Excerpt:
Wednesday's zoning hearing on a mosque proposed for New Castle's West End was supposed to focus on environmental issues, but it quickly turned into a discussion of religion.
Supporters of the mosque, including rabbis and pastors, argued for the Upper Westchester Muslim Society's prayer center with speeches about diversity and religious tolerance.
The often off-topic conversation frustrated residents who were more concerned with traffic, septic, lighting, noise and other environmental issues raised by the proposal for a 24,000-square-foot mosque at 130 Pinesbridge Road.