A popular Amish-backed bank has recently opened its eighth location, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Bank of Bird-in-Hand was founded in 2013 and has proven an unmitigated success story for its customers in the southeastern Pennsylvania region. The bank has made news often in the past – including for its unusual means of reaching its customers – providing a “Gelt Bus” mobile bank to make…
It’s happened again. Authorities seek a man and a woman wanted for an attempted kidnapping of an Amish boy – only the latest attempted abduction of an Amish child. This happened yesterday in Gallia County, Ohio, in the southern end of the state. More from WSAZ: GALLIA COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – Deputies are investigating a reported attempted abduction that allegedly happened Wednesday in Green Township….
Two months after it was first reported, a high-tech warning system designed to alert drivers to Amish buggies on the roads might be coming to life in one county in Virginia. Reports are that Pittsylvania County, VA might be the first to see this system in use – at least the first in Virginia. It’s unclear if this has been tested or implemented elsewhere. And…
This had to be frightening. The 22-year-old Amish woman inside was dragged down the road (while still inside the buggy, fortunately). Also, fortunately, it turns out she is alright. Yet another bad experience delivered by an (alleged) DUI driver. This one happened in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Here’s more via the Daily Voice: Brad J. Rodarmel, 46, was driving a 2005 Honda Pilot when he tried to…
Today’s Amish home is found in Scioto County, Ohio. A standout feature of this Amish property is a second home – which, as we’ll see in the photos, has been used as a schoolhouse for the community (more on why below). Scioto County lies in southern Ohio, right on the border with Kentucky. There are actually two separate, but very small Amish communities in this…
This is one you don’t see every day: Amish in a Michigan community want to be allowed to build a river crossing to make buggy travel safer. It’s a project that would otherwise cost the government millions of dollars. But – and here’s the kicker – the Amish want to do it themselves, bypassing red tape. Not only that, they want to cover the full…
Twenty years ago, I had the pleasure of spending the night in my pickup truck, heater on blast, in the parking lot of a Middlefield, Ohio, gas station. The reason? A heavy, early-April lake effect snowstorm had caught me off guard while I was in the area selling books. The roads too slick to exit town, and nary a hotel bed to be found, I…
It’s been a month since Amish teenager Elmer Borntrager lost his life on a Clarke County, Iowa backroad, killed when a driver struck his buggy and fled, leaving him to die on the roadside. A search for the vehicle operator ensued; several days later, his car was found. And now it’s been reported that the driver himself has been arrested. Here are the basic details,…
It’s still deer hunting season – and that means in many Amish communities, the men (and some women) are taking full advantage of the chance to go after a prize buck. And in Perry County, Pennsylvania, one group of hunters managed to get that trophy – only to have it swiped away by a thief. The report from CBS 21: PERRY COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) —…
Christmas is right around the corner and Ben & Rose are back with their take on a Christmas classic: “Away In A Manger”. It’s a lovely soft rendition with Jordan Davis and Mark Davis helping out on drums and bass, and producer Conrad Fisher adding guitar. I particularly like the addition of the fiddle by Jason Barie which gives the tune a rich warm lift….