By JULIA GLICK The Press-Enterprise Riverside County supervisors Tuesday adopted restrictions on residential picketing despite opponents and Supervisor Bob Buster saying the ordinance could lead to costly litigation. The ordinance, supported by Supervisor Jeff Stone and representatives of the Church of Scientology, prohibits protesters within 30 feet of the property line of a residence they are targeting in unincorporated Riverside County. The rules are scheduled to go into effect in 30 days. "I can't support this ordinance," said Buster, the only ...

The measure requires anyone protesting near private residences to remain at least 30 feet from the property line. Critics contend it violates free speech. By David Kelly 10:10 PM PST, March 3, 2009 Reporting from Riverside – Protesters targeting a Church of Scientology compound near Hemet now face stricter limits on how they can conduct demonstrations, according to a new ordinance adopted Tuesday by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. The measure, which critics say violates the 1st Amendment and gives ...

A tutoring agency in Cobb County with ties to the Church of Scientology has drawn critics along with federal dollars. Applied Scholastics pledges to offer only secular lessons. But critics who lodged four complaints last year against the nonprofit — which uses Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s teachings — wrote they feared it wouldn’t keep ideology out of the classroom. State education officials began an annual inspection in February and will observe the group’s tutoring this month. The review will include ...

Protester cited at Golden Era studios Riverside County sheriff's deputies cited a protestor on suspicion of vandalism after he was placed under citizen's arrest Saturday when flowers were trampled at the Church's of Scientology's Golden Era Productions compound outside San Jacinto. Police cited and released Donald Myers, of West Hollywood, on misdemeanor vandalism for destroying about 100 plants, sheriff's Sgt. Lee Coffey said. Myers was part of a protest that came four days after the Riverside County Board of Supervisors passed ...

OCALA - The Church of Scientology will soon call Marion County home following the controversial group's announcement that it plans to open a church and education center downtown. The church, which can claim such notables as actors John Travolta and Tom Cruise among its ranks, bought property at 50 S.E. 1st Ave., formerly home to the Weiner and Argo law firm. A spokeswoman for the church said there is no definite date set as to when the church would open, saying ...

COMING to a doctor's surgery near you: a sparky little DVD, saying "psychiatrists occupy the lowest rung of the medical profession", has been dispatched to GPs across Australia. The DVD says that psychiatrists are money-grubbing quacks who invent diseases so that they can become rich by prescribing drugs. Those evil dudes also kill 3000 people a month by prescribing psychotropic drugs, it says. While Tom Cruise's comely visage does not feature on the DVD, it is the product of that crazy ...

Scientology mission coming to downtown Ocala By Fred Hiers Staff Writer Published: Friday, February 27, 2009 at 9:29 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, February 27, 2009 at 9:56 a.m. OCALA - The Church of Scientology plans to open a church and educational center in Ocala. The church bought property in downtown Ocala at 50 S.E. 1st Ave., formerly the Weiner and Argo law firm, but a spokeswoman for the church said there was no definite date for the facility to open. The ...

The Church of Scientology cleared a hurdle in their effort to develop a religious center in Printers Row when the Committee on Zoning approved a new zoning designation for a church-owned building in the neighborhood on Tuesday. Second Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti voiced his support for the decision at the committee meeting in city council chambers. "There are First Amendment and freedom of religion issues that have been raised," he said, "but I don't think the propriety of those issues should ...

10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 By JULIA GLICK The Press-Enterprise Opponents of proposed picketing restrictions supported by the Church of Scientology raised questions Tuesday about Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone's relationship with the church's lawyer, Samuel Alhadeff. Stone has pushed supervisors for months to approve an ordinance that would limit protests targeting residences in unincorporated Riverside County, including dormitories at the church's compound near Hemet. Alhadeff has championed the ordinance on behalf of the church at several meetings. ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Riverside County Board of Supervisors tentatively approved an ordinance Tuesday to restrict residential picketing to 30 feet or more from a person's property. In a 4-1 vote – with Supervisor Bob Buster dissenting – the board accepted the final draft of the proposed measure, which is expected to be formally adopted next Tuesday. "This ordinance reduces the risk of a violent confrontation and the likelihood of residents becoming captives in their own homes, where they should enjoy ...

A zoning change that would allow the Church of Scientology to build a new church inside the vacant 650 S. Clark St. building in Printers Row is expected to be considered at tomorrow's Zoning Committee hearing. Nicole Wellhausen, a staff member for 36th Ward Ald. William Banks, who chairs the Zoning Committee, said attorneys for the Church of Scientology asked that the proposed change be placed on tomorrow's agenda. A call to Donna Pugh, the church's attorney, was not returned. Andy ...

