According to a report by WWNYTV (unavailable), towns in the North Country region of New York are pushing for a state law requiring more visible markings on Amish buggies. The main town featured in the video below is Dekalb. “We want to protect both the Amish and our own citizens,” said town supervisor John Frary, who has handed out a resolution to other towns to…
An update on a group of Amish we covered in “Should Amish Buggies Have Car Safety Features – Like Seat Belts?” Amish in Wood County, WI have agreed to add amber lights to their buggies to improve visibility. Wood County officials previously considered an ordinance requiring seat belts, child car seats, and other enhancements, along with drivers needing to get licenses and insurance. This met…
Two Amish women in the Adams County, Indiana community face felony charges for illegally practicing medicine and administering medication. Sylvia C. Eicher and Lydiann S. Schwartz were investigated in May 2017 over two separate incidents. In both cases the women had administered veterinary medications to their patients. Schwartz was investigated after a 14-day-old baby died of congenital heart disease after being rushed to the local…
A new bill may require Amish buggies in Wisconsin to reduce the size of horseshoe studs in the warmer months. Typically the spikes used in winter need to be larger to get traction in the snow and ice. It turns out this is overkill in the spring, summer and autumn. And it’s really beating up local roads. The buggies have caused significant road damage in…
A Pennsylvania court has ruled against an Amish family, ordering them to do something they staunchly oppose: After a legal battle spanning more than five years, a Pennsylvania court has agreed with a lower court ruling that ordered a Warren County Amish family to connect to a municipal sewer, even though doing so requires the use of an electric pump. In an opinion issued Jan….
Should Amish be required to install seat belts and other safety features common to motor vehicles? That’s the idea behind a new ordinance up for consideration tomorrow in Wood County, Wisconsin: Horse-drawn vehicles would need windshields, seat belts, child car seats and rear-view mirrors if officials in Wisconsin’s Wood County pass an ordinance that will be considered Tuesday. Amish and other religious groups that rely…
Most Amish farmers are conventional farmers. But organic farming has taken off in some communities over the past decade or two despite some practical and cultural roadblocks. One of those communities is the Kalona, Iowa settlement, where today you’ll find over 90 certified organic operations, described in a recent Washington Post article as “one of the densest clusters of organic farms in the United States.” Amish…
From the Bangor Daily News: Despite a very divided vote by the legislature’s IFW Committee, the state’s Amish hunters won the right to wear red instead of orange while deer hunting in Maine. LD 426 was sponsored by Representative McCrea of Fort Fairfield, who was joined at the hearing by several young Amish men who testified that their religion forbid them from wearing orange because it…
From the Bowling Green Daily News (Kentucky): RUSSELLVILLE – A trial date has been set for 13 members of Auburn’s Amish community who have been cited for violating a local ordinance that requires them to clean up after their horses. Authorities have accused the Amish defendants of running afoul of Auburn’s ordinance setting forth the need for large animals traveling within the city limits to…
If you’re not familiar with the term “Amish taxi”, this refers to a service common in Amish areas of size. Non-Amish drivers, often with large-volume passenger vans, provide hauling services for their Amish clientele. Taxi drivers ferry their Plain passengers to and from doctor’s offices, shopping outlets, family visits, and work destinations. You’ll see ads for Amish taxi drivers posted on local bulletin boards, and…