Ellwood City considers lottery for conflicted nativity display

ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. (AP) — A Lawrence County borough is considering a lottery system to solve objections from an atheists' group over a Nativity scene that has been erected annually on borough property for decades.

This week the Ellwood City borough council has given preliminary approval to a lottery that would let anyone enter a contest to erect a holiday display. The winner would then put up any kind of holiday display they wished which, borough officials believe, would prevent the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation from objecting that the borough had "endorsed" a particular religion.

Critics of the idea say the borough had better be prepared if someone wins the contest who doesn't wish to erect a Nativity.

The borough added secular symbols after the Wisconsin group complained last year.