CAUGHT: Man Found & Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Amish 16-Year-Old (UPDATE: Wright Pleads Not Guilty; Commits Pretrial Violation By Using Drugs)

CAUGHT: Man Found & Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Amish 16-Year-Old (UPDATE: Wright Pleads Not Guilty; Commits Pretrial Violation By Using Drugs)

ByErik Wesner
7 Comments

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,…

“Lifetime Buck” Stolen From Amish Hunters

“Lifetime Buck” Stolen From Amish Hunters

ByErik Wesner
12 Comments

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) —…

Ben & Rose Do A Christmas Classic: “Away In A Manger”

Ben & Rose Do A Christmas Classic: “Away In A Manger”

ByErik Wesner
4 Comments

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….

A Place to Stay (Part 2): His Christmas Journey Begins

A Place to Stay (Part 2): His Christmas Journey Begins

ByHaley Straw
14 Comments

Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw shares part two of a four-part Christmas series. It follows the true story of a young boy from Chicago, whose longing for warmth and belonging sends him on an unlikely winter journey toward an Amish community he’d only read about in a library book. This retelling draws from the original “Please Let Me Stay” account shared in a private…

Blaze Damages Popular Amish Greenhouse (Indiana)

Blaze Damages Popular Amish Greenhouse (Indiana)

ByErik Wesner
3 Comments

This story comes out of the Amish community in Williamsburg, Indiana. Fortunately no one was hurt, but as you can see by the photo the greenhouse took significant damage. Aerial technology came into play to help firefighters knock out the blaze. More on that from the Richmond Palladium-Item: WILLIAMSBURG, IN — No injuries were reported after a fire damaged Country Side Amish Greenhouse on the…

An Amish “Victory”: Supreme Court Erases Lower Court Decision in School Vaccine Mandate Case, Orders Review

An Amish “Victory”: Supreme Court Erases Lower Court Decision in School Vaccine Mandate Case, Orders Review

ByErik Wesner
11 Comments

News today: the Supreme Court has “erased” a decision against New York Amish parents who objected to vaccination mandates for children in Amish schools. The Amish refusal to comply following a 2019 change in New York state law resulted in three Amish schools being fined a total of $118,000. To this point, the Amish side had faced multiple losses in the case, with a federal…

One Woman’s Journey from English to Amish to Jewish

One Woman’s Journey from English to Amish to Jewish

ByErik Wesner
8 Comments

An interesting story appeared recently about a young woman who has made an unusual faith journey: from a non-Amish Christian family, to joining an Amish community, and most recently to Judaism. Nechama Leapley grew up as Briana Leapley in a non-Amish (aka “English”) Christian home – though in an “Amish-sized” family: she was the oldest of seven children, described as “homeschooled and mostly isolated”. Her…

A Place to Stay: How One Child Found A Home Among the Amish

A Place to Stay: How One Child Found A Home Among the Amish

ByHaley Straw
8 Comments

Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw is back with part one of a four-part Christmas series. It follows the true story of a young boy from Chicago, whose longing for warmth and belonging sends him on an unlikely winter journey toward an Amish community he’d only read about in a library book. This retelling draws from the original “Please Let Me Stay” account shared in…

Amish Father Shot & Killed During “Deer Drive” Involving 24 Hunters

Amish Father Shot & Killed During “Deer Drive” Involving 24 Hunters

ByErik Wesner
3 Comments

An Amish father of two has died following a hunting accident in the mountains of Juniata County, Pennsylvania. The man was accidentally shot by another hunter while participating in a “deer drive” – a technique using two groups of hunters, where one group flushes deer out for others to shoot. More from WJAC: JUNIATA COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A 26-year-old hunter is dead after another…

Man Pleads Guilty in DUI Wreck Which Killed 10-Year-Old Amish Boy; Might Get A Life Sentence

Man Pleads Guilty in DUI Wreck Which Killed 10-Year-Old Amish Boy; Might Get A Life Sentence

ByErik Wesner
1 Comment

Anthony Miller was a 10-year-old boy living the life of an Amish child in his community in St. Joseph County, Michigan. But Anthony’s life was abruptly cut short, one year ago this week. On December 2, 2024, Logan Thomas, 30, driving a pickup truck at a claimed speed of 50-55 mph, plowed into a group of four Amish children on the roadside, one of whom…