Seattle Police Department Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) detectives are asking the community for help in finding the suspect in a fatal vehicle/bicycle hit and run collision Thursday. The bicyclist who was hit by an SUV at Dexter Ave N and N Thomas Street sustained life-threatening injuries and died Friday at Harborview Medical Center.

TCIS has been actively investigating the crash, but the suspect vehicle has still not been located. Detectives are turning to the public, asking anyone who may have information about the crash, suspect or suspect vehicle to come forward.

Detectives are looking for a mid-1990′s to mid-2000 beige to brown colored American-made SUV, possibly with tinted windows and a silver luggage rack. There may be slight or moderate front end damage or no visible damage at all.

TCIS detectives are looking for any information related to this incident as well as witnesses who have not yet spoken to police.

Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call Detective Bacon at (206) 684-8932. Anonymous tips are welcome.

The bicyclist that was killed was 44-year-old Mike Wang, of Shoreline, who was on his way home when he was fatally struck at approximately 3:44 p.m. on Thursday. Coworkers told KOMO4 News. that Wang rode his bike to work at Path, a global health non-profit located in South Lake Union, every day.

Wang is survived by his wife, Claire Allen, and two children.

“It isn’t fair,” Allen told KOMO. “He wasn’t finished raising his children, and I wasn’t ready to lose him.”

As for the driver of the SUV that hit Wang, Allen had this to say: “I think they must have been frightened… That’s the only explanation I can think of — that they must have been so overwhelmed and scared, or so weak that they couldn’t face up to what they’ve done.”

Queen Anne resident John Richard Cothern, 44,was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release last week for the distribution of child pornography, according to a Department of Justice new release. Cothern was living at 23 W. Galer St. at the time of his arrest in July 2010.

“Law enforcement identified COTHERN during an investigation of peer-to-peer file sharing of child pornography. COTHERN contacted undercover FBI agents over the internet offering to trade child pornography. Analysis of COTHERN’s computer revealed he was sharing more than 136,000 files,” according to the Department of Justice report.

Cothern had a history of offenses against children prior to his arrest last summer. In 1996 he was convicted of child molestation by the Yakima County Superior Court, and in 2001 he was convicted of possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of Washington federal court. From the DOJ release:

U.S. District Judge James L. Robart imposed the 25 year sentence saying this was a “very serious case to the Court because of [the defendant’s] prior child molestation conviction.”

According to records filed in the case, in 2009 undercover agents became aware of COTHERN’s activity. He had just completed supervised release for his earlier conviction. COTHERN was indicted in September 2010, and pleaded guilty in April 2011. COTHERN admitted to law enforcement that he had victimized several children. In the past he had sought employment as a teacher and camp counselor – positions that give him access to children.

Prosecutors requested the 25 year sentence writing to the court: “These child pornography images and videos that Mr. Cothern distributed depict real children being raped. Every time these images are viewed, and every time these images are traded, further abuse inflicted to the victim…Mr. Cothern’s conduct, and the conduct of others like him, contributes to the demand for more child pornography images. The trading of child pornography creates a network of offenders and opens up avenues for further child abuse.”

Read the rest of the Department of Justice news release here.

* Photo courtesy of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Local photographer Chelsea Nesvig snapped these photos from the National Night Out block party at Counterbalance Park in Lower Queen Anne last night, and decided to share them with us.

The Uptown Alliance ran the party, revitalizing a number of popular events from years past all in the name of bringing neighbors together.

Many neighbors brought lightly used clothes to the annual free clothing exchange. All leftovers from the swap/trade event will be donated to local shelters.

Block partiers also indulged in another popular returning event – the “Bite of Uptown,” which provided free food samples from Lower Queen Anne restaurants.

The Counterbalance wishing wall gave neighbors an opportunity to share their hopes and dreams for Lower Queen Anne with each other and local organizations and non-profits.

All in all it was a great time with fun, games and community togetherness.

Check out more pics from Night Out at Counterbalance Park here. If you’d like to share pictures from your Night Out block party, email tips@queenanneview.com or share a link to your pictures online in the comments below.

Bartell Drugs will be kicking off its 8th annual “School Tools for Kids in Need” drive this month, from Monday, August 8 to Sunday, August 28. Donations of school supplies will be accepted at all 58 of the drug store’s locations, including the two in Queen Anne, supporting local students through the World Vision’s Kids in Need Resource Center in Renton. From the press release:

Donated school supplies will help re-stock the Kids in Need Resource Center, where teachers–whose students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch programs–”shop” free of charge for school supplies to help meet students’ needs. Over the past year 120 schools throughout the Puget Sound region were served by the center, with an average pick up of $700 in donated items for each of the nearly 2,500 teacher visits.

Bartell’s says drives like this one are even more important in such tough economic times, when many cannot afford to purchase the items they need for school. Federal Way-based World Vision, a globally-known charitable organization, estimates that as many as 58,000 local students could begin the upcoming school year without the basic school supplies.

“With so many area children lacking basic school supplies, there’s never been a more important time to support this drive. Over the past seven years we’ve appreciated the support by our customers and the public for their donations,” Bartell Drugs Chairman and CEO George D. Bartell said in a statement.

