FEATURE: Dow RunWalk

Alicia Mead of Gladwin, left, flashes a grin as her daughter Breanna Mead throws her hands up in celebration just steps away from completing the 5K run Saturday morning at the Midland Community Center's Dow RunWalk.

FEATURE: Playing Poseidon

Grand Haven resident Ari Davis, 23, left, watches as her boyfriend Zak Armstrong of Grand Rapids, 22, pretends to be Poseidon as he throws his arms up while the waves crash into the Grand Haven pier Tuesday evening, while another couple, Matt Bullard, 20, and Kasey Fought, 21, both of Allendale, stand close together for warmth as they stroll the boardwalk at Grand Haven State Park. "We wanted to watch the storm come in," Armstrong said. "The waves were rolling in and just sprayed up into me. It was pretty cool."

FEATURE: Color Run

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Orange and blue paint powder flies through the air, landing on Traverse City senior Renee Rothgarber as she ducks her head but continues to throw more during a paint fight Thursday between Moore Hall and the IET Building during the Color Run, a two-mile fundraiser for Threads Fashion Show.



LEFT: A foot print lies dormant in a pile of orange paint Thursday between Moore Hall and the IET Building after the Color Run, a two-mile fundraiser for Threads Fashion Show. RIGHT: Manton junior Nick Viox smiles, his sunglasses, teeth and face plastered with spots of orange and blue paint powder from a powder fight Thursday afternoon after the Color Run, a two-mile fundraiser for Threads Fashion Show.

FEATURE: A few from the last month

Dannah Kranz of Midland, 5, stands up on her the tips of her toes to reach the highest uneven bar as she plays Saturday afternoon with her friends Sydney Bond of Edenville, left, and Makayla Mann of Midland, both 7, while attending a gymnastics-themed birthday party at the Midland Community Center for Rachel Webb of Bay City, who turned six on Christmas.

Snow explodes into the air upon impact as Theryn Bass of Midland, 13, flies off of a ramp, losing his board after launching down a sledding hill Saturday afternoon at Overlook Park in Midland. "I tried to get enough speed to go as high as possible," he said. "When I'm mid-air, it feels kind of like falling in style."

Thirteen of more than 60 Woodcrest Elementary School students jump rope on the basketball court during half time of the Dow basketball game against Davison for the crowd Tuesday night at Dow High School. The routines, played out to different songs, were not only performed individually, but also with multiple people using the same jump ropes, and performing tricks with as many as five people in one jump with one rope. "My advice to anyone who wants to try to jump rope ... don't mess up," said Woodcrest fourth-grader Jared Poliskey of Midland, 10. "You just have to keep working hard, keep trying and never give up. Everybody can jump rope."

SPORTS: Dow beats Davison 61-59

Dow's Brandon Bowser grimaces as he throws a pass through the arms of Davison's Joe Thwing in the second quarter Tuesday night at Dow High School. The Chargers beat the Cardinals 61-59.

LEFT: Dow's Brandon Calhoon stretches as he leapt to tip the ball from the grasp of Davison's Lance Arnold as he attempted a unsuccessful layup Tuesday night at Dow High School. The Chargers beat the Cardinals 61-59. RIGHT: Dow's Sean Cushman sinks a three-pointer Tuesday night at Dow High School to sneak a late lead atop Davison in the fourth quarter, which Dow was able to hold onto for a win. The Chargers beat the Cardinals 61-59.

Dow's Matt Deshone leapt into the arms of teammate Brandon Calhoon as the two celebrated a close 61-59 victory over Davison Tuesday night at Dow High School.

FRIENDS: A day in Midland

Picked up Nathan Morgan after his assignment at the tennis invitational while visiting in Midland to head back as we edited our freelance work together. He's the former photo editor at the Midland Daily News, and picked up freelance alongside me. Banging! We headed back after a short rapping session in my car to Espresso Milano for coffee with Sean and Neil. A dope day for sure. Below is Neil Blake as he dishes me the info for a freelance assignment I covered for Libby.

SPORTS: Ball State beats CMU at home 73-52

Senior center Andre Coimbra reaches for a loose ball while wrapped up with Ball State's Jarrod Jones on Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena. Ball State beat Central Michigan 73-52. Coimbra turned over the ball three times.

Head coach Ernie Zeigler, center, directs his team during a timeout Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena. Ball State beat Central Michigan 73-52.

LEFT: Sophomore guard Trey Zeigler shoots a lay-up past Ball State's Jarrod Jones on Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena. Ball State beat Central Michigan 73-52. Zeigler was 3-for-12 for six points. RIGHT: Freshman point guard Austin McBroom leaps toward the basket past Ball State's Aaron Adeoye for a lay-up Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena. Ball State beat Central Michigan 73-52. McBroom went 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-6 three-pointers for 16 total points.

Sophomore guard Derek Jackson prepares to shoot through Ball State traffic Wednesday night at McGuirk Arena. Ball State beat Central Michigan 73-52. Jackson tallied 3-for-10, including one three-pointer, recording seven total points.

PROJECT: James Kelley

Jackson resident James Kelley, 64, stands solemnly as he prays during a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day church service on Monday morning at Second Baptist Church in Jackson, Mich.

For our first project in my JRN 521 class, we were asked to follow a subject through their experiences for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I followed up with someone I found during a peace march on Jan. 1 in Jackson, Mich. He was a well-versed, stoic gentleman named James Kelley. I made some calls, and tracked him down. He was incredibly willing to allow me into his life, and he has a fantastic view on King, and his life lends to tell quite the story. I will post my completed multimedia piece her one week from today.

FEATURE: Family moment at the 5K run

Knelt over on her mother's lap, Sammy Gouge, 10, smiles as her mother Michelle rubs her back after completing the fifth annual Great Lakes Loons Pennant Race on Saturday at Dow Diamond. Sammy Gouge finished the run in 27 minutes, 56 seconds, and as she crossed the finish line, Sammy ran right out of her shoes. She said she felt like she was going to vomit afterward, and that is why her mother pulled her into the grass and began to console her. "I told myself, I have to finish this race," Sammy Gouge said. "No matter what happens, I kept saying. Now, I feel like I'm going to throw up, but it was worth it."