Midwest
Indiana day care director sentenced to six-month jail sentence after giving children melatonin gummies
A former Indiana day care director was recently sentenced to six months in jail after she gave melatonin gummies to children without parental consent.
Tonya Rachelle Voris, 53, was charged with 11 felony counts of neglect of a dependent and six misdemeanor counts of reckless supervision by a child care provider last year. She pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to half a year in jail.
Voris fed the children gummies so they could sleep during nap time in her care. She worked at the Kidz Life Childcare Ministry at New Life Church in Cumberland, outside of Indianapolis.
WISCONSIN’S GOP-CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE VOTES TO END FUNDING FOR PANDEMIC-ERA CHILD CARE PROGRAM
Seventeen children, ranging from infants to 4-year-olds, ate the gummies.
Tonya Rachelle Voris, 53, was charged with 11 felony counts of neglect of a dependent after she gave youngsters melatonin gummies to sleep. (Hancock County Jail/Getty Images )
According to the affidavit, a parent originally asked Voris to give her child pediatric-strength melatonin to help her sleep at nap time.
Voris was satisfied with how well the gummies worked, and promptly began administering them to children without parental consent.
The children allegedly experienced side effects, although the specific symptoms are unclear.
“Voris dispensed the melatonin gummies to forcefully induce sleep in several children for her personal gain in not having to deal with fussy or problematic children who would not sleep during naptime which was characterized by several staff members as their break-time,” court documents obtained by FOX 59 read.
STAFFING SHORTAGES, LOW PAY CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE CHILD CARE INDUSTRY
Voris worked at at the Kidz Life Childcare Ministry at New Life Church in Cumberland. (Google Maps)
A pastor at the church contacted the Cumberland Metropolitan Police Department after another day care employee told him about the incident. At the time, Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton noted that the gummies had a range of side effects that necessitated parental knowledge.
“There are many side effects of OTC medications and those can impact individuals in a variety of ways depending on any other health conditions, medications, and other supplements present, which is why it’s imperative parents always give express permission for any medication to be given,” Eaton said, according to FOX 59.
Sleep aids, some of which are melatonin gummies, are displayed for sale in a store on April 26, 2023, in Miami, Florida (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Voris resided in Fortville, Indiana at the time and now lives in Dade City, Florida. She was immediately taken into custody after her sentencing on Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Detroit, MI
Detroit man arrested following manhunt for double murder in Tennessee
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 28-year-old man from Detroit has been arrested for the murder of two people in Tennessee.
Troy Hutchinson and Rodrell Jeter were shot and killed Nov. 16, 2025, outside Nashville, Tennessee. A third man was hospitalized with critical injuries.
Police believe four men were traveling from Detroit to Atlanta in a Ford Bronco when the fourth man opened fire on the victims before leaving in the vehicle. The Bronco was found abandoned in Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati in Ohio.
Jeter and the man who was hospitalized were both from Detroit, while Hutchinson is from Atlanta.
A motive for the shooting remains unknown.
In late November, police identified the suspect as Dashonn Moten. He was indicted on 17 counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and two counts of felony murder.
After nearly two months, Moten was arrested Friday, Jan. 10, in Sterling Heights and is awaiting extradition to Tennessee for his arraignment.
If convicted, Moten faces possible execution.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee County gets $25M federal grant for 67 road safety projects
See the aftermath of high-speed reckless driving in Milwaukee
Journalist James Causey and his wife narrowly escaped a high-speed chase and accident when an SUV ran past them and through an intersection, colliding with a Mercedes.
Milwaukee County will receive nearly $25 million in federal funding for 67 traffic safety projects along 10 of the county’s most hazardous roadways, according to a Jan. 12 announcement from County Executive David Crowley’s office.
That funding will support upgrades for pedestrian infrastructure, intersections and high-speed corridors in Milwaukee, West Allis, Glendale, Brown Deer, Shorewood and on multiple county highways.
Collectively, these projects could reduce fatal and serious injury crashes in hazardous areas by 26%–50% and save an estimated $1.2 billion in car crash costs over 20 years, according to the announcement.
Preliminary designs are anticipated to begin in 2027, with all projects completed by 2031.
The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant, which the county’s Department of Transportation applied for in 2025 as part of its Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project, an initiative to increase safety and reduce reckless driving across its roadways.
Already, the county has analyzed crash data, identified 25 “Corridors of Concern,” and reviewed potential project opportunities.
Milwaukee County’s award amounts to the third-largest grant in the federal program’s 2025 funding cycle. It will be managed by the county and distributed to the five municipal recipients.
The municipalities will lead the projects and provide a 20% local match to support costs.
More details about the projects’ locations will be posted on the transportation department’s website, according to the announcement.
The 65 infrastructure projects and two studies enabled by the grant aim to improve safety along 10 hazardous roadways the county has identified.
Pedestrian infrastructure upgrades will include high-visibility crosswalks, upgraded pedestrian walk signals, restricting right-turn-on-red options, and sidewalk network expansion.
Intersection upgrades will include traffic signal upgrades, better visibility for pedestrians, bump-outs, and select geometric realignments. High-speed corridor upgrades will entail traffic calming improvements that help drivers stay in their lanes.
One of the projects will also seek to reduce reckless driving on the 16th Street viaduct, the 27th Street viaduct and the 35th Street viaduct.
The grant will also fund a safety analysis study on West Lincoln Avenue between South 124th Street and South 52nd Street, which will issue recommendations for future projects. The grant will also fund a county Department of Transportation report assessing the county’s progress toward the Vision Zero goal.
Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.
Minneapolis, MN
Thousands protest in Minneapolis over fatal ICE shooting – video
Thousands of people protested in Minneapolis, Minnesota over the weekend to decry the fatal shooting of 37‑year‑old Renee Good by a US immigration agent, one of more than 1,000 rallies planned nationwide against the federal government’s deportation drive. Demonstrators marched towards the residential street where Good was shot in her car and mourned at a makeshift memorial
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology6 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX4 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Delaware3 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Iowa6 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Montana2 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Health1 week agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits