Detroit Red Wings announcer Ken Daniels brings stories from NHL, Olympics to Dow Diamond for Great Lakes Loons Red Wings Legends series

Detroit Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels will kick off the Great Lakes Loons Detroit Red Wings Legends Series on Wednesday at Dow Diamond when the Loons take on the Dayton Dragons. First pitch is 7:05 p.m., although Daniels expects to throw out another "first pitch" before then. “Nothing fancy,” he said. “I’m just going to try and get it to home plate.” Daniels has finished his 13th season as the Red Wings announcer. He worked for CBC Sports in Canada for 13 years before leaving to take the Red Wings job. With CBS, Daniels also worked at two Olympic games and covered the World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Air conditioner unit catches fire in Midland Charter Square Town Homes, residents evacuated

The Midland Fire Department responded to a fire at Charter Square Town Homes Monday morning. An air conditioner unit caught fire in the building, 6100 Jefferson, shortly after 9 a.m. All residents made it out of the building safely. Firefighters from three stations responded. The fire was out by 10 a.m. Officials are checking attic spaces and the rest of the building for possible danger spots.

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Great Lakes Loons lose seventh in a row

via Midland Daily News


The South Bend Silver Hawks scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Great Lakes Loons 6-5 Thursday night. The loss was the Loons’ seventh straight, dropping them into sixth place in the Midwest League’s Eastern Division at 28-32. Trailing 4-3, the Loons tied the game 4-4 in the seventh inning and went ahead 5-4 in the eighth before the Silver Hawks’ winning rally. Jarret Martin started for the Loons, giving up four earned runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. Yimi Garcia (3-1) took the loss, giving up two earned runs on four hits in the ninth.

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Camp seeks disaster declaration to aid Michigan farmers

via Midland Daily News

U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, along with members of the Michigan delegation, signed a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today in support of Gov. Rick Snyder’s request for a federal disaster declaration to expedite assistance for growers throughout Michigan. This past winter and spring, Michigan experienced extreme frost conditions as well as severe weather ranging from blizzards to flooding. As a result, growers will likely lose an estimated 90 percent of their apple, cherry and peach crop, 86 percent of their juice grape crop and 10 percent of their asparagus crop.

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Man charged with selling live Asian carp to DNR agents in Midland

An Arkansas man accused of illegally selling live Asian carp in Michigan has been charged with 12 felony counts, officials said Tuesday. The Michigan attorney general’s office said David Shane Costner, 42, of Harrisburg, Ark., sold two grass carp last month in Midland to undercover officers from the state Department of Natural Resources. He had been driving around the state selling the carp from store parking lots, investigators said. Grass carp are among four species of Asian carp that infested U.S. waterways after being imported decades ago to clear algae from fish ponds and sewage treatment lagoons.

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Midland summer concert lineup: Matrix festival, Tunes by the Tridge lineup liven up music scene

Concert enthusiasts will have a number of musicians to watch this summer in Midland County. One of the region’s biggest concerts draws is the free, 10-week Tunes by the Tridge program, which kicks off this Thursday with the blues-centric Rusty Wright Band as they perform near Midland’s Tridge, on Ashman near downtown. The June 7 concert will mark the debut of Dennis Bellinger, a former Grand Funk Railroad member, who now joins The Rusty Wright Band. All Tunes by the Tridge concerts begin at 7 p.m.

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Midland entrepreneurial networking event draws crowds

Business leaders and entrepreneurs from throughout the state gathered at Midland's Dow Diamond Thursday to share ideas, network and celebrate innovation in Michigan. The fourth annual MidMichigan Innovators: Heading for the Big Leagues event brought an estimated 350 entrepreneurs, investors and politicians together in a mix that supports new connections, spokeswoman Barbara Muessig said. "There's so much excitement — it's really a supportive environment," Muessig said. Sponsored by the MidMichigan Innovation Center and Midland's Dow Chemical Company, the event offered workshops for investors and entrepreneurs as well as space to browse booths of entrepreneurs and companies to potentially connect with.

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