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News from around Eastlake:

Wards Cove moves offices: It's the end of an era as the Wards Cove company has moved out of its offices in the 2800 block of Fairview Avenue E. The company, which operated a fishing fleet in Alaska, has occupied space on the Lake Union waterfront in Eastlake for decades. In the last few years, the firm has redeveloped its location into commercial office space, a marina and a dock for houseboats.

Joel Blair, director of real estate for the company, says the firm's offices have been relocated to North Lake Union, although he will stay in a space on Fairview. One of the tenants in the office building behind the original Wards Cove office will be taking over the space. The new tenants should be in the space by mid-January.

Local student in "Nutcracker:" An Eastlake student is dancing in this year's production of "Nutcracker" at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Tiona Francisco, a sixth grader at Forest Ridge, dances the role of Tall Servant at PNB through Dec. 27.

New providers at Eastlake Massage: There are three new providers at Eastlake Massage, 3103 Eastlake Ave. E. They are:

• Melanie Silwick, LMP, a 2004 graduate of the Center for Massage and Natural Health in Weaverville, N.C. She specializes in deep tissue and treatment massage. Melanie worked at various spas across the country before moving to Seattle.
• Erin Forbush, LMP, has been in practice for six years. She learned deep tissue and Swedish massage at Bastyr University and the Brenneke School of Massage. 
• Phi Huynh is licensed as an East Asian Medicine Practitioner (EAMP) and nationally board-certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). He graduated from Bastyr University and also studied at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine where he received advanced Chinese herbal training. He specializes in treating allergies, automotive and sport related injuries.

Eastlake Massage is currently offering a special: $150 for three massages.

Capitol Hill Seattle has all the details ont the lockdown of Lowell Elementary, 1058 E. Mercer, this afternoon (Wednesday, Dec. 14).

From CHS' report:

Seattle Police swarmed the blocks around Capitol Hill's Lowell Elementary and locked down the school Wednesday afternoon after a parent escorting his child on a field trip recognized a wanted fugitive on the outing.

The suspect, Donald Vasser, 39, fled after police were called. SPD says he turned himself in to the King County Jail shortly before 6 p.m.. 

According to a press release from the school district:

Students were allowed to leave the school after being escorted onto buses, or if they were picked up by their parents, but the remaining students stayed at the school under lockdown until police determined the suspect was no longer in the area. At that point, after roughly 90 minutes, the lockdown on the school was lifted and students were allowed to leave.

Parent volunteers at Seattle schools are supposed to be subject to a criminal background check, but the district's press release said that, due to a miscommunication, that wasn't done in this case.

UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published to include information that Donald Vasser has turned himself in to authorities.

Seattle Police reports for Eastlake this week include several burglaries and disturbances:

• Dec. 6: Burglary, residential, 2600 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 11:18 p.m.: This home was entered sometime between 3 and 6 p.m. Numerous items were taken. A bag containing a crowbar and wire cutters was found in the living room.
• Dec. 6: Theft, miscellaneous, 2200 block of Eastlake E., 11:28 p.m.
• Dec. 7: Liquor violation, 2300 block of Minor E., 2:06 a.m.
• Dec. 7: Burglary, residential, 2000 block of Yale E., 3:05 p.m. Tools belonging to contractors were missing from a tool shed inside the building. The shed could only be accessed by key-holding residents in the building. There was no sign of forced entry.
• Dec. 7: Auto theft, 2600 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 10:30 p.m.
• Dec. 8: Burglary, residential, 2900 block of Fairview Ave. E., 6:59 p.m.: An unknown suspect entered a residence in the 2900 block of Fairview E. between Dec. 6 and Dec. 8 by prying open a back door. The suspect stole two computers, jewelry and alcohol. Fingerprints were taken from liquor bottles that may have been handled by the burglar.
• Dec. 9: Disturbance, 1100 block of Fairview N., 8:57 a.m.
• Dec. 9: Car fire, Eastlake E. and Harvard E., 5:02 p.m.
• Dec. 10: Accident investigation, Fuhrman E. and Eastlake E., 1:18 a.m.
• Dec. 10: Noise disturbances, 2500 block of Yale E., 3:04 a.m.
• Dec. 10: Disturbance, Eastlake E. and E. Lynn, 11:01 p.m.
• Dec. 11: Property damage, 2300 block of Franklin E., 12:30 a.m.
• Dec. 11: Car prowl, 3100 block of Portage Bay Pl. E., 1:51 p.m.
• Dec. 11: Car prowl, 2300 block of Franklin E., 5:55 p.m.
• Dec. 11: Theft, miscellaneous, E. Louisa and Franklin E., 6:39 p.m.
• Dec. 11: Disturbance, Eastlake E. and Portage Pl. E., 11:46 p.m.
• Dec. 12: Disturbance, 1900 block of Eastlake E., 3:19 a.m.
• Dec. 13: Disturbance, 2400 block of Boylston E., 3:07 a.m.
• Dec. 13: Burglary, commercial, 1100 block of Eastlake E., 11:45 a.m.

