News
Amish Man Challenges Photo ID Requirement to Buy Firearms
| October 25, 2015Williamspor, Pennsylvania - An Amish resident of central Pennsylvania is challenging the photo identification requirement to purchase a firearm, saying his religious beliefs prevent him from being photographed.
PennLive.com reports that Andrew Hertzler argues in a suit filed Friday in U.S. Middle District Court that the requirement violates his religious freedom and his constitutional right to possess a firearm.
Stove, Fridge Run on Propane in Amish Home
| October 21, 2015A week ago, my darling Valorie and I were privileged to be invited to an Amish home for an evening dinner and along with several friends from Marshall and Union City, we had the meal of a lifetime — meatloaf, mashed potato, fried chicken and several different sorts of pies. More about rhubarb pie later.
For me personally, this event was a culmination in my long-lasting curiosity of Amish life. How can people live without electricity in their homes? No electricity, no appliances, right?Wrong! There were three gas ranges in this home all operating with propane and as I watched the ladies cooking, I tried to figure out the ignition system.
LaGrange County Commissioners Vote Down Idea to Require Manure Bags on Horses
| October 21, 2015Lagrange County, Indiana - Commissioners in LaGrange county have decided against forcing the county's Amish residents to equip their horses with manure bags. County resident Chad Fry had started a petition, getting more than 1,600 signatures asking officials to require the bags for traffic and sanitary reasons. Fry is a life long resident of the county and says the increase in horse traffic prompted his petition drive.
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Laura
| October 20, 2015I grew up in an Old Order Amish community. My childhood consisted of lots of wonderful fellowship and friendship among the Amish, open buggy rides in the summer, and tasty Amish cooking! I enjoyed being able to grow up in such a relaxed and friendly environment.
My relationship with my parents was what you might expect from any typical child-parent relationship. We shared good memories, but we also had stressful times of disagreement and tension. Growing up, I would have never dreamed of not being Amish. However, as I grew older, as wonderful and as peaceful as my childhood was, I began to feel led by God to take some steps toward leaving the Amish.
5-year-old Dies in Crash Involving Amish Buggy
| October 17, 2015Graves County, Kentucky - A 5 year-old boy is dead and seven others injured after an Amish buggy and a truck crashed in western Kentucky.
The West Kentucky Star reports the Graves County sheriff's office says 69-year-old Robert Zimmer was driving down KY 58 West, when he collided with the buggy.
Amish Communities Continue to Grow
| October 16, 2015In an era of declining church membership for most Christian denominations, one group of believers is experiencing healthy, unprecedented growth.
In 2014, the estimated Amish population in Indiana exceeded 50,000, according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. That’s bigger than the cities of Columbus, Jeffersonville or Kokomo and more than double the Amish population of 15 years ago.
Amish Horse Spooks and Runs Away, Leaving Bontrager Family in Distress
| October 15, 2015St. Charles, Minnesota - An Amish farm family has had a frightening week after a horse-and-buggy accident last Friday.
It started when Mervin Bontrager, 28, was driving the buggy with his wife and young children on County Road 37 south of St. Charles, just south of I-90. That's when something spooked the horse.
Horsepower vs. Horse Power
| October 15, 2015Car fanatics are quick to spew stats on how much horsepower their prized Camaro or Corvette has, but do they know what horsepower even means?
For most of us, it has nothing to do with horses. For Mennonites, who live largely off the grid, what kind of literal horsepower do they have when they travel – as they do – by horse-drawn buggy?
Local Old Order Mennonites Wesley and Esther Weber explain how horsepower factors into their life.
Police: Pennsylvania Man Fired BB Gun at Horse and Buggy
| October 13, 2015Summit Township, Pennsylvania - State police have charged an 18-year-old Pennsylvania man with using a BB gun to shoot a horse that was pulling a buggy, an Amish couple and their 1-year-old infant.
Amish Cook: Author Discusses Lifestyle, Beliefs
| October 11, 2015I a welcome and enjoy discussions about the Amish way of life. After receiving questions about what it’s like to be a young Amish woman and if I’d like to have a less strict way of life, I was motivated to grab my pen and write a response to those questions.
So who are the Amish? Is it what is read in Beverly Lewis’s popular fiction books about the Amish? Is it like the far-out Amish Mafia shows? Or are they a strict group of people who refuse to socialize with the rest of the world?
Court Battle Over Amish Girl's Cancer Treatment Ends
| October 9, 2015Cleveland, Ohio - An Ohio judge on Friday formally ended a court effort to force chemotherapy on an Amish girl whose parents had defied a hospital over her treatment for leukemia, according to a ruling released on Friday.
Medina County Probate and Juvenile Judge Kevin Dunn terminated the medical guardianship for the girl, ending a legal battle over the limits on parents' rights to make medical decisions.
Wisconsin Joins Pa. in Granting Building-code Waivers to Amish
| October 7, 2015Eau Claire County, Wisconsin - A right that the Amish have had in Pennsylvania for years is now available to them in the state of Wisconsin.
An Amish dairy farmer in Eau Claire County has received the state's first waiver exempting him from provisions of Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code.
Column: Amish Community Thriving Across Indiana
| October 2, 2015In an era of declining church membership for most Christian denominations, one group of believers is experiencing healthy, unprecedented growth.
In 2014, the estimated Amish population in Indiana exceeded 50,000, according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. That’s bigger than the cities of Columbus, Jeffersonville or Kokomo and more than double the Amish population of 15 years ago.
Stink Raised Over Horse Manure in LaGrange County
| September 29, 2015LaGrange, Indiana - Lifelong Lagrange County resident Chad Fry is done horsing around and has been on a quest to get a county ordinance in place requiring horse manure be cleaned up by horse owners.
Fry has attended several county commissioners’ meetings and has petitions in support of his plan with approximately 1,500 to 2,000 signatures. Fry will be presenting that petition and making his case at the commissioners' public meeting to be held at 9 a.m. Monday.
Amish girl Taken to Buffalo Hospital for Lye Burns
| September 28, 2015Belmont, New York – A 1-year-old Amish girl who suffered lye burns in her Centerville home about 1 p.m. Monday was taken to Women and Children’s Hospital in Buffalo for treatment of possibly severe burns. According to State Police, the little girl’s mother was carrying a bucket of the powerful chemical which she was using to wash laundry but she slipped and the bucket spilled on her and her daughter. The mother also needed medical treatment after the Allegany County incident.
Murder Suspect May be Hiding among Amish
| September 26, 2015Maine - Detectives searching for Harold “Butch” Knight, who has eluded police for eight months after the murder of his wife, say they are questioning Amish leaders in Maine about whether he is hiding among them.
Detectives were recently going through the evidence, again, when it jumped out — the Amish books they had found in Knight’s pole barn near Fennville.
Man Says He May Have Shot Amish Teen
| September 22, 2015Wayne County, Ohio - A man has come forward saying he may have shot an Amish teen. The 17-year-old was plowing a field in Wayne County when he was hit in the head with a bullet. The teen underwent surgery and has since been released. Sheriff's officials tell WEWS-TV a man told them he was shooting at pigeons in the area, and thinks the bullet may have come from his gun.
IL Community Shocked After Vandals Target Amish
| September 18, 2015Ava, Illinois - In Ava, Illinois, words were written targeting the Amish to move out, words that have neighbors in the area angry, frustrated and shocked.
It was reported on Saturday, September 12 to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department that graffiti was spray-painted along Sharp Rock Road in Ava, Illinois.
Amish Boy Shot in Head by Stray Bullet while Plowing Field in Wayne County
| September 17, 2015Kidron, Ohio - A 17-year-old Amish boy was shot in the head while plowing a field Thursday morning in Kidron.
The Wayne County Sheriff's Department reports John Hershberger was struck with a .22 caliber bullet just after 9 a.m.
Investigators said it's possible the stray bullet was fired by someone hunting squirrels and it just happened to come down on top of John's head.