By JULIA GLICK The Press-Enterprise Riverside County supervisors will reconsider today residential picketing restrictions that they suspended and sent back for revisions last month. The amended picketing ordinance set to be introduced today differs from the earlier one in that it would limit protests targeting residences in unincorporated Riverside County to 30 feet from the property line instead of 50 feet from the property line. Supervisor Jeff Stone has pushed for the ordinance, supported by the Church of Scientology. The church ...

CLEARWATER — Taking on the Church of Scientology in court is like picking a fight with the Russian army. When attacked, the church defends itself aggressively, wearing down opponents with a barrage of litigation while peering into their personal lives. Ken Dandar knows this better than anyone. In the 7-year-long Lisa McPherson case, the Tampa lawyer and the church waged one of the most grueling, fiercely contested legal battles in Tampa Bay history. The wrongful death lawsuit became intensely acrimonious, with ...

Mathieu Lamothe et Marie-Eve Lafontaine Le Nouvelliste —– Des employés cadres dy club de golf Les Vieilles Forges auraient été invités à signer un contrat dont l'une des clauses leur demandait de respecter la politique administrative de l'Église de scientologie de Ron Hubbard Photo: archives Le Nouvelliste - Ève Guillemette —– (Trois-Rivières) Un malaise important s'est installé au club de golf Les Vieilles Forges depuis que les employés ont appris qu'un des nouveaux propriétaires, Antonino Putorti, serait lié à l'Église de ...

It was a tiny deal in Wall Street terms. In May 2007, Wachovia Bank agreed to make what was essentially a $10 million bet with a small offshore hedge fund. No big deal; certainly no big impact on Wachovia at the time. But now, credit markets have nearly frozen. Taxpayers are shelling out $700 billion — with much more expected — to shore up a tottering financial system. Many banks, including Wachovia, have all but failed and disappeared. Venerable Wall Street ...

By Kyle Swenson 02-20-2009 2:57 PM — Work will soon begin on the three-building Autumn Wood Terrace Apartment Complex at 1316 Tulip Grove Road in Hermitage. The complex is being constructed by Bacar Constructors Inc. and is valued at $10 million. MDHA is preparing for the interior renovation of 50 units at its Gernert Studio Apartments at 1101 Edgehill Ave. The construction is valued at $1.2 million and is being handled by the Carter Group. Alan Utz & Associates have pulled ...

By: FREDA R. SAVANA Bucks County Courier Times A. Rhodes Wilson said he isn't sure what he'll do now that Plumstead has denied his application to convert an Easton Road home he owns into the Church of Scientology Mission of Bucks County. "I haven't formalized my plans," said Wilson, a day after supervisors unanimously rejected his bid to turn the five-bedroom, ranch-style house into a mission center. He had no comment about the board's denial, which is expected to be formally ...

CLEARWATER — Police investigated the role Scientology played in the suicide of a troubled young man two years ago, but did not conclude church members forced him off his antidepressant medication or contributed to his death. Last week, the mother of Kyle Brennan filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Scientology's Clearwater-based Flag Service Organization and three Scientologists, claiming they took away Brennan's medication. The suit names the boy's father, Thomas Brennan, as a defendant; along with Denise Gentile, who is the ...

Work in Sweeney canyon stopped By JAMI FORD Staff Writer Published: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2:59 PM MST Work being done in Sweeney Canyon south of Rock Springs has come to a standstill, according to Sweetwater County Attorney Brett Johnson. County residents had expressed concerns over IGSS building something unknown in Sweeney Canyon in 2008. Rumors flew as suspicions surfaced about possible links between IGSS and the church of scientology, and people started to make formal complaints. As concerns rose, multiple ...

CLEARWATER — A mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology, its Flag Service Organization and three parishioners, claiming they brought about her son's death by denying him access to his antidepression medication. Among the three parishioners named as defendants: Denise Gentile, the twin sister of the church's current worldwide leader, David Miscavige, as well as her husband, Gerald Gentile. The lawsuit stems from the death of Kyle T. Brennan, 20, who shot himself in the head ...

TAMPA - A mother is blaming Scientologists for her disabled son's death, which police ruled a suicide. Victoria L. Britton has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Scientologists, including her son's father, of taking his antidepressant prescription from him and giving him access to a loaded gun. A police investigation, however, concluded that Kyle Brennan, exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia, willingly stopped taking medication before he visited his father and that there was "no evidence they were purposely kept from" him. Brennan, 20, ...