Slow and steady Amish newspaper leads the way

SUGARCREEK, Ohio: The writers' grievances came in the form of angry letters, carried over bumpy rural roads to the newspaper office serving the Amish community.

The farmers, preachers and mechanics responsible for filling The Budget threatened to go on strike if the 119-year-old Amish weekly went ahead with its plan to go online.

The Budget is the dominant means of communication among the Amish, a Christian denomination with about 227,000 members in the US, who shun cars for horse-drawn buggies and avoid hooking up to the electrical grid.