Michigan
Emerging ace leads Michigan into Big Ten Tournament
Michigan’s baseball team entered 2024 needing to fill holes in its starting rotation after losing its top two pitchers from last season.
Second-year head coach Tracy Smith was forced to juggle his rotation the first half of the year because of inconsistent results, but a surprise ace has emerged for the Wolverines (30-26, 14-10), who finished fourth in the Big Ten and open conference tournament play against No. 5 seed Iowa at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska.
Sophomore Kurt Barr tossed just 23 2/3 innings as a freshman in 2023 and began this year in the bullpen, but back-to-back superb long-relief appearances in mid-march thrust him into the starting rotation.
The former Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggitt graduate has seized the opportunity and will be on the mound to start against the Hawkeyes in the double-elimination Big Ten Tournament.
He leads the team in ERA (3.52) and innings pitched (76 2/3) and is an all-Big Ten third-team selection.
“You earn it,” Smith said of Barr’s larger role. “It isn’t anything bestowed on anybody. I tell that to the guys all the time: you have to go out there and stack good performance on top of good performance, and when you do that, it earns you more opportunity.
“I think Kurt has done a really good job this season of stacking good performances on top of each other. He has put himself in position to lead the staff.”
During last season’s exit meetings, Barr told Smith he wanted to be a weekend starter in 2024 and pitch in high-leverage situations. He posted a respectable 4.18 ERA as a freshman in limited action but also walked 19 in 23 2/3 innings – a glaring stat that needed to be shored up.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder spent a month last summer working with private pitching coach Dom Johnson in San Diego refining his mechanics. He ditched the overhead windup and focused on simplifying his delivery so he could find a more consistent and reliable arm slot.
During the fall – essentially the preseason for NCAA baseball – Barr said he wasn’t getting the results he envisioned, but his new-and-improved motion started paying off this spring. His walk rate has dropped significantly and he also leads the team with a 1.26 WHIP.
“It was just simplifying things,” Barr said of his adjustments. “It wasn’t adding much. It was reworking the way my arm moved a little bit. That took a little bit of time to adjust, I’m thankful for it now because it has made my delivery a lot more consistent and repeatable.
“I’ve been able to land my curveball a lot better in any count. That keeps the hitters a little more off-balance. This new motion has helped me get my curveball down and my fastball down more consistently.”
Barr’s first eight appearances this season came out of the bullpen, but he pitched at least five innings in consecutive appearances before making his first start March 23. On March 12, he tossed six scoreless innings and yielded just three hits in a 7-6 Michigan 12-inning victory.
Five days later, he entered in a 1-1 game against San Diego and pitched five innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 Wolverines win.
“I think I just needed to see it click again,” said Barr, who was a two-time first-team all-state honoree in high school. “Not that I really lost much confidence, but early in the season, I was getting reliever type innings, one or two, and then I had a game where I was able to stretch it out. Since then, I feel like I’ve taken a major stride. Seeing that (success) again and telling myself, ‘This is who I am.’ I’ve been able to roll with that.”
Barr will make the most important start of his career Wednesday in a crucial opening game for Michigan. The path to a tournament title becomes more difficult with a first-round loss, especially for a Wolverines team that finished eighth in the conference in ERA and doesn’t have the pitching depth like others in the league.
Michigan won the season series against the Hawkeyes (31-21, 14-10), taking two of three in early-April. Barr took the only loss in the series but allowed just one run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
“Our mindset has kind of been the same since we started Big Ten play,” Barr said. “The mentality was “win the weekend, be weekend warriors.’ It helps we’ve seen them a little bit. I’ve thrown four or five innings against those guys and we did win the series against them last time so that gives us a little bit of confidence heading into this game.”
Likely to oppose Barr is Iowa ace Brody Brecht, a projected early-round pick in the MLB draft. Michigan touched him for five runs in 5 2/3 innings in April, but he’s a tough matchup when he’s on his game. He features a high-90s fastball and has struck out 118 in 71 innings.
The Wolverines need to win the tournament to reach the NCAAs after missing last year for the first time since 2018.
“Our thing is, ‘Who are we playing today?’” Smith said. “It is always Michigan. We are going to worry about what we are doing in our dugout because we think if we do that well, it doesn’t matter who we are playing. If you go back and look at some of our box scores, they are generally not very pretty, but we find a way to win. Just keep scrapping and keep battling, and that served us well all year.”
Michigan
It’s ‘stick view’ season at Michigan’s highest scenic drive
EAGLE HARBOR TOWNSHIP, MI – The leaves are falling, but the snow isn’t flying yet: It’s “stick view” season at Michigan’s highest scenic drive.
traces the spine of an ancient fault line as it rises 700 feet above the surface of Lake Superior, ending at the summit where epic fall color stretches in every direction.
The crown jewel of the state’s scenic drives, Brockway Mountain Drive traces the spine of an ancient fault line as it rises 720 feet above the surface of Lake Superior. At the summit, visitors find panoramic views of turbulent Great Lake and surrounding forestland. It’s the tallest scenic drive between the Rocky and Allegheny mountains.
