It only seemed natural for Spring Lake's Jacob Poel that auto racing would be a prominent fixture in his life. His father, Steve Poel, raced in various forms for more than 25 years, a craft that he picked up from his father, Jacob's grandfather, Ron Poel. Now the youngest driver in the family, the 2005 Spring Lake graduate is immersed in the sport, and has made a name for himself as a force to be reckoned with in the state of Michigan and throughout the Midwest in modified, dirt-track racing.

Grand Haven put on an offensive clinic at East Kentwood on Friday, rolling up 525 yards of total offense in a 57-20 rout of the Falcons in a contest that featured a running block in the fourth quarter. The 57 points is the second most scored by Grand Haven in the modern era of its program. The victory is No. 6 for Grand Haven (6-1, 4-1 O-K Red) this season, which clinches a berth to the Division 1 playoffs. It is the third-straight season the Bucs have achieved the feat.

Grand Haven's varsity girls golf team fell short of qualifying for the state meet as they placed near the bottom of the pack at Thursday's Division 1 regional meet at El Dorado Golf Course in Holt. Holt, Hudsonville and Traverse City West were the top three finishers and earned spots in next weekend's state meet. The Buccaneers shot a team score of 454. Martha Ramsey led the way with a round of 110, followed by Kristen Carlson with a 111. Hailey Watkins shot a 116, followed by Katelyn DePrekel with a 117 and Amanda Merz with a 125.

The theme of the night was pie, and everyone got a piece of the action Friday at Jeffers Elementary School. The P.I.E. (peace inspiring education) Harvest Festival included children's games, prizes, pizza, raffles, a pie-baking contest and a silent auction for the chance to throw pies in the face of Spring Lake Public Schools staff. The annual school fundraiser was expected to raise close to $10,000, according to Jeffers Parents Organization President J.J. DesJardin.

The Hope College Great Performance Series will present the Enso String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. Recognition of the award-winning young ensemble has included a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music Performance. Shortly after the group's inception at Yale University in 1999, Enso had success at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and the quartet has consistently received high praise for performances ever since.

Police said a crew removing a dock from a lake near Colon found boxes in the water that contained stolen jewelry. The workers spotted the boxes in Palmer Lake on Thursday. After a quick check of area homes, the crew realized several summer cottages had been burglarized. None of the jewelry that was found in the lake contained precious metals or stones, and it may have been discarded because it had little monetary value. Michigan State Police say there have been several break-ins and they're investigating.