Plain People in the News February thru March 2025

 Place: Cardondale, Illinois.

Group: New Order Amish.

One child killed, one seriously injured in horse-and-buggy crash.JACKSON COUNTY, Ill. (WJPF) – A traffic crash involving a horse-and-buggy has killed one child and seriously injured another. The accident happened around 8:15 a.m. Thursday on Highway 127 in rural Murphysboro.The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says Jawone Newell failed to slow down and rear ended the horse drawn cart.Two Amish children were on board the cart. They were both taken to a St. Louis hospital where one child later died.https://www.cilfm.com/2025/04/04/one-child-killed-one-seriously-injured-in-horse-and-buggy-crash/

Place: Unknown.

Group: Amish.

 Former Amish Work Horse 'Watching Past Flash Before His Eyes' Brings All the Feels. Kathleen Joyce.Yahoo! Life.Wed, March 26, 2025 at 9:00 PM GMT. What does a rescue work horse think about their old life before they were rescued? Was it all trauma, or were there happy moments as well? Is it something that's more complex than we'll ever really know?Those questions were on the mind of horse rescuer Danielle Keller after Finn, a former Amish work horse, seemingly had his past life flash before his eyes after catching sight of a pair of Amish work horses plowing a field from his stable. Finn locked onto them immediately, and Danielle sincerely wondered what was going through his mind." For more information:https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/former-amish-horse-watching-past-210000506.html

‘They deserve another chance too’: Palazzo Stables rescues four horses slated for kill farm.

By RACHEL WACHMAN, Monitor staff.

Published: 04-02-2025 5:58 PM.Concord Monitor. Shawntel Palazzo couldn’t resist the plea she saw on Facebook to rescue four Amish work horses in Pennsylvania before they could be sent to a kill farm in Mexico.“When I saw that they needed help, and it was on a time crunch, we decided to go save them,” said Palazzo, who owns the family-run Palazzo Stables in Deerfield.Alongside three members of her team, she packed a trailer with halters, lead ropes, hay, water, bandages and other first aid supplies before setting out at 5 a.m. for what would become a 17-hour round trip to Pennsylvania and back.  For more information: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Deerfield-Palazzo-Stables-rescue-horses-60286559

Place: Gladwin, Michigan.

Group: Old Order Amish- Kenton, Ohio, churches.

Amish man dies after collision with SUV that was passing a school bus.

Updated: Mar. 19, 2025, 2:10 a.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2025, 11:11 a.m. MLIVE.By Gus Burns.SAGE TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 27-year-old Amish man, who was operating a horse-drawn carriage, has died following a March 3 head-on collision with an SUV in Gladwin County’s Sage Township.The 53-year-old driver of a northbound orange Dodge Journey was attempting to pass a school bus when he struck the horse and buggy that was traveling southbound along North Bard near Sullivan.Representatives for the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Henry Troyer died of blunt-force trauma about 8:40 a.m. on March 14 at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. The manner of death is accidental.Troyer’s horse died at the scene. The driver of the SUV was treated for nonfatal injuries. For more information: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2025/03/amish-man-dies-after-collision-with-suv-that-was-passing-a-school-bus.html

Driver won’t face charges in fatal Amish buggy crash.

Updated: Apr. 06, 2025, 2:11 p.m.Published: Apr. 05, 2025, 6:00 a.m. By Gus Burns.MLive.

GLADWIN COUNTY, MI -- A driver attempted to pass a school bus and crashed into an oncoming horse and carriage in Gladwin County’s Sage Township on March 3.The driver of the horse-drawn buggy, a 27-year-old Amish man named Henry Troyer, died of blunt-force trauma at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor on March 14.Gladwin County Prosecutor Mark Toaz on April 4 confirmed his office will not file criminal charges related to the crash.“It appears that the driver simply did not see Mr. Troyer upon initiating his attempt to pass, and did not have adequate time and space to avoid the collision, which is consistent with the statement made by the driver and other witnesses,” Toaz told MLive via email. For more information: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2025/04/driver-wont-face-charges-in-fatal-amish-buggy-crash.html

Place: Fultonville, Montgomery County, New York.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss.

 Amish barn fire under investigation in Glen.

By WNYTUpdated: March 31, 2025 - 1:04 AM.Published: March 29, 2025 - 9:39 PM. A fire that burned down an Amish barn is under investigation.The Town of Glen Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a barn fire in the town of Glen at 12:50 p.m.Firefighters said it took about an hour and a half to bring the fire under control.The fire happened on Lang Drive near Route 161 in the Town of Glen.There were no injuries and the fire department said the barn was a total loss.Chief Jonathan Brisbane of the Town of Glen Vol. Fire Department said that there was slight heat damage to the house and a next-door supply storage barn.The area was shut down by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office while crews battled the flames. For more information: https://wnyt.com/top-stories/amish-barn-fire-under-investigation-in-glen/

Investigators: Motor malfunction caused Amish barn fire in Glen.

By WNYT.March 31, 2025 - 11:30 PM A fire that burned down an Amish barn in the town of Glen was caused by a motor malfunction, the fire chief said.The fire broke out on Saturday.The barn was home to an Amish woodworking business.No one was hurt. For more information: https://wnyt.com/top-stories/investigators-motor-malfunction-caused-amish-barn-fire-in-glen/

 Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 The Amish farmer who ignited outrage over raw milk and rose to MAGA fame along the way.Bethany Rodgers.USA TODAY NETWORK. March 27, 2025.As a follower of the carnivore diet, holistic skincare specialist Danny Neifert largely avoids grains and veggies and subsists almost entirely on meat, which she says makes her feel sated and healthy.To round out her meals, though, she supplements with dairy — or, more specifically, with unpasteurized milk, cheese and ice cream that she's carefully sourced from an Amish farm more than 1,500 miles away. A styrofoam box loaded with these raw milk products arrives on her Colorado doorstep most months, each package costing her more than $100 in shipping fees. For more information: https://www.goerie.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/27/how-did-this-amish-milk-farmer-become-a-maga-icon/81160544007/

Place: Ashland County, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss and/or Swartzentruber.

 50 people attend Amish Women’s Health Day in Ashland County.

Submitted.March 31, 2025.Ashland Source.Health professionals set up booths from 9 a.m. to noon inside UH Samaritan Medical Center in Ashland, offering a variety of services and information. There were also mobile units available outside.ASHLAND — A group of 12 local health agencies, including OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center, Ashland County Health Department, and Wooster Community Hospital, hosted a health event last Thursday for Amish women in Ashland County. For more information: https://www.ashlandsource.com/2025/03/31/50-people-attend-amish-womens-health-day-in-ashland-county/

Place: Eklhart/LaGrange, Indiana.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline.

 1 dead after strong winds blow over Amish buggy.

By WNDU.com and Debra Worley.Published: Mar. 31, 2025 at 4:03 AM GMT ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU/Gray News) – One person was killed Sunday when strong winds blew over an Amish buggy in Elkhart County in Indiana, according to officials with the National Weather Service.The National Weather Service said the buggy flipped over on State Road 13 near Millersburg during a severe weather event in the area.The person’s identity has not yet been released.The death is being reported in a preliminary local storm report from NWS Northern Indiana.There was widespread damage in the area, including a building that may have been crushed in the storm and several downed trees and power lines. For more information: https://www.wpganews.com/2025/03/31/1-dead-after-strong-winds-blow-over-amish-buggy/

Police identify man killed after strong winds blow over Amish buggy in Elkhart County

Police say it happened on County Road 20 near County Road 41 just southeast of Middlebury.By WNDU.comPublished: Mar. 31, 2025 at 2:31 AM GMT|Updated: Mar. 31, 2025 at 9:02 PM GMTELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - Police have identified the man who was killed when strong winds blew over an Amish buggy yesterday in Elkhart County as 84-year-old Lonnie Yoder.According to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, it happened around 5:30 p.m. on County Road 20 near County Road 41 just southeast of Middlebury. Officers and medics say Yoder was not conscious and not breathing. He was later pronounced dead.The is no word on the condition of the horse.Strong winds were also to blame for a death in Valparaiso, as police there say a 34-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a semi-trailer that flipped onto its side. For more information:https://www.wndu.com/2025/03/31/1-dead-after-strong-winds-blow-over-amish-buggy-elkhart-county/

Place: Chacchagua, Costa Rica.

Group: Beachy Amish-Mennonite.

 Los Menonitas de Chachagua.

Photo essay by Adrian Delgadillo. March 27, 2025.The Record (Goshen College). Costa Rica, a small Central American nation, is the home of a sizable Conservative Mennonite population. In 1968, my uncle immigrated with his family to the Arenal region of central Costa Rica. His family, along with a handful of others, were amongst the first Mennonites to call the country home. Costa Rica is historically known for its peaceful approach to both global and local politics as the only country in Latin America to boast no military. Given the combination of untouched wilderness and a culture of peace, it only makes sense that the Mennonite tradition would take hold there. In a land of religious freedom and anti-violence, Mennonites seem to bond well with the warm and welcoming culture of Costa Rica.  For more information: https://record.goshen.edu/features/las-menonitas-de-chachagua

Place: Dauphin County & Cumberland County (Newburg), Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

Quaint Maryland town terrorized by Amish teens on raucous Rumspringa gap year. By Nic White.Published: 16:10 EDT, 22 March 2025 | Updated: 10:49 EDT, 25 March 2025 Daily Mail.Ben Gerrard had just sat down for Sunday lunch when he got a text from his friend Kurt that began to unravel a bizarre small-town crime spree.'My pride flag got stolen last night, did yours?'Gerrard was out of town, so he checked his doorbell camera to see if the LGBTQ flag was still flying from the porch of his house in Chestertown, Maryland.His was gone too. Mystified, he wound his Ring doorbell footage back until 12.41am and caught the heist in action. For more information: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14491411/Amish-Rumspringa-lgbtq-pride-flags-stolen-Chestertown-Maryland.html

Place: South Dakota.

Group: Schmiedeleut Hutterites.

 Bird flu in SD: Millions of birds dead, worry shifting to humans. By Bart Pfankuch - March 24, 2025.South Dakotah News Watch.Farmer John Wipf, shown in 2019, oversees agricultural operations at the Oaklane Hutterite Colony in Hanson County. The colony has suffered two outbreaks of bird flu in the past two years. (Photo: Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch). BRIDGEWATER, S.D. – As bird flu ravages poultry farms across the country – including in South Dakota – fears are growing that the highly contagious avian influenza virus could mutate and begin to spread widely among the world's human population.The virus already has caused devastating effects in the state, which has seen the second-highest number of outbreaks in commercial poultry flocks in the nation. For more information:https://www.sdnewswatch.org/south-dakota-sd-bird-flu-killing-chickens-turkeys-h5n1/

Place: Wheat Ridge, Adams County, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Isaac churches (Holmes County).

