Bob Summers was ready to pull the pins last month. Summers manages Elmbrook Golf Course in Traverse City, and after a rain-soaked October, he was set on closing the 18-hole course by Halloween. But with recent temperatures in the 50- and 60-degree range and a lack of rainfall, Summers said there's no need to pack it in quite yet.

Grand Traverse County's population is more than 96 percent white. Lisa Blackford believes that statistic could have a detrimental impact for local businesses trying to attract a talented workforce. Diversity-related issues, including racial and ethnic stereotypes, will be the topic at "Diversifying Talent " and What That Means for Traverse City." The discussion will take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Oleson Center on NMC's campus.

A former Leelanau County 911 dispatcher filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging she was fired in part because of her age. Cathy L. Engel worked as a Leelanau dispatcher from September 2004 until September 2007. She seeks back wages and at least $25,000 in damages in a multi-count suit filed last month in 13th Circuit Court. Engel was 45 when she was fired, and her suit alleges the county was predisposed to discriminate on the basis of age.

Wexford County authorities are investigating possible charges against a Manton-area man whose wayward bullet struck and critically injured a Lake City man.

A panel discussion Monday will debate the "green" efforts of Northwestern Michigan College.

Elk Rapids Schools has a new superintendent.

Scheduled swine flu vaccine clinics at Traverse City West and Central high schools and East Middle School will be canceled next week due to lack of supply.

New clean indoor air regulations for Leelanau and Benzie counties go into effect Monday.

Two veteran publishers said Friday they are prepared to launch a daily newspaper serving the Detroit area, where the two largest newspapers have reduced home delivery to survive in a struggling industry.

Michigan's second-biggest utility has until Wednesday to appeal a judge's recommendation that it refund $106 million to customers across the state.

The University of Michigan is paying $1 million to settle a lawsuit with a former dental student who claimed she was illegally kicked out of school, according to a document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

Everywhere there is a homeless population, it is likely some of the homeless are veterans.

If health care reform is not addressed ... it will be an American failure.

It's been six years and counting since our invasion of Iraq. What has been accomplished? Certainly a brutal dictator has been overthrown and his regime silenced.

According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 or older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.

Sound the alarm; Questioning safety

It's hard for most of us to imagine Thanksgiving without that wonderful sight and smell of a great turkey dinner. Most of the turkeys finding their way to families' tables this year will have traveled quite a way to get there. But now there are a few farmers who have started raising turkeys locally. One of those farms is the Duerksen Turkey Farm in Mancelona.

Newly released estimates for U.S. wheat, corn and soybean crops may put to rest fears that a wet harvest season in many parts of the country could cut into production. Late-season rains had delayed harvest of small grains in many areas, raising concerns about whether farmers' record crops might die in the fields. But U.S. Department of Agriculture crop estimates released this week show little change over the past month, and analysts now expect little "if any" changes in prices for either farmers or consumers.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a far-reaching water bond intended to rebuild California's crumbling water system and fund new dams to save up the precious resource for dry years. Yet at a time when several Western states are preparing to tear down dams rather than build new ones, the governor acknowledged this week that he will face hurdles in persuading voters to support the $11 billion measure in November. The proposal was approved by the Legislature last week and signed by the governor on Monday.

Find local holiday trees on the Web; Biomass cubes to be made in U.P.

In the past, Love INC functioned primarily as a check-writing ministry. "We are going to continue to do that, but we want to go a little bit further and a little bit deeper into the individual," said Donna Wilson Probes.

House of Hope auction kicks off; Grawn church serving breakfast; Rabbi signing book downtown Nov. 21; Music event helps feed hungry; plus more.

Religion Calendar is published weekly by the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Information may be mailed to Record-Eagle, 120 W. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49684; fax to 946-8632; e-mail features@record-eagle.com. Items should be sent at least two weeks in advance. All entries are subject to editing and are published on a space-available basis.

The rebuilding year keeps getting better and better for the Frankfort Panthers. The Panthers earned their second straight Division 8 regional championship Friday at Johannesburg -- a year after losing several starters to graduation.

As a kid, we never went on vacations to Florida or anywhere very far away. Aside from a week each summer at our family cottage on Lake Michigan, yearly deer and trout season expeditions to the Manton area were our get-aways. Those were the days.

Doug Clifford scored the game-winning goal with 4:32 left to lift the Traverse City North Stars to a road victory over Janesville.