The man who ran Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana under the name “Brad Juneau” has been arrested in Louisiana – about 10 days after vendors found the attraction’s grounds deserted. ABC57 reports that Michael Loftin was taken into custody in Kenner, Louisiana, on October 29th. ABC57 had previously reported an active warrant for Loftin in Terrebonne Parish for “Issuing of a Worthless Check.” The station’s…
In May of 2025 we learned of charges against a man named John Miller Esh of Strasburg Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Police said Esh posed as a chiropractor and sexually assaulted women and minors in the Plain community in that role, during “treatments.” I described it at the time as a “stomach-churning” story. There are further details as to what he was alleged to…
A local resident whose home sits next to a fast-growing business in the Nappanee Amish community says officials would have forced the company off farmland years ago – “if [the business] was Amish-owned.” The business in question is called PWI, which builds custom cranes, mezzanines, and other manufacturing support products. Over the years they have experienced a lot of success and corresponding growth. Now, they…
Nora Kurtz is a member of an Old Order Amish church in Geauga County, Ohio, and Director of Operations at the Geauga Amish History Center. She previously shared some favorite dishes from her community. Today she returns with a closer look at what happens at Amish weddings. Weddings across Amish communities share a similar structure but can vary in smaller details unique to each community….
After a three-year search, a descendant has located a roughly 200-year-old Amish cemetery in Holmes County, Ohio, where her fourth-great-grandparents are buried — and it was right where a 1975 directory said it would be. As reported in the Bargain Hunter, a woman named Linda Schrock Schneider managed to find the burial ground of Holmes County pioneers Jacob and Anna Shrock in a stand of…
Federal immigration officials have placed a hold on the New Jersey man accused of trying to kidnap an Amish woman in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania earlier this month. And the Department of Homeland Security says he is in the country illegally. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on Junior Davila-Moran, 26, of Hamilton Township, New Jersey on October 19, according to WGAL. Davila-Moran is suspected…
Amish buggies in Barnesville, Ohio can no longer use the village’s historic B&O Railroad tunnel as a shortcut into town. Signs now prohibit horses there, following complaints about manure, as well as safety concerns. This is a community of over 400 Amish people in Belmont County in eastern Ohio, a couple counties southeast of the Holmes County settlement. The tunnel is now part of Barnesville’s…
We’ve heard a lot about Amish disaster relief in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, which, time flies, happened over two years ago now (September 2024). Amish crews from the Midwest and Pennsylvania have given their time and effort to help rebuild in NC mountain towns like Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. As one female Amish volunteer said at the time, “Our heart just felt drawn…
Don Burke is back with a look at an old favorite – Jamesport, Missouri – and what’s new in the community since his last visit. The Jamesport area is home to one of the state’s larger and best-known Amish settlements. Helping him out again is Laura Graber, who grew up Amish in the community, and even taught in an Amish school for four years. Don…
We now know more about what the person who (allegedly) attempted to kidnap a 23-year-old Amish woman Wednesday did. Learning the details, this had to be a very frightening experience. And the woman’s response may have saved her a lot of trauma and pain, and even her life. It turns out she used a weed whacker to scare off a man carrying a knife and…