La Crescent star and cross may not be lit for Veterans Day

Atheist group from Madison demands removal,
as religious symbols apparently can’t be on public land

LA CRESCENT, Minn. – New plans for La Crescent’s star and cross could come up for debate by the city council later this month.

Right now, however, the city has to decide whether to light the cross and star green for Veterans Day and leave it lit for two weeks. It’s a decision up for debate out of fear of retaliation from an atheist group fighting to have the religious symbols removed. The decision to light it will come at a meeting Monday.

At a Nov. 23 meeting, city administrator Bill Waller says a ‘transition plan’ for the symbols will be brought to the council.

The city has been talking with the La Crescent Lions Club, which is interested in buying the piece of public land where the light display is located.

Members of an atheist group from Madison, Wis., want the symbols taken down, arguing that the cross and star violate the separation of church and state.