area residents and business owners, but after canvassing the area for witnesses no one was able to provide further information. The man was taken to Harborview for treatment.

Nickelsville attack
On June 19 a resident of the Nickelsville homeless camp located on the 7100 block of West Marginal Way S.W. called police to report he had been assaulted. The victim exhibited red marks on his back and said he was struck with a stick after attempting to intervene in a domestic violence dispute between a husband and wife living there. The man said the husband reacted to his meddling by grabbing a four foot long branch (one-inch in diameter) and hitting him the back “at least twice.” The suspect was not located by police.

Strange choice