 A day well spent: 2025 Amish Adams County Bird Symposium.

March 20, 2025.Pike County News Watchman. By Rebecca Thomas.Roman Mast was a birder who also happened to be Amish. He had a dream. Mast wanted to draw other birders to the Wheat Ridge community to learn more about birding. With the help of Edge of Appalachia Preserve Director Chris Bedel and another area resident, Randy Lakes, the Amish Adams County Bird Symposium started in February 2004. It was an instant success. Speakers, vendors, and live birds kept people coming. Each year, it is a sellout. For more information:https://www.newswatchman.com/comment/a-day-well-spent-2025-amish-adams-county-bird-symposium/article_6d769596-a524-4c17-828a-f737b476736b.html

 Place: Parke County, Indiana.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Amish residents in Parke Co. help family after tornado hits their property.

by: Zach Stidham.Posted: Mar 21, 2025 / 05:29 PM EDT . My Wabash Valley.ROCKVILLE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Last Saturday morning, an EF1 tornado hit Parke County including the residence of John Cole and his family.The damages include the destruction of a more than 125-year-old barn, destruction of another building that also totaled the 2 vehicles, and some minor damage to their house.Cole said after this storm settled his family was approached by some local Amish residents they knew and offered to help.“They voluntarily reached out to us after the tornado and said that they wanted to help get things cleaned up, so they have been over here cleaning up the yard and cutting down the trees,” said Cole. “It has been really heartwarming.” For more information: https://www.mywabashvalley.com/news/local-news/amish-residents-in-parke-co-help-family-after-tornado-hits-their-property/

Place: Quincy / Coldwater, Michigan.

Group: Old Order Amish; Allen County, Indiana churches.

 Massive egg laying barn put to use in Girard Township, another under construction.

Don Reid.Coldwater Daily Reporter. March 19, 2025.Amish businessman Alvin Miller is constructing large barns in Girard Twp. to house egg-laying hens.Each barn will hold 80,000 free-range chickens, producing nearly 80,000 eggs daily.Miller partners with an egg supplier who manages the chickens and egg collection, while he oversees the barn and labor.GIRARD TWP. — Since work began on a massive barn on Gorbell Road north of Jonesville Road last fall, and now on a second one on Jonesville Road, the community has asked, "what are they?"The owner, Amish businessman and contractor Alvin Miller, provided the answer."They are egg laying barns," he said. For more information: https://www.thedailyreporter.com/story/business/agricultural/2025/03/19/girard-township-barn-to-house-egg-laying-hens/82517047007/

Place: Seymour, Missouri.

Group: Old Order Amish- Seymour churches.

Webster County rebuilds after tornado.

by: Jared Henry.Ozarks First.

Posted: Mar 17, 2025 / 11:36 PM CDT.Updated: Mar 18, 2025 / 07:35 AM CDT. WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. – People in Webster County are starting to rebuild after an EF1-rated tornado tore through rural areas. The Amish community in the area suffering most of the damage. Now neighbors are coming together to help.“It was me and also two other guys up cutting trees down, trees that had been taken down through by the tornado,” says Rex Cole, who lives less than a mile from the damage.Cole wasn’t the only person in the area stepping up to help, telling me the rural Webster County area is a close community.“There was a lot of people bringing food, helping just move food, set up places, clean up just to make it easier on them, just to help out a neighbor,” says Cole.One of the Amish properties lost a large chicken coop during the storm on the evening of March 14th, by the 15th new walls were already going up.“It’s a huge community. I mean, there was probably 1500 people there Saturday helping clean up,” says Cole.No one was injured during the storm, according to county law enforcement.“It happened and it happened in seconds. It was literally seconds,” says Charles Heil, who says he spent most of Saturday running supplies to his neighbors.“Anything that happened over here, my Amish neighbors, his neighbors would be here to help me without question,” says Heil.https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/local-news/webster-county-rebuilds-after-tornado

Tornado! Seymour area hit; barns, cell tower and homes among Friday’s damage.

By Dan Wehmer, Webster County Citizen.

March 19, 2025.The entire second floor was blown off this Amish home near Nation School Road in rural Seymour.CITIZEN PHOTO/Dan Wehmer.Severe damage is shown at an Amish farm about six miles north of Seymour.CITIZEN PHOTO/Dan Wehmer.A confirmed EF-1 tornado struck the Seymour area and southern Webster County early Friday evening, inflicting a great deal of property damage in a span of 19 minutes while the twister touched down about seven miles north of Seymour in the High Prairie community. For more information: https://www.webstercountycitizen.com/news/article_8fe783c4-0422-11f0-930c-4f5261487a38.html

Place: Fort Plain, New York.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss.

Amish children in NY face compulsory vaccination as court crushes religious freedom.

Times Staff.Published: March 8, 2025.St. Vincent Times. In a chilling blow to religious freedom, Amish children in New York are now being forced to receive vaccinations against their families’ deeply held beliefs—under threat of massive fines and exclusion from their own private schools.The ruling, handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on March 3, 2025, marks a dark milestone in government overreach, stripping one of America’s most peaceful religious communities of their constitutional rights.The Amish, known for their steadfast commitment to faith and self-sufficiency, have long resisted government-mandated medical interventions. For centuries, they have lived apart from modern society, rejecting outside interference in their way of life. For more information: https://www.stvincenttimes.com/amish-children-in-ny-face-compulsory-vaccination-as-court-crushes-religious-freedom/

OPINION: NY’s Amish communities, vaccinations and the battle for the ‘greater good’.

By Chadwick Moore. New York Post.Published March 15, 2025, 10:00 a.m. ET.New York’s Amish community has become an unlikely minority on the frontlines of a battle pitting Constitutional rights against potentially draconian public health laws.On March 3, the New York’s Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Amish people who challenged a 2019 repeal of New York state’s longstanding religious exemption for school vaccination requirements. For more information: https://nypost.com/2025/03/15/opinion/nys-amish-vaccinations-and-the-battle-for-the-greater-good/

Editorial: The Wall Street Journal on measles outbreaks and school vaccine exemptions.Published 11:21 am Thursday, March 20, 2025.The measles outbreak that began in Texas is now up to 228 cases in two states, 23 hospitalizations, and one dead child, and still health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is hedging on the obvious, which is to get vaccinated.“Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses,” RFK Jr. wrote in an op-ed, though parents should “understand their options to get the MMR vaccine,” for measles, mumps and rubella. Then in an interview, he promoted treatment of steroids and cod-liver oil as producing “almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery.” For more information:https://enewscourier.com/2025/03/20/editorial-the-wall-street-journal-on-measles-outbreaks-and-school-vaccine-exemptions/?utm_source=site&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=recirculation.

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Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Author to release book on Amish wedding celebrations, customs [Q&A]. REBECCA LOGAN | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE March 16, 2025.Anybody who has been on a back road in Lancaster County early in the morning on a Tuesday or Thursday between October and January has likely seen Amish buggies heading to weddings.Beth Oberholtzer interviewed some young men who tend to the equines that pull them there while researching “Working Horses of Lancaster County.” She also touched on Amish weddings when she wrote about celery — which can appear in dishes or as decoration — in another book, “Amish Gardens of Lancaster County.” Seeds for a new project were planted.“The thing that really nailed it was someone showing me a wedding planning book that was especially for Lancaster County Amish weddings,” Oberholtzer says. “And it was amazing. I couldn’t believe the lists of people and jobs. So, it just kind of stewed in my mind.” For more information: https://lancasteronline.com/author-to-release-book-on-amish-wedding-celebrations-customs-q-a/article_73f27146-0126-11f0-b781-835c4b41b9a9.html

Place: Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Group: Lehrerleut Hutterite.

Visiting our Hutterite neighbours.

By Joan Janzen.Your West Central Voice (Canada).KINDERSLEY - Dotted across the prairies, you'll find numerous Hutterite colonies. We may meet these individuals in our communities while shopping or at local markets. They are our neighbours, producers of grain, livestock, poultry, garden produce and many other products.Recently, I had the opportunity to tour Springfield Hutterite Colony, located seven miles east and three miles north of Kindersley. The colony of 126 souls was founded in 1991 as a subdivision of Smiley Colony.There are three different branches of Hutterites: Schmiedeleut, Dariusleut and Lehrerleut. The Springfield Colony is the latter. Each branch has slight differences in style of dress and the structure of their organization. For more information: https://www.yourwestcentral.com/articles/visiting-our-hutterite-neighbours

Place: Geauga County, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish.

 Dozens of fire departments battle fire at rural Middlefield grocery store.

By Avery Williams and Kelly Kennedy.Published: Mar. 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM GMT|Updated: Mar. 15, 2025 at 2:25 AM GMT.Cleveland19.MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio (WOIO) - Dozens of fire departments responded to Nature’s Nook; a grocery store on Bundysburg Road in Middlefield Township in Geauga County that mostly serves the Amish community.It started at around 3 Friday afternoon and neighbors like Bryon Bierer were stunned to see so much action on his normally quiet street.“I saw the black billowing tower of smoke and it was covering everything,” said Bierer. For more information: https://www.cleveland19.com/2025/03/14/several-fire-departments-respond-middlefield-fire/.

 Fire Destroys Nature’s Nook Salvage in Middlefield.

March 18, 2025.Geauga Maple Leaf.

An accidental fire destroyed Nature’s Nook Salvage and Grocery store on Bundysburg Road in Middlefield Township March 14.Middlefield Fire Lt. Ben Reed said a call came in at 2:22 p.m. about a lot of black smoke at 12960 Bundysburg. The store, popular with local Amish families, was full of dried foods, paper products and lighter fluid, like most salvage stores, making the fire in the block building hard to fight, Reed said.“It was kind of a nightmare,” he said, adding the rural location had no fire hydrants, so water had to be hauled in. “We had to call in a bunch of fire departments,” Reed said. For more information: https://www.geaugamapleleaf.com/news/fire-destroys-natures-nook-salvage/

Place: Pleasureville, Kentucky.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Isaac churches (Holmes Co.).

 Doing it right rather than over: Schrock’s operated by new couple who keep old traditions, quality of Amish furniture.

