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While he's seeking $16.5 million or more from the Town of Walkersville in his federal lawsuit, Walkersville landowner David W. Moxley wants just $1 from a grassroots organization he says conspired with town officials against a Muslim group that wanted to buy his land.

Moxley in July sued Walkersville, the Walkersville Zoning Board of Appeals, Walkersville Burgess Ralph W. Whitmore, Walkersville Commissioners Roger A. ‘‘Sam" Eyler Jr., Donald W. Schildt, Chad W. Weddle and Russell N. Winch and appeals board members Dan Thomas, Vaughn Zimmerman and Harold Roderuck in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. He alleges that the town had discriminatory motives in denying a Muslim group to use his farm for religious retreats.

On Aug. 5, Moxley added Citizens for Walkersville, Ed Marino, Steven R. Berryman and 20 "John and Jane Does" as targets in the lawsuit. He's seeking $1 from each of the "private" defendants.

Marino is president of Citizens for Walkersville, a group that organized to oppose a Muslim group's plans to use Moxley's 224-acre farm for its religious retreats. Berryman is its vice president and spokesman.

The group dominated public testimony in Zoning Board of Appeals hearings on the deal in January and February. On Feb. 7, the three-member appeals board voted unanimously to deny the Muslim group permission to use the farm for religious purposes.

In 2007, Moxley entered into a $6.5 million contract to sell his farm to the Silver Spring-based Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The Ahmadis wanted to hold an annual three-day summer religious retreat, called Jalsa Salana, which attracts about 4,500 people and my eventually draw 10,000. The Ahmadis wanted to build a 42,000 square-foot building for the retreats. About 85 local Ahmadis would have also used the building as a mosque.

Thurmont man dies

Richard A. Caudill, 43, of Thurmont was killed Aug. 21 in a single-vehicle crash just south of Thurmont, according to a press release from the Maryland State Police Barrack "B" in Frederick.

Caudill was traveling north on Catoctin Furnace Road (Md. Route 806) near Hillside Avenue at 1:06 a.m., when he drove his 2001 Chevrolet 1500 series pickup truck off the road at a turn and struck a tree.

Caudill was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found no alcohol at the scene.