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Medina, Ohio - An attorney representing a Homer Township Amish family said there are constitutional protections that should prevent the state from appointing a guardian to oversee 11-year-old Sarah Hershberger’s medical care. Maurice Thompson, an attorney for Anna and Andy Hershberger filed a brief on Friday arguing that judges overseeing their case, now before the 9th District Court of Appeals, should allow them to make the argument that their constitutional rights were violated.

Rochester, New York – A poignant and penetrating look at what it means to be cut off from faith and family, The Amish: Shunned follows seven people who have chosen to leave their closed and tightly knit communities for the outside world, knowing that they can never return. Each has paid deeply for this decision. Estranged from loved ones, these former Amish find themselves struggling to make their way in modern America. Interwoven with their stories are the voices of staunchly loyal Amish men and women who explain the importance of obedience, the strong ties and traditions that bind them, and the heartbreak they feel when a loved one falls away. Through its sympathetic portrayal of both sides, the film explores what is gained and what is lost when community and tradition are exchanged for individuality and freedom. Produced, directed and written by Callie T. Wiser, The Amish: Shunned, an American Experience presentation airs Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV. It encores Sunday, February 9 at 2 p.m.

My name is Lisa Yoder and I’m married with three children. I was the recipient of a scholarship from the Amish Descendant Scholarship Fund in 2013. I’m currently in my junior year of college, working on my Bachelors of Science degree in Registered Nursing. I grew up in an ultra-conservative Swartzentruber Amish church in central Ohio. I came from a large family and growing up we were poor but generally speaking we had what we needed at the time, and what we didn’t have we didn’t miss. My family was very close and I never thought I would leave the Amish, but time has a way of changing and re-shaping the way we view things. Sometimes circumstances in our lives shift and clarify our view and our destiny and sometimes those circumstances serve to change our views and we, in turn set out on a path to discover who we are and what our purpose is. In looking back, I have gone from one end of that road to the other as I continue to search for my own purpose.

Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania - Nearly three dozen residents from the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Penn., were in Newtown last Friday. The group spent about nine hours in town, offering support from an unfortunate point of view. These were people who were also affected by an act of violence that took the lives of five children while they were at school. The incident has forever put the name Nickel Mines into a category that Sandy Hook joined 13 months ago, that of communities rocked by gun violence.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania - It was a different technological world when Lancaster County-based Esh Computer Center started 25 years ago. It's still a different world, culturally speaking, for the company's considerable roster of Amish clients. But through it all, the company has flourished, adding both people and divisions. In 2012, according to Business Journal records, it had revenues of $3 million.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania - The first time Beth Graybill saw Lizzie Zook, Zook was riding down a country road on a motorized scooter with a tall, orange safety flag. Zook was 70 at the time and had had a stroke. But that didn't stop her from running five businesses, rental properties and property holdings; going on regular buying trips to New York City; and helping out her friends. "She was one of the first Amish women in business," says Graybill, a member of Community Mennonite Church. "But all she wanted to talk about was giving all the glory to God."

Leon, New York - The man whose gun was allegedly involved in the accidental shooting of an 8-year-old Amish boy will stand trial on Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. in Leon Court. Eli W. Wengerd, 20, of Leon, was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon after his unregistered .22-caliber gun discharged and wounded his younger brother in the chest on Dec. 12, police said.

Logan-Simpson County, Kentucky - Sixteen members of an Amish community living around the Logan-Simpson county line attended the Jan. 13 Auburn City Council meeting to voice opposition to an amendment of one of the city’s ordinances, requiring collection bags to be placed on all horses that ride through town. A first reading was held Dec. 9. The highly anticipated passing was tabled reluctantly, however, to allow the Amish one more chance to do the right thing and clean up their mess.

The Amish are an exceptional people. All sorts of exceptions apply to them. They don't participate in or receive the benefits of Social Security or Medicare. They set their own standards for education, which are not in sync with state standards. And — this may come as a surprise — they are not required to carry passports — with or without photos — when they travel to Canada and Mexico.

Rebersburg, Pennsylvania - A 12-year-old Amish boy died in a farming accident Friday at approximately 2:40 p.m., according to state police at Rockview. The boy and another Amish male were transporting silage in a horse-drawn wagon when a board on the wagon broke loose, causing one to fall from the wagon and leaving the boy hanging off the left side of the wagon as it went out of control, state police said.

Leon, New York - The man whose gun was involved in the accidental shooting of an 8-year-old Amish boy will appear in Leon Court on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eli W. Wengerd, 20, of Leon - the older brother of the victim - was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Columbus, Ohio — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by an Ohio Amish couple against a county children’s service agency that claims workers there are responsible for their adopted child being raped by her biological parents during a partially unsupervised visit.

Markesan, Wisconsin — Saturday would have been a perfect day to ice fish on Lake Mendota. I made it onto frozen water, but instead of chasing northern pike on the 9,781-acre Madison lake, I found myself among Amish families as they harvested 80-pound blocks of ice from a one-acre farm pond on Yunkers Road in southern Green Lake County.

