Hundreds of people who admired former first lady Betty Ford are expected to gather today along the route from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum to the Episcopal church where she was to be memorialized for a final time. Ford will be buried today in the city where she grew up and wed the man who became the only president from Michigan. On Wednesday, hundreds filed past her flower-draped casket during a public viewing at the museum.

A Michigan man has drowned in Kentucky Lake in Kentucky after winds from an approaching storm blew his rental houseboat away from him. Lester E. Randall of Attica had anchored the boat in Sledd Creek and went swimming Tuesday night. Authorities said wind blew the boat away and Randall wasn't able to swim fast enough to catch it, according to The Paducah Sun. Randall was 39 years old. His body was recovered Wednesday after an overnight search.

Martha Coe's soccer career may have come to an end at Division III Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., last October, but the next step in her life will continue to involve the sport. Coe, who graduated from Macalester in May and from Grand Haven High School in 2007, was recently accepted for a year-long internship with Grassroot Soccer (GRS), a Vermont-based nonprofit organization that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize youth to stay free of HIV and AIDS.

"Under the Big Top' is the theme for this year's Tri-Cities Garden Club's flower show. The show will be held this week at Spring Lake District Library, 123 E. Exchange St. in Spring Lake. Hours are 3-8:30 p.m. Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Crafts will be a new part of the flower show. They will be featured in a section called Circus Fun Stuff, according to club member Elaine Cleven. Categories are Circus Teddy Bears, Elegant Elephants and Clown Toppers.

To complement the "John Adams Unbound' exhibit at Loutit District Library, Dr. Stephen Monsma will present a discussion on the exhibit's theme, "Service to God,' at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21. Monsma's presentation reveals John Adams' fascination with questions of religion and spirituality. Adams read widely in the subject all of his life; he even considered becoming a minister in his younger years, before settling on a legal career. Despite his lifelong pursuit of religious studies and interest in spiritual controversies,

There's a proposal to install at least 4,000 electric vehicle charging stations across West Michigan. The West Michigan Strategic Alliance wants to put stations in several counties. Alliance President Greg Northrup is seeking approval from Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties for the project, which would be financed through a bond sale. Northrup discussed the proposal with the Ottawa County commissioners on Tuesday, and plans to give presentations to officials in Kent and Muskegon counties later this month.

Jake Vanderlaan and Willie Bennick fondly remember playing for youth soccer teams such as the Tri-Cities Strikers when they were children. Their experience was made more special, they said, because Mike Herman often volunteered his time to help coach at their practices. "Mike was a huge influence on me,' Vanderlaan said. "During those years I wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue soccer completely. But from watching Mike, and idolizing how he played, he made that an obvious choice that it was the sport for me.'