By Bobbie Curd.March 12, 2025, Updated Mar 30, 2025. PMG KY-1.James Edrington says he and wife Sallie may be new owners of Schrock’s Country Kitchens & Furniture in Pleasureville, but what they do and how they do it will all stay the same.“We took over ownership back in September, and there will be no changes …” Edrington says. “It essentially runs itself as long as you have the right people in place to do the job.”And he says the right people still include former owner Gideon Schrock, whose family relocated back to Michigan last year. The company is known for its custom furniture and cabinetry, especially Amish-crafted pieces. For more information: https://www.pmg-ky1.com/henry_county_local/henry_county_local/doing-it-right-rather-than-over-schrock-s-operated-by-new-couple-who-keep-old/article_1add0cb6-be57-5a59-ba2b-b7f9e0e2c3ef.html

Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Leacock Township toddler killed in farming accident over the weekend.

JACK PANYARD | Staff Writer, Lancaster Online.March 17, 2025.A Leacock Township toddler was killed in a farming accident over the weekend, according to an obituary published Monday.Martha G. King, 16 months old, died Saturday afternoon after emergency crews were called to a location near 113 Horseshoe Road for a report of a cardiac arrest. Emergency calls provided no other details about what was happening at the scene.The Lancaster County Coroner reported King died of multiple traumatic injuries and ruled the death accidental. The office did not share any details of what happened. For more information: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/leacock-township-toddler-killed-in-farming-accident-over-the-weekend/article_1edb6856-035c-11f0-8b4f-d75d8b60f40e.html

Place: Vernon County, Wisconsin.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss.

How Wisconsin became Amish country.

By Larry Scheckel.2025-03-16.The Country Today.The Old Order Amish moved into southern Monroe and northern Vernon County starting in 1966. They came from Holmes County, Ohio, and settled in the Cashton area. They are now the largest Old Order Amish conclave in Wisconsin, numbering 300 families with a population of 3,000. Land was fairly cheap back then and they wished to farm using horses and raise a family in a quiet setting.In September 2024, I watched an Amish house and barn being built up off Highway A in southern Monroe County. After the initial foundation of each were constructed of cement blocks and a wooden floor laid, a multitude of Amish men and boys constructed the house in two days and the barn in three days. When I say multitude, I’m talking 40 to 50 fellows that know what they’re doing. They have done it before. For more information: https://www.newsbreak.com/the-country-today-1593253/3858285544500-how-wisconsin-became-amish-country

Place: Lawrence, Van Buren County, Michigan.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss (?).

One child dead, one critically injured after woman rear-ends Amish buggy.by Teanna Barnes and Ivy S. Fowler | News Channel 3. Wed, March 26th 2025 at 11:54 AM. Updated Wed, March 26th 2025 at 3:30 PM.VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. — A young girl is dead and a boy is in critical condition after a buggy crash.A 31-year-old Mattawan woman was arrested for "suspected substance use" after she rear-ended an Amish buggy on County Road 215 and 60th Avenue Wednesday, killing an 8-year-old girl and critically injuring a 12-year-old boy who were both passengers in the buggy, according to Michigan State Police (MSP) officials.The horse pulling the buggy also had to be put down due to its severe injuries from the crash.The driver had children in the car as well, however, they were unharmed, troopers said. For more information: https://wwmt.com/news/local/fatal-buggy-crash-one-dead-one-injured-child-van-buren-county-horse-woman-arrested-suspected-substance-use-county-road-215-60-avenue-michigan-state-policee

 Community mourns young life lost in buggy crash, calls for caution on local roads.

by Tylor Brummett | News Channel 3.Thu, March 27th 2025 at 9:08 PM. Updated Thu, March 27th 2025 at 11:10 PM.LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A community is grieving after a child was killed and another was critically hurt after an SUV hit the Amish buggy they were in Wednesday morning in Lawrence Township.It happened on County Road 215 and 60th Avenue, according to Michigan State Police (MSP). Police said a 31-year-old woman from Mattawan was arrested for "suspected substance use." Sallena Pritchard works near where the crash happened and told News Channel 3 that she's seen the children before while they were in the buggy. For more information: https://wwmt.com/news/local/buggy-crash-lawrence-township-child-dead-van-buren-county-kids-hurt-mourn-michigan-caution-horse

Sheriff: Amish community asking for privacy following crash that killed 8-year-old girl.

March 27, 2025. WSJM.Following a crash between an SUV and an Amish buggy that killed an 8-year-old girl in the buggy this week, the Amish community in Van Buren County is asking for privacy.Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott has issued a statement following the Wednesday crash in Lawrence Township, saying the Amish community has reached out to him and asked the public and the media to back off as it prepares funeral arrangements for the girl.Abbott says as part of their beliefs, the Amish community requests to not be videotaped, recorded, or interviewed, and it “asks the media to respect their wishes and give them privacy during this difficult time.” Additionally, they’re asking for no media presence at the girl’s funeral.Abbot thanked the community for its understanding. For more information: https://www.wsjm.com/2025/03/27/sheriff-amish-community-asking-for-privacy-following-crash-that-killed-8-year-old-girl/

A push to stop drivers from crashing into horse-drawn buggies in SW Michigan.

March 27, 2025.Justin Hinkley.Bridge Michigan.An 8-year-old Amish girl died Wednesday and a 12-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition after an SUV crashed into their horse-drawn buggy on a country road in Van Buren County.Just a week earlier, a 27-year-old Amish man died after a vehicle plowed into his horse-drawn carriage on March 3 in rural Gladwin County.A total of 261 such crashes killed 18 people in Michigan between 2016 and 2023, the most recent year data is available from the Michigan State Police.Now, a $70,000 effort is underway in southwest Michigan to try to prevent crashes between motor vehicles and buggies, and a State Police official said similar work could happen elsewhere in the state in the future. For more information: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/push-stop-drivers-crashing-horse-drawn-buggies-sw-michigan

Mattawan woman charged in Amish buggy crash that killed girl, critically injured boy.

by Katie Sergent and Carter Landis | News Channel 3.

Fri, March 28th 2025 at 2:49 PM.Updated Sat, March 29th 2025 at 8:29 PM.LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Mattawan woman has been charged, two days after an Amish buggy crash led to the death of a young girl and sent a boy to the hospital in critical condition. Friday, Sheila Kershner, 31, was charged with the following, according to court documents obtained by News Channel 3:Operating while intoxicated causing death, Reckless driving causing death, Homicide - manslaughter with a motor vehicle, Operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, Reckless driving causing serious impairment of bodily function, Fourth-degree child abuse, Two counts of operating while intoxicated - occupant less than 16. For more information:https://wwmt.com/news/local/sheila-kershner-amish-buggy-fatal-crash-lawrence-township-crime-police-charges-court-van-buren-county-west-michigan

Place: Bremen, Marshall County, Indiana.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Nappanee churches.

 Siblings ages 13, 10 and 9 dead in car-buggy crash in Marshall County.

by Gabbi Lumma, WSBT 22 Reporter.Wed, April 9th 2025 at 9:55 AM. Updated Thu, April 10th 2025 at 9:23 AM.  MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — Three Amish siblings between the ages of nine and 13 from the Bremen community are dead after their pony cart and a car collided Wednesday morning.The three children were riding in a pony cart on Fir Road when the cart collided with a car.Three juveniles were killed in a car vs. buggy crash south of Bremen. (WSBT video)Glenda Jo, Darrell and Devon Yoder were on their way to school, taking Fir Road with their pony cart as their neighbor says they do every morning, but they never made it. For more information: https://wsbt.com/news/local/medical-helicopter-called-medflight-car-versus-buggy-crash-south-bremen-accident-collision-injuries-fir-road-4th-street

Parents of three Amish children who died in accident meet with driver.

The Amish family believes the driver was "a tool in God's hands" used to bring the children "home to Jesus." By Dan Spalding.News Now Warsaw.BREMEN — Last week’s tragic accident near Bremen that left three young Amish children dead has led to an emotional turn of events for both families involved.The three children died while they were riding in a pony cart on Fir Road in Marshall County and were rear-ended by a car driven by a 17-year-old girl.Soon after the accident, the parents of the three children, Kevin and Inez Yoder, invited the driver and her family to their home to console her. For more information: https://www.newsnowwarsaw.com/parents-of-three-amish-children-who-died-in-accident-meet-with-driver/

Teen's mom says Amish family forgiving in crash that killed kids.

WVPE 88.1 Elkhart/South Bend | By Jeff Parrott. Published April 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM EDT.The mother of the teen who drove into a horse-drawn cart near Bremen, killing three Amish children, says the children’s family reached out and expressed forgiveness toward her daughter over the weekend.Killed instantly Wednesday morning were the pony cart’s 13-year-old driver, Glenda Yoder, and her brothers, 10-year-old Darrell and 9-year-old Devon.

The 17-year-old driver’s mother, Tracy Coleman, on Sunday posted a message on Facebook saying the crash was an accident, and not all accidents involve recklessness. She said her daughter, Sienna, turned over her phone to prove she wasn’t texting, her car’s black box shows she wasn’t speeding, and a toxicology test verified she wasn’t impaired. For more information:  https://www.wvpe.org/wvpe-news/2025-04-14/teens-mom-says-amish-family-forgiving-in-crash-that-killed-kids

After buggy crash that killed 3 kids: No Indiana minimum age for driving horse carts.

South Bend Tribune.

BREMEN — A Marshall County crash on April 9 killed three Amish children in a horse-drawn cart, ages 9, 10 and 13. But the state of Indiana doesn’t have a minimum age for operating buggies, wagons and carts, The Tribune's newsgathering partner, WNDU-TV, reported.  The three children who died in the crash were all siblings, identified as Glenda Jo Yoder, 13, Darrell Yoder, 10, and Devon Yoder, 9. A car driven by a 17-year-old ran into the back of their cart at 8 a.m. near Fir Road and 4th Road just south of Bremen, WNDU reported. Attorney Dan Armstrong of the firm Keller and Keller spoke with WNDU about the concerns of trying to restrict such carts. “One of the difficulties of course is not infringing on the way of life of a segment of the population that we have, so trying to make that balance between making the roads safer, but at the same time accommodating people who live a certain way and have certain beliefs,” Armstrong told WNDU. “It’s a tricky thing, I think.”  Armstrong told WNDU that he doesn’t represent anyone involved in the crash but he has experience in similar crashes. As for safety equipment, he said most of the horse-drawn vehicles don’t have seat belts, though they must have lighting features that make them visible at night. For more information: https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2025/04/14/horse-cart-crash-killed-3-kids-indiana-lacks-minimum-age-to-drive-one/83087426007/

Place: Western North Carolina.

Group: Amish. 

Amish groups now play important role in rebuilding Western North Carolina.

