VOLUME 170, No. 12 Thursday, March 21, 2024 PRICE $1.
T HE
H ASTINGS
Devoted to the Interests of Barry County Since 1856
Putnam District Library secures
national grant
See story on page 5
Maple Valley seniors cap
powerlifting careers
See story on page 9
Hastings culinary students
shine on state stage
See story on page 8
Stoneco withdraws application for Hope
Township gravel pit after years-long battle
Jayson Bussa
Editor
Residents in the Wilkinson Lake area of
Hope Township are cautiously optimistic that
they may have won a three-year battle against
a company trying to develop a gravel mine
along the residential lake.
“At the end of the day, we’re skeptically
celebrating,” said Don Sklenka, a member of
a core group of residents who have been
working to fend off the effort dating back to- “That’s basically where we’re at. It’s
been three years and how many days and it’s
been never-ending. So, I’m sure there is
something up their sleeves, but at the end of
the day, you can’t take away an aquifer and
put a gravel pit on a residential lake – those
are facts that just won’t be changing any
time soon.”
The project in question was being devel-
oped by Stoneco of Michigan, which pro-
posed a 153-acre sand and gravel mine along
Wilkinson Lake. Just across Miller Road, in
Orangeville Township, Stoneco has already
received the go-ahead from the Barry County
Planning Commission, which handles its zon-
ing, to establish a 160-acre site.
After a special Hope Township Planning
Commission meeting last week, where a
geological engineer voiced concerns about
the plans, Stoneco abruptly withdrew its
special exception use application for the
project.
Ken Vermeulen, attorney for Stoneco of
Michigan, confirmed with the Banner that the
company did pull its application but did not
provide further comment on why or what
might be next, if anything.
Despite giving up on the Wilkinson Lake
site, the Orangeville Township mine across
the street is still a go and will start to be
developed this spring.
Hope Township Supervisor Doug Peck
echoed that account in an email to the Banner,
saying: “On March 15, 2024 the Hope Town-
ship Planning Commission received a formal
letter from Michigan Paving and Material Co.
a/k/a Stoneco withdrawing its special use
permit and site plan application with Hope
Township. There is no reason given as to why
they withdrew the special use permit and site
plan application. They are under no obliga-
tion that I’m aware of to inform the planning
commission as to their reason.”
The planning commission was expected to
discuss the project further at this evening’s
regularly scheduled meeting, but the item hasSheriff makes trove of
documents public as he asks
for U.S. Congress to investigate
Jayson Bussa
Editor
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf has released
a cache of documents he says points to
improprieties in the 2020 election and has
appealed to a United States Congressman to
launch a federal investigation into the matter.
Leaf has spent years utilizing resources in
his own department and collaborating with a
nationwide network of individuals who have
concerns about the integrity of the 2020 pres-
idential election and the election process in
general.
Over the course of that investigation, Leaf
has claimed to have accumulated a deluge of
evidence and information.
Earlier this week was a rare moment when
Leaf went public with some of that informa-
tion. Establishing a new account on the social
media website X, formerly known as Twitter,
Leaf linked to a trove of internal email com-
munications amongst employees and contrac-
tors at Dominion Voting Systems, which
develops election hardware and software
used throughout the United States, including
in most Michigan counties.
Through the X account, Leaf, who con-
firmed to the Banner that he established the
account, also linked to individual email
exchanges, which appear to show Dominion
Voting Systems employees troubleshooting
various issues.
As the Banner continues to review the
hundreds of emails in question, Leaf has
pointed to them as a smoking gun that Serbi-
an nationals had infiltrated the election pro-
cess. Leaf lays out his argument in an open
letter directed at United States Congressman
Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who chairs the Com-
mittee of the Judiciary and the Subcommittee
on the Weaponization of the Federal Govern-
ment. In the letter, dated March 17 and pub-
lished on Barry County Sheriff’s Office let-
terhead, Leaf asks Jordan, with the evidence,
to launch an investigation into the matter.
“My office is investigating criminal acts
related to elections in Barry County, the State
of Michigan and the United States. I am in
possession of evidence involving voting
machines,” Leaf wrote in his letter to Rep.
Jordan.
“My office has come into possession of
evidence that foreign nationals have accessed
electronic voting machines in Michigan and
other states,” the letter continues further
down. “This evidence demonstrates that elec-
tronic voting machines and electronic elec-New personnel committee
convenes, eyes search for
new county administrator
Jayson Bussa
Editor
The county board’s newly-minted Personnel
and Human Services Committee met for the
first time last Thursday and wasted little time
addressing one of its most pressing needs.
In an inaugural meeting March 14 that
clocked in just under three hours long, the
new committee created by the Barry County
Board of Commissioners addressed a robust
agenda of items, including one of the coun-
ty’s most crucial personnel needs: finding and
hiring a new county administrator.
Michael Brown, who has served as Barry
County’s administrator for 30 years, has
opted not to renew his contract when it
expires at the end of the year.
Brown could step away from the office as
early as Aug. 1 but has agreed to work withthe county board if needed through the bud-
get process, which ends in October with a
public hearing.
Brown’s departure, paired with key depar-
tures in other departments of the county, was
the catalyst behind creating the new commit-Bliss historical display showcases over
100 years of operations in Hastings
Hunter McLaren
Staff Writer
Over 100 years of Hastings history are on
display, showcasing the impact one company
in a small rural Michigan town can have on
the world.
Visitors to Bliss Clearing Niagara Techni-
cal Services will now be able to see its new
front lobby, acting as a sort-of Bliss museum
with decades-old artifacts and information
about the company’s history. Old manuals
and handbooks, including the beloved “Bliss
bible,” are all on display alongside various
Bliss-branded bits and bobs from throughout
the years. Golf balls, calculators, belt buck-
les, pocket watches and more are on display,
documenting the company’s rich history in
Hastings throughout the years.
Carlos Valdes, BCN Technical Services
president, revealed the project Wednesday
morning. Welcoming Kevin McAllister, pres-
ident of parent company Schuler Group’s
North America division, Valdes said he felt
the project was a great way to honor the com-
pany’s history and its employees.RELATED NEWS:
Personnel committee
recommends new county
planning commissioners, gives
Nashville a voice on the board
See story on page 3Anti-gravel mine protesters walking up to the Hope Township Hall for a planning commission meeting on Aug. 18, 2022.
(File photo by Leila Wood)
See STONECO, page 2
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf is appealing to the United States Congress to inves-
tigate potential voter fraud tied to the 2020 election. (Photo by Jayson Bussa)
See SHERIFF, page 2
Barry County Administrator Michael
Brown speaks during Tuesday morning’s
meeting of the county board’s Committee
of the Whole. (Photo by Jayson Bussa)See ADMINISTRATOR, page 3
From left to right, Schuler North America President Kevin McAllister; Kolleen Brown,
BCN Technical Services; President Carlos Valdes; and Ken Windes cut the ribbon on
the company’s new lobby. (Photos by Hunter McLaren)See BLISS, page 3