The most memorable quotes in the Times Free Press for Nov. 17-23:
“I feel a difference. The state is really focusing on us. We have teachers that want to be here. They’re ready to reach. And kids are ready to learn.”
– Kadarius Scott, a sophomore at Brainerd High School, on the school’s renewed focus on academic performance
“I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what to say. … We didn’t see anything that would have been a big enough red flag not to hire Coach [Mac] McCurry.”
– Marion County High School Principal Larry Ziegler on the resignation of the school’s football coach, mired in controversy about vandalism and TSSAA violations, among other issues.
“The most interesting newspapering I did was in Chattanooga. I learned more about what makes the world run in Chattanooga than Washington.”
– Former Chattanooga Times reporter Charlie Bartlett on his reporting years in Chattanooga before being sent by the paper to the nation’s capital.