People who had a way with words in the news last week:
“I said that Erlanger is covering the Lookouts’ lease payments. I’ve not seen that contested or disproven anywhere.”
— Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, discussing his earlier comments on Erlanger Health’s purchase of the naming rights for the new Lookouts stadium.
“I’m really encouraged that for two years in a row, achievement gains are being seen across the district and growth is at expectations.”
— Superintendent Justin Robertson, talking about Hamilton County Schools’ standardized test data from the 2024-25 academic year.
“I’ll be 80, here, Oct. 28, and it’s going to be one of the highlights of my life to see this trail completed. It’s just something I didn’t get completed, and so it’s a blessing to me. It really is, really is.”
— John Culpepper, former city manager of Chickamauga, talking about the Battlefield Connector Trail, an idea he initiated but was unable to complete before he left office.
“You’ve been crying and look very remorseful. You probably don’t understand yourself how you did this.”
— District Judge Curtis L. Collier, to a defendant convicted of sexually exploiting a toddler.
“I have never wanted to be rich… The workers I represent just want the American dream, not the corporate shareholders nightmare we live in.”
— Caleb Michalski, Volkswagen employee and elected member of the bargaining committee with the United Auto Workers, at a press conference calling for the Chattanooga City Council to support the union’s demands during contract negotiations.
“I won’t pull any punches on it. I’m not very nice. I say ugly things because he’s done us dirty, and you get what you ask for.”
— Ooltewah area resident Becky Murray, who was blocked on social media by Hamilton County Commissioner Lee Helton.
“Electricity now is the strategic commodity. It’s no longer oil or steel or gold. If we don’t have power, we’re back to throwing rocks at one another.”
— Tennessee Valley Authority spokesperson Scott Fiedler, on a tour of the company’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in Soddy-Daisy.
“We’re always renovating. We’re always patching. They’ve been renovating and patching Orchard Knob for I don’t know how long.”
— School board member Jackie Anderson-Thomas, D-Chattanooga, on a proposal to demolish and rebuild the front wing of Orchard Knob Middle as part of Hamilton County Schools’ future facilities planning.
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