TRI In The News

Grayson County Sued Over Zoning Decision

From WRIC.com
Original article available here.

INDEPENDENCE, Va. (AP) - An interfaith spiritual organization is suing Grayson County for refusing to allow it to build a retreat center near the New River.

The Rutherford Institute said Wednesday that it filed the lawsuit on behalf of The Oracle Institute in Grayson County Circuit Court. The civil liberties group focuses on First Amendment and religious liberty issues.

According to the complaint, the Board of Supervisors denied Oracle's zoning permit after several local ministers and their parishioners spoke against it at a public hearing. The lawsuit says the critics complained that Oracle's philosophy did not mesh with the community's Christian beliefs.

County Administrator Jonathan Sweet did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.