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Many people think of the Amish as living without. These devout communities, predominantly located in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, go without cars, TVs, computers, phones or even the electricity needed to run so much of 21st century gadgetry. But what researchers who have studied them have found is what the Amish have a surplus of: good health in late life. The average American life expectancy is currently just under 79 years. Back in 1900, it was only 47, but for early–20th century Amish it was already greater than 70. Over the decades, most Americans have caught up in overall life expectancy, but the Amish still have a significant edge in late-life health, with lower rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more. So how do they do it?

TEXAS - It may not be in the headlines much any more, but months after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in August 2017, the area is still recovering, and Mennonites and Amish from all over the United States are quietly contributing to those recovery efforts. Small towns, in particular, have suffered in the aftermath of Harvey's destruction without much help from the outside world. "It didn't take long for us to realize this was where we were supposed to be for now," Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Executive Director Kevin King said in a statement in September. "And we are there for a lot of reasons. There is tremendous need. These are towns that are often last on the list. They become first on our list."

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. Yoder, 51, of Polk, was hauling a stack of flat lumber on the trailer when it went off the right side of the road.

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 of these Amish people are moving into the township and the community we need to raise awareness early on before there is a problem,” said Chief Derek Babcock with the Bangor Fire Department. Babcock and Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott are teaming up. They said Amish buggy's have the same rights to the road as farm equipment and motorcycles.

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 family, have been ordered by local courts to install an electric pump in their outhouse, an action that directly contradicts their religious beliefs. Court documents from the original 2016 suit indicate that the Yoder family had previously been exempted in 2008 from the city’s demand that they connect their outhouse to the local power grid if the family paid both the connection fees and sewer charges along with monthly charges. Although the family kept up with these demands, in December 2010 the sewage authority filed a municipal claim against the Yoder’s, allegedly for “nonpayment of sewer charges.”

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 together on the bill, and Spiros says AB 475 requires all animal-drawn vehicles, such as those used by the Amish and Mennonite communities, to have two amber blinking or strobe lights mounted on the rear of the vehicle.   

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 stopped to count rings on a log, another climbed up the roots of an enormous redwood to peek in a mysterious hole in the side, another marched far ahead and returned at a brisk pace, trying to tally as many steps as possible for the day. “Would you ever have imagined this, 33-and-a-half years ago?” my husband, Paul, asked me quietly as we lagged behind. We were taking a family post-Christmas vacation in the same area of the southern Oregon Coast where we had honeymooned, back in 1984, which caused much reminiscing, even for Paul, who looks forward more than back.

PENN YAN, N.Y. (AP) — 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 concerns from law enforcement over collisions between the buggies and motorized vehicles. The New York Times reported that while there's no separate tracking of buggy accidents as a distinct traffic category, officials say it's a familiar problem, ranging from accidents where people are hurt to more serious collisions resulting in deaths of the buggy riders and the horses. Nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 101 fatalities from buggy accidents between 2011 and 2016.

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 a motion filed Friday that his former attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Ed Bryan, made a series of errors while representing him at his 2012 trial, and through two appeals. Had Bryan not committed the errors, Mullet's trial may have ended differently, the motion says.

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 driving a buggy died after colliding with a car, according to the article, which called the accident the second local buggy collision in an hour’s time. I called some government officials upstate and learned that, although statistics are scant, so-called buggy-to-bumperaccidents happen a lot. The New York State Police connected me with a sergeant devoted to dealing with Amish buggy concerns, Sgt. Bernard Kennett.

PENNSYLVANIA - The case Yoder v. Sugar Grove Area Sewer Authority was 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 connect to a sewer system using electric equipment. The family can appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court but that does not guarantee its appeal will move forward. "Americans should be free to follow their religious beliefs and this should be no less true for those like the Amish with unusual beliefs," responds Chief Counsel Randall Wenger of the Pennsylvania-based Independence Law Center.

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 consisting of Judge Robert Simpson and Senior Judge Dan Pellegrini affirmed a Warren County trial court’s denial of the injunction requested by Joseph and Barbara Yoder. The Yoders asked the court to rule that they need not be required to connect to the sewer authority system through electric means. Judge Patricia A. McCullough filed a dissent.

WARREN COUNTY, PA - After a legal battle spanning more than five years, a Pennsylvania court has agreed with a lower court ruling that ordered a Warren County Amish family to connect to a municipal sewer, even though doing so requires the use of an electric pump. In an opinion issued Jan. 5, a divided Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court said the Yoder family, who are Old Order Amish and avoid use of electricity for religious reasons, should complete the mandatory connection "without further delay."

Alymer, Ontario - A hydraulic-powered printing press in rural Malahide Township, near Aylmer, just entered its 50th year of operation printing papers for a local Amish community. It may not be long before the old machine is retired. Housed by Paul Jantzi, the old press — made by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG — is part of a now-archaic printing production involving an industrial-sized paper cutter, folding machine, and assembly line. The assembly line is used roughly once a month to compile a 20-page magazine, published through Pathway Publishers.

For some time now, I have wanted to share my history and the testimony of how I found Jesus. I grew up in an Old Order home, which is one of the more strict and legalistic Amish groups. Although I was born in the state of Ohio, I spent most of my years growing up in the state of Pennsylvania.

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WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI - Horse-drawn vehicles would need windshields, seat belts, child car seats and rear-view mirrors if the Wood County Board passes an ordinance it will consider Tuesday. Amish and other religious groups that rely on animal-pulled buggies also would need to get driver's licenses and vehicle insurance under the measure. It's an ordinance that an expert in Amish culture says is "completely impractical" and will drive those families out of the county.

STANTON, MI - A strong turnout of support at Saturday's benefit for a West Michigan family who lost three of their seven children in a buggy crash last month. A total of $50,000  was raised to help the family with medical expenses. Police say their parents, Judith and Paul, and four siblings were injured in the crash back in October. We have learned that Paul's condition has improved and he is now home from the hospital.

Hi, my name is Daniel Troyer. I was born and raised Amish and lived in Heuvelton, New York until I turned eighteen. I was never a member of the Amish church, mostly because I felt now hope and did not understand their ways. At age eighteen, I decided to leave my family and my culture behind, so I contacted my brother John, who lived in Ohio and asked if he would come and pick me up. In May of 2017, John, his wife Katie and my sister Anna drove nine hours one way and brought me back to Ohio.

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ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OH – A former Amish community member previously convicted of rape of a minor, is going to prison again for sex crimes involving two Amish girls. Jacob Weaver, 65, of Jerusalem appeared before Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra on Monday and was sentenced on two counts of gross sexual imposition, a felony of the fourth degree, and one count of attempted gross sexual imposition, a felony of the fifth degree. Vavra imposed a sentence of 17 months for the first two counts, to be served consecutively, and an 11-month concurrent sentence for the third count, for a total of 34 months.

WOOSTER, OH - A 3-year-old Amish girl ran onto a country road to greet her father standing on the other side and was fatally struck by an SUV in northeast Ohio. The state Highway Patrol has identified the girl as Dora Miller. The patrol says she was struck around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday by an SUV that investigators estimate was traveling at 55 mph, the posted speed on the road in East Union Township in Wayne County.

HIGHLAND, OH - A Highland County Children’s Services case involving a local Amish family was dismissed on Friday after the judge determined there was insufficient evidence presented at trial to indicate a 2-year-old child had been sexually assaulted. Highland County Juvenile Court Judge Kevin Greer said that while there was undoubtedly enough reasonable suspicion for authorities to file the case, testimony and evidence presented during the trial couldn’t prove sexual activity had occurred.