Gouverneur, New York — Most of the North Country is losing population, and losing farms. But there's one group that keeps growing: Old Order Amish. They're drawn to the St. Lawrence Valley by the area's cheap, available farmland. They Amish live an agrarian lifestyle that's more 19th century than 21st century. But in order to support their communities and their culture, the Amish have had to find a place in the local economy, including the dairy industry and an unlikely partnership with Agri-Mark.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin — A judge is set to hear cases this week involving four Amish families who failed to obtain certain building permits, on the grounds that complying would require them to install electronic equipment that violates their religious beliefs.

Dunkirk, New York - An 8-year-old Amish boy suffered a gunshot wound to the chest this morning in Leon when one of his brothers accidentally shot a .22-caliber gun at him while they were playing, according to Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Capt. Robert Buchhardt.

Akron, Ohio - A court-appointed guardian is dropping her attempt to force an 11-year-old Amish girl with leukemia to resume chemotherapy after she and her parents fled their home to avoid treatment.

New Wilmington, Pennylvania - After two crashes involving Amish buggies in the past three days, safety on the roads is a top priority in Western Pennsylvania's Amish country. People living in those communities say too many times, drivers simply don't pay attention. Or they make risky moves and don't practice enough caution when passing buggies.

Jerusalem - Amish preacher Roy Yoder normally marks Thanksgiving the traditional way in his Montana home. But this year, he’s celebrating Hanulkah instead — in Israel. Instead of tucking in to a Turkey meal, he nourished himself on falafel, and instead of reflecting on the pilgrims, he spent the day learning about the story of the Maccabees.

Millersburg, Ohio - Drug addiction motivated them to break into two Amish homes while the residents were out at church, and now a local man and woman are looking at prison. Emanuel A. Miller, 31, of 9275 Township Road 657, Dundee, and Jolliene R. Sutton, 32, of 605 E. South St., Wooster, both pleaded guilty in Holmes County Common Pleas Court to two counts of burglary.

Ronks, Pa. - Police say a horse pulling an Amish buggy in Ronks, Lancaster County was shot by someone in a passing vehicle. It later died. According to officials, an Amish buggy carrying five passengers was traveling north in the 100 block of North Ronks Road at around 9 p.m.

DEKALB — The sweet smell of cooked apples fills the air of Verna Hershberger’s tidy Amish kitchen. Atop a wood-fired stove, apple chunks simmer inside large metal pots, making the kitchen warm and cozy on this cool fall day. Nearby, Mrs. Hershberger’s daughter, Fannie, 16, uses a hand-cranked metal sieve to separate seeds and peels from the mushy apple mixture. Several quart-sized canning jars line the counter behind her, ready to be filled with freshly made applesauce.

A group of filmmakers have teamed together to create a film that tells the chilling story of an armed gunman who walked into the one-room West Nickel Mines Amish School in 2006 killing five young schoolgirls and injuring five more before taking his own life.

The Amish and others who drive horse-drawn buggies on Allen County roads could soon be paying more for the privilege. Hoping to recover some of the expense of maintaining and repairing roads damaged by the hooves and buggies, the County Commissioners on Friday are expected to consider increasing licensing fees for the first time in several years.

A local man accused of viciously beating a star of television series "Amish Mafia" was arrested Wednesday morning. Imir R. Williams had been a fugitive since Sunday, when Strasburg police charged him with felony aggravated assault for beating Esther Schmucker on Oct. 31.

Geauga County, Ohio - An Amish man has admitted sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Parkman Township. Raymond F. Miller, 18, of Parkman Township, pleaded guilty Monday in Geauga County Common Pleas Court to rape. He now faces between three and 11 years in prison when he is sentenced in six to eight weeks by Judge Forrest W. Burt.

Cleveland, Ohio - A 71-year-old man found guilty of harassing Amish women has been sentenced to three years probation which requires him to stay away from local members of the religion and out of the area they live in south of Owen Sound.

Growing Up Amish is a moving memoir of a life and lifestyle that is foreign to most of us: the Amish. Ira was born and raised in the Amish tradition, leaving and coming back several times before leaving for good when he was twenty-six. Years later, Wagler writes this heartwarming memoir that gives us a vivid picture of Amish life.

Ohio — The alarming saga of Andy and Anna Hershberger and their 10 year old daughter Sarah, who is now in complete remission from lymphoblastic lymphoma, an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has taken yet another dramatic turn. A heated court battle has been ongoing for months since Andy and Anna decided to forgo a second round of chemotherapy treatments for Sarah at Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio after witnessing her terrible suffering and her continual pleading for the treatments to stop. Andy and Anna opted instead for the guidance of another physician at a wellness center along with the use of natural medicines. At that point, Akron Children's Hospital sued for medical guardianship of Sarah to force the chemo to continue, guardianship that was granted by an appeals court earlier this month.

Many people have misconceptions about the Amish and their way of life. While many people know that Amish are frugal, one of the biggest misconceptions due to this is that they maintain a way of life that’s reminiscent of “the good old days” and that doesn’t rely on money. However, many of the beliefs people hold about Amish culture are nothing more than myths. Here are a few different money related myths about the Amish: