New Mexico Attorney General sues troubled school district

ESPANOLA, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has filed a lawsuit against a troubled northern New Mexico school district whose finances were recently taken over by the state. The lawsuit against the Espanola Public Schools District filed in Rio Arriba State District Court on Thursday seeks to force the district to comply with an open records request for emails. Court documents say the attorney general only received less than 1 percent of the requested documents. Superintendent Eric Martinez didn't immediately respond to an email. The state Public Education Department took over the finances of the Espanola school district in November after finding some budget irregularities. The department also warned Martinez to fix other problems, including the high-profile rehiring of the high school's basketball coach, who was accused of verbally abusing players.