Lawmakers Not Inclined to Restrict Amish Tractors

Rumble strips in the driving lanes of some rural Kentucky highways aren't intentional.  They've been etched into asphalt by old-fashioned metal wheels some Amish farmers have been putting on modern tractors.  State Senator Joey Pendleton of Hopkinsville wants the damage stopped. But he's getting little sympathy from fellow lawmakers for his bill barring steel-wheeled tractors and farm implements from being driven on highways unless they have a strip of rubber to keep the metal from digging into the blacktop.  The Amish, riding a wave of goodwill among Kentucky lawmakers, have little reason to worry Pendleton's bill will pass. Republican Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Ernie Harris says he doesn't intend to call the measure up for a vote.