This is not earth-shattering new information in the Rebekah Byler murder case. But, this is the first news we’ve seen since the court document release in March, so I wanted to bring you this update. Shawn C. Cranston of Corry, PA was originally slated to be tried next month (June) for the killing of Byler and her unborn child. That trial has now been…
There is no doubt that the media loves to report on crimes of all kinds, and experienced by all kinds of people. And none more readily make the news than crimes with Amish as the victims. Like all crime stories, it is the more heinous incidents that most likely make the front page. For several days, it was the murder of Rebekah Byler in late…
Ten years ago, we had a look at a $9,861 Amish buggy seen in a PA community. This one is nearly double that price. Conclusion: Inflation is hitting the Amish hard too! Well, maybe not just inflation. This buggy comes loaded with some flashy features (at least in Amish terms). So a chunk of the price tag likely reflects those add-ons. Remember this is something you…
This happened over the weekend in central Michigan. Via UpNorthLive: ISABELLA COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A 65-year-old Blanchard man is recovering at the hospital after he was unable to avoid a loose horse in the roadway, hitting it with his car. The horse was killed in the crash. According to Michigan State Police, he was driving west on Blanchard Road around 5 a.m. Saturday morning…
This is the kind of local color story I always get a kick out of. Not that I’m excited that this particular community will go without their Amish-made donuts. Not that at all. It’s more how it shows how people value the products and experiences Amish people bring to their communities. The Power of Amish Donuts Amish in many places are renowned for their donuts….
Volume 4, Issue 2 of the Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities is now available. Like previous issues, it offers readers a variety of topics. For example, the lead article by Rachel Stein, Professor of Sociology at West Virginia University and Mark Dewalt, Professor Emeritus at Winthrop University, examines the prevalence of accidents in smaller Amish communities using reports found in the monthly publication, The Diary….
Nice look today inside an Amish-owned home in the third-largest of all Amish settlements (Elkhart-LaGrange County, Indiana). This is one of the more progressive communities. So you’ll find the typical Amish touches – along with a bit more modern feel in this home (originally built in 1997). You can see that more progressive look right off the bat, with this exterior view. It’s the kind…
Is “Easterday” an Amish surname In Kentucky? Or anywhere else for that matter? I’m asking because of an unusual detail in a recent report which caught my eye. A 23-year-old man named Isreal Easterday was convicted and recently sentenced to two years in prison for a pepper spray attack on two Capitol police officers on January 6, 2021. He’s also said to have had a…
There’s a detail in this report on Amish buggy safety in Virginia that may be easy to overlook. At first glance, by the title (“Safety concerns continue for Amish, with state decision needed”) it sounds like just another meeting about buggy safety issues, and what to do about them. But in the text we learn this: Witt added that elders in the Amish community wanted…
I attended the Schoeneck (pronounced, I believe, “Shay-neck”) Fire Company Mud Sale this past Saturday. What a nice day for this kind of event. Not much mud in sight though, and a rather windy day. This photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but you can see the flags and the “Exit” sign being bent down by the gusts. I was there later in the afternoon…