Two weeks after a devastating fire that wiped out a beloved Idaho Amish market, there is some good news. As expected, the community has rallied behind the Amish owners, the Paul Miller family. East Idaho News reports on the cleanup efforts, and shares some words from Paul and the Baker Country Market in Lemhi County. Cleanup began the very next day: Paul Miller owned the…
We recently looked at an eight-bedroom Amish home with just one bathroom – which I imagine many found to be an extreme bedroom-to-bathroom ratio. But this Owingsville, Kentucky Amish property one-ups that one – having a whopping 10 bedrooms – but no bathroom whatsoever (outhouse is what they’d use). There are one or two caveats here – the bedroom count includes the main house, as…
Author Haley Straw returns today with part 7 (of 8 parts) of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, and part 5 here, and part 6 here if you missed them. Everyone’s hard work and patience paid off. The families were safe and warm in their relatives’…
On my last visit to Holmes County, Ohio – December – I saw more e-bikes on the road than I did buggies, reflecting how popular they’ve become in America’s second-largest Amish community. These are very handy for getting around in this hilly area. But safety is an issue with a vehicle that can reach speeds of 20 mph or more, and which has become so…
There is a plan to build a buggy lane on U.S. 6, a highway in the Nappanee, Indiana settlement. But residents of Bremen, a town in the community, say their concerns are being ignored as the plan moves forward, seemingly full speed ahead. The Indiana Department of Transportation apparently promised residents “open houses” to discuss the topic – which reportedly never happened. It’s described as…
Judge Michael Ernest delivered his verdict this morning in Tuscarawas County, Ohio Common Pleas Court in the case of Ruth Miller, charged with aggravated murder in the drowning death of her 4-year-old son, Vincen. Judge Ernest found Miller not guilty by reason of insanity, following her waiving of a jury trial last week. From WKYC: NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — Ruth Miller, the Amish mother accused…
Logging workers have the highest fatality rate of any civilian job in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The profession sees 110.4 fatalities per 100,000 workers – a rate more than double that of roofing (the third-deadliest occupation) and over 33 times higher than the national average for all workers. Amish in many communities are involved in the lumber industry – both…
Here’s an interesting Amish property in Kentucky which stands out for several reasons. This is a sprawling cattle and horse farm in Metcalfe County, Kentucky – home, since the early 1990s, to an Amish community now over 250 people in size. The place is set on a hill and has some nice views of the surrounding countryside – and a charming interior with a look…
Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, New York showed up on the scene of a fully involved fire at an Amish sawmill yesterday morning. Fire crews had yet to arrive – so the two men, Lieutenant Justin Smith and Sergeant Luke Paine, had to act quickly. As it happened, one of them had firefighting training, and the other did not. More from WRGB 6 News: GLEN,…
Author Haley Straw returns today with part 6 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, and part 5 here if you missed them. We should have been home by then. Instead, we were still chasing taillights through the dark. Highway 30 was clear. Highway 151…