Linda Byler is rare in the world of Amish fiction writing. She is an actual member of an Old Order Amish church in an industry dominated by non-Amish writers. That’s one reason I found this recent profile of Linda so interesting. It begins charmingly with Linda not being totally sure how many books she’s actually written since first picking up the pen in 2003: While…
Fourteen Amish families settled in a corner of Kansas (Hartford in Lyon County) in the summer of 2020. That community just held a benefit to raise funds for a new school (article in the Emporia Gazette). Amishman Eddie Yoder explained that the event had two purposes: “to raise money for a much-needed school building and also an an opportunity to get to know people in…
Fireworks. A swamp. “Dead Man’s Hollow”. An Amish horse stuck up to its neck. It sounds like the elements of a TV drama or Halloween story. But these all came into play in the village of Union City in Michigan this past weekend. So I didn’t expect to post another Amish fireworks accident story so soon, but I guess the week following July 4th would…
In this guest post by Joe Donnermeyer, he shares an interesting discovery he recently made in Manhattan. Have you ever come across something like this? In celebration of completing our regimen of Covid-19 shots and wanting to travel once again, my wife (Diane) and I decided to spend a week in a place where we had never been before – New York City. We booked…
This is being reported by Ashland County Pictures, a news-oriented Facebook page focusing on Ashland County, Ohio: On 7-04-2021 around 10:07pm the Ashland Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Ashland County Sheriff’s Office along with the Polk Fire Department & EMS responded to a two Amish Buggy Crash on County Road 175 just North of State Route 604. An Ashland Post Trooper said two Amish…
This AP story recounts the efforts that went into finding Linda Stoltzfoos, and reveals a detail that I wasn’t aware of, on how she was eventually found. First, it captures well just how much the community came out for this girl: Tim Hoerner, president of the Hand-in-Hand Fire Company in Bird-in-Hand, which was also involved in the early searches, also recalled the impact on the…
Lizzy Hershberger lives in the same community as the Fillmore County, Minnesota Amish group who won an appeal case at the Supreme Court last week. She is concerned over wastewater leaking into the ground in her area. Hershberger said that she was “devastated that this is the outcome.” This caught my attention as I believe this is the first opposition – or at least strong…
Two years ago, three Amish children lost their lives on a road in southern Michigan, having been rear-ended by a drunk driver while traveling by buggy. The driver has now been sentenced. From WMMT: COLDWATER, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – A Fremont, Indiana man was ordered to serve between 42 months and 15 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections on Wednesday in Branch County Circuit Court…
The Amish plaintiffs appealed this case to the Supreme Court back in March (if you’re new to this story, here’s a summary of the issue, and some further explanation shared with us by expert witness Karen Johnson-Weiner). At the time, it was unclear whether it would even be heard. And it seemed unlikely, as the Supreme Court only hears 100 to 150 of the roughly…
Gloria Yoder writes an introspective Amish Cook column this week, on why she is Amish. As she often does, Gloria first notes that there are many different types of Amish people and that she can only speak for her community (Gloria belongs to a New Order Amish church). She then explains: Of the thousands of denominations out there, there is no other I’d rather spend…