A fire was called out 4 a.m. at the “Olive You” restaurant on Greenwood Ave. An arson patrol discovered the blaze, and firefighters quickly extinguished it.

Around 11 p.m. last night, an arsonist lit two small fires behind a photo lab at 77th and Greenwood. Again, firefighters were quick to put them out. PhinneyWood has complete coverage of the latest fires, plus an updated map of the 10 unsolved arson cases in the neighborhood. (Thanks Silver for your help!)

For more live music, check out the calendars for Tractor Tavern, Sunset Tavern, Picolinos, The Bit Saloon, Conor Byrne and Egan’s Ballard Jam House. As always, check out our events calendar. And if you have an event to add, just email us at tips@myballard.com.

“I am glad that Our Redeemer’s stepped up and decided to require sex offender background checks, yet disappointed that SHARE wouldn’t take this one simple step to ensure the survival of the shelter,” said one neighbor who wished to remain anonymous. In a statement later this afternoon, our Redeemer’s added:

“Our Redeemer’s is deeply saddened that the process of seeking a more effective entry protocol has at times led to neighbors, church members, and homeless people taking apparently opposite sides, when in fact we are partners in creating safe, compassionate community for all. Most of us want a safe place for people who are homeless to sleep. Reasonable people may disagree on how to reach that goal. Our Redeemer’s asks that all of us involved in discussions about the Calvary campus shelter extend the presumption of good faith to one another and treat each other with respect.”

Our Redeemer’s says no date has been set for the shelter’s closure, and the timing may hinge on SHARE’s ability to find a new location. SHARE has been unavailable for comment.

Traffic will be a mess today along the route of the processional for Officer Timothy Brenton. The processional, which may include as many as 1,500 vehicles, begins at the University of Washington at 9 a.m., ending at Key Arena around noon. The map of the processional can be found here. Seattle Transit Blog has information on Metro re-routes here. The public memorial service begins at 1 p.m. at Key Arena, and Queen Anne View will be there.

You can see a map mashup of the coverage on Seattle Times right here.

Police are still searching for a white or light-beige 1980 to 1983 Datsun 210 coupe (similar car shown above) that might have rear-window louvers and a defective right taillight. If you have any information regarding this case you can contact Seattle Police at 206-233-5000, anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 206-343-2020 or through a text message by texting TIP486 with a message, then sending that to 274637 (CRIMES).

Earlier: We don’t have to tell you, it’s very windy out there tonight. Up in Shoreline, a man was killed when he was hit by a falling tree. Here in Ballard, driving winds knocked down a power line on 32nd Ave. between 77th and 80th this evening, closing the street and temporarily blocking two Metro buses.

Power is out at one home along the street, and firefighters ask that neighbors there stay inside to avoid contact with the wires. See wind damage? Please post in comments below.

Also: Power out on Queen Anne | Wires down in Magnolia

If you have any information regarding this case you can contact Seattle Police at 206-233-5000, anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 206-343-2020 or through a text message by texting TIP486 with a message, then sending that to 274637 (CRIMES).

The procession for Officer Brenton will be tomorrow starting at the University of Washington at 9 a.m. and ending at Key Arena around noon. Our news partner, the Seattle Times has information about the event including road closures. SDOT says to expect severe congestion around the route (map here).

A large police force descended on Old Ballard last night to take a man into custody for questioning. Witnesses say a man at the Lock & Keel was making “suspicious comments,” and the Seattle Times reports the man had made a statement that was threatening to police. Officers are taking such comments very seriously after the recent killing of Seattle Police officer Timothy Brenton and wounding of fellow officer Britt Sweeney.

My Ballard reader Angelatini was next door at Conor Byrne last night when the police arrived on scene. “A friend rushed in and told me there was a SWAT team outside,” Angelatini writes in the forum. “I went over to the door and sure enough there were about 15 police cruisers and unmarked cars with cops everywhere. They had already arrested a suspect and he was in the backseat of a cruiser by the time I got outside.”

PhinneyWood: Bringing community together to fight arsons

View Ballard Food Bank drop-off locations in a larger map

The map above shows the holiday food barrels in green and the year-round food barrels in red. You can donate any shelf staple, non-perishable food items, as well as any hygiene items (shampoo, deodorant, etc.) to any of these locations.

Earlier: The Ballard Library is just one of six locations in Seattle to drop off your ballot, and there has been a steady stream of voters all evening.

This was the small traffic jam along 56th St. at 6 p.m. Parking in the immediate area, as you can imagine, has been difficult to find.

Folks as far away as Magnolia dropped off their ballots. The Neighborhood Service Center handed out cupcakes and other refreshments.

We arrived just as King County was picking up a big batch of ballots. Stay tuned for election results, which we’ll link here when they’re available at 8:15 p.m.

October 14th: Ballard residents speak out about boundary maps

Several Prop. 1 advocates were also out with gloves and scarves on, waving their signs at voters who drove by.

Later today is the open house at the Neighborhood Service Center (5604 22nd Ave NW) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Drop off your ballot and meet your neighbors.

“We have spent a fortune investigating and incarcerating people for using marijuana. We have not only spent huge sums in this failed effort, we have required individuals and families to spend huge sums on lawyers and other expenses in order to avoid drug-abuse violations on their records. Those who couldn’t afford an effective legal defense have often seen their jobs and lives seriously harmed by the record of the legal violation.

And what have we accomplished with these societal, personal, and family costs? I don’t see the positive benefits. The expensive emphasis on prosecution and fines or other punishment has not deterred marijuana smoking, nor has it had any noticeable impact on accessibility to marijuana. The fact that other countries which have legalized marijuana have not seen consumption rates rise sharply is further evidence that our present policy is a monumentally expensive failure.

The people I represent have made clear how they feel by their votes on medical marijuana and their votes on the local ordinance that made marijuana investigations the lowest police priority.

As Chair of the Human Services Committee, which oversees corrections and juvenile justice issues, it’s long been clear to me that we need to make smarter investments in criminal justice, drug and mental health treatment and other efforts that DO work to reduce criminal and unhealthy behavior. We simply can’t afford to waste more time, money or human resources on efforts that don’t work and that can actually backfire to harm people we want to help.

Treating marijuana more like liquor will turn a drain on our scarce resources into a net benefit that can help us fund drug treatment and other strategies that really do make a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Representative Dickerson hosts a coffee hour each Tuesday at the Phinney Ridge Starbucks (316 N 67th St) from 9:30 a.m. to 10: 30 a.m. (Representative Dickerson is a sponsor of MyBallard.)