Soggy Rainbow Gathering ends

An estimated 10,500 people endured a rain-soaked Rainbow Gathering over the July 4 weekend in the Jemez Mountains.

"A lot of them took cover," said Denise Ottaviano, a Forest Service public-information officer for the main July 4 event, when the Rainbow Family typically join hands in a gigantic circle to pray for world peace. This year's national gathering took place around a meadow in Parque Venado about 20 miles from Cuba, N.M. "It was really hard for people to climb up the trail," Ottaviano said. "A lot of people said their stuff was completely soaked."

The Forest Service arrived at the final gathering estimate by taking daily vehicle counts of cars and buses. "We figured the cars were full because people were picking up those hitchhiking to the gathering," Ottaviano said.

She said the number of citations and violation notices handed out equaled less than 3 percent of the people who attended the gathering — at last count about 320 citations.

The vast majority of the notices given out were for drug- and alcohol-related infractions, she said.

Hail damages Los Alamos cars

Shortly after lunchtime Monday, Los Alamos residents and employees watched as golf-ball size hail bashed their vehicles and shredded leaves off trees.

Doug Tucker, Los Alamos County fire chief, said the storm swept through all of the downtown and north areas of the town, lasting about 20 minutes.

"It broke windshields, dented exposed surfaces," Tucker said. "There's probably not a vehicle in it that wasn't damaged."

His Honda Acura "looks like someone took a hammer to it," he said.

Tucker said 14 vehicles were damaged at one fire station. At a public parking lot where about 50 cars were parked, it looked like every vehicle suffered damage.

The Los Alamos golf course was completely covered by the hail. "It looked like winter," Tucker said.

Some people were hit by hail, he said, but no one reported serious injuries.

The afternoon storm apparently missed White Rock.

Couple sues over wad of gauze

A Santa Fe couple has sued Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, claiming hospital staffers left a wad of gauze in the woman's body following an operation.

According to the complaint for damages filed in state District Court by lawyer Slate Stern of Santa Fe, on Aug. 4, 2006, Susan Ramirez-Arellano underwent surgery for a left ectopic fimbrial pregnancy — where a fertilized egg lodges in the fallopian tube or elsewhere outside the uterus.

The large wad of gauze left in her body during the surgery was not detected or removed until about two months later, according to the complaint, causing "discomfort and pain," the document says.

After it was removed, says the complaint, she suffered loss of consortium with her husband and a form of post-traumatic syndrome.

Web comment system delayed

The Valles Caldera Trust postponed Monday's expected launch of a Web-based comment system, one that was developed to encourage participation in planning for public access and use of the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos.

Trust staff said additional time was need "to review and finalize the Web products and complete a thorough testing of the system prior to launch."

The site is expected to be available in early August.

Woman reports abduction, rape

Deputies are investigating a woman's report that two men kidnapped her from a Santa Fe street and took turns raping her Thursday in an area off of Agua Fría Street.

The woman told Santa Fe County sheriff's deputies that she got off a bus at a gas station in the 2400 block of Agua Fría with a friend, who left with two other men, a report says.

The woman said she was walking toward Siler Road when two males in a 1980s Ford pickup with tinted windows and chrome rims and asked her if she needed a ride. She refused but the two men got out and forced her into the truck, drove to an area off Agua Fría Street and raped her, the report states.

The men then drove the woman to an unspecified location on Agua Fría, pushed her out of the truck and fled, the report says.

San Juan diversion plan released

Up to 37,764 acre-feet of water a year would be diverted from the San Juan River to provide water for Navajo, Jicarilla-Apache and the city of Gallup under a plan released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

A total of 35,764 acre-feet of water could be consumed per year, helping meet the water needs of up to 250,000 people through 2040 under the plan. Water consumption was estimated at 160 gallons per person per day.

The San Juan diversion is supposed to provide easier access to drinking water for Navajos who haul their drinking water and provide water to the city of Gallup, which relies on an aquifer that has declined by 200 feet in the last decade.

The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project Report and Environmental Impact Statement is another step in the 2005 settlement of Navajo Nation water rights in New Mexico on the San Juan River. A group of farmers along the San Juan lobbied against the deal, saying it provided too many water rights for the Navajo Nation, among other concerns. The settlement includes diversion of 340,000 acre-feet for use by the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.

Thinning planned near Barillas Peak

The Santa Fe National Forest proposes to thin up to 4,500 acres of forest near Barillas Peak by hand and with machines.

Some of the wood will be available for personal firewood and some will be masticated and scattered in the area.

In a preliminary assessment, Pecos District Ranger Steve Romero found that the project will have no significant impact on the environment and doesn't require an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement.

The public has until mid-July to comment on the project. For the exact day when comments are due, call 505-757-6121.

More information about this project is available David Lawrence, 1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505, 505-438-5451 or e-mail delawrence01@fs.fed.us.

Written comments may be submitted to comments-southwestern-santafe-pecos-lasvegas@fs.fed.us.

Fish fest set for Saturday

Children ages 11 and under can enjoy a free fish fest Saturday at Hopewell Lake near Tres Piedras.

The 9 a.m. to noon event is hosted by the Carson National Forest, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the New Mexico Game and Fish, the Town of Taos and many local area businesses.

The event will start at 9 a.m. and last until noon. Young anglers can learn about fish biology, fishing skills and outdoor ethics.

For more information, call Juan Martinez, 575-758-6252.