August 15, 2010
Source: The Connecticut Post
Wire Service: AP
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Couple-s-religion-Vermont-land-use-ruling-at-odds-616611.php
To Richard and Joan Downing, the 24-foot-tall cross on a hilltop on their property is an expression of their faith. To a state commission that regulates land use, it is out of character with the natural beauty of the rural neighborhood and should come down.
It's a conflict that has cropped up around the country, pitting religious freedom enshrined in the Constitution's First Amendment against the local zoning authority and state land-use control laws.