The Santa Fe New Mexican from Santa Fe, New Mexico • Page 102

B-4 THE NEW MEXICAN Sunday, December 26,2004 Week in Review Frosty fanfare Gilberto Mesa, purchasing manager at La Fonda hotel, sculpts a block of. ice on the Santa Fe Plaza on Wednesday night. La Fonda's restaurant staff volunteers time each year to create Santa's sled and reindeer out of 60 300-pound blocks of ice purchased by the city. The sculptors estimated it would take six or seven hours to complete the scene. Steve Babuljak The New Mexican La Fonda crew sculpts Plaza polar display Nothing says Christmas in Santa Fe like chain saws on the Plaza.

La Fonda executive chef Lane Warren led his kitchen crew in sawing, scraping and chiseling 60 300-pound ice blocks into Santa Claus and his reindeer. The annual event is in its 11th year and sponsored by La Fonda one of Santa Fe's largest hotels. During those 11 years, Warren said, the crew members have become experts in assembling the Christmas scene, which will remain on the Plaza through the holidays. Of the nearly one dozen men working on the sculpture, only two were new to the project. The recent cold snap that fell over the city this week provided the perfect conditions for Warren and crew.

In past years, when temperatures were higher, the crew had to wait as late as midnight to begin their work, Warren said. They began at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Indeed, onlookers who gathered in the Plaza had noses as red and bright as Rudolph's when temperatures dipped into the teens. Over the years, the sculpting crew has refined its art and learned to identify and overcome possible hurdles before they lead to disaster, Warren said.

The recipe for a spectacular Christmas sleigh sculpture begins with a flat working surface. Blocks are shaped and "welded" together by planing individual blocks of ice and placing another block on top. A bit of water drizzled between the two blocks freezes and forms a bond. Transforming ice to art isn't for the inexperienced. Hazards are aplenty, and Warren said safety is his top priority.

Experience not only makes for improved safety, it makes for better art, said Gilbert Mesa, a La Fonda purchasing manager. Mesa is the artist at the heart of the event, Warren said. "Sure, it's hard work," Mesa said. "But it's not really work. My job is to make other peoples' Christmas better." Thursday, A-l Lensic looks to the future Less than four years after reopening as a performing-arts center, the Lensic presents 250 performances a year ranging from high-school poets to internationally acclaimed artists and Nobel Prize winners.

Tickets to some events sell out as fast as a U2 concert. Now, to secure the center's long- term success, the Lensic's board is establishing an endowment fund with the Santa Fe Community Foundation. The initial goal is to raise $8 million. Sunday, Dec. 19, A-l Woman trying to get Dali prints allegedly stolen by her ex-husband A Colorado woman is seeking the return of seven prints by artist Salvador Dali that her former husband allegedly stole and stashed in a Santa Fe art-storage facility, according to documents filed last week in District Court.

The seven Dali prints, which were numbered and signed by the surrealist painter, are worth a combined $20,000. Lisa Spain, of Loveland, states that she received the prints as a wedding gift from a family member 10 to 15 years ago and was granted sole possession of them as part of a 2001 divorce settlement with another former husband. Tuesday, A-l tenced to one year in jail Monday for causing a 2003 car accident that killed his best friend and severely injured a police officer. Antonio Quintana-Pena pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide and two counts of causing great bodily harm and faced a maximum of nine years in the New Mexico State Penitentiary. Tuesday, B-l Teen says woman threatened man before shooting A 26-year-old Santa Fe woman, one of three people charged with killing a Mexican national last month, might have been the one who pulled the trigger, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing Tuesday in state District Court.

Before a gunshot rang out, Annette Dominguez told Lorenzo Lopez Flores that she had a gun and knew how to use it, and he better not spit on her floor, said a 16-year-old girl who was in the house, but not in the same room, when the shot was fired. At the time, Lopez Flores also known as Panfillo Soto was lying on the floor of Dominguez's house with his hands tied behind his back. The girl testified in a preliminary hearing being held to determine whether enough evidence existed to bind over Dominguez; her husband, Isidro Dominguez, 25; and 41-year-old Anthony Anaya on murder charges. Wednesday, B-l 11. If" Stealing a victory Property crimes inside Santa Fe city limits have numbered in the thousands in recent years.

Now a new tracking system is helping police fight burglaries. Sunday, Dec. 19, A-l Police see slide in city's rate of vehicle burglaries In October, Santa Fe Police Chief Beverly Lennen challenged her department to cut the city's auto-burglary rate by half in one month, and the department nearly met that challenge. Sunday, Dec. 19, A-10 Businessman flees on day of indictment On the same day he escaped while on jail work duty, fugitive Santa Fe businessman Michael Soutar was indicted by a Santa Fe grand jury 22 counts, ranging from tax evasion and writing, worthless checks to forgery and securities fraud, in connection with his now defunct Santa Fe Market.

If convicted on all counts, Soutar could face 56 years in prison, said Patrick McNertney, assistant director of enforcement at the state Securities Division. Tuesday, A-l Teen gets jail for fatal DWI crash A 19-year-old Espafiola man was sen- High court rejects request for recount The state Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request from Green and Libertarian candidates to order an immediate recount of votes in the Nov. 2 presidential race. The candidates were trying to overturn a state canvassing-board ruling that they pay $1.4 million before a recount could begin. The Supreme Court issued a brief order denying their petition on a 4-1 vote without stating a reason.

Thursday, A-l Colorado school considering LANL bid The University of Colorado is holding "intensive discussions" with private companies and other universities about jointly bidding on the contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory. Sunday, Dec. 19, B-l Tragic reminders With a Pojoaque billboard asking, "How many lives is one drink worth?" families hope remembering their children could prevent future drunken-driving disasters. Sunday, Dec. 19, B-l Feds aim to shroud uranium plant in secrecy Citing security concerns, federal regulators propose to exclude the public from attending a license hearing on a proposed uranium-enrichment plant near Hobbs early next year.

In addition, the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing board has filed papers asking the board to block the public from reading filings in the license application from Louisiana Energy Services the European-backed company that proposes to build the enrichment plant. Tuesday, B-l Attorney says group is free to drink psychedelic tea A Santa Fe-based group called Centro Espirita Ben- eficiente Uniao do Vegetal, or-UDV, can celebrate Christmas by drinking psychedelic tea, says its lawyer. "The UDV is now able to practice its religion again," attorney John Boyd of Albuquerque said Tuesday; Wednesday, A-l Snow a welcome sight for New Mexico's ski resorts Nature brought an early holiday gift to Northern New Mexico ski resorts on the winter solstice, dropping two to three inches of snow by nightfall Tuesday from Angel Fire to Santa Fe. Wednesday, A-l Winter storm brings snow and rash of crashes The first day of winter ushered in flurries of both snow and car accidents along local roadways Tuesday night, sending rescuers scrambling around Santa Fe County and beyond. "The roads are horrible out here," a dispatcher told law-enforcement officers around 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, B-l LANL's new wheels are the cat's meow American troops in Iraq aren't the only ones snubbing Humvees these days. While soldiers abroad spar with Defense Secretary Donald Rums- feid about the need for better armored trucks, Los Alamos security police officers are training on the Lenco BearCat, a blast-resistant, bullet-proof vehicle that is replacing the Humvee they have been using; Each one seats 10 people and costs $300,000, according to Los Alamos National Laboratory officials. Wednesday, B-l Woman sues mom of captor A woman who was held hostage and threatened with death by a man who later killed himself in the Santa Fe County jail filed a complaint Tuesday against the dead man's, mother. In the complaint, Oamille Roybal says she is entitled to damages for the emotional and psychological abuse inflicted on her by Tyson Johnson, whose family settled a lawsuit against the jail earlier this summer for an undisclosed amount of money. The complaint names Johnson's mother, Suzan Garcia, as defendant, identifying her as the personal representative of her son's estate.

Thursday, B-l Making spirits bright One thousand local kids will have a gift-filled Christmas this year, thanks to generous Santa Feans who donated presents to The Salvation Army. City residents gave more than new families in need through requests from "angel trees" set up by The Salvation Army. Thursday, B-l William Booker Kelly dead at 70 William Booker Kelly, a well-known Santa Fe attorney and scion of a prominent family whose roots in the area are centuries old, died Dec. 18 in San Luis Obispo, of pneumonia. He was 70.

Thursday, B-l Governor helped free man from Pakistani prison A California woman whose son was released from a prison in Pakistan this week credited New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson with winning her son's freedom. "I've got a grin on'my face from here to New Mexico," said Sherry Aude of Lancaster, in a telephone interview Thursday. "A dear friend of mine in Rio Rancho said all we need to do is to get in touch with Gov. Richardson and we could get Erik home." Friday, A-l Hospital lures nurses with new incentives St.

