Local News

Ryan Leaf’s arraignment postponed in Great Falls

The Associated Press

0 comments | More in Sports, The Blotter | Topics: arraignment, drugs, Ryan Leaf

Ex-UW basketball star Doug Wrenn jailed for harassment

Former University of Washington basketball player Doug Wrenn, who was found guilty of threatening a motorist with a handgun three years ago, is back in trouble, this time for allegedly harassing a former girlfriend.

Wrenn, 32, was arrested April 16 and later charged in connection with the alleged harassment, said Seattle police. His ex-girlfriend told investigators that between April 13 and 15, he called her 46 times, sent her 12 text messages and nine emails. Many of the messages were deemed sexually explicit by police.

Wrenn had a hearing in Seattle Municipal Court yesterday, but court spokeswoman Patti McBride said that the judge granted a request by the defense to have the hearing  postponed until May 14. Wrenn is being held in King County Jail in lieu of $350,000 bail.

In February 2009, Wrenn was convicted of two counts of second-degree assault with a handgun after he threatened two people at a Bellevue intersection in March 2008. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.

In that incident, Wrenn had been stopped at a red light behind another vehicle, when the light turned green the car in front of him didn’t move Wrenn honked his horn. The driver pulled forward and moved into the lane to the right, Wrenn then pulled alongside the car, rolled down a window and began yelling at the people in the other car. He pointed a handgun at the driver and passenger.

Wrenn drove off, but was caught after the victim took note of his license plate number and called police.

Wrenn was arrested at his apartment in Bellevue. Police found a black Beretta pistol wrapped in a towel and jammed between a wall and a washing machine.

Wrenn, who attended O’Dea High School, played two seasons at UW.

As a sophomore he averaged 19.5 points and was voted first-team All-Pac-10 by conference coaches after the 2001-02 season. His scoring average dipped to 12.7 points the next season under first-year coach Lorenzo Romar, and Wrenn chose to forego his senior season to declare for the NBA draft.

Undrafted, he played several years in minor basketball leagues and overseas. Wrenn last played in South Korea in December 2007.

6 comments | More in Sports, The Blotter | Topics: harassment, Seattle Municipal Court, Seattle Police Department

Arena backer Chris Hansen closes on 2nd Sodo property

Chris Hanson

Wannabe NBA arena developer Chris Hansen has closed on his second Sodo property.

The San Francisco hedge-fund manager paid John Kazdal $4.25 million for a 0.4-acre parcel now occupied by an old warehouse at 1534 First Ave. S., according to a document filed with King County Wednesday.

Hansen said Tuesday that he had locked up all the private property within the site of the proposed NBA/NHL arena, plus a “considerable piece” of the block to the north, and that the sales would start closing this week.

The Kazdal property is on the block north of the arena site, next door to the Dreamgirls strip club. Hansen has not indicated what he plans for that block.

Hansen bought his first Sodo property, 3 acres inside the proposed arena site, in December.

0 comments | More in Business/Technology, General news, Sports | Topics: arena, Chris Hansen

Sodo traffic study promised after Mariners, Port object to arena

Chris Hansen, the San Francisco hedge-fund manager proposing to invest in a new basketball and hockey arena in Sodo, will pay to have its traffic and parking impacts studied, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and King County Executive Dow Constantine announced Thursday, along with Hansen.

The announcement comes the day after Arena Advisory Panel approved the plan for a $490 million arena south of Safeco Field. The panel said the agreement ­–- which includes at least a $290 million private investment from Hansen –- looks promising, although there are still unanswered questions about the investors and the security of the public’s investment.

The proposal has come under fire this week from the Seattle Mariners and the Port of Seattle and local maritime industry, which share concerns about traffic and scheduling problems. They point out that promised traffic improvements for the two existing stadiums were never built.

“At the end of the day I’m also a Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders fan,” Hansen said today. “There are some valid concerns down here and we’re going to do our best to address them.”

The study will look at how people will access the arena, and suggest ways to enhance access to all three stadiums and the area in general, McGinn said.

Talk of a third sports arena in SODO also has brought to the surface tension between tourist and industrial uses of that part of town. Adding another sports facility chips away at the city’s main center for blue-collar jobs.

0 comments | More in Government, Sports, Traffic & Transit | Topics: arena, Chris Hansen, Dow Constantine

The dog ate my Masters tickets

KJR radio has a story about Russ Berkman and his dream to go to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

Berkman, of Seattle, won a lottery for four passes to the tourney to watch practice rounds yesterday, but he was crestfallen when he discovered that his dog, Sierra, had eaten them.