HENDERSON, TWP, PA - A Huntingdon woman is facing homicide by motor vehicle charges for a fatal crash that occurred along William Penn Highway in Henderson Township.  19 year-old Madison Thompson is accused of rear ending a horse drawn buggy, claiming the life of Reuben Yoder of Allensville and injuring two others on August 19th.  Police say Thompson after the first crash, Thompson crossed the center line, hitting another car before crashing into a Kwik Fill gas station.

On any Amish homestead, after labor’s last push and a check for 10 fingers and 10 toes, family members have heard one of two things for centuries. “Sis en Bu” or “Sis en Maedel.” “It’s a boy” or “It’s a girl.” That language is Pennsylvania Dutch, and the gender announcement isn’t some old-fashioned tradition the Amish use only during childbirth. They “talk Dutch” about horse manure and carrots, about the weather, and whether a buggy’s wheel needs mending before a trip to the market.

OHIO - As Ohio locals the township continues to rebound from a category-2 tornado that thrashed several properties the night of Nov. 5, many residents are getting a helping hand from neighbors they’ve never met. “We’ve got Amish coming in from all over the state that are helping on everybody’s property,” local township trustee Gary Babb said Wednesday. “Several buildings and Amish barns are already back up and they’ve got so much help they’re helping their neighbors that are not Amish.

A genetic mutation in an Amish community in Indiana that can cause fatal blood clotting has been linked to longevity and protection against diabetes, according to a study published in Science Advances this week (November 15). Previous research has shown that the gene in question, SERPINE1, produces a protein that can promote aging in mice. Levels of the protein, called plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), are higher in patients with diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular disease. PAI-1 is also known to play an important role in blood clotting, and people with two defect copies of SERPINE1 suffer from blood clotting disorders, Science reported.

GALATIA, IL -- A family living near in the Harco area says a neighbor shot their dog from a moving horse-drawn buggy in front of their home. Saturday, some members of the Walker family living on Brown Road heard the sound of a buggy going past their house. It's not an unusual sound, according to Hillary Walker, because several of their neighbors are Amish. 

Diane Bell is still sworn to secrecy so far as the details of her quest for blood relatives is concerned — but she finally knows when her story will air. Bell’s episode on TLC’s “Long Lost Family” will air at 8 p.m. Dec. 11, she revealed Thursday. The reality series seeks to reunite relatives who, for whatever reason, have been parted.

I am a former Amish from Ohio. Growing up it seemed life was simple; everything was black and white. Surrounded by others of various beliefs, we just knew we were the ones who got it right. Others were out to mislead us, and we needed to resist. It seemed that isolating ourselves would hush those others who taught things that threatened our "Amishness."  I was born in 1938 and raised in Holmes County, Ohio. I went to school at Buena Vista school, which was closed in 1957. My father decided to move to Canada at that time as some of our people, the Troyer Amish branch, had already begun a settlement in Ontario. There are several different types of Amish around Ontario. In Amish there are degrees of "Amishness," and we would have been near the lowest with Swartzrntruber Amish at the bottom.

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SHERIDAN, MI - Funeral services are Friday for three Amish children killed last Sunday when their family’s horse-drawn buggy was hit from behind by a pickup truck. Cameron Martin, 11, Kayla Martin, 9, and Kendra Martin, 7, were heading to worship services when the accident occurred near Sheridan in Montcalm County.  Lux and Schnepp Funeral Home in Carson City said services are 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Vickeryville Old Order Mennonite Church on the corner of Sloan Road and M-57. Visitation is 1 to 5 p.m. today at Leonard Schrock’s home, 7042 Vickeryville Rd., Sheridan.

Reuben Kauffman had seen his father cry only once. Then came Feb. 20, 2012, when Kauffman walked into the kitchen of his family’s Wisconsin farm home. His father sat at the dining table he helped build, reading a well-used Bible. A kerosene lamp dangled from the ceiling. Kauffman’s mother prepared scrambled eggs and homemade granola. The spartan kitchen was full of wonderful memories for Kauffman, one of nine children. The cinnamon rolls his mother made were treats that remain unmatched. The mashed potatoes and chicken were just as good.