Amish in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin seem to have changed their tune regarding smoke detectors. When the issue arose in 2013, it appeared they rejected a scheme which would have had them install smoke detectors to satisfy local building code, only to remove them after inspection. Amish in New York did something like this in 2012 to resolve a similar dispute. Reports on the Eau Claire group said that…
I usually try to ignore “Amish Mafia” or “Breaking Amish“-related news, which tends to clog the news feeds whenever the shows are in season. I am making an exception today to share the good news that “Amish Mafia”‘s upcoming fourth season, beginning February 10th, will be its last. According to Lancaster Online, “show attorney Steve Breit revealed that the upcoming season would be very different…
In another example of Amish taking a public stand, over 100 Amishmen occupied the Cashton, Wisconsin village hall to register opposition to high-voltage power lines potentially cutting through their community. From the LaCrosse Tribune: Wisconsin’s top utility regulator heard dozens of people explain why they don’t want or need high-voltage power lines running through a community that is home to the state’s largest Amish population and wind turbines…
Following a look at a zoning conflict in one Amish settlement, a different sort of building issue in Minnesota has one couple banned from their new home. You may have noticed that some Amish seem to have recurring problems with the law, over issues such as safety triangles on buggies, or building requirements for their homes. These are typically the most traditional Amish, like those who…
A reader living in the Allen County, Indiana settlement shares a pair of rather surprising photos. As you can see in these shots, local Amish are sending a message to any potential new neighbors. Our reader explains what’s going on here: There is a new subdivision going in on a road near us and the Amish that live on that road have been mad that they lost the zoning fight. …
“Gambling goes against the teaching of the Bible,” Bishop Schwartz said, “and the fruits of gambling are all bad.” “Bishop Schwartz” is 43-year-old Daniel Schwartz, who sat down with the New York Times to discuss plans for a casino in his western NY community. We first heard about this back in May, when over a dozen Amish appeared in court to protest against the proposed $350 million investment….
Over a dozen Amish appeared in a central New York court last week to express displeasure over plans to build a casino in their community. “They could not imagine staying here with a casino,” explained their spokesman, Lynn Barbuto. What problem do the Amish have with the proposed gambling house? For one, traffic, which according to the article at 13wham.com (Update: article no longer online) would…
Health officials in eastern Ohio are grappling with a measles outbreak, the largest in the US since 1996, linked to an Amish mission trip to the Phillippines. From The Coshocton Tribune: Sixteen confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease have showed up near the Knox County village of Danville, less than 35 miles west of Coshocton County. Four members of an Amish community there recently traveled to the…
The copyright for an Amish-created quilt design has been acquired by a Lancaster County retailer called Almost Amish, and they are enforcing it. From the Lancaster Online article: From now on, Light in the Valley, a quilt pattern that creates an optical illusion that lends it a three-dimensional effect, can no longer be quilted. That particular pattern has been copyrighted, and Almost Amish, the company…
A conflict over smoke detectors and building permits is unfolding in an Amish community in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. From the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram: Four cases involving a conflict between traditional Amish ways — particularly when it comes to smoke and carbon monoxide detectors — and modern society are slated for a scheduling conference at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday before Judge Kristina Bourget. The crux of…