The rest of the story involves discussing the possibility of dog puking, piecing ticket pieces back together and explanations to the tournament folks …

He got to go to Augusta. Read the full story.

0 comments | More in General news, Sports | Topics: ate, dog, golf

Arena Advisory Panel: “It is a solid proposal”

Jeffrey Brown, from right, David M. Brown and Kathy Brown listen during the fourth and final meeting of the Arena Advisory Panel at Seattle City Hall Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (Photo by Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)

The Arena Advisory Panel said today that San Francisco hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen’s Sodo arena proposal is favorable, has promise and  protects Seattle and King County from financial risks.

At a news conference shortly before the panel’s fourth and final meeting, members discussed the panel’s report, which they said is in final draft stage and will be able to be viewed online after tonight’s meeting.

“We believe that it is a solid proposal that is worth taking forward for further study and input,” said Jan Drago, adding that a lot of negotiation, hurdles and due diligence remain in the process.

Earlier this week, the Port of Seattle and the Seattle Mariners sent letters arguing against the Sodo location, citing traffic and other concerns.

Hansen proposes making a $290 million private investment in a $490 million new arena in Sodo, as well as purchasing an NBA team and securing an NHL team for the arena.

The panel’s final public meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the Bertha Knight Landes Room at City Hall, 600 4th Avenue.

0 comments | More in Government, Sports | Topics: arena, Chris Hansen, Mariners

Mariners say no to Sodo basketball and hockey arena

The Seattle Mariners today sent a letter to Seattle and King County officials urging them to spend more time finding a different location for a proposed NBA and NHL arena.

“The proposed Sodo location, in our view, simply does not work,” wrote team Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard Lincoln. “It would bring scheduling, traffic and parking challenges that would likely require hundreds of millions of dollars to mitigate.”

He wrote it “would put all of the area’s teams at risk” and that “cities and neighborhoods like Bellevue, Renton, Seattle Center, South Lake Union and others should all be given careful consideration as a potential home for a new arena.”

Chris Hansen, a San Francisco hedge-fund manager, has proposed making a $290 million private investment in a $490 million new arena in Sodo, as well as purchasing an NBA team and securing an NHL team for the arena.

Lincoln’s letter said the Mariners strongly support the return of the NBA to Seattle, as well as the addition of an NHL team.

A citizen Arena Advisory Panel will hold its fourth and final public meeting evaluating the proposal Wednesday night.

0 comments | More in Government, Sports | Topics: arena, Chris Hansen, Howard Lincoln

Talk about it: Mariners' ticket prices get 'dynamic'

The Mariners are launching a new approach for fans to buy tickets. Prices may change for single-game seats based on demand. Full story here.

Our usual reader comments is down for technical reasons, but you can use the commenting thread below to share your thoughts.

0 comments | More in Sports | Topics: comments, Mariners

Talk about it: Mariners’ ticket prices get ‘dynamic’

The Mariners are launching a new approach for fans to buy tickets. Prices may change for single-game seats based on demand. Full story here.

Our usual reader comments is down for technical reasons, but you can use the commenting thread below to share your thoughts.

0 comments | More in Sports | Topics: comments, Mariners

Teen convicted in Tuba Man killing is in jail on gun charge

Kenneth Daijon Kelly, 18, was charged late last month with unlawful possession of a firearm after Seattle police gang officers found a gun within his reach inside a car.

Kelly was arrested on Feb. 26, near Boeing Access Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, while riding in a black 1993 Mercedes sedan. Police said in arresting paperwork that “Kelly is a self-admitted Valley Hood Priu street gang member from the Central District of Seattle.”

Gang officers said they noticed the car after the driver made a U-turn in the middle of a street. A license-plate records check found some discrepancies in the vehicle’s sales history, according to charging paperwork.

When the Mercedes stopped, police found four people inside. Kelly, who was in the back seat, declined to speak with officers about the gun, according to court documents.

Kelly spent time in juvenile detention in the beating death of Ed McMichael, 53, a quirky character known for playing everything from Black Sabbath to Bread on his tuba while outside Seattle sporting events. McMichael was pummeled by a group of teens after midnight on Oct. 25, 2008. Kelly and the other two teens charged in the slaying all pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Because the three were juveniles when McMichael was slain, they faced between 36 and 72 weeks in jail — a sentence that displeased King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg.

“The truth is, our choice was to accept a juvenile sentence or allow the case to remain unsolved,” Satterberg said when the three pleaded guilty in 2009.

Kelly also has a prior conviction for second-degree robbery, according to prosecutors. He is being held at the King County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

0 comments | More in Sports, The Blotter | Topics: Boeing Access Road, Daijon Kelly, firearm