See the map at 911seattle.com.

Investigators from the Seattle Police Department and the King County Medical Examiner are investigating human remains found in the 3100 block of Fairview Ave. E. in Eastlake.

The Seattle Police Department says that at approximately 9:55 a.m. Saturday morning, people conducting a census of the homeless found what appeared to be a decomposing human leg bone on a wooded hillside on the east side of Fairview. The site is adjacent to the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge.

The Seattle Times quotes Heroes for the Homeless founder Tricia Lapitan as saying that three volunteers from the group were checking the area when one volunteer stepped on a plastic bag that appeared to contain human remains. 

"I guess it was from the knee down, and it was pretty decomposed," Lapitan told the Times.

The SPD reports the the King County Medical Examiner took possession of the remains. The SPD Homicide Unit is investigating the scene.

The area is marked off with police tape and investigators were seen bringing boxes of evidence down the hill and raking through leaves searching for more material. TV trucks and a police command center are set up in the area.

Eastlake residents and employees of nearby businesses were stopping by to see what was going on. 

One police officer said that investigators would probably be combing the location for evidence all night.

RELATED COVERAGE:

• Seattle Times' story is here.
• KING 5 News story is here.
• KIRO 7 has a story here.

UPDATE: This story has been updated since it was first published. New information from the Seattle Police Department has been added.

SeattlePI.com is reporting that an Eastlake apartment building is among five settling with the city of Seattle in a case of discrimination charges.

Eastlake 2851 was among six apartment buildings accused in October by the city's Office of Civil Rights of discriminating against black and disabled people. Five of the cases have been settled; the sixth has not settled.

The city tested 56 properties, with 26 of the tests focusing on race and 21 focused on disabilities. According to an October press release from the Office of Civil Rights:

Eastlake police reports for the week include burglaries, car thefts and more:

• Nov. 30: Mischief, nuisance complaints, 1500 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 7:58 a.m.
• Nov. 30: Liquor violation, 2200 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 1:43 p.m.
• Nov. 30: Auto theft and recovery, E. Boston and Eastlake E., 2:25 p.m.
• Dec. 1: Burglary, no force, residential, 2700 block of Fairview Ave. E., midnight. Entry was made to a parking garage. A garage door opener was stolen from an unlocked car and that was used to gain entry. Two of four security cameras were stolen and one was turned to the wall. No word on what, if anything, was stolen.
• Dec. 1: Car prowl, 800 block of E. Allison, 11 a.m.
• Dec. 1: Mischief, nuisance complaints, 3100 Fairview Ave. E., 5:52 p.m.
• Dec. 1: Vehicle theft, E. Newton and Franklin E., 9 p.m.
• Dec. 2: Narcotics activity, 2000 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 11:19 a.m.
• Dec. 2: Theft, building, 1900 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 5 p.m.
• Dec. 3: Disturbance, other, 2300 block of Yale Ave. E., 12:45 a.m.
• Dec. 3: Auto theft, 2200 block of Franklin Ave. E., 11:30 p.m.
• Dec. 3: Theft, 1900 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 3:12 p.m.
• Dec. 3: Car prowl, 2000 block of Franklin Ave. E., 9:15 p.m.
• Dec. 4: Car prowl, 2000 block of Franklin Ave. E., 3:25 p.m.
• Dec. 3: Burglary, residential, unoccupied, 2000 block of Yale Ave. E., 4 p.m.
• Dec. 5: Burglary, residential, unoccupied, 2000 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 7:10 p.m.
• Dec. 4: Burglary, residential parking structure, 1500 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 2 p.m.
• Dec. 4: Bike theft, 2200 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 10:30 p.m.: A black Marin Fairfax bicycle, 19-inch, with a red taillight attached to the seat post, was stolen between 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 5. The owner is offering a $250 reward for safe return of the bike. If you have information, contact the owner by going to his ad on our classified system.

See the map at 911Seattle.com.

UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. Details of a bicycle theft the night of Dec. 4 have been added.

Many in Eastlake will remember the story of David "Squirrelman" Csaky, a homeless man who built an elaborate treehouse just off the north end of Eastlake Avenue.

He lived in the treehouse, which came complete with a pot belly stove, until he was forced to move by the city in April 2008 after the treehouse was torn down.

