Marine's father is in middle of battle

The church just wants unlimited use of a building, officials say.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Edward Davis Jr. simply wanted to hold a memorial service in his church for his son, who was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in late April.
Instead, the grieving father found himself at the center of a battle between the church and a suburban Chicago village, with each side accusing the other of using the planned service for Sgt. Edward Davis III to gain leverage in a building code dispute.
"I just want to have a service for my son," said Davis, a member of Cornerstone Community Church in Wadsworth, a community of about 3,000 residents near the Wisconsin line. "This is my way of having closure here."
On Friday, one day after the matter moved to federal court with a church request for an emergency restraining order to allow the continued use of the building, the village granted a temporary occupancy permit that the village president said is good for 30 days -- time enough to have the service.
But the question remains of whether Davis was a victim of the village where he lives or was used by the church where he worships.
Church's view
The way the church tells it, the village board was willing to hold up a service for someone who gave his life for his country because, of all things, the church has not yet landscaped the property.
Davis "faces a second tragedy as his hometown has forbidden a memorial service," according to a news release from a public relations firm working for the church.
"The city thought they could push around this little church," said John Mauck, the church's attorney.
Village officials argue that the whole dispute has less to do with honoring a fallen Marine than a church using the service to get what it really wants -- unlimited use of a building before getting the necessary permits to move in.
The church began building a parking lot without getting any of the proper permits, said Glenn Ryback, a member of the village board.
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