Updated: 11:23 PM EDT Mar 13, 2025.Nate Stanley, Reporter, WFYY4.BAT CAVE, N.C. — Damage from Hurricane Helene still spans miles across western North Carolina; however, emerging from the devastation, a group of young men is giving people hope.Bat Cave resident Kim Gill still gets emotional when she thinks about the horrifying moments Hurricane Helene hit her home."The wind was unrelenting. Trees were snapping and popping and breaking all around the house," she says, "The wind was blowing sideways. So it actually came in and got, part of the roof in our dining room." For more information: https://www.wyff4.com/article/amish-group-wnc-rebuild-homes/64178081

Place: Cattaragus County, New York.

Group: Old Order Amish (various groups).

 Measles not yet in Catt. County, but outbreaks continue across U.S.

By KELLEN M. QUIGLEY, Managing Editor. Salamanca Press.March 11, 2025.OLEAN — While New York is one of nine states across the country with current measles outbreaks, there are no known cases in Cattaraugus County.A quarter century after measles was declared eliminated in the United States, 2025 is shaping up to be a critical year for the virus, Dr. Kevin D. Watkins, the county’s public health director, reported March 5, and the area’s comparatively low vaccination rate could be a concern.Cattaraugus County’s vaccination rate for measles is about 74%, Watkins said, somewhat lower than neighboring Allegany County’s 79.2% and Chautauqua County at 83.7%. In Erie and other counties to the north, the rates are nearly 90%. For more information: https://www.salamancapress.com/news/measles-not-yet-in-catt-county-but-outbreaks-continue-across-u-s/article_9a30e430-fe8a-11ef-82df-fb45942e2e39.html

Place: Seminole, Texas, and surrounding areas.

Group: Low German/Russian Mennonites (various groups).

 Texas measles outbreak draws attention to traditionalist Mennonite community.

A girl has died; many parents reluctant to vaccinate their children.Tim Huber and John Longhurst.Anabaptist World.March 14, 2025.The article was updated March 24 to include measles outbreaks in Mexico and Canada.The first fatality linked to measles in the United States in a decade is an unvaccinated 6-year-old girl from one of 13 Mennonite churches in the Seminole, Texas, area.The Texas Department of State Health Services announced the death on Feb. 26. The child has not been identified in the media. For more information: https://anabaptistworld.org/texas-measles-outbreak-draws-attention-to-traditionalist-mennonite-community/

Place: Seminole, Texas, and surrounding areas.

Group: Low German/Russian Mennonites (various groups).

COLUMNS, Opinion—Davidson: Seminole native says measles outbreak not a Mennonite problem, urges vaccination.

By Morgan Davidson.Special for the Avalanche-Journal.March 13, 2025.Seminole, Texas, is where I graduated high school, met my best friends, played football, and drank my first beer. It’s where I learned to pick myself up by the bootstraps, that no one is better than me, and that hard work and perseverance take you far. Seminole taught me the value of a handshake, that a person is only as good as their word, and that it takes a Tribe to solve our biggest problems.Seminole runs on ag and oil, where football is religion, Republican is the language, and Tucker Carlson is the entertainment. It’s home to gun-loving, God-fearing, red-blooded Americans. It’s where I tell people I’m from and where I call home. For more information: https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/opinion/columns/2025/03/13/davidson-a-seminole-natives-plea-to-vaccinate-amid-measles-outbreak/82329387007/

Place: Seminole, Texas, and surrounding areas.

Group: Low German/Russian Mennonites (various groups).

 Texas measles outbreak expected to last for months, though vaccinations are up from last year.

By  DEVI SHASTRI and KASTURI PANANJADY.Updated 10:54 PM GMT, March 21, 2025. Associated Press.As measles cases in West Texas are still on the rise two months after the outbreak began, local public health officials say they expect the virus to keep spreading for at least several more months and that the official case number is likely an undercount.But there’s a silver lining, officials say: More people have received a measles, mumps and rubella vaccination this year in Texas and New Mexico, which also has an outbreak, compared to last year — even if it’s not as high as they would like. And pharmacies across the U.S., especially in Texas, are seeing more demand for MMR shots.As of Friday, the outbreak in Texas was up to 309 cases and one measles-related death, while New Mexico’s case count was up to 42 and also one measles-related death. Forty-two people have been hospitalized across the two states. For more information: https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426

Place: New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba.

Group: Low German/Russian Mennonites (various groups).

 Ontario measles outbreak traced to Mennonite gathering in New Brunswick.

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, J.P. Antonacci.Published Mar 24, 2025  •  Last updated Mar 24, 2025.In a March 7 letter to Ontario’s health units, the province’s chief medical officer of  health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said there was “an exposure at a large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall.”Guests at that gathering unwittingly brought the virus back to southwestern Ontario, mainly the region bordering Norfolk, Oxford and Elgin counties, which has a sizeable conservative Mennonite population.Measles cases then emerged in Manitoba when Mennonites from that province returned home after visiting family in Ontario, Moore said. For more information: https://www.simcoereformer.ca/news/local-news/ontario-measles-outbreak-traced-to-mennonite-gathering-in-new-brunswick

Place: Cattaragus County, New York.

Group: Old Order Amish (various groups).

Health officials encourage measles vaccines.

March 24, 2025.Gregory Bacon.Observer.MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County health officials believe it’s only a matter of time before there are cases of measles popping up locally and are encouraging parents in particular to make sure their children are vaccinated.According to the state Health Department’s website, as of Thursday, there have been three cases of measles statewide, two in New York City and another not far from downstate.Measles is a highly contagious disease. According to county Public Health Director Lacey Wilson, Chautauqua County has about 83% vaccination rate, which is actually higher than the state average of 81%. Still, local officials warn that measles could still become a problem. For more information: https://www.observertoday.com/news/top-stories/2025/03/health-officials-encourage-measles-vaccines/

Measles an ‘equal opportunity’ virus for the unvaccinated, Southwestern public health doctor says.

CityNews.By The Canadian Press.Posted April 2, 2025 1:41 pm.A local medical officer of health who’s dealing with a massive measles outbreak in southwestern Ontario cautions against associating the spread of the illness with a single demographic.Southwestern Public Health Unit’s Dr. Ninh Tran says measles is an “equal opportunity” virus for the unvaccinated.His comments come as the region, which encompasses St. Thomas and Woodstock, reports 34 new cases over the past week, for a total of 296 since the outbreak began in October.Last week, the province’s chief medical officer of health said the “vast majority” of Ontario’s measles cases are in Mennonite, Amish and other Anabaptist communities, due to under-immunization and exposure.Dr. Kieran Moore said the outbreak originated at a large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall, and that public health units are working to connect with community members during the outbreak. For more information: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/04/02/measles-an-equal-opportunity-virus-for-the-unvaccinated/

Place: Ashtabula, Knox, and Richland Counties, Ohio (northeast/central Ohio).

Group: Amish/Mennonite (various groups).

'It can be fatal:' Richland County on alert after measles confirmed nearby.

Zach Tuggle.Mansfield News Journal.March 28, 2025.The measles outbreak that has caused at least one death reached North Central Ohio Wednesday after a case of the highly infectious disease was reported in Knox County.There have been 378 measles cases confirmed across 18 states so far this year, according to the latest data released by the CDC.A visitor to the region this week "exposed others to measles in Knox and nearby counties," the Ohio Department of Health announced Wednesday.Ohio has 9 other active measles cases, all of which are in Ashtabula County. None of those patients were vaccinated against the disease, ODH noted.An unvaccinated school-aged Texas child who died in February is the nation's only death due to measles confirmed by the CDC. For more information: https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/news/2025/03/28/public-encouraged-to-get-measles-vaccines-to-prevent-spread-in-ohio/82681219007/

Place: Wayne/Holmes Counties, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish (Helmuth District) and Beachy Amish-Mennonite (Bunker Hill/Fryburg church).

 Discover the 1947 Amish Miting Trial at Shreve's historic church.

Jane Imbody / Reporter assisted by AI.April 4, 2025.

Wooster Daily Record.The County Line Historical Society of Wayne/Holmes will examine the historic 1947 Amish Miting Trial during a program at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Historic Shreve Presbyterian Church, 343 N. Market St., Shreve.Andrew J. Yoder brought action against four officers and preachers of the Amish Mennonite church of the Helmuth District. Yoder claimed the "mite" continued after he withdrew from the church and joined another, according to an announcement from the Historical Society.He alleged the actions of the individuals interfered with his means of making a living, family life, social life and health. He purchased a 1932 Chevrolet car to transport his 1-year-old daughter to Wooster for medical treatments.The program will be presented from the perspective of retired Wayne County Common Pleas Judge Mark K. Wiest, who served as a trial judge for 43 years. He handled civil, criminal and divorce cases during his time on the bench. Wiest spent the last 20 years of his career attempting to settle disputes without trial, conducting For more information: https://www.the-daily-record.com/story/news/history/2025/04/04/county-line-historical-society-1947-amish-miting-trial-wayne-holmes-ohio-judge-mark-wiest/82755207007/

Place: Westover, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss.

Amish man gets lengthy sentence for child rapes.

Lee to serve 30 to 90 years for assaults on four girls.

March 10, 2025.Julie Rae Rickard.

Altoona Mirror.CLEARFIELD — An Amish man now classified as a sexually violent predator was given a lengthy state prison sentence Friday for sexually assaulting four young girls in Clearfield County.Simon M. Lee, 35, Westover, was sentenced to a total of 30 to 90 years in state prison with nine years’ consecutive re-entry probation.Lee was originally charged by state police last year with multiple counts of rape, rape of child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault.During a special hearing before Judge Paul E. Cherry, William Allenbaugh II of the sexual offender assessment board testified regarding Lee’s status as a possible sexually violent predator.Allenbaugh said the multiple victims who were assaulted over two years — June 2022 to Aug. 1, 2024 — indicate that Lee suffers from pedophilia, which is a lifetime disorder that has no cure.Lee was only stopped because his actions were reported to adults, “or he could have continued,” Allenbaugh said. For more information: https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2025/03/amish-man-gets-lengthy-sentence-for-child-rapes/

Place: Geauga County, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline.

 Amish Youth Center Gaining Traction.

Plans for the Haven Amish Community Youth Center are ramping up to include a multi-purpose pond on the 26-acre wooded property off Tavern Road in Parkman Township. March 13, 2025 by Ann Wishart.Geauga Maple Leaf.Plans for the Haven Amish Community Youth Center are ramping up to include a multi-purpose pond on the 26-acre wooded property off Tavern Road in Parkman Township.Fire Chief Mike Komandt contacted a civil engineer about putting a dry hydrant in the pond so the fire department can easily access water, Komandt told Parkman Township Trustees March 4.The pond also will serve as a retention basin when the property is developed and the Haven Board anticipates allowing participants to fish, as well, Komandt said, adding recreational activities won’t interfere with the facility’s main purpose.Including a pond with a dry hydrant means the Haven Board doesn’t have to build a 650-foot-long driveway, he said. For more information: https://www.geaugamapleleaf.com/news/amish-youth-center-gaining-traction/

Place: Holmes County, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Isaac churches. Various others quoted, including New Order Amish and Northern Indiana Amish.

 Are E-Bikes a Godsend or the Road to Perdition? An Amish Community Is Torn. As the battery-powered bikes spread in the 40,000-person Ohio settlement, so does the fear they will undermine family values. Wall Street Journal.Reporting and Photographs by Scott Calvert.April 9, 2025 5:30 am ET.

The bikes are especially popular among the growing number of Amish workers in and around Holmes County, Ohio, who commute several miles to area factories, after a yearslong migration away from family farms.BERLIN, Ohio—Electric bikes have become ubiquitous in the world’s second-largest Amish settlement, routinely flying past the horse-drawn buggies that have trundled across the hilly countryside here for two centuries. Not everyone is rolling with it.The angst voiced by some Amish isn’t about the motors that propel e-bikes to nearly 30 miles an hour. It’s about the mobility the bikes enable, and the implications of that independence. For more information:  https://www.wsj.com/us-news/are-e-bikes-a-godsend-or-the-road-to-perdition-an-amish-community-is-torn-9f4f6b86

Place: Brownington and Troy, Vermont.

Group: Old Order Amish.

 Support For Local Amish Students, Test Scores, and Funding Discussed at Holland School Board Meeting.

ED BARBER, Staff Writer.Newport Vermont Daily Express.

February 9, 2025.HOLLAND - The Holland Elementary School board learned on Tuesday evening North Country Supervisory Union (NCSU) personnel are looking to work with a newly identified Amish school (Stonybrook Elementary School) in Troy. In recent years the Amish have settled in communities in the Northeast Kingdom. Brownington has a community of Amish that emigrated from Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Amish in Troy originated from Virginia.NCSU Superintendent Elaine Collins and Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Nye recently visited the school.“We want to create a relationship; how do we best support the school?” Nye stated. She estimates there are eight families with 25 students who share a single wide trailer as the temporary schoolhouse. There are plans underway to build a schoolhouse with an enrollment of 40 students. For more information: https://www.newportvermontdailyexpress.com/news/support-for-local-amish-students-test-scores-and-funding-discussed-at-holland-school-board-meeting/article_4659b106-e73e-11ef-8f51-a71442e8cf59.html

Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- Lancaster.

 Emanual Blank Killed, Sons Injured In Scooter Crash: PSP.

A Pennsylvania father was killed, and his two young sons were critically injured after their scooter collided with a van in Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Tuesday, Feb. 11.Jillian Pikora.Daily Voice.02/11/2025 9:09 a.m.Emanual Blank, 31, of Gap, was riding a scooter eastbound on Old Philadelphia Pike with his 6-year-old and 15-month-old sons when a Mercedes Sprinter van struck them at 3:03 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, state police said.First responders rushed to the scene, flying the 6-year-old to Hershey Medical Center, while Blank and the 15-month-old were taken to Lancaster General Hospital. Blank later succumbed to his injuries at LGH, authorities said.The operator of the van was uninjured. Both children remain in critical condition. For more information: https://dailyvoice.com/pa/lancaster/dad-killed-2-children-critically-injured-in-lancaster-county-scooter-crash-pa-state-police/

 Place: Spring Valley, Fillmore County, Minnesota.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss

 Judge in Sarah Petersen case considers news coverage of sentencing.

By Caitlin AlexanderPublished: Feb. 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM GMTFILLMORE COUNTY, Minn. (KTTC) – Sarah Petersen appeared in court virtually Friday, ahead of her March sentencing for her involvement in a crash that killed two children.Earlier this month, Sarah pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular operation for taking responsibility for the crash. For more information: https://www.kttc.com/2025/02/28/judge-sarah-petersen-case-considers-news-coverage-sentencing/

Defense files motion for probation in Sarah Petersen’s court case.

By Brock Bergey.Published: Mar. 25, 2025 at 11:57 PM GMT.PRESTON, Minn. (KTTC) – Sarah Petersen, one of the twin sisters charged in connection with a deadly 2023 Amish buggy crash, is set to learn her fate next week.Petersen, 36, is scheduled to be sentenced in Fillmore County Court on Monday, March 31—one day after she will mark her 37th birthday.Petersen reached a plea deal last month and pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal vehicular operation in the September 2023 crash north of Spring Valley. For more information: https://www.kttc.com/2025/03/25/defense-files-motion-probation-sarah-petersens-court-case/

No prison for MN woman who cooked up twin-swapping scheme tied to deadly Amish buggy crashThe twin sisters conceived an identity-swapping plan after one of them crashed an SUV into an Amish buggy in southeastern Minnesota, killing two children. The sister who wasn’t driving has been handed a brief jail sentence and probation, but the other still faces charges.By Paul Walsh. The Minnesota Star Tribune.March 31, 2025 at 9:47PM.A crash on Sept. 25, 2023, in Fillmore County along Minnesota’s southern border claimed the lives of two young members of the Miller family: Irma, right, and Wilma, second from right. The sisters were in a buggy on their way to school when an SUV hit them from behind. In the buggy and injured were brother Allan, second from left, and sister Rose (not pictured). (Provided) For more information:  https://www.startribune.com/no-prison-for-mn-woman-who-cooked-up-amish-buggy-crash-scheme-with-twin/601311260

Place: Ethridge, Tennessee.

Group: Old Order Amish- Swartzentruber.

 Amish rescued after buggy is swept away by floodwaters.

The buggy was traveling on Beasley Road when the rising waters from Little Shoal Creek overtook the roadway.By Tony Garcia. WSMV4.Published: Feb. 11, 2025 at 8:02 PM GMT.Lawrenceburg, Tenn. (WSMV) - A group of Amish people and their horse were pulled from floodwaters Tuesday morning in Lawrence County.The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office reported the Amish were traveling on Beasley Road when their buggy was swept away by the rising water from Little Shoal Creek.The sheriff’s office said passersby saw what happened and saved the Amish and the horse.It is unknown if anyone was injured during the incident. https://www.wsmv.com/2025/02/11/amish-rescued-after-buggy-is-swept-away-by-floodwaters/

Place: Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Group: Hutterite- Schmiedeleut.

 Former Hutterite dreams of life as a lawyer.

By: Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative.Posted: 2:00 AM CST Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.Richard Waldner was 16 when he stole a car to help his sister abandon a Hutterite colony near Winnipeg. The brother and sister took a vehicle from the property and drove to Portage la Prairie on a Sunday, because everyone would be napping at that time.Waldner told the Sun his sister practically commanded him to be her accomplice. But during the car ride, the young man decided he would join his sister and leave the colony. He phoned the colony on arriving in Portage, to tell them their car was at a mall and the keys were in the gas cap. For more information: https://www.brandonsun.com/westman-this-week/2025/02/27/former-hutterite-dreams-of-life-as-a-lawyer

Place: Adams County, Indiana.

Group: Old Order Amish- Swiss groups.

 Researchers seek to demystify the biology of aging.

By Charlie De Mar.March 7, 2025 / 9:09 PM EST / CBS News.Chicago — Medical researchers in Chicago are studying the difference between a person's chronological age — how many years they've lived — and their biological age, how old their body actually is.

"We are in a place where the biology of aging has been demystified," said Dr. Douglas Vaughan, director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and the head of the study. "...If we can slow down aging, just a little bit, we can push back the onset of disease, and we can give people a longer health span."The foundation of Vaughan's research came from a small Amish community in Indiana, where he found that a genetic variation in about 10% of the population allows them to live, on average, a decade longer than those in their community.

Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Lancaster County man accused of illegally euthanizing four puppies has court hearing delayed again.

Author: Matt Klinedinst.Published: 3:47 PM EST March 6, 2025.Fox43.LANCASTER, Pa. — Another court hearing for John Stoltzfus Jr's animal cruelty trial has been delayed once again. This marks the sixth time the defense has filed a continuance for the Lancaster County man, who is accused of drowning four puppies in cow manure runoff in 2023.“This is not okay because it doesn’t show the public that these crimes are terrible and need to be prosecuted to the fullest," said Carol Lutter, who is accusing Stoltzfus of dragging out his court case. For more information: https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county-man-accused-of-illegally-euthanizing-four-puppies-has-court-hearing-delayed-again-lancaster-county/521-9a1bf02f-a6f5-4d07-affe-3d62fd3e31cf

Place: Hudson/Leitchfield, Breckenridge County, Kentucky.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss; Swiss.

 Kentucky State Police Investigates Injury Collision in Breckinridge Co. Involving a Amish Buggy.

Kentucky State Police.HARDINSBURG, Ky. (March 7, 2025) – Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 4 responded to an injury collision on Kentucky 259 in Breckinridge Co. involving an Amish buggy. On March 6, 2025, around 3:15 P.M. CST,  KSP received a call from the Breckinridge Co. Sheriff’s Office requesting assistance with an injury collision near the 14,000 block of South KY 259 near the McDaniels Community in Breckinridge County. For more information: https://www.kentuckystatepolice.ky.gov/news/p4-3-7-2025

Place: Stockholm, St. Lawrence County, New York.

Group: Old Order Amish- Swartzentruber.

Fire engulfs St. Lawrence County barn.

By Diane Rutherford.News7.Published: Mar. 7, 2025 at 8:04 PM GMT.TOWN OF STOCKHOLM, New York (WWNY) - Fire destroyed an Amish family’s barn and damaged their home in St. Lawrence County Friday morning.Volunteers from several fire departments were called to a farm on the corner of Elliott and Converse roads in the town of Stockholm at 9 a.m.Brasher-Winthrop Fire Chief Ryan McCuin said they found the barn engulfed in flames when they arrived.He said cows and horses got out safely. For more information: https://www.wwnytv.com/2025/03/07/fire-engulfs-st-lawrence-county-barn/

Place: Gladwin, Michigan.

Group: Old Order Amish- Kenton, Ohio.

 Amish man critically injured, horse dead after head-on collision.

Published: Mar. 07, 2025, 4:34 p.m.By Gus Burns. MLive.GLADWIN COUNTY, MI -- It was just before 6:30 a.m. on Monday, March 3, when a motorist attempted to pass a school bus on Bard Road in Gladwin County’s Sage Township and struck an Amish horse and carriage.“I observed debris spread across the roadway, a deceased horse upon the west side of the roadway with a mangled horse carriage behind the deceased horse,” Gladwin County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Dysinger, the first emergency responder to the scene, wrote in his report. For more information: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/03/amish-man-critically-injured-horse-dead-after-head-on-collision.html

Place: Spartansburg, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss.

 Jury selection starting soon for PA man accused of murdering pregnant Amish woman.

by: Matt Mathias.Posted: Mar 3, 2025 / 05:57 PM EST.Updated: Mar 3, 2025 / 05:58 PM EST. Erie, PA (WJET/WFXP)– The case for the man accused of killing a pregnant Amish woman in Pennsylvania a year ago will soon be heading to trial.Shawn Cranston, 53, will face a jury in little over a week and that jury will go on to decide if Cranston is guilty of the murder of Rebekah Byler and her unborn child on Fish Flats Road in Sparta Township in February of last year.According to Crawford County Common Pleas court officials, jury selection will start on March 11.The case is now being prosecuted by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. That change was made in October due to a lack of staffing in the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office.Cranston has been in prison without bond since he was taken into custody. For more information:

https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/jury-selection-starting-soon-for-pa-man-accused-of-murdering-pregnant-amish-woman/

Trial in Amish woman's killing postponed as prosecutors reveal new information.

Tim Hahn, Erie Times-News.

Fri, March 7, 2025 at 5:53 PM GMT.MEADVILLE — The trial of a Corry man accused of killing a pregnant Amish woman during a burglary attempt at her rural eastern Crawford County home in February 2024 has been delayed for a few months to give the defense time to digest new information revealed by state prosecutors.That information includes statements to police by two witnesses that allegedly directly connect Shawn C. Cranston to the crime, according to the most recent court filing in the case.Cranston, 53, is accused of killing 23-year-old Rebekah A. Byler and her unborn child inside the woman's Fish Flats Road home in Sparta Township, on Feb. 26, 2024. Cranston is facing charges of criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespass. For more information: https://www.goerie.com/story/news/courts/2025/03/07/new-witnesses-rebekah-byler-case-trial-rescheduled/81938152007/

Trial of Shawn Cranston in Rebekah Byler murder case set to begin

By Carol Fielding.The Corry Journal.March 8, 2025.Editor's note: Friday afternoon it was announced that Crawford County Judge Francis Schultz granted a continuance and rescheduled the trial for the June trial term. More information will be published in the March 11 edition of The Corry Journal.The trial of Shawn Christopher Cranston, 53, charged with killing pregnant Amish woman Rebekah A. Byler and her unborn child, is scheduled to begin Tuesday, March 11, with jury selection in Crawford County Common Pleas Court. The high-profile case has drawn national attention not only due to the shocking nature of the crime, but also because violent crimes against the typically peaceful Amish community are exceedingly rare. The trial, expected to last five to seven days, will be prosecuted by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office rather than the local district attorney, highlighting the case's significance.The crime and its discovery. For more information:  https://www.thecorryjournal.com/news/article_61c1f7c4-fb74-11ef-9517-4bf4402c0f5c.html

Place: Fort Plain, New York.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss.

NY Sheds Amish Schools' Vaccine Mandate Discrimination Claims

Beth Wang, Reporter.loomberg Law.March 3, 2025, 9:55 PM GMT.

Religious exemptions would undercut public health goals, Ruling affirms a district court’s dismissal of the case. The Second Circuit on Monday declined to revive a lawsuit challenging New York’s vaccine mandate for schoolchildren, which a group of Amish parents and schools argue shows religious hostility. For more information: https://www.bloomberglaw.com/bloomberglawnews/business-and-practice/X9M25FKC000000?bna_news_filter=business-and-practice#jcite

 Second Circuit eradicates Amish fight over NY school vaccination mandate.

A New York State law requiring school immunizations does not violate the constitutional rights of Amish parents or their school-age children.

Nick Rummell / March 3, 2025MANHATTAN (CN) — A New York State law requiring Amish students to receive vaccinations does not violate those students’ constitutional rights, a Second Circuit panel ruled Monday.The case, which the panel heard this past November, had been brought by three Amish community schools that were fined in 2019 for failing to comply with state-mandated school vaccinations. For more information: https://www.courthousenews.com/second-circuit-eradicates-amish-fight-over-ny-school-vaccination-mandate/

Amish children in New York face forced vaccinations after court ruling .

Rachel Quackenbush on March 7, 2025 CatholicVote.A federal court this week upheld New York’s vaccine mandate, requiring Amish children to be vaccinated despite religious objections.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled March 3 in Miller v. McDonald that the repeal of religious exemptions for vaccines does not violate the First Amendment, The People’s Voice reported. For more information: https://catholicvote.org/amish-children-new-york-face-forced-vaccinations-after-court-ruling/

Place: Wooster Eck, Wayne County, Ohio.

Group: Old Order Amish- Swartzentruber.

 Car Strikes Amish Buggy in Ashland County; Horse Euthanized.

Joe Lyons • March 6, 2025.Ashland County Pictures. ASHLAND COUNTY, OH – Emergency crews responded to a collision between a car and an Amish buggy early this morning on County Road 1302 near County Road 251. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 24-year-old Manass Hershberger of Jeromesville was traveling westbound in a buggy when he was struck from behind by a 2020 Subaru WRX driven by 25-year-old Alexander Lukezic of Ashland.

Hershberger sustained minor injuries, while the horse pulling the buggy suffered severe injuries and was euthanized by a veterinarian on the scene. Lukezic was cited for Assured Clear Distance Ahead (ACDA). Hershberger was not cited.The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, Polk Fire Department, and EMS assisted at the scene. For more information: https://www.ashlandcountypictures.com/post/car-strikes-amish-buggy-in-ashland-county-horse-euthanized/

Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Recent tragedy raises new question about Amish scooter safety [Lancaster Watchdog].

HANNAH SUTTON | Staff Writer, LNP/LancasterOnline.March 3, 2025. East of Intercourse in Salisbury Township, Route 340 stretches across a sea of farms, many of them owned by Amish families.The roadway, known locally as the Old Philadelphia Pike, serves as a central thoroughfare for Amish people traveling in buggies and on foot.Many Amish also travel the road on foot-powered, two-wheeled push scooters, which are slower than bicycles — local Amish churches object to the speed of bikes — but faster than walking.According to federal law, scooter riders are pedestrians, but in terms of practical safety, they fall somewhere between a pedestrian and a vehicle, which creates a unique set of risks for riders. For more information: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/recent-tragedy-raises-new-question-about-amish-scooter-safety-lancaster-watchdog/article_ed09afcc-f60e-11ef-bf50-8b976a5789c2.html

Place: Kalona, Iowa.

Group: Old Order Amish- Mainline.

 Bontrager barn quickly rebuilt following fire.

Norma Miller.The News (Iowa).osted Tuesday, March 4, 2025 2:52 pm. A fire on Saturday, Feb. 22 caused substantial damage to a rural Kalona cattle barn, consuming the upper story hay mow, but thanks to the efforts of nine area fire departments, the lower level milking area remained unharmed. The following Monday, over 60 men and boys took down the burned structure; on Tuesday morning, the first new rafters went up. By evening, the metal roof had been completed, and the number of those assisting climbed to 90. Jerome Bontrager and his family expressed appreciation to the fire departments and those who came to clean up after the fire and help them rebuild. For more information: https://thenews-ia.com/stories/bontrager-barn-quickly-rebuilt-following-fire,132897

Place: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Group: Hutterites- Dariusleut and Lehrerleut; Low German Mennonites.

 Palliser School Division names new Superintendent.

Mar 2, 2025 | 6:00 AMA new person will soon take the helm of a local school board.The Palliser School Division (PSD) has named Tom Hamer as the new Superintendent of Schools, effective August 1, 2025.He has 29 years of experience in education, leadership and administration, including a variety of leadership roles within the PSD over the last 11 years.Hamer’s career has been dedicated to fostering student success, supporting educators, and strengthening school communities. For more information: https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2025/03/02/palliser-school-division-names-new-superintendent/

Place: Cass City, Michigan.

Group: Old Order Amish.

 Amish man hurt when car strikes buggy near Cass City.

By Mark Birdsall, Assistant Editor.Midland Daily News.March 3, 2025.A 22-year-old Amish man was injured Friday night when his buggy was rear-ended by a car near Cass City.According to a press release from the Sanilac County Sheriff's Office, a 911 caller notified central dispatch operators of a car vs. horse-and-buggy crash on Van Dyke Road near Pringle Road in Evergreen Township around 9:30 p.m. Friday.Deputies along with the Argyle Township Fire Department and Cass City MMR responded to the scene, where crash investigators determined that a 2013 Chevy Malibu driven by a 35-year-old Adrian man was traveling north on Van Dyke Road when it rear-ended a single axle horse and buggy driven by a 22-year-old Cass City man, also headed northbound on Van Dyke. For more information: https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/amish-buggy-crash-sanilac-county-20199432.php

Place: Cuauhtémoc, Mexico.

Group: Low German Mennonites.

 Children’s home in Mexico is dedicated.

Friedensplatz cares for Low German Mennonite children facing ‘difficult times’.

Friedensplatz, a children’s home for Low German Mennonites in Mexico, is dedicated on Feb. 1, 2025. — Viktor Sawatzkim. After one-and-a-half years of construction, a new building for Friedensplatz, a children’s home in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico, is now complete. The dedication ceremony took place on Feb. 1.The home, located in Colony Manitoba, has been caring for children whose families are going through difficult times for many years.When parents undergo treatment at the Centro (rehabilitation center) for drug or alcohol addiction, this often leads to family separation. These children have experienced hardship and need special care, affection and love.Children typically stay at the home for about three months, though some remain for nine months or longer. The children come from Mennonite and Low German background, not only from Mexico but also from Bolivia and Canada. At times, Friedensplatz has cared for over 60 children simultaneously. In addition to regular schooling, they receive Bible and singing lessons and have time for various sports and recreational activities. For more information: https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/lancaster-county-looks-back-40-years-witness/521-27d35531-8e77-4f62-8b6b-07471d26de8a

Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches; others.

 Why friends and neighbors believed in a Lancaster County investor who’s since lost millions.

by Joseph N. DiStefano. Philadelphia Inquirer. Published Feb. 28, 2025, 5:00 a.m. ET.

Amos Wilmer “Wil” Stolzfus Jr. says he doesn’t know details of the cash crunch that crashed investments in his close friend and mentor Daryl Heller’s ATM company, Paramount Management Group, and brought federal investigators into their native Lancaster County. But Stoltzfus’ own upbringing and 25-year business career in Amish country helps him understand why friends and neighbors from Lancaster’s prosperous, close-knit communities believed so readily in Heller and backed him with hundreds of millions of dollars that may be gone beyond recovery. For more information:https://www.inquirer.com/business/daryl-heller-investment-friends-family-20250228.html

Place: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 How a Havertown Author Made the Amish a Tourist Attraction.

