1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ⇑ Latest ↑ Later Earlier ↓ Earliest ⇓ Oct 14, 1993
Clearwater changes foreseen from ruling — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com , link , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Ned Seaton Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Pinellas County's property tax lawsuit with the Church of Scientology is badly wounded by an Internal Revenue Service ruling that the organization is exempt from federal income taxes, Property Appraiser Jim Smith said Wednesday. CLEARWATER — Now that the Church of Scientology has been granted IRS approval as a tax-exempt religion, downtown Clearwater could be in for some major changes. Scientology has no immediate plans to buy more property downtown, the home of the organization's international spiritual headquarters, said spokesman Richard ...
Oct 14, 1993
Exemption, redemption — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com , link
Type: Press
Author(s):
Martin Dyckman Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Jaws sagged over many a breakfast table Wednesday at the news that the Internal Revenue Service has finally thrown in the towel and conceded the Church of Scientology to be a religion. Since its secretive arrival in Clearwater 18 years ago, Scientology has not been the best of neighbors. Nor has it managed to live down its wider reputation for exploiting vulnerable followers. In a memorable editorial, the Clearwater Sun — now defunct, for other reasons — once said that for ...
Oct 14, 1993
Ruling may doom Pinellas tax suit against Scientology — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com , link
Type: Press
Author(s):
Wayne Garcia Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The IRS' exemption of the Church of Scientology may doom the county's effort to collect a tax bill exceeding $7.9-million. CLEARWATER — Pinellas County's property tax lawsuit against the Church of Scientology is badly wounded by an Internal Revenue Service ruling that exempts the organization from federal income taxes, Property Appraiser Jim Smith said Wednesday. The two sides are headed back to mediation that likely will result in many, if not all, of the Scientology properties being removed from the property ...
Oct 13, 1993
IRS: Scientology is tax-exempt religion — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Wayne Garcia Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The agreement ends a fight that lasted decades. And the deal may help Scientologists avoid paying millions of tax dollars in Clearwater. The Internal Revenue Service says the Church of Scientology and its myriad entities don't have to pay federal income taxes, ending a 40-year battle with the controversial church over its purpose and methods of dealing with opponents, which included burglary and intimidation. In the past week, the Internal Revenue Service issued 30 "determination letters" that exempted 153 Scientology churches, ...
Oct 13, 1993
Scientology surrounded by secrecy, controversy — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link
Type: Press
Author(s):
David Barstow Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) In 1975, the Church of Scientology used a front company to secretly buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel in downtown Clearwater for $2.3-million. There has been controversy ever since. Shortly after making the hotel its worldwide spiritual headquarters, Scientologists issued an internal directive outlining a plan to "fully investigate the Clearwater city and county area so we can distinguish our friends from our enemies and handle as needed." It called for protecting "ourselves against any potential threat by taking control of ...
Aug 12, 1993
Scientologists buy historic building — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Wayne Garcia Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The Church of Scientology now owns one of this city's most historic storefront buildings but might not for long if it completes a land-swap deal. The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology Religious Trust bought the J. D. Baskin Building, 115 S Garden Ave., in June for $500,000 from Imre and Anne Tozser of Clearwater, courthouse records show. The [Jefferson Davis] Baskin building, Scientology's 14th purchase in Clearwater, is being traded for a parcel controlled by the Indiana-based Mitchell Foundation, said Richard ...
May 18, 1993
Scientologists plan expansion — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Wayne Garcia Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The organization adds one property and plans a 2,500-seat auditorium for another in Clearwater. CLEARWATER — The Church of Scientology added a 13th property to its list of Clearwater holdings Monday and unveiled plans to build a 2,500-seat auditorium that will be available to be rented for public events most of the year. Scientology officials said the auditorium, being designed as part of a $40-million building planned for the former Gray Moss Inn site, will play an important role in downtown ...
