“Being in another part of the...

“Being in another part of the country, people don’t care about

what kind of clothes they wear. They get more out of life.�

-- Jessica Pizarek, an Ensign Intermediate School eighth-grader,

on her trip with fellow students to an Arkansas ranch that teaches

about life in a third-world country

“We have been talking for years as a board that we finally have to

get back to spelling tests. Enough of this not grading their spelling

because it would hurt their self-esteem.�

-- Wendy Leece, Newport-Mesa Unified School Board trustee, on the

spelling improvements on the Stanford 9 test district students took

last year

“There just wasn’t enough financial support out there for it, and

it was going to be a bottomless money pit. We can do a lot better

than a big junk house that would just drain our resources.�

-- Gary Monahan, Costa Mesa councilman, on what looks to be an end

to the restoration of the historic Huscroft House

“We’re a wealthy community. We find convenience over cost to be

the choice.�

-- Tod Ridgeway, Newport Beach mayor, on the city’s residents

accounting for 18,865 FasTrak accounts for the toll roads

“It’s beyond a dream. Much greater than what I could have hoped

for.�

-- Michael Bolton, Grammy-winning singer, on getting a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame last week. Bolton performed Saturday at the

Orange County Performing Arts Center.

“We’ve gotten no direction from the state. The longer it takes,

the more concerned I get, because the more desperate they get in

Sacramento, the worse it can be for education.�

-- Paul H. Reed, Newport-Mesa Unified assistant superintendent, on

creating the district’s budget while awaiting unknown state

variables.

“Something really bad one day is going to happen ... I think that

constitutionally we have the parameters to take drastic action.�

-- Steve Bromberg, Newport Beach Councilman, on cracking down on

Fourth of July in West Newport