Illinois cross draws tourists, ire from atheist

ALTO PASS, Ill. (AP) - A Chicago-area atheist objects to the $20,000 in state money that's going to an 11-story cross on southern Illinois' highest point.

Atheist Rob Sherman is threatening to sue if the landmark's overseers don't give the money back.

The 47-year-old monument draws thousands of visitors each year. But over the years, the once-glistening structure about 130 miles southeast of St. Louis began to show its age.

A group cobbled together $360,000 of the $550,000 needed to restore the Bald Knob Cross of Peace. That included the grant from the state of Illinois.

The group Friends of Bald of Knob Cross says it's considering Sherman's request.