Damage Found on Amish Properties
| September 9, 2015Eau Claire, Wisconsin - According to the Eau Claire County sheriff's office:
A deputy was called to a home in the 13000 block of Highway M at 12:18 p.m. Saturday, and the 54-year-old resident reported finding a bullet hole on his house. There was a hole in the screen, along with a hole the size of a half dollar in the window. Later that day, another deputy was called to the same home, where the resident reported finding a bullet hole in another window.
Amish Boy, 4, Dies in House Fire
| September 8, 2015Glasgow, Kentucky – The Barren County Sheriff’s Office responded to 4766 Nobob Road at 10:43 p.m. Monday night to assist several volunteer fire departments at the scene of a house fire.
The fire claimed the life of a 4-year-old Amish male child, according to a press release from Sheriff Kent Keen.
Preliminary investigation indicates the fire started from a coal oil lantern in the kitchen area of the home.
Chesco Boy, 6, Dies in Farm Accident
| August 27, 2015Honey Brook, Pennsylvania - A 6-year-old Amish boy died after he got pinned between two horse-drawn hay carts in Honey Brook on Wednesday, police said Thursday.
The boy, whom police did not identify, was between the two carts and became pinned as they passed each other along North Birdell Road on Wednesday around 9 a.m, police said.
Fines Paid for Two Amish
| August 27, 2015Aubury, Kentucky - Fines have been paid for a second time around recently for two Amish individuals who were in violation of an ordinance in the City of Auburn. The citations were given for not having collection devices on horses to catch manure. Fines are $50 per violation.
Amos Mast and Wilbur Mast both received pre-payable citations for being caught in the City of Auburn without collection devices on their horses. This was the third time for Amos, who has been jailed already, along with his son Dan, for refusing to pay the fines and court costs for past violations. This is the first for Wilbur. Wilbur still has a pre-payable citation for not having proper slow moving vehicle tape on a piece of equipment.
Coroner Says Amish Logger Killed When Tree Limb Falls on Him
| August 24, 2015Patton, Pennsylvania - The funeral was set for an Old Order Amish logger killed by a falling tree limb in western Pennsylvania.
Cambria County Coroner Dennis Kwiatkowski says 20-year-old Benuel Swarey, of Allensville, was killed on state game lands in Clearfield Township on Friday morning.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: Matthew Schwartz
| August 23, 2015Lagrange, Indiana - At a young age, Matthew Schwartz would hurry down the long driveway at his home when he heard sirens.
Any emergency vehicle fascinated the Amish boy.
Schwartz says his parents decided to leave the Amish community when he turned 13.
YOU SHOULD KNOW: Matthew Schwartz
| August 23, 2015Lagrange, Indiana - At a young age, Matthew Schwartz would hurry down the long driveway at his home when he heard sirens.
Any emergency vehicle fascinated the Amish boy.
Schwartz says his parents decided to leave the Amish community when he turned 13.
Amish Frustrating Drivers in Kentucky as New Ruling Allows them to Ride Bikes
| August 16, 2015Kentucky - A new ruling allowing Amish people to ride bikes is creating chaos for motorists in Kentucky, according to local officials.
While motorists have long been frustrated by horse drawn carriages on the roadways, now the community is taking to bikes as well.
Recent Crashes Involving Horse-drawn Vehicles Highlight the Need for Increased Awareness
| August 10, 2015Nappanee, Indiana - Six-month-old Noah Troyer smiled as his brown eyes twinkled between the straps of the brown helmet covering his skull.
On July 22, the infant was ejected from the buggy he was riding in with four members of his Amish family during a crash at Ind. 19, south of C.R. 50 near Nappanee.
Coroner: 21-year-old Amish Man Accidentally Shot by Cousin
| August 7, 2015Smicksburg, Pennsylvania - A coroner says a 21-year-old man was accidentally shot by his 12-year-old cousin in an Amish community in western Pennsylvania.
Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman Jr. says the victim is Allen Troyer, of Smicksburg.
Lawmakers Move Closer To Amish Buggy Agreement
| August 4, 2015St. Lawrence County, New York - St. Lawrence County legislators are one step closer to finalizing an agreement concerning Amish buggy safety.
Members of the Amish community agreed to increase the amount of gray reflective tape along with other measures to help motorists see buggies at night.