Nurse Charged in NICU Baby’s Injuries

A former nurse at Grand Rapids’ Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has been charged with child abuse after a 4-month-old girl in intensive care was found with broken bones and bruises.

The girl, born four months premature, was expected to go home in April. “She was born at 23 weeks: 1 pound, 1 ounce,” her grandfather, Robert Steavens, said.

Records show Kieran Ansley, 43, entered the baby’s room about 30 times during one overnight shift. Co-workers told investigators Ansley seemed flustered and frustrated.

Ansley, who faces four counts, two of them 10-year felonies, is free on bond but must wear an electronic tether. Attorney Damian Nunzio said Ansley has cooperated and is “a very good person.”

Rockford Parents Drop Pronoun Lawsuit

Parents who sued Rockford Public Schools have dropped their case, which claimed the district hid that their child was using a male name and pronouns.

Dan and Jennifer Mead sued in 2023, saying staff called their daughter a boy without their knowledge. They pulled the then-13-year-old from school to homeschool her.

The district said the dismissal wasn’t a settlement and it paid nothing. It denies staff lied or altered records to hide anything.

A federal judge revived the case in August, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a similar California case. The parents said the district refused to stop using the new name and pronouns.

Hikers’ Tip Saves 27 Stranded Sturgeon

Wildlife crews rescued 27 lake sturgeon from low water in the Upper Peninsula’s Ontonagon River after hikers phoned in a tip.

North Country Trail hikers spotted three sturgeon stranded in pools below Victoria Dam on Aug. 23. Department of Natural Resources technicians carried two of them nearly a mile over rugged ground to flowing water.

Crews returned twice more with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Upper Peninsula Power Company, moving 10 and then 15 fish. Lake sturgeon have been listed as threatened in Michigan since 1994.

The low water came from river flow diverted to a nearby power station. The DNR is weighing steps to keep fish from getting stranded again.

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➤ Statewide: Attorney General Dana Nessel told police agencies that personal protection orders issued by tribal courts must be enforced the same way as orders from Michigan courts. (More)

➤ Detroit: Hutchison Funeral Home executive Joseph Hutchison Jr. was found dead Thursday, about a week after a family accused the home of wrongly cremating their mother. Police are investigating. (See Details)

➤ Iosco County: The U.S. Forest Service closes Iargo Springs, near Lumberman’s Monument, for a year starting Monday. Crews will replace aging stairs and repair spring-fed boardwalks along the Au Sable River. (More)

➤ Romulus: Delta will launch the first nonstop flights between Detroit Metro Airport and Athens, Greece, on June 8, 2027. The route will run three times a week through Oct. 28. (More)

➤ Sault Ste. Marie: The International Bridge closes to cars from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. today for the Sault International Festival of Races, whose 5-mile run crosses the span. (More)

➤ Lansing: At its annual gala Thursday, the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing surprised 100 students with new MacBook Pro laptops donated through AT&T Michigan and Human-I-T. (More)

➤ Justin Verlander will make the final start of his 21-season career today at Comerica Park, where he last pitched for Detroit in 2017. (More)

➤ No. 18 Michigan is a 5.5-point favorite today against No. 17 Iowa, as the Wolverines look to improve to 4-0. (See Preview)

➤ Michigan basketball’s Roddy Gayle Jr. gained eligibility for a fifth season after receiving a preliminary injunction. (More)

➤ Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said the NFL fined him nearly $60,000 for mimicking smoking four times against the Buffalo Bills last week. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | NHL | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Chuck Norris spent years researching what he believed were hidden threats inside the body that contribute to “rapid aging.” He identified three “internal enemies” that may affect energy, digestion, muscles, and joints. Before his passing, Chuck recorded a short video explaining what he discovered and the approach he believed could help. Watch the video here >>

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➤ Ancient pines that survived the 1800s logging boom stand near the eastern U.P.’s Two Hearted River, where a DNR forester found old-growth red pines aged up to around 350 years. (More)

➤ Rolling Rabbit Books, a Byron Center children’s bookstore, has more than doubled in size, adding toys, seating, and a cozy “quiet closet.” (Read Story)

➤ The Harvest Moon rises over West Michigan around 7:20 p.m. tonight, with clear skies in the forecast. It’ll still look full Sunday, with Saturn shining just to its lower left. (More)

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➤ Most Americans think eating sweets for breakfast is unhealthy… But according to Stanford researchers, there’s one delicious “dessert” food that Costa Ricans in the famous “blue zone” there eat each morning that… So, what’s the #1 “dessert” food that helps Costa Ricans live healthy, lean, and energetic past 100?

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ Some American workers could start collecting full Social Security years early, but critics warn of fallout. (Hear Details)

➤ Coastal flood alerts cover 33 million people as a rare multiday nor’easter threatens the East Coast through the weekend. (Listen Now)

➤ The robotic spacecraft launched to save a failing NASA telescope has itself plunged back to Earth. (Podcast Available)

What sport did you play most growing up?

1. Football
2. Baseball or softball
3. Basketball
4. Hockey
5. Didn’t play sports
6. Other (reply to tell us!)

Yesterday’s Results:

Ford cut the workweek to five days back in 1926. Would you go to four?

1. I’m retired, doesn’t apply: 63%
2. Only if the pay held steady: 15%
3. Yes, sign me up: 13%
4. No, five days suits me: 9%

Lake sturgeon have lived in Michigan’s waters since before the Great Lakes formed. How long can some of them live?

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