Authorities caution drivers in Michigan to watch for horse and buggies
VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI – When it comes to horsepower, the Amish have a lot of it. Police are warning motorists, though, that they need the roads just as much as drivers do. “A lot…
Ohio Amish man dies when horse-drawn trailer overturns
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, OH – An Amish man hauling lumber on a horse-drawn trailer was killed Thursday, reports say. The accident occurred Thursday afternoon on Ohio 89 in Ashland County, the Mansfield News Journal reports. Meno L.…
PA Court flushes Amish free exercise claim after 8-year sewer battle
SUGAR GROVE TOWNSHIP, PA – An eight-year conflict has left a Pennsylvania family struggling to practice their faith against a sewage ordinance in Sugar Grove Township, Pennsylvania. Joseph and Barbara Yoder, an Old Order Amish…
Animal-drawn vehicle safety measure passes State Assembly
MADISON, WI – A new law authored by a pair of local lawmakers to ensure more safety on our roadways was passed by the State Assembly on Tuesday. State Senator Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon), and Representative John Spiros (R-Marshfield) worked…
33 years on, the family stands tall
Feeling like ants in a cornfield, we meandered down the wide, needle-carpeted trails between the gigantic redwood trees at Jedidiah Smith State Park. Our six children, all adults now, scattered out ahead of us. One…
Horse buggy-car crashes a concern on NY roads
PENN YAN, NY – Rising populations of Amish and Mennonite communities in more rural parts of New York state over the past decade have meant an increase in horse-drawn buggies on the roads, and increasing…
On the Road With the Amish
I had covered many things in my 20-plus years as a reporter — but never a deadly buggy accident. Recently, though, a news brief from upstate New York caught my eye. A young Amish man…
Sam Mullet, Amish bishop who orchestrated beard-cutting attacks, asks judge to overturn his convictions
CLEVELAND, OH – Amish bishop Sam Mullet is asking the Cleveland federal judge who sent him to prison to overturn his convictions for orchestrating a series of beard and hair-cutting attacks on his enemies. Mullet argues in…
Court: Electric Sewer Pump Does Not Infringe on Amish Couple’s Religious Freedom
SUGAR GROVE, PA – The Commonwealth Court has ruled that connecting an Amish couple’s property to a municipal sewer system using an electric pump does not violate the couple’s religious freedom. A split three-judge Commonwealth Court panel…
Amish faith lost when beliefs and government clashed
PENNSYLVANIA – The caseYoder v. Sugar Grove Area Sewer Authoritywas heard in a Pennsylvania state appellate court, concluding a five-year legal battle when a 2-1 court decision ruled the Old Order Amish couple has to…