A month ago, epic fall color stretched out in every direction. Today, the color explosion has faded and russet leaves drifted to the ground leaving behind bare trees. Some refer to this time as “stick season.”
This U.P. drive takes you 700 feet above Lake Superior, where epic fall color stretches out in every direction
The nine-mile route to the plateau is open from May to late fall; specifically, whenever snowfall makes it impassable. At that point, it closes to vehicles and opens to snowmobiles.
Visit Keweenaw makes the argument that the late fall “stick views” are worth the drive.
“As autumn’s leaves return to the earth’s surface, tree lines and outlooks see increased visibility,” said Jesse Weiderhold, managing director of Visit Keweenaw. “Peer through trees that would normally obstruct views for more open views of Lake Superior and the surrounding Keweenaw. See further in forests and enjoy fall’s last triumph before the snow falls.”
Gorgeous view can be seen from new overlook on Brockway Mountain trail
Other activities to enjoy at the top of Brockway this time of year include wildlife observation and birdwatching, hiking and biking, and night sky watching.
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Michigan
Michigan State University partially reverses policy on co-ed community bathrooms after complaint
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Michigan State University has partially reversed course on its decision to make all community bathrooms in its honors dorm co-ed, following complaints from students and parents who said the arrangement made them uncomfortable.
Officials placed new signs at Campbell Hall last week to label some bathrooms by gender, a shift that came after a formal complaint and survey results showing unease among residents about a $37.1 million renovation that turned all 20 community bathrooms into unisex facilities.
Parents were not notified beforehand that bathrooms would no longer be separated by gender — prompting at least one student to seek out other facilities, according to a parent’s letter.
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Michigan State University partially ended its co-ed community bathrooms in its honors dorm. (Istock/ AndreyPopov)
The facilities were the first co-ed community bathrooms of their kind at any of the institution’s 27 dorms. MSU said it moved to unisex community bathrooms at Campbell Hall to adapt to a future shift in student populations.
“Following review of the survey data, the decision was made to provide options for students,” MSU spokesperson Kat Cooper said in a statement to Bridge Michigan.
The honors dorm spans four floors and includes 20 shared bathrooms, along with five single-use restrooms. Cooper said she was unsure how many of the community bathrooms will remain unisex and how many will be assigned as male or female.
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The university did not notify parents that bathrooms would not be designated by gender. (Getty Images)
In an email to Campbell Hall residents, school officials said that bathrooms “will be configured as much as possible to the gender make-up of the community” on the ground and first floors, where there are two community bathrooms, and “gendered bathroom options” on the second and third floors of the dorm, where there are eight community bathrooms, as well as single-use restrooms.
“We wanted to ensure that no room moves were required as part of these changes,” the email reads. “The updates are intended to offer more choice and help residents feel more comfortable in their daily routines.”
Some members of the MSU Board of Trustees said this week that the university made the right call in responding to student and parent feedback.

The dorm has four floors with 20 community bathrooms and five single-use bathrooms. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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“I’m happy that the university listens to the concerns of its students,” Trustee Mike Balow said.
“It’s important for our students to feel comfortable and to have options. This is the right move by the university,” Trustee Dennis Denno added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michigan
Michigan family fought to stop mom’s sudden deportation. After 20 years, she had to leave
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A Michigan family tried everything to stop the sudden deportation of their mother.
They spoke with a lawyer. They called state senators. And they reached out to Local 4 to share their story with our viewers.
But on Friday, Irina Sobierajska went to Detroit Metro Airport to head back to Poland, leaving the United States after 20 years.
Her family said they were told she had to leave the country within 48 hours, even though they kept up with her immigration requirements.
“They look at her as a criminal and that’s just the heartbreaking part,” her son, Bernard Sobierajska, said. “She’s never done anything, and she’s just the nicest person in the world. I don’t get it.”
“I feel like people could find it in their hearts to not separate a family who is trying to just live a life like anybody else, and have the same opportunities and work hard,” her daughter, Patrycja Sobierajska, said.
They received a notice last week that Irina Sobierajska’s stay of removal request was denied by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
“How can you go back to a country you have literally nothing?” Irina Sobierajska said.
She is a Polish citizen who lived in Poland for about 10 years. She’s allowed to work in the U.S. but is currently an unlawful resident because she doesn’t have legal status.
“Her and my dad came to the country to help build a better life and start a strong foundation for my brother and myself,” Patrycja Sobierajska said.
Irina Sobierajska is also the caretaker for her husband, who suffers from diabetes, arthritis, and depression. The family fears his condition will worsen without her.
“He just doesn’t know how he is going to continue his daily life without his wife by his side,” Patrycja Sobierajska said.
“It’s just all unfair,” Bernard Sobierajska said. “I don’t think her case was looked at enough.”
ICE released the following statement about Irina’s case to Local 4:
Irina Sobierajska was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2014 as she was a visa overstay. She has been afforded due process as she made multiple attempts to appeal that decision with the courts, but the immigration judge’s order of removal still stands. ICE allows aliens to pursue relief from removal but when they exhaust all legal avenues to do so, ICE must carry out the judge’s removal order.
Statement from ICE
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