The 6th Avenue NW Pocket Park (simply called “Our Park” by the locals) at the corner of 6th and NW 76th Street is hosting a puppet show at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Zambini Brothers of Vashon Island will perform “The Tasty Tale of Sir Bump.” The event is free.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is installing a new traffic signal at the intersection of Fremont Avenue North and North 105th Street to serve the Interurban North signed bicycle route. The signal will be installed in early August.

Bicyclists and pedestrians on Fremont Avenue North will be allowed to continue straight through the intersection (when the light is green) but vehicles on Fremont Avenue North will be required to turn right or left onto 105th Street. The purpose of the restriction is to prevent excessive “cut through” traffic on Fremont Avenue North.

The Interurban North signed bicycle route connects downtown Seattle to Everett. Similar signalized crossings have already been installed on Fremont Avenue North at North 80th and North 85th streets.

This work is part of SDOT’s implementation of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan and is funded by the Bridging the Gap transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in 2006.

Seattle Police Department has just launched a new public online reporting option.

The Community Online Reporting Program (CORP) allows the public to file police reports for certain incident types (Property Destruction, Car Prowls, Auto Accessories, Theft of Property (under $500), and Identity Theft) over the internet.

This service will allow the public to file a report at a time that is best for them without having to wait for an officer to respond or call them back. The public will be able to print a temporary copy of the report as soon as they submit it. The report will be reviewed by police personnel, and, once approved, the filing person will receive an email with a copy of the final report attached. The report will transfer directly into the Seattle Police Department records management system and receive the same investigation and statistical analysis as if the report had been filed by an officer.

This option is for low level property crimes only. It does not replace 911 or the non-emergency number. If the caller feels that they are in danger, or the crime just happened, or the suspect may still be there, 911 is still the best option. The Community Online Reporting Program is an option for people that want to report a low level theft, but do not necessarily need an officer to respond in person.

The web-based crime reporting service can be accessed by going to the Seattle Police Department’s homepage (http://www.seattle.gov/police) and clicking the “File a Report” Quick Link.

The Ruby Room, a non-profit that provides formal gowns to local high school girls who can’t afford to buy a prom dress, is asking businesses all around the city – including Phinney-Greenwood – for help. Their biggest event of the year, the 2010 Fall Auction and Fashion Show, is coming up on Sept. 11 at the Paramount Theater.

“We are hoping some of the Phinney-Greenwood businesses will join us in support of auction with a procurement item donation, event sponsorship and/or product samples for our VIP bags,” Erin Quick, of Ruby Room’s board of directors, said.

Auction items are needed by Aug. 27. Contact Erin at (206) 437-6782. Dresses, shoes and accessories are also donated throughout the year and made available to girls in need at no cost.

A large response by the Seattle Fire Department this afternoon after calls came in about an odor and someone feeling sick at the Community Resource Center – home of the Greenwood Food Bank (9041 Greenwood Ave. N.)

Fire fighters staged just north of the Community Resource Center.

“We know this is a building where no chemicals are used, no hazardous materials, so right now what this appears to be is pepper spray,” Helen Fitzpatrick, the Public Information Officer for the Seattle Fire Department tells us at the scene. “Medics evaluated 8 people, the longer they’re exposed to the air the better they feel and no one will be going to the hospital.”

A large number of police descended on a house on 3rd Avenue Northwest near NW 92nd Street this morning for a disturbance call.

I saw one person in handcuffs sitting on the curb, but neighbors said they saw three or four people in handcuffs earlier.

Det. Mark Jamieson from the Seattle Police Department says the call came in just before 11 a.m. Neighbors told police they heard yelling, glass breaking and some sort of explosion inside. Det. Jamieson didn’t know whether any of those detained would be booked.

The northbound lane of Third Avenue Northwest was blocked off from NW 90th Street to NW 92nd Street, while the southbound lane remained open.

Thanks to Baldwin for the tip!

Chris sent us a note this morning about a dead cat he found Monday night:

While driving home from a movie tonight at about 11PM, my girlfriend and I discovered a small black cat in the middle of the road at the corner of 103rd and Linden.

It appeared to have been hit by a car, and was no longer breathing or showing any signs of life. It had no collar or other distinguishing marks. There was a black and white cat with a white face sniffing around at it when we arrived, but that cat quickly ran off.

After flagging down a car or two to see if anybody recognized it, I moved it next to the fire hydrant on the northeast so that it was at least out of harm’s way.

Give your pet a good squeeze if you’ve got one – we gave ours some cuddles when we got home.

Chris sent us a photo of the cat, which we are not posting. If you think it may be your cat and you want to see the picture to identify it, please email us.

Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 25th annual Seattle Weekly Best of Seattle contest. Vote for your favorite coffee shop, art gallery, neighborhood activist, tycoon/entrepreneur, theater company, happy hour, radio talk show, dive bar, best place for urban crafts, tattoo parlor, salon, shoe store, bike shop, and a ton of other, sometimes wacky, categories.

Results will be published in the Aug. 4 issue.

You must fill in at least five categories, and submit your name and email address for your vote to be counted. One vote per person, please. Email addresses are checked for validity but will be purged after voting is over. You will not be put on any list.

The Municipal League of King County today released its non-partisan evaluations of 122 legislative, judicial and local candidates. The League rated our 36th District State Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson as ”Very Good” and Jeanne Kohl-Welles as “Outstanding.”

To determine candidate ratings, volunteers throughout King County have joined the Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Committees to study the public record, review candidate questionnaires, speak with references, and conduct interviews with candidates. Committee members then rate each candidate on four criteria: Involvement, Character, Effectiveness and Knowledge. The possible ratings are: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Adequate, Not Qualified and Insufficient Information to Rate.

The non-partisan ratings process is similar to a job interview and investigates each candidate’s potential to be effective in the office he or she seeks and to beneficially serve the community. Political affiliations or stances on particular issues are not considered during the League rating process. The Municipal League attempted to contact every candidate in a contested race. Candidates were rated even if they declined to participate.

Check out the full list of ratings of candidates for state representative, state senator, judge, county council and mayor here.

The Greenwood Community Council’s monthly meeting is from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Greenwood Library’s meeting room, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N. On the agenda:

• Greenwood Block Watch “Night Out.” (Neighborhoods throughout the city and the country will host parties on Tuesday, Aug. 3, to bring neighbors together.)
• Greenwood-Phinney Summer Streets, which is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13. (Last year’s inaugural Summer Streets in our neighborhood was in April.) LeAnne Nelson from Seattle Department Of Transportation will brief the council on Summer Streets preps.
• Greenwood-Phinney Fruit Harvest. City Fruit is a local organization that provides volunteers to harvest private homeowners extra fruit to donate to food banks and food programs for people in need.
• Election Forum for local election on Aug. 17 and Nov. 2.
• Update regarding Greenwood land use & transportation issues/projects.

If available, updates will be provided on:

• City of Seattle multi-family code change proposal.
• Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood Plan study.
• Central Greenwood rezone discussion.
• Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood Park Acquisition (location TBD).
• Greenwood Parks Opportunity Fund proposal (@ 85th Street / 1st Ave).
• Greenwood Park Neighborhood Matching Fund proposal (p-patch).
• Greenwood Sidewalks Neighborhood Matching Fund project.

This week’s PAWS Cat City Pet of the Week is Mia.

Mia is a sweet and beautiful 12-year old Torby (tortoiseshell/tabby) lady who loves having her cheeks brushed and chin rubbed. She has seen a lot in her life and is now content to take life easy in her golden years so while she is very sociable, she sometimes just wants a peaceful nap in a sunspot. Mia would prefer a quiet home without other cats or children and could use some help getting her girlish figure back.

Mia is waiting for you to scritch her chin at PAWS Cat City (8503 Greenwood in Seattle). She is spayed, microchipped, litter box trained, and up-to-date on her vaccines. Her adoption fee is $75 or $35 through our Senior for Seniors program. Cat City is open Tue, Wed & Fri noon – 6 pm, Thu noon – 7 pm and Sat – Sun 11 am – 5 pm.

Meet adoptable cats and kittens from 7 local shelters and rescues, including PAWS, at the Meow in Mukilteo Cat Adoption Event this Sunday, July 18, 12-3 pm at Rosehill Community Center (304 Lincoln Avenue, Mukilteo, WA 98275). More information at www.pawsitivealliance.orgwww.pawsitivealliance.org>.

Here are a few things happening in Phinney-Greenwood, as well as nearby neighborhoods, this weekend:

Greenstage presents Shakespeare in the Park at Woodland Park on Friday and Saturday.

The weekly Phinney Farmers Market is from 3-7 p.m. Friday in the lower parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. is hosting a Moon Landing Party to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the lunar landing from 12-1:30 p.m. Saturday, at 8414 Greenwood Ave. N. Stop by for a free moon pie!

Indian Pow Wow Days is this weekend at Magnolia’s Discovery Park.

16-foot tall sculpture to be unveiled at Salmon Bay Natural Area in Ballard on Saturday.

Ballard’s Nordic Heritage Museum hosts annual Viking Days on Saturday and Sunday.