Mead, Avery and Bic have teamed up with Bartell’s to support this year’s “School Tools for Kids in Need” drive. A “Basic Needs” list of suggested donation items found in Bartell’s “School Aisles” include:

• Paper Mate  #2 Pencils – 20 Count
• Bic Cristal or Round Stic Ink Pens – 10 pack (Blue or Black)
• Elmer’s Glue – Glue-All or School Glue/4 oz. bottles
• Kids’ Scissors – pointed or blunt
• Avery Glue Stic/2 pack – Acid-free, photo-safe, permanent and washable
• Pentel Hi-Polymer Erasers – 3 pack
• Avery Poly Binders – 1/2″ or 1″ sizes
• Crayons – 24 colors
• Avery Hi-Liter Markers – Yellow or Pink
• Erasers – 25 pack cap erasers or 4 pack pink

The Seattle Storm will also be joining Bartell’s, World Vision and Star 101.5 at a special “Back-to-School Night” game on August 28 to raise awareness and collect donations. For more information check out the Bartell’s website.

Former U.S. Commerce Secretary, former Washington state governor and past Queen Anne resident Gary Locke was sworn in as the new U.S. ambassador to China Monday, making him the first Chinese-American to hold the position, according to a report by the Associated Press. From the AP story:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton officiated at Locke’s Monday swearing-in ceremony at the State Department. She praised the ex-two-term governor of Washington state for his hard work on behalf of the American people and said he was the right person to manage the “extraordinarily important” relationship the U.S. has with China.

Locke was easily confirmed to the position by the Senate in a voice vote. As the top U.S. envoy in Beijing, he replaces Jon Huntsman, who resigned to seek the Republican presidential nomination to challenge President Barack Obama next year.

Locke served as the governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005. He was the first and remains the only Chinese American to date to serve as a governor in the United States.

A new hotel will soon be moving into Lower Queen Anne. The Four Points by Sheraton says it will be opening up its new Uptown location in mid-August at 601 Roy Street, currently the site of the Comfort Suites.

Sheraton’s parent company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is currently doing construction on the hotel, which will continue to operate as Comfort Suites until opening. This will be the first Four Points by Sheraton brand in Washington state, according to a Starwood representative.

Four Points by Sheraton director of sales Shanna Kellin says the new hotel is smaller and more service-specific than many of the other brands Starwood runs, which she says will help it cater to the feel of the surrounding neighborhood.

“While we have amenities available that most all travelers come to expect, such as Wi-Fi, comfortable beds and workspace in the guestroom, restaurant and bar onsite with room service, we want for our guests to feel that comfort isn’t complicated and that is the experience of the Four Points brand. We don’t have bellman, we don’t have rooms that you must explain how to operate them, but we have programs such as Best Brews, which feature local micro beer in our bar and we have free bottled water in the guest rooms,” she writes.

Though the hotel is currently undergoing construction renovations as it transitions into the Four Points, it still honoring reservations that were made at the Comfort Suites before construction began. The hotel tentatively plans to reopen as the Four Points on August 11, if all goes according to plan, Kellin says.

Tonight is the annual Night Out Against Crime, when neighbors across the country gather in block parties to heighten awareness for crime prevention.

View Night Out Against Crime 2011 in Queen Anne in a larger map

There are a number of block parties planned here in Queen Anne. We’ve put together a map of neighborhood gatherings. Let us know in comments below if your block is holding a get together–please be sure to include cross streets. Or you can email us at tips@queenanneview.com, or submit your block party directly to the Night Out Against Crime 2011 in Queen Anne map.

One month into the city’s Walk, Bike, Ride Challenge, a competition pitting neighborhood against neighborhood to see which can get the most residents out of their cars and onto sidewalks and trails, Queen Anne commuters are in second place for both the number of trips switching to walking, biking or riding, and in miles of driving saved.

Queen Anne-ers have racked up some 4,918 miles of driving saved so far, and are second behind Ballard in both categories. However the PhinneyWood neighborhood, currently in third place, is fast approaching Queen Anne’s numbers. Citywide program participants saved over 100,000 miles of driving in July alone.

There are still five weeks left in the competition (the program ends on August 31), so Queen Anne still has a chance to swoop in for the win and show our sister neighborhoods that just because we live atop a steep ol’ hill doesn’t mean we can’t get out and put our feet, and pedals, to the pavement. From the folks behind the Walk, Bike, Ride program:

Here’s more info on the Jul/Aug program, the neighborhood competition and the current rankings.  If you sign up you’ll receive weekly emails with encouragement and tips, and for every trip you switch you earn a change to win some great prizes, like an electric bike, iPad, night stay at the Pan Pacific Hotel and more.

The Seattle Walking Map and the Seattle Bike Map can help you take advantage of everyday opportunities to get exercise as you get around. Here’s a blow up of Queen Anne on the Seattle Walking Map with destinations in the neighborhood, travel times by foot, hills and more.

Abby says that this cat showed up at her West Queen Anne home on Friday and hasn’t left since.

The cat didn’t have a collar when Abby found it, and after keeping an eye on the little guy for a few days, she began to worry it was ill and decided to call Animal Control, who took the cat to the shelter this morning. The woman from AC told Abby that the cat doesn’t appear to be sick, but does look very thin. Animal Control will keep the pet at the shelter for three days, at which time it will be evaluated for adoption. If this is your missing kitty cat, or you know who he or she might belong to, call the shelter at 206 386-PETS (7387) and reference case number 11-9852.

The bicyclist that was struck by an SUV in a hit-and-run collision Thursday afternoon has died, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to a witness, the driver of the vehicle was attempting to turn left onto Thomas from Dexter Ave N at approximately 3:44 pm. Thursday. The driver reportedly sped up to make the turn before a line of oncoming cars approached, and hit the bicyclist who was crossing Thomas at the time. The bicyclist was rushed to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The driver took off immediately following the crash and is still at large.

The vehicle involved in the collision is described as a brown, American-made SUV with tinted windows and a chrome roof rack, according to SPD. Police are still looking for anyone with information on the incident or the driver.