Vincent Hospital and its union crafted a new recruitment deal for nurses and technicians after the union won an unfair-labor charge it filed against the hospital for offering bonuses without negotiating with the union. The package includes relocation assistance for nurses, $1,500 to employees who refer other hires and a $3,000 sign-on bonus to newly hired nurses and techs. Friday, B-l Water-main break dampens visitors' stay Guests at two major downtown hotels had to struggle through part of Thursday without water when a water main broke at the intersection of Don Gaspar Avenue and Water Street. The break, which affected both the Hotel St. Francis and the Inn of the Governors, happened around 9 a.m.

and wasn't repaired until about 2:30 p.m. Friday, B-l Area pianists ready for second round of competition There's no shortage of pianists coming to the Santuario de Guadalupe on Monday for the second round of the International Piano Institute of Santa Fe's Competition Internationale. They will perform on a Bosendorfer Imperial grand piano sent from Los Angeles. This model has nine extra keys below low taking the instrument down to a thunderous low C. The first round in this newly established competition took place last summer.

The third is set for next June. Each round will yield up to 10 winners, chosen by jury. The finals are scheduled for August, when, according to founder Lawrence Porter, about $4,000 in prize money will be awarded. Saturday, A-l 1 Program helps rural teens make transition New Mexico Highlands University College's Assistance Migrant Program, a national program funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Migrant Education, helps ease farm workers' transitions from big skies and open fields to study groups and dorm life.

Sunday, Dec. 19, B-l 'Smaller learning communities' catch on With eight large buildings on two campuses and nearly 1,900 students, Santa Fe High School is as big as some colleges. But for a group of 125 freshmen about a quarter of the class the school has more or less shrunk to a second-floor wing of one building. These freshmen are part of a pilot project at the school that aims to create a small school within a larger school, forge deeper connections between teachers and students, and keep at-risk kids from dropping out. Monday, A-l Espafiola college chooses president An educator with a long history in administration at Northern New Mexico Community College was selected Monday to be president of the Espanola-based college.

Jose Griego, who has been dean of instruction at the college since 1992, will take over from president Sigfredo Maestas, who is retiring at the end of January. Tuesday, A-l Santa Fe Girls' School plans new sixth- grade class Santa Fe Girls' School seventh-grader Marimar Pereda wishes she could have attended the all-girls school last year, when some of the boys in her sixth-grade class distracted her from learning. "I would have liked to have gone to sixth grade here," Pereda said. "Sixth grade at my school was really bad. The boys were really mean." Starting next fall, girls who don't want to have a sixth-grade experience like Pereda's will have an opportunity to attend the school.

Director Lee Lewin said the school plans to add a sixth grade, bringing a new class of 15 students to the tiny school on West Zia Road that now has 28 seventh- and eighth-graders. Tuesday, B-l School-board races might get more attention An election that typically doesn't get much attention or participation from voters might get more of both early next year as candidates with varied experience and diverse backgrounds vie for two open seats on the Santa Fe school board. Brian Dineen, director of the Council For Educational Improvement, and former city councilor Frank Montano, both filed declarations of candidacy for the District 5 seat currently occupied by board president Donita O. Sena. A third candidate, Arthur G.

Padilla, who could not be reached Tuesday, also filed a statement of candidacy. Wednesday, A-l C'rty mulls plan to pipe water from Estancia The city of Santa Fe is considering the prospect of buying farmland in the Estancia Valley and building a pipeline to carry water from there to the city. Mayor Larry Delgado and city water officials announced the plan Thursday. While the mayor and others say the plan offers a chance to bring necessary water to the city, the proposal will likely face stiff opposition from residents in the Estancia Basin which sits about 65 miles south of Santa Fe. Friday, A-l Holiday writing contest More than 160 stories, essays and poems were sifted through by six judges to determine this year's winners, Sunday, Dec.

19, Inside Savoring a A magazine publisher has gathered traditional Northern New Mexico recipes many of them obscure to keep a culture alive. Wednesday, C-l Subordinate Claus If it's true that behind every successful man. is a strong woman, it makes sense, that Santa Claus has a spouse. Pasatiempo caught up with Mrs. Claus during an overnight stay in Santa Fe and got some surprising answers to some "naughty" questions.

Friday, Pasatiempo.