Kevin Heutink knows Csaky's story well. Heutink worked at a nearby catering company as Csaky's treehouse took shape. He watched the treehouse grow and eventually met and befriended Csaky. An aspiring filmmaker, Heutink decided to tell Csaky's story in a documentary.

The film, "Out On a Limb," is finished and will be screened at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, at Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave. on Capitol Hill. The screening is free.

Heutink says he got the chance to meet Csaky through one of his co-workers who met Csaky when he was on a scavenging mission in the neighborhood. Csaky invited everyone at the catering company to visit his treehouse.

"I was up in his treehouse after work that very same night upon seeing his pot belly stove burning brightly overhead," Heutink writes. "And the same story essentially played out nearly every night after that until the treehouse's eventual demise: Get off work around 1 a.m., climb his ladder with film kit in tow and conduct fireside interviews until 2 or 3 in the morning."

Heutink started videotaping Csaky in February 2008 and followed his story with his camera for the next two years. Also photographing Csaky at that time was Seattle P-I photojournalist Josh Trujillo, who lived with his family on a nearby houseboat.

At the same time, Heutink also began documentaries on Pete Nelson, one of the world's foremost treehouse building experts and the author of a book on treehouses, and James French, a homeless Real Change vendor who was living in Belltown. 

"When the time came to review my footage for these various projects," Heutink writes, "I realized that I wasn't dealing with three separate films, but rather three characters that belonged in the same documentary because their individual journeys combined to create a big picture perspective of the times we live i; i.e., global economic meltdown and the ensuing fun to be had by all."

With the help of film school friends from England (writer Eamonn Murphy and editor James Paul), Heutink was able to weave the three stories together.

As for David Csaky, Heutink reports that he's living with a roommate in a Mount Vernon apartment. He does various part-time, manual labor jobs and his income is supplemented with a monthly Social Security check (he has a severely damaged spine, Heutink says).

The documentary was partly funded by grants from the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, 4Culture and the Edward Mother Earth Foundation. Heutink hopes to take it on the film festival circuit and, eventually, see it broadcast on PBS.

CORRECTION: This story has been changed since it was first posted. An earlier version said Heutink was from England. He's a Seattle native but attended school in England.

Highlights of this week's Eastlake police reports include a residential burglary and several disturbances:

• Nov. 24: Noise disturbance, 2000 Franklin Ave. E., 4:26 a.m.
• Nov. 25: Burglary, residential, unoccupied, 1800 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 2:36 p.m.
• Nov. 28: Fire, 1900 block of Yale Ave. E., 11:27 a.m.
• Nov. 27: Noise disturbance, 2900 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 3:19 a.m.
• Nov. 28: Theft, 2000 block of Fairview Ave. E., 4:42 p.m.
• Nov. 29: Liquor violation, 2200 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 1:46 a.m.
• Nov. 29: Driving while under the influence, Eastlake E. and Portage Bay Pl. E., 2:48 a.m.
• Nov. 29: Disturbance, 1900 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 6:46 p.m.
• Nov. 30: Disturbance, 2300 block of Eastlake Ave. E., 6:10 a.m.
• Nov. 30: Auto theft and recovery, E. Boston and Eastlake E., 2:25 p.m.

See the map at 911Seattle.com.

The Eastlake Community Council is co-sponsoring a Lake Union cruise to see the opening night of the Christmas Ships on Thursday, Dec. 1.

The trip will be on the historic icebreaker The Islander. Boarding begins at 5:30 p.m. at 1611 Fairview Ave. E. and the ship departs at 6:45 p.m. The boat returns to the dock by 9 p.m.

The cost is $15 (kids are free up to age 4). Your ticket gets you a spaghetti dinner (vegetarian with a meatball side option), Caesar salad bar, garlic bread, cookies and fruit punch. There's a no-host cash-only bar.

Bring a food item or cash donation for the University District Food Bank.

Tickets are available online at BrownPaperTickets.com or you can get them at the site's office at 220 Nickerson. More information is at info@eastlakeseattle.org or call 206-329-5824 or 206-322-5463.

Mary Hansen, Eastlake gardener extraordinaire, has been busy planting an avenue of trees on E. Lynn between Minor and Fairview. 

The new garden space, which features four red vine maples, is across the street from Hansen's own amazing garden. Hansen and her volunteers had to remove concrete from the planting strip. Under the concrete was gravel that had to be dug up to make room for the trees.

The work isn't done, Hansen says. They need volunteers with picks, shovels and buckets to help dig out the remaining gravel and crushed concrete. The work will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday. The trees will be planted on Saturday.

Hansen encourages everyone to stop by and help out.

"It's a great way work off the Thanksgiving feast and create beauty in our Eastlake," she says.