Woman fights off attacker downtown

Santa Fe police are looking for a suspect in an early-morning assault on a downtown Santa Fe street.

A 29-year-old woman told police that a man tried to kidnap her twice as she walked near the intersection of Cathedral Place and Water Street about 3 a.m. Saturday.

She told police that a man in a white T-shirt and jeans stopped the green sedan he was driving, got out and knocked her to the ground. He grabbed her near the waist and tried to drag her into his car, she told police, but when she screamed, he released her, returned to his car and backed it up until he was near her.

Then the man got out again, knocked her to the ground again and tried to pull her toward his vehicle again, she said.

The woman said she fought off the attacker and threw her purse at him. He left with her purse. She ran to a nearby hotel to call police, who couldn't find the suspect or his car.

The woman sustained minor injuries and an ambulance was called to the scene, but she did not require further medical treatment, police said. Police asked that anyone who could help identify the attacker or the vehicle call police at 428-3710.

Water line projects scheduled this week

A section of Johnson Street in downtown Santa Fe will be closed Tuesday while a city Water Division crew replaces two water service lines.

Construction will begin at 9 a.m. and is expected to be complete by 4 p.m., weather permitting, on the stretch of Johnson Street between Grant Avenue and Chapelle Street, a city announcement said.

On Wednesday, the Water Division will coordinate with Camp, Dresser and McKee Inc. to flush a transmission line in the area of South Meadow and Agua Fría Street starting at 10 a.m.

On Thursday, flushing will occur in the area of Airport Road and N.M. 599.

The work is part of preparations for the Buckman Direct Diversion Water Treatment Plant, expected to come online in early 2011.

Vehicular traffic won't be affected during the flushing, a statement said.

Free treats for train riders at N.M. 599

Inclement weather forced operators of the Rail Runner Express to delay a planned passenger appreciation event at the N.M. 599 station until Tuesday morning.

From 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., passengers getting on and off the train at the station south of Santa Fe will receive free treats courtesy of Costco, as well as commemorative Rail Runner memorabilia, a news release said.

The event is intended to mark the one-year anniversary of the opening of the station, which is linked to bus services and includes a parking area for commuters.

The celebration originally was planned for last Thursday.

Guard to break ground on new facility

The New Mexico National Guard is scheduled to break ground on a new Army Aviation Services Facility at Santa Fe Municipal Airport on Tuesday.

The approximately $35 million federally funded project will include an aircraft indoor storage building, parking for military vehicles and an enlarged aircraft parking ramp and taxiway, an announcement said.

The 75,000-square-foot structure will expand the Guard's current maintenance hangar, the announcement said, and a new flight operations building will be constructed.

The facility will house the Guard's Medical Evacuation Unit, which is responsible for providing New Mexico with high-altitude search and rescue, firefighting and general aviation support capabilities.

The Guard's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Kenny Montoya, is scheduled to join state and local officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a 10 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony.

Four Corners Monument open for visitors

It took almost seven months to complete, but the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department on Friday opened its newly constructed Four Corners Monument.

Several construction delays left some tourists disappointed this spring and summer when they tried to visit the monument marking the only point in the country where the boundaries of four different states — New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona — come together.

On Friday, however, tourists flooded in after prayers from both a Navajo and a Ute medicine man blessed the new structure, a news release from the department said.

During the construction project, the park was only open three days out of the week, leading to about a 50 percent drop in revenue for local vendors.

Admission to the park, which is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., is $3.

Botanical Garden plans annual plant sale

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden's annual plant sale is scheduled for Sept. 3 and 4 at the nonprofit's site on Museum Hill.

Plants, shrubs, grasses and handmade wreaths will be among the items offered for sale outdoors under a big tent, an announcement said.

A members-only sale is planned from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 3, with memberships for sale at the door. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 4, the sale will be open to the public.

Also, tours will be offered throughout the day.

Sam Shepard scheduled for Taos event

TAOS — Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actor, director and writer, is scheduled to visit Taos on Sept. 26 to promote his latest book, Day Out of Days: Stories.

The former Santa Fe resident and frequent visitor to Taos also will participate in a fundraising event for the 2010 Society of the Muse of the Southwest, a news release said.

Shepard is expected to read from his book, signed copies of which will be available during an event scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Taos Center for the Arts.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the door, if still available. They can be purchased at the Taos Arts Center, 133 Camino del Paseo Pueblo Norte; FX 18, 103 Bent St.; or Society of the Muse of the Southwest, 233 Paseo del Pueblo Sur.

The society sponsors live readings, workshops, conferences and festivals designed to showcase writers and encourage creativity in novice writers.

The New Mexican