Marguerite de Angeli's award-winning children’s book, Henner’s Lydia, made a lasting impression in 1936.February 25, 2025   |By Mark E. Dixon.Mainline Today.Why do we gawk at the Amish? After all, it’s not like they’re new in town. The Anabaptist sects of Lancaster County—the Old Order Amish and the similar-looking Mennonites and Brethren—have lived in Pennsylvania since the 1720s. But they only became a tourist attraction maybe 80 years ago.For this, much of the credit goes to Havertown native Marguerite de Angeli, whose 1936 children’s book, Henner’s Lydia, put the Amish on the national tourist map. The book appeared at about the same time as a controversy over Amish schools that erupted the following year. In that case, the Pennsylvania Amish petitioned for—and eventually won—the right to be exempted from compulsory education after the eighth grade.For more information:https://mainlinetoday.com/life-style/marguerite-de-angeli-henners-lydia-amish/

Place: n/a.

Group: Girl interested in the Amish.

 ‘She even took her glasses off’: Everyone’s obsessed with the little girl who yearns to be Amish.

‘Can we turn off all of the lights since they don’t have any electricity?’Ilana Gordon.DailyDot.Posted on February 28 2025 2:36 pm CST.The internet unlocked a new main character — the anti-iPad kid. Meet the little girl whose dream of becoming Amish came true when her aunt sent her some authentic Pennsylvania Dutch garb.“I got my own Amish dress!” she shouts with delight, pulling a long, floral dress with capped sleeves out of the packaging. Smash cut to: The girl sitting fully outfitted in Amish regalia, including the bonnet. For more information:https://www.dailydot.com/culture/she-even-took-her-glasses-off-everyones-obsessed-with-the-little-girl-who-yearns-to-be-amish/

Place: Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Group: Amish.

 The Amish: 'Every day, every hour of your life you are living for God'

Shelby Reeves.Chillicothe Gazette.February 27, 2025.Trotting down the streets of many Ohio and Pennsylvania towns are horses attached to buggies carrying Amish families from their homes to church, their schools and elsewhere. While you may pass them on the road, the Amish community is still a mystery to many.How much do you know about your Amish neighbors? For more information:https://www.chillicothegazette.com/story/news/2025/02/27/amish-population-in-ohio-and-pennsylvania-thrive-in-their-communities/78179041007/

Place: Sarasota, Florida.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; others. 

Sarasota Seniors, Amish swing for the fences in seventh annual softball showdown.

Story by Heather Bushman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The game Wednesday was, for all intents and purposes, a friendly. An exhibition. For a good cause.Still, Jack Zimmerman didn’t intend to lose.The sluggers from northeast Ohio had handled his Sarasota Senior Softball Association selects last year, and Zimmerman, a former president of Senior Softball and current event coordinator, wasn’t eager for a repeat performance this year. So, he rounded up the league’s best guys and put together an elite squad primed to avenge the 2024 defeat.For more information:https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2025/02/27/hundreds-watch-sarasota-seniors-amish-in-annual-softball-showdown/80579299007/

Place: Presque Isle, Maine.

Group: Old Order Amish- Swartzentruber, Joe Troyer group.

 Maine police chase ends with crash into Amish wagon carrying children.

Anthony Vangel was already on 10 sets of bail.Published February 26, 2025 12:24 pm.

By Adam Bartow.PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WMTW) — A police chase in northern Maine ended Tuesday morning shortly before the driver lost control and crashed into a horse-drawn Amish wagon carrying six children.Police in Presque Isle say they tried to stop Anthony Vangel, 34, of Easton, in the parking lot of the Aroostook Mall at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, but he took off.For more information:https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-police-chase-crash-amish-wagon-children/63933654

Place: Spring Valley, Fillmore County, Minnesota.

Group: Old Order Amish- 1955 Beschluss

Woman admits to twin-swapping ruse to cover up who killed 2 Amish children in crash with buggy in Minnesota.

Two siblings in the buggy were injured in the collision southeast of Stewartville.By Paul Walsh.The Minnesota Star Tribune.February 5, 2025 at 2:10PM.A crash last fall in September 2023 in Fillmore County along Minnesota’s southern border claimed the lives of two young members of the Miller family: Irma, right, and Wilma, second from right. The sisters were in a buggy on their way to school when an SUV hit them from behind. In the buggy and injured were brother Allan, second from left, and sister Rose (not pictured). (Provided with permission )For more information:https://www.startribune.com/woman-admits-to-twin-swapping-ruse-to-cover-up-who-killed-2-amish-children-in-crash-with-buggy-in-mn/601217298

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Place: Unspecified.

Group: Amish (general).

 Amish voters for Trump? The Amish and the religion factor in Republican electoral politics.

Published: February 17, 2025 8:00am EST.The Conversation.Daniele Curci, PhD Candidate in International and American History, University of Florence.On November 5, 2024, as millions of Americans headed to the polls, billionaire Elon Musk posted a video on his social media platform X depicting a caravan of Amish individuals travelling via horse and buggy to vote for Donald Trump. The following day, in response to a post expressing gratitude to the Amish for their contribution to Trump’s victory, Musk wrote: “The Amish may very well save America! Thank goodness for them. And let’s keep the government out of their lives.” Musk’s tweets underscore the growing prominence of religion in US politics and the Republican party’s efforts to integrate the Amish into its electorate. For more information:https://theconversation.com/amish-voters-for-trump-the-amish-and-the-religion-factor-in-republican-electoral-politics-247869

Place: Switzerland.

Group: Nationwide Mennonite Fellowship, and others.

 Plain Mennonites gather in Wyssachen, Switzerland, in January 2025, to commemorate Anabaptism’s beginnings.

Andrew V. Ste. Marie | For Anabaptist World.

February 17, 2025. For more information:https://anabaptistworld.org/plain-mennonites-gather-with-europeans-in-switzerland-to-mark-anabaptist-beginnings/

Place: South-central Virginia (Buckingham, Prince Edward, and Charlotte Counties; Broakneal/Gladys).

Group: Buckingham: Old Order Amish- mainline, Lancaster; Prince Edward/Charlotte: Old Order Amish- mainline, Lancaster (Mechanicsburg, MD); Brookneal: Old Order Amish- Swartzentruber, Weaver churches.

 As more Amish move into rural Virginia, crashes between buggies and motor vehicles are on the rise. Finding a solution is complicated.

Many Amish say that they are not opposed to adding more safety features to their buggies. Others have more restrictive religious views that they say prevent them from using even basic safety technologies such as flashing lights.by Ralph Berrier Jr.February 20, 2025.Cardinal News.When the buggies started arriving at the accident scene, Cumberland County Sheriff Darrell Hodges feared that a confrontation was about to erupt.Hodges had been called to the site of a horrible traffic crash on Cumberland Road in the early evening hours of July 14, 2024. A horse-drawn carriage that carried an Amish family of two adults and five children had been struck from behind by a pickup truck. All seven people were ejected from the carriage.An 8-year-old girl died at the scene. Her parents, as well as two brothers, ages 9 and 2, and two sisters, 6 and 4, were taken to the hospital with injuries.For more information:https://cardinalnews.org/2025/02/20/as-more-amish-move-into-rural-virginia-crashes-between-buggies-and-motor-vehicles-are-on-the-rise-finding-a-solution-is-complicated/

Place: Pembroke/Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Couple Pulled To Dry Land By Horse Power.

by News Edge Newsroom, WKDZ.February 18, 2025.A man and woman were helped out of flood waters after their car stalled in the water on Pruitt Lane Tuesday morning.Christian County Sheriff’s deputies say a man and woman were heading towards Bradshaw Road when their vehicle entered the water and stalled leaving them in about waist deep water.The local Amish Community was able to use horses to pull the vehicle out of the water and the female in the vehicle was taken by Hopkinsville EMS to Jennie Stuart Health to be checked out.Shortly after leaving the scene authorities were called back to the same area for a second driver in a Jeep that attempted to cross the high water and stalled as well.Deputies were assisted by the Pembroke Fire Department, Christian County Rescue, and Hopkinsville EMS.The road has permanent high water signs but after the first vehicle stalled in the water more temporary signs were added. For more information:https://www.wkdzradio.com/2025/02/18/couple-pulled-to-dry-land-by-horse-power/news-edge/

Place: Pembroke/Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Horse dies in flood waters on Pruitt Lane.

Hannah Hageman.February 19, 2025Local News, WHOP.A horse has perished after it was driven into flood waters Wednesday morning on Pruitt Lane.It happened about 8:30 a.m. in the 42000 block of Pruitt Lane where high water is over the roadway, caused by torrential rain on Saturday before the winter weather.  The horse was pulling a buggy, and all occupants were able to escape and get out of the water unharmed.Unfortunately, the horse was killed by the flood waters.he water has only risen on Pruitt Lane and several individuals have had to be rescued from those waters, so officials are pleading with citizens to not attempt to cross flooded roadways.Pembroke Fire Department thanked the local Amish community for their efforts, including helping in prior rescues and now erecting fencing in an attempt to keep people from crossing. For more information:https://whopam.com/2025/02/19/horse-dies-in-flood-waters-on-pruitt-lane/

Place: Arthur, Illinois.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline.

 Police arrest suspect in attempted kidnapping of minor at local business in Arthur.

by Michelle Husain.Wednesday, February 19th 2025 at 6:34 PM.ARTHUR, Ill. (WICS) — Arthur Police arrested a man who battered and attempted to kidnap a minor.On Monday, February 17, at 5:18 a.m., the Arthur Police Department was dispatched to a local area business for a report of a battery and possible attempted kidnapping.For more information:https://newschannel20.com/news/local/police-arrest-suspect-in-attempted-kidnapping-of-minor-at-local-business-in-arthur#

Suspect in attempted kidnapping had prior arrest for battery just 10 days before incident.

by WICS.

Wednesday, February 19th 2025 at 2:55 PM.ARTHUR, Ill — Police have released more information in connection to the man who battered and attempted to kidnap a minor.Lester Raymind, 21, is facing charges after allegedly battering and attempting to kidnap a 16-year-old Amish girl at Roselen’s Coffee and Delights early Monday morning. The incident occurred when the girl arrived at work, and a 20-year-old Amish woman intervened, preventing Raymind from abducting her.For more information:https://newschannel20.com/news/local/amish-teen-hospitalized-after-attempted-kidnapping-at-coffee-shop

New charges for suspect accused of Amish kidnapping attempt.

