Amish in the News

GLADWIN, MI - An Amish man will spend more than a decade in prison for sexually assaulting three girls over a several years.

The day after wrapping up the Amish Heritage Foundation’s inaugural conference, executive director Torah Bontrager posted a letter of gratitude on Facebook.

"I want off the system," Gregory announced, turning to Bethany. "Let's sell the business, let's sell the house and go to Tasmania and buy a little farm. We'll turn the electricity off, sell the car. Let's not do this anymore." And that's precisely what the McCallums did. They turned Amish.

HARRISONBURG, VA — “The Mennonite game” — tracing the genealogy of a new acquaintance to find a common ancestor — might be a fun pastime for people with Mennonite backgrounds, but such a relatively shallow gene pool is also helpful for understanding the neurobiology behind bipolar disorder.

MONTGOMERY, KY - Parking is at a premium at Dinky’s Auction Barn in eastern Daviess County. Cars and trucks from across the country mingle with horse trailers and buggies filling the lot. The annual Daviess County Amish Horse Auction is underway and thousands are making their way to the event.

BRANCH COUNTY, MI - The Branch County Farm Bureau wants its state organization to get involved in helping with a local issue that has found no help in Lansing – regulation of Amish buggies and horses.

The topic for today’s and next week’s program is the Amish and their religious beliefs. Our guest for this two-part series is Joe Keim, who grew up Amish and now is a leader in MAP, which is Mission to Amish People. Joe, welcome to Search the Scriptures 24/7.

MIDDLEFIELD, OH -  Powerful storms and a possible tornado caused widespread damage across Middlefield Township in Geauga County Thursday.

HEUVELTON, NY - After hearing about a fatal accident involving an Amish wagon, St. Lawrence County legislators are once again trying to figure out if they should force Amish to improve the visibility of their horse-drawn wagons and buggies.

HOLMES COUNTY, OH - It started as a comment between friends while sitting in the stands during the 2017 Holmes County Fair. After 11 months and over 700 man hours, Thunder Buggy is a reality thanks to the hard work of Chad Clark and Mike Monter.

MIDDLEFIELD, OH - Firefighters from Middlefield and surrounding communities responded to a blaze at an Amish home on Kinsman Road.

MIDDLEBURY, IN - Jolene Weaver, 9, was only a few feet away from her school when she was hit by a vehicle.

SHIPSHEWANA, IN - People who come to northern Indiana with curiosity about the Amish and Mennonites often find their way to an Amish-country attraction that teaches them about Anabaptism.

HOUSTON - An author who wrote of her liberation from the Amish community has filed a civil lawsuit against a Seabrook man, whom she accuses of sexually assaulting her, court documents show. According to the lawsuit, the alleged assault took place Feb. 9 following a business meeting. After the meeting, Emma Gingerich, author of the book 'Runaway Amish Girl,' went with a group of people to a Kemah bar for drinks and a game of darts, court records show. 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN –  An Amish couple with 13 children sued the federal government on Wednesday, accusing officials of violating their constitutional rights by insisting that they provide photographs of themselves before the Canadian wife's request to become a permanent U.S. resident can be approved.

An Amish man was killed and two other Amish were injured after their buggy was hit by a motorist, who then fled the scene and was later caught in a southern Minnesota farm field, authorities said.

GLADWIN, MI - An Amish man accused of sexually assaulting three girls over more than a decade has accepted a plea deal rather than face a jury.

SIDNEY – Steven E. Hunter, of Sidney, was sentenced Tuesday in Shelby County Common Pleas Court to a mandatory 17 years in prison for the death of Sarah Schwartz, 23, of Maplewood who was a passenger in a buggy which was rear-ended by an SUV he operated.

DECATUR, IN - Two elderly northeastern Indiana Amish women have been sentenced to two years on probation and ordered not to practice midwifery or medicine after authorities learned they were acting as midwives without any certifications or formal training.

KENT COUNTY, DE - The Division of Public Health is investigating an outbreak of whooping cough after discovering almost 100 people in Kent County's Amish community have the contagious disease. 

In March 2017, three Amish families moved into Whitefield. Today, the population has quadrupled. The town is home to 13 Amish families, about 50 people in all, and another family is on its way.

ASHLAND, OH - The roads in northern Ashland County are a real mess because they are littered with more and more horse feces! 

MONTCALM COUNTY, MI - A truck-vs-buggy crash that killed three children and injured six other members of a Mennonite family nine months ago has led to six misdemeanor charges against the truck driver.

More than 100,000 equines enter the U.S. slaughter pipeline each year, snapped up at auctions or off of Craigslist by kill buyers who ship them to meat processing plants in Canada and Mexico.

GLADWIN COUNTY, MI - A Mid-Michigan man was arrested for several counts of criminal sexual conduct.

The Aug. 7 LNP article “Horse-drawn hazard” about horse and buggy accidents and the rules when passing a horse and buggy for Pennsylvania drivers was very informative. I have a young, soon-to-be driver and liked the link to the pamphlet with the rules for him to review.

LANCASTER, PA - Driving through Lancaster County and other parts of rural Pennsylvania will provide views of cornfields, cows and barns as well as horse and buggies, which move at speeds around 10 miles per hour. 

LANCASTER, PA - Lancaster County has the largest Amish population in the United States — a fact that brings lots of tourists, and also extra hazards on the roadway.

She couldn’t even pull into the driveway. The conversation happened a decade ago, but Sharon Tyson, of Findlay, remembers it clearly. She had gratefully let a friend pick up her four children for a church get-together earlier in the day, and, initially, when that friend called her to say that she couldn’t bring the children back, Ms. Tyson didn’t think anything of it.

COLON, MI — Anyone who has ever taken an Uber ride knows it's convenient and very popular so one man in St. Joseph County has found a way to make ride sharing more scenic.