New Buffalo Township Board adopts new zoning ordinance

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

After a nearly two-year process, members of the New Buffalo Township Board of Trustees adopted a resolution adopting the three entities). A resolution in favor of Amtrak forming a connection between the Pere Marquette Line that comes through New Buffalo and goes to township’s new zoning ordinance at their Monday, Nov. 15, meeting.

New Buffalo Township Supervisor Michelle Heit said that the draft zoning ordinance had been on the township’s website for a while for the public to view.

At the September meeting, board member Patty Iazzetto, who sits on the Planning Commission, said the planners had approved the zoning ordinance and it was headed for the county’s Planning Commission for their review.

Board members approved the 12th payment for the Public Safety Building project in the amount of $8,751 as well as the ninth payment for the Union Pier trailhead project to Roggow Construction in the amount of $12,085.37, which is the township’s half (the cost is shared with Chikaming Township).

A resolution approving the refunding contract was adopted. Heit said that when the GRSD (Galien River Sanitary District) did their upgrades to the plant, the five entities – the City of New Buffalo, the City of Bridgman, Chikaming Township, Lake Township, and New Buffalo Township – were part of paying off the bond. While Chikaming and Lake townships have already paid theirs off, the City of New Buffalo, Bridgman and New Buffalo Township have been paying on it and it has about seven years left. By refinancing it, New Buffalo Township can save $140,000 (the bonding cost will be shared by the Grand Rapids and the Wolverine Line that heads east was adopted. Board members approved applying to LARA (Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) for a site as well as program license for day camp next summer at Frohne Hall. Heit reminded everyone that the township’s December meeting has been switched to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16.

Blake O’Halloran, a resident of the Village of Grand Beach said he read in Crain’s Business that the actuarialists said in five years, it’s going to be $2.67 billion to the economy of Michigan regarding cannabis dispensaries in the state. He said that as a taxpayer of the township, he doesn’t have “the luxury of these revenues coming in,” as the village doesn’t have any businesses and doesn’t have that type of opportunity. O’Halloran (who also sits on the Grand Beach Village Council) said that the municipalities need to figure out how to “sustain our budgets,” noting the 6 percent inflation and where the money is going to come from to afford items when their costs are increasing.

“I’m interested in where we think we might want to take cannabis dispensaries as far the township is concerned - I think we have really good opportunity based on where the property is for the township,” he said.

New Buffalo Times

More details emerge about alleged New Buffalo drug kingpin’s activities

BY STAN MADDUX

The FBI eavesdropped on telephone conversations and text messages to keep track of the activities of an alleged drug kingpin from

Ford Mustang and two Toyota Camrys Dconfiscated by federal authorities since it appears those vehicles were obtained with his alleged drug proceeds, according to the FBI complaint. behalf of LaPorte County Prosecutor New Buffalo.

Those are the latest details contained in the FBI complaint filed against eight suspected members of the ring in U.S. District Court at Grand Rapids.

Ivan Huerta Hernandez, 32, of 17813 Behner Road allegedly purchased large quantities of crack and powder cocaine in Chicago and sold it to dealers for distribution throughout the area.

The cocaine was shipped from Mexico and delivered to Chicago based on information derived from cell phone calls and text messages in English, Spanish and a combination of the two languages translated to English, according to the FBI complaint.

Hernandez had been under investigation since 2020 for running the alleged ring from his residence near Exit 4 on Interstate 94.

About two kilograms of suspected cocaine along with close to $100,000 in cash and two firearms were seized during the execution of search warrants in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

Seven other people, including Donald Rogers, 62, also of New Buffalo, were also arrested.

Rogers of 16876 Lake Shore Road near Red Arrow Highway was one of the main customers of Hernandez and distributors of the cocaine.

Also arrested were Juan Martinez Camarillo, 36, and Santiago Cardenas, 41, both of Michigan City; Manuel Eudave, 54, of rural LaPorte; Marcus Johnson, 42, of Benton Harbor; Adrian Romero Antunez, 35, of Chicago; and Henry Nichols, 41, of Greenville, South Carolina.

If convicted, Hernandez could have his 2004 Porsche Cayenne, 1969 According to the FBI complaint, John Lake and his wife, Mary, who is a Hernandez also drove to places like deputy prosecutor for her husband. Benton Harbor and Merrillville to sell drugs to major customers and collect Nov. 9 in LaPorte Superior Court 3 and money they owed him from previous dismissal of the case was filed Nov. 2 in cocaine buys. Starke County Circuit Court. The communication between Hernandez and his alleged customers was taken to get back into compliance on cell phones and in text messages with the law governing bankruptcy were monitored under a court order for proceedings at the request of the former two months beginning Aug. 24, the FBI mayor’s attorney, Daniel Freeland. complaint revealed. In one conversation, Camarillo told bankruptcy protection in U.S. District Hernandez he was on his motorcycle Court in South Bend on behalf of Ron in LaPorte and would have the cash Meer. to allegedly make a major cocaine purchase from him the following day. under federal law comes with an automatic stay prohibiting legal action

According to the FBI complaint, Camarillo said “I’ll have something good for you in the morning for sure.” being filed against individuals seeking protection from creditors until a final decision is made in their bankruptcy cases. Transactions between the two men Freeland said violation of a stay could were made at the home of Camarillo result in damages and even punitive at 416 Cleveland Ave. or after they met damages for Meer if a judge ruled the at places like the Cigarette Outlet on filing of a lawsuit was done to harm him. Indiana 39 just south of the Michigan state line, authorities said. as prosecutor, said the stay was violated by accident.The FBI complaint also alleges Eudave used his business, Eudave Landscaping and Stone in northern LaPorte County, served with any notice of a bankruptcy to launder drug money for Hernandez. filing since they were not listed as During a three month period starting creditors in Meer’s bankruptcy petition. in June, authorities said company payroll checks totaling more than bankruptcy,” said Lake. $22,000 were written by Eudave to Hernandez even though Hernandez was not employed by his firm. According to the complaint, Hernandez left drugs for his customers to pick up at his house at times when he wasn’t going to be there to physically carry out the exchange.