Tony Reid.

February 19, 2025.ARTHUR — The defendant accused of badly injuring an Amish teenager Monday while trying to kidnap her in Arthur has been told he is too dangerous to be granted pretrial release, and now he is facing a new felony charge from an earlier alleged attack on a different female victim.For more information:https://herald-review.com/lester-raymind-amish-kidnap-new-charge/article_7bad5708-eef1-11ef-bd2b-d3c958f938c8.html

Place: Spring Mills, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Lancaster churches.

 Fire destroys Amish-owned garage in Spring Mills.

Feb 13, 2025.TAMMY COAKLEY.SPRING MILLS — A blaze destroyed the garage and workshop of an Amish family in Spring Mills last Friday evening.The alarm was sounded at 8:41 p.m. on Feb. 7, bringing multiple firefighters from several Centre County stations to the scene at 302 Kline Road, Spring Mills.The blaze began in the garage/workshop area and was brought under control shortly after 9 p.m.

In addition to extinguishing the flames, firefighters also worked to ensure that the blaze did not jump to the nearby house and barn that was about 20 feet away.The property is owned by Omar Zook. Zook lost all of the possessions stored in the garage/workshop as well as tools and his Amish buggies and open carriages.Firefighters from Gregg Township (Spring Mills), Millheim, Miles Township (Rebersburg), Centre Hall and Boalsburg responded to extinguish the flames.Penns Valley EMS also assisted. No one was injured in the blaze and the livestock were all fine as well. For more information:https://www.lockhaven.com/news/police-court-and-fires/2025/02/fire-destroys-amish-owned-garage-in-spring-mills/

Place: Seymour, Missouri.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Seymour churches.

 No jail for Young.

Woman whose Mercedes struck buggy, killed an Amish baby accepts plea deal.By Dan Wehmer.Webster County Citizen.February 12, 2025.The Seymour woman charged in June 2023 with second-degree involuntary manslaughter in connection with a car-versus-buggy accident that claimed the life of a 4-week-old Amish baby boy pleaded guilty early last week to reduced charges in the June 6, 2023, accident, according to court documents.Julia M. Young, who was 38 years old when her Mercedes car struck a horse-drawn Amish buggy on Highway C, about two miles north of Seymour, pleaded guilty last Tuesday, Feb. 4, to operating a motor vehicle in a careless-and-imprudent manner, a Class A misdemeanor.For more information:https://www.webstercountycitizen.com/news/article_5f1fded2-e8af-11ef-b16d-577a80b1cdbf.html

Place: Chesley, Ontario, Canada.

Group: Old Order Amish- Swartzentruber.

 TDF marks another victory for Amish rights with fifth group of Quarantine Act ticket reopenings.Written by TDF’s Legal Team.February 06, 2025.TORONTO: The Democracy Fund (TDF) continues its Amish advocacy with another success. TDF lawyers have secured the reopening of cases for a fifth group of Amish clients who were charged under the Quarantine Act for issues related to the ArriveCan app and PCR testing. As a minority religious community that does not use electricity or modern conveniences, the Amish are particularly vulnerable to Quarantine Act-related government sanctions. For more information: https://www.thedemocracyfund.ca/tdf_marks_another_victory_for_amish_rights_with_fifth_group_of_quarantine_ticket_reopenings

Place: Shipshewana, Northern Indiana.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline; Elkhart-LaGrange churches.

 Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park to reopen after legal dispute.

WVPE 88.1 Elkhart/South Bend | By Mike Murrell.Published February 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM ESTDutch Creek Farm Animal Park will reopen on May 1st. The park will no longer have exotic animals and will focus on Amish agriculture.Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park, a popular attraction in Shipshewana, will reopen to the public on May 1 after a legal dispute that saw its owner, Vernon D. Miller, accused of multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).For more information:https://www.wvpe.org/wvpe-news/2025-02-07/dutch-creek-farm-animal-park-to-reopen-after-legal-dispute

Place: Western North Carolina.

Group: Amish and Mennonite (unspecified).

 Asheville Answers: Amish, Mennonite groups responding to Helene? What were they working on?

Will Hofmann.Asheville Citizen Times.February 7, 2025.Question: I've been seeing posts online about how groups of Amish and Mennonite volunteers have come down to help build homes in Western North Carolina. Is this true?Answer: Religious disaster response groups have been incredibly active throughout the response to Tropical Storm Helene. On social media, Mennonite and Amish groups, from both their work and likely their simple dress, have been lauded in helping repair housing but also generally responding to local needs. Even the village of Chimney Rock recently posted about the "amazing and uplifting" Amish volunteers who had traveled to aid in recovery efforts.For more information:https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2025/02/07/asheville-answers-amish-mennonite-groups-repairing-roads-after-helene/78083001007/

Place: Kilgore, Nebraska.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline (suspected).

 Inside the growing Amish community in Nebraska’s Sandhills.While the average family size in the United States has been shrinking for decades, the Amish population continues to grow—doubling approximately every 20 years.Tuesday, February 4th 2025, 11:16 AM MST.By Casey Wonnenberg.News Channel Nebraska.KILGORE, Neb. - While the average family size in the United States has been shrinking for decades, the Amish population continues to grow—doubling approximately every 20 years. In Nebraska, the Amish population has surged by 65% from 2020 to 2024, according to research from Elizabethtown College.One of the state’s newest Amish communities is taking root near the Niobrara River, south of Kilgore. For more information: https://panhandle.newschannelnebraska.com/story/52315148/inside-the-growing-amish-community-in-nebraskas-sandhills

Place: Seminole, Texas.

Group: Low German (“Mexican”/“Russian”) Mennonites, e.g. Old Colony Mennonites.

At the epicenter of the West Texas measles outbreak, one hospital in Gaines County works towards containment.Seminole’s Mennonite community generally take religious exemptions from vaccinations. This has left them, and especially the children, vulnerable to the disease.By Kristen Cabrera.February 18, 2025 4:15 pm.Health & Science, Texas Standard Original.In rural West Texas, measles continues to spread. Health officials have now confirmed 58 cases in the area but expect the number to continue to rise.Measles is highly contagious and preventable. So how did this happen?Gaines County is the epicenter of the outbreak with 45 confirmed cases. The county had the highest unvaccinated rate in the state this school year at 18 percent, according to state health data.For more information:https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/at-the-epicenter-of-the-west-texas-measles-outbreak-one-hospital-in-gaines-county-works-towards-containment/

Place: Seminole, Texas.

Group: Low German (“Mexican”/“Russian”) Mennonites, e.g. Old Colony Mennonites.

The Religious Community at the Center of Texas' Measles Outbreak.

Published Feb 21, 2025 at 4:25 PM EST.By Andrew Stanton, Weekend Staff Writer.Newsweek.A close-knit population of devout Mennonites has found itself at the center of Texas' latest measles outbreak, which has now spread west to New Mexico.Why It Matters.Measles was thought to be eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, about 30 years after the first MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccine was approved. But a rise in vaccine skepticism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has left a growing number of children vulnerable to the potentially deadly disease across the country.Public health experts have sounded the alarm that anti-vaccine sentiment could lead to more outbreaks of childhood diseases like measles or polio that were once thought to be eradicated from the U.S. The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of making anti-vaccine statements, to secretary of health and human services has further fueled these concerns.For more information:https://www.newsweek.com/texas-measles-outbreak-mennonites-2034627

Place: Seminole, Texas.

Group: Low German (“Mexican”/“Russian”) Mennonites, e.g. Old Colony Mennonites.Mennonite pastor says his community isn't at fault for Texas measles outbreak.As cases increase statewide, some Gaines County residents are pushing back against accusations.By Eric Killelea, Religion Reporter, Chron.Feb 27, 2025.The state's largest measles outbreak in 30 years has been largely tied to a Mennonite community in rural West Texas. Earlier this month, Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said that measles cases had been concentrated in a "close-knit, undervaccinated" Mennonite community in Gaines County, whose members don't often get regular health care and mostly enroll their children in private schools or homeschool. “The church isn’t the reason that they’re not vaccinated,” Anton added. “It’s all personal choice, and you can do whatever you want."For more information:https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/mennonites-measles-west-texas-20189910.php

Place: Kalona, Iowa.

Group: Old Order Amish- mainline.

 Iowa City family physician’s license placed on probation.

By: Clark Kauffman - February 3, 2025 1:56 pm.Iowa Capital Dispatch.Six years after an Iowa City physician allegedly failed to properly prescribe medications to patients, the state Board of Medicine has placed her license on probation.Board records indicate Dr. Minyon Rittgers-Easton was employed by Mercy-Iowa City in family medicine beginning in December 2016.While working there, she allegedly provided medical services to the Amish community for several years but failed to properly chart the prescriptions given to the patients she saw, either in an electronic medical record system or on paper. For more information:https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/iowa-city-family-physicians-license-placed-on-probation/

Place: Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Group: Old Order Mennonite (Groffdale?).

Father sentenced for 3-year-old girl’s death during central Pa. farming incident.

Published: Feb. 03, 2025, 12:06 p.m.By Jenna Wise.PennLive.A Lancaster County judge convicted a father last month of allowing his 3-year-old daughter to ride in a horse-drawn cart in 2022 before she fell off and was crushed under a wheel, prosecutors said. For more information:https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2025/02/father-sentenced-for-3-year-old-girls-death-during-central-pa-farming-incident.html

Place: Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania

Group: Old Order Amish- Stutzman-Troyer.

Old Order Amish Win Religious Freedom Lawsuit.

February 1, 2025.John Whittaker.The Post-Journal.

Copies of Old Order Amish legal filings challenging Sugar Grove Township’s attempts to force the Amish to hook up to sewer lines are pictured. Times Observer file photoAfter years of legal wrangling, Sugar Grove’s Old Order Amish residents will legally be allowed to use their outdoor privies rather than be required to use Sugar Grove’s municipal sewage system.The dispute between Sugar Grove and its Old Order Amish population goes back more than a decade. Old Order Amish objected to the use of the municipal sewer system because the system uses electricity. In 2004 Sugar Grove approved a Sewage Connection Ordinance that requires every structure within 150 feet of the municipal sewer system to connect to it When construction of the sewer system was completed in 2011-12, 14 Old Order Amish properties had structures within 150 feet of the sewer system with fines of between $300 and $600 for noncompliance, with each week a homeowner didn’t comply constituting a new offense that could bring a new fine or eventually jail time. For more information:https://www.post-journal.com/news/top-stories/2025/02/old-order-amish-win-religious-freedom-lawsuit/