Apr 5, 1993
Counseling center redesigned / Groundbreaking for the Scientologists' domed, $40-million center in Clearwater is expected by the end of the year — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Wayne Garcia Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Church of Scientology officials are retooling designs for their $40-million counseling and training center on the site of the old Gray Moss Inn, across the street from the Fort Harrison Hotel religious retreat. A model of the six-story Technical Delivery Building features a broad domed roof and concentric white concrete circles around one side that recall the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Scientologists expect to break ground on the new building at 215 S Fort Harrison Ave. ...
Nov 10, 1992
Group seeks money to expand — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger ,
Wayne Garcia Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The Church of Scientology is asking its members for $40-million in donations so it can pay for the new building it plans to put up in downtown Clearwater. The church has received at least $7.4-million, including three donations of more than $1-million each, according to a flier mailed recently by the church. But the flier asks members to contribute more, because the building would help expand Scientology worldwide. The Church of Scientology has its international spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. Some denounce ...
Jul 13, 1992
Letters // Time to work together — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Jun 10, 1992
The do drop inn — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Heavy machinery is used Tuesday to demolish the Gray Moss Inn in downtown Clearwater. The Church of Scientology Religious Trust will use the land to build a counseling and training center.
Apr 20, 1992
Scientologists cited for crowded apartments — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The church says it will move some residents of Hacienda Gardens to satisfy the Clearwater building code. CLEARWATER — The Church of Scientology has been cited by city building officials for overcrowding in apartments. In recent inspections, city officials determined that 34 apartments were overcrowded at Hacienda Gardens, a complex at 551 N Saturn Ave. used mostly for church staff. James Bond, the church's director of renovations, said some of the residents would be moved to different apartments, so that no ...
Nov 12, 1991
Scientologywood // Putting the CULT back in Culture — Village Voice
Type: Press
Author(s):
Russ W. Baker Source:
Village Voice And now, the next Walt Disney Studios— the Church of Scientology! That is, if entrepreneurs connected with the Hollywood based cult can muscle into the film business with their proposal to homogenize films by tailoring them to the tastes of the unwashed masses. It all began last July, when Future Films, a new, eccentric studio, began running ads in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter touting its revolutionary ideas. No one knew what to make of it all. The grand concept, to ...
Nov 11, 1991
Scientology's children: "They took our lives" — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: whyaretheydead.info , scientology-lies.com , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Eleven-year-old Laura Hutchinson went to Girl Scout camp scared. Not scared of camp. Camp would be fine. Laura was scared that when she returned, Mom and Dad might be divorced. Tom and Carol Hutchinson, self-employed commercial artists in the Atlanta area, had been having marital problems. When Tom started getting counseling at Atlanta's Dianetics center, affiliated with the Church of Scientology, Carol objected. The parents fought as Laura left. But when Laura came back, her parents were together. By then, both ...
Nov 11, 1991
Scientology's children: On education — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: whyaretheydead.info , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Like the church he founded, the teaching methods espoused by L. Ron Hubbard create controversy. And they are spreading, across the United States and around the world. L. Ron Hubbard wrote science fiction stories and founded a religion — but he didn't stop there. He went on, according to his followers, to achieve tremendous breakthroughs in education. There are now more than 150 Hubbard-method schools around the world. They achieve superior results, according to supporters, and are free of drugs and ...
Nov 10, 1991
Scientology's children: 'I still have nightmares' — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) [Picture / Caption: Kristi, left, and Beth Erlich grew up in the Church of Scientology, but eventually left. In the top photo, taken by their mother when Kristi and Beth were children, the two girls perform TR-Zero, Scientology drill that calls for two people to stare at each other "without any compulsions todo anything." The routine is designed to improve communication skills.] When Beth Erlich was 11, she signed her first contract. A billion-year contract. Beth didn't understand it too well. ...
