Espanola paper wins litigation grant

ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) - A weekly newspaper in northern New Mexico has been awarded an $11,000 grant from the Knight FOI Fund to press litigation against a state college for disregarding basic requirements of the open records law.

The grant given to the Rio Grande Sun in Espanola was announced Friday by the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Officials with the Missouri-based group say it's the first grant awarded for a New Mexico case since the fund was established.

The award is expected to help defray the Rio Grande Sun's legal costs in a lawsuit brought against regents and administrators of Northern New Mexico College.