People who had a way with words in the news last week:
“It’s just sad for the community because there are a lot of people who, for better or for worse, saw this as at least a symbol of progress.”
— Activist Marie Mott, on the criminal charges against former Chief Celeste Murphy, who was Chattanooga’s first Black woman police chief.
“Being a student is a full-time job. They’re with us five days a week, eight hours a day. … To not invest in teachers is to not invest in kids. I’m sure I speak for all teachers when I say they are much better teachers when we are in a classroom worried about our content, our children.”
— Chandler Davenport, a teacher at The Howard School, regarding ongoing budget deliberations between the county commission and the school board.
“We have not found instances where Erlanger billed for surgeries we should not have.”
— Attorney Brian Roark regarding ongoing whistleblower litigation against Erlanger Health.
“Even the guys who weren’t on this team have been a big part of it by creating this culture because they kept fighting, and it’s great to see them come through with a national championship.”
— Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Peyton Manning, on the college’s national baseball championship.
“We get the same customers almost every day, and I know most of them. If they carried that much (money), it would be for a reason. I just felt if someone were carrying that much, it would be because they needed it, so there’d be no point in taking it.”
— Food City employee Seth Ricker, who found a wallet with $11,900 in cash left in a shopping cart and helped get it returned to its owner.
“He started talking about how upset he’s been over the last couple years and things have been bothering him, and it all boiled down to this. And then he pulled out two pistols.”
— Ron Drumeller, executive director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau, describing his run-in with an agency investigator who attempted to shoot Drumeller and then turned the gun on himself.
“This is really encouraging to us to continue to stay the course with the strategic plan, really focusing on student learning, student belonging, making sure our schools are equipped, making sure every community is served and every employee is valued. I think those are the pillars that are really leading to these results.”
— Shannon Moody, Hamilton County Schools chief strategy officer, on the latest standardized test results.
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