A girl who was molested by her high school softball coach when she was 14 years old will eventually forget the ordeal, a defense lawyer told a Michigan judge in arguing for a more lenient sentence. Thomas Warda said at the sentencing hearing for Mickey Gotwalt, 52, that his client "didn't kill this girl,' according to a court transcript obtained by The Saginaw News.

Spring Lake's varsity soccer team made an early statement in what head coach Jeremy Thelen hopes is the first of many this season. The Lakers posted a shutout on Western Michigan Christian, the defending Division 4 state champions Friday evening in the season opening contest for both squads. The Warriors managed just two shots on goal in their 4-0 setback at Spring Lake Soccer Field.

When the Tri-Cities Kiwanis Club decided to sponsor the Kelly Miller Circus six years ago, Bill Swano thought the event would be a good fundraiser for the club every other year. A week from today, the Kelly Miller Circus will make its sixth consecutive appearance in Grand Haven under the sponsorship of the local Kiwanis Club. The circus was sponsored by the Grand Haven Area Jaycees for one year, seven years ago. Swano, who handles the logistics in bringing the circus to town, said it has been a huge success through the years for the Kiwanis Club.

A rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Holland rescued two people in Lake Macatawa on Thursday afternoon. A man and woman, both of whom were wearing life jackets, were rescued. Their names and ages are not being released. The couple was spotted while Coast Guard crews were underway on a routine patrol aboard a 25-foot small response boat. The crew saw the two people fall into the water after their 15-foot sailing vessel capsized at about 2:15 p.m.

Grand Haven City Councilman Ed Nieuwenhuis, 69, and his wife Sandra, 68, were injured Thursday morning in a chain reaction crash on Interstate 96 near Marne. Sgt. Dennis Luce of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department said the incident occurred at about 9:15 a.m. when Nieuwenhuis' vehicle, which was sitting in a traffic back-up on eastbound I-96, was rear-ended by a Lincoln Navigator driven by 65-year-old William Krause of Spring Lake. "The traffic was backed up due to an unrelated vehicle fire,' Luce said.

Many residents and tourists of Grand Haven drive by the Pere Marquette train on Jackson Street several times a year. While it generally remains closed to the public, officials with the Tri-Cities Museum on Thursday opened the train's doors for a tour and ice cream social. Shirley Lees, member service coordinator at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum, said the train is opened once a year to give the public an opportunity to see how a steam locomotive works and get some free ice cream.