Amish in the News

ETHRIDGE, TN — As ice and snow blanketed the midstate this week, Tennesseans have found creative ways to have fun. And, the Amish community off Highway 43 in Lawrence County is no exception.

A Spartansburg woman will go on trial in Crawford County on charges she crashed into a horse-drawn Amish buggy last July, seriously injuring a young couple and their two children.

OHIO - Drivers in areas with high Amish populations should keep their eyes on the road and watch out for slower-moving, horse-drawn buggies.

WASHINGTON D.C. - On Wednesday, Joe Keim joined tens of thousands of others in Washington D.C. for President Donald Trump’s “Save America Rally.” 

New York - We have many Amish and Mennonite families in Franklin and St. Lawrence counties. Amish buggies have been granted an exception to the requirement to display a Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) symbol on the rear of their buggies and wagons for religious reasons.

LAWRENCE, N.Y. - Firefighters were able to save a good part of a house from a fire at an Amish homestead in the town of Lawrence Tuesday afternoon.

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, WI - One child drowned early Sunday afternoon after falling through ice on Twin Lake in Marquette County, the sheriff’s office says.

BROWNINGTON, VT — On a darkening December day several years ago, the temperature dropping to 10 degrees, a van with out-of-state tags pulled off I-91 and up beside the Sunoco station near this rural town. The passengers were 10 men carrying the whiff of barns and cattle. Most had bushy, untrimmed beards. All dressed plainly, as their faith demands — coarsely woven dark suits and broad-brimmed straw hats.

WEAKLEY COUNTY, TN — An 8-year-old Amish boy was killed when a fire destroyed his family’s home in northwest Tennessee late Wednesday night.

LANCASTER, PA - Prison inmate David Stoltzfus Smucker died Tuesday, less than a year after his sentencing in a case that highlighted the growing awareness of sexual abuse in his Amish community and related groups. 

COLUMBUS, OH - The Ohio House on Tuesday passed a bill that would require flashing lights on the backs of Amish buggies, a move meant to cut down on dangerous crashes.

EASTON — Two stands at the Amish Country Farmers Market in Easton have been shut down by the Talbot County Health Department.

Old Order Mennonite schools and churches that fall in the regions of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) have been ordered to close amid rising numbers of COVID-19

DOTHAN, AL - If you ride through Jackson county, you’ll still see some downed trees and damaged roofs caused by Hurricane Michael.

MECHANICSVILLE, MD - Amish Wedding season is upon us and that means it's important for drivers to keep an eye out for buggies, especially late at night.

According to the last census there are around 344,670 Amish people currently living in the United States – a number which has steadily been rising with the population doubling during the past two decades.

WINNIPEG, CANADA - A high school in Winnipeg is offering free meals to its community to thank them for their support.

Two ordinances relating to road maintenance and safety in regards to Amish horse-drawn buggies passed the Lawrence County Council Tuesday night, paving the way for those in the plain communities to begin paying what is being referred to as a “buggy tax” to offset the damage the carriages cause on county roads.

An Amish bishop has entered a probation program to resolve criminal charges that he failed to report suspected sexual abuse in what is apparently the first such case of its kind in Lancaster County.

MARSHFIELD, MO - A Webster County judge Thursday sent two Amish brothers for prison for violating terms of their probation. Petie and Aaron Schartz of Seymour, Mo. will spend 15 years in prison for their sexual abuse convictions.

MARSHFIELD, MO — Webster County Judge Michael O. Hendrickson sent two Seymour Amish brothers convicted of molesting a 13-year-old female relative to prison for 15 years Thursday afternoon.

A Pennsylvania state trooper rescued a three-year-old Amish girl from a buggy being drawn by an out-of-control horse. 

I have an idea for the state to make a chunk of change. Why not make the Amish register each of their buggies and have a yearly inspection and safety check, just like those of us with motor vehicles are required to do? I believe the buggies ruin our roads.

It has been nearly 20 years since we’ve seen those bright yellow signs with a horse and buggy symbol within, along our local roadways.

ROOT, N.Y. - A man died after he was struck by a pickup truck while operating his Amish hay wagon Tuesday night. The accident happened on State Highway 162 between Currytown Road and Darrow Road at about 8:15 p.m., Montgomery County Sherriff Jeffery Smith said.

NEW LIMERICK, ME - A Merrill man accused of hitting an Amish wagon in Aroostook County, killing one person and seriously injuring another, has been charged with manslaughter.

YATES COUNTY - The fundraiser for the family impacted by a crash involving a car and horse-and-buggy in Yates County has surpassed its goal.

In a Facebook post published by Teresa Simmons Dummons, some Amish residents from Southern Iowa traveled to Cedar Rapids on Saturday to help locals with clean-up.

SOUTH BEND, IN - The Middlebury community has rallied behind one of their own after a fire destroyed a calf barn nearly two weeks ago.

PITTSBURGH, PA - A 4-year-old Amish boy was flown to UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh on Wednesday after being kicked by a horse.