Nov 10, 1991
Scientology's children: Saving the world — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Scientologists believe they are saving the world from insanity, war and crime. "Saving the world is an understatement," said former member Kenneth Wasserman. "Saving the universe" is more like it, he said. This intense sense of purpose explains why some Scientologists are willing to work 12-hour days for $30 a week. Others pay up to $800 for an hour of counseling, and one couple brought a $35,000 counseling package. Critics say this sense of mission has another consequence: Next to saving ...
Aug 27, 1991
Scientology plan called tax avoidance — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com
Jul 17, 1991
Letters: Don't use religion politically — Clearwater Times (Florida)
Jul 8, 1991
Ex-publisher sought by creditors — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link
May 5, 1991
Mediator will hear tax fight — Clearwater Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com , link
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
Clearwater Times (Florida) Attorneys for the Church of Scientology and Pinellas County will meet Monday to see if they can avoid a lengthy court battle. CLEAR WATER — Pinellas County and the Church of Scientology have been facing off for years, preparing for an epic court battle over whether the Scientologists should pay millions in local property taxes. Attorneys for the county and the Scientologists will meet Monday, but not before a judge. Instead, they will meet behind closed doors, before a mediator. Both ...
Mar 20, 1991
Scientologists plan new training center — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger ,
Laura Griffin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The Church of Scientology said it plans to tear down the Gray Moss Inn and build a six-story, $42-million religious training center in its place. The 170,000-square-foot building would be at 215 S Fort Harrison Ave., across the street from the Fort Harrison Hotel, which Scientologists use as an international retreat. Construction could start in May and last two years. The glass-covered building would feature a covered walkway above Fort Harrison Avenue, and a 65-foot-tall atrium in a lobby. A company ...
Feb 9, 1991
Group's tax status in question — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Alan Zimmet, an attorney hired by the city of Clearwater, said Scientology officials seem to admit in the new court ruling that they are not tax-exempt. The court ruling upheld a Clearwater city ordinance that requires churches to file financial disclosure forms. While the ruling was not really about taxes, it did say that donations to the Church of Scientology for auditing and training were not covered by the ordinance, because courts have said that those donations are not tax exempt. ...
Feb 8, 1991
Donations are open, judge rules — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: Continued from page 1 , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The ruling says the law does not apply to donations the Scientologists receive for "auditing and training." Auditing is a Scientology counseling process. [Heber Jentzsch] said almost all donations the Church of Scientology receives are for auditing or training. "That's the whole of Scientology," he said. "That's really what we do." Asked if the organization received donations for any other purposes beside auditing and training, Jentzsch said, "I don't know."
Jan 1, 1991
Scientologists are sued for $127,000 — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger ,
Teresa Burney Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Five companies are suing the Church of Scientology for more than $127,000, claiming that the organization has failed to pay its bills for construction work and equipment. Besides those lawsuits, the Scientologists have settled five others within the past two years from companies that claimed they were owed more than $39,000 for items ranging from travel services to construction materials. Scientology was founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the author of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. Scientologists ...
Dec 31, 1990
Church of Scientology facing suits / Five companies say Scientologists haven't paid their bills. The group denies it is having financial difficulties. — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com
Sep 19, 1990
Gray Moss Inn's buyer remains a mystery — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Sep 18, 1990
Gray Moss' buyer is a mystery — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Jul 31, 1990
Scientologists plan historical museum / The group is spending about $1-million in a major public relations effort — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Mar 7, 1990
Californian buys Gray Moss Inn // Clearwater Hotel sold for $1.65-million — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Curtis Krueger Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The Gray Moss Inn, a turn-of-the century downtown hotel, has been sold to a California lawyer for $1.65-million. The hotel at 215 S Fort Harrison Ave. is across the street from another landmark Clearwater hotel: the Fort Harrison. The Fort Harrison Hotel is owned by the Church of Scientology, which has its worldwide spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. The buyer of the Gray Moss is Los Angeles lawyer Bert B. Babero. The sale was handled by state Rep. Gerald S. "Jerry" Rehm, ...
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