The most memorable quotes in the Times Free Press for the week of Dec. 15-21:

"This zebra's kind of an individual, and he kind of wants to be by himself."

-- Ronald Price, of Cleveland, Tenn., whose zebra, Zeke, escaped his pen and has been spotted around the area over the last several weeks

"When the tornado hits, you can see the devastation. When a financial tornado hits, it's less obvious."

-- Diane Jarvis, of Chattanooga's 211 center, on the bulk of calls the United Way of Greater Chattanooga help center gets these days

"Making hard decision means people will be disappointed. That doesn't change the fact you have to make those decisions. ... It doesn't mean somebody was excluded or not listened to."

-- Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke on criticism from some residents that he has not communicated well enough

"We absolutely hate doing this. ... But it is absolutely the right economic decision."

-- Farrell Hayes, Hutcheson Medical Center's chief operating officer and interim CEO, on the decision to close the struggling hospital's labor and delivery service, which loses about $2 million a year