ready to go -- SJThis darned sand, when will it end?
"We're very pleased that the city government finally listened to the people, because dumping all that stuff on our beach would have been a tragedy."
-- Dave Johnson, who owns a beachfront home in West Newport, on the start of sand dredging in the Santa Ana River. Residents successfully lobbied against initial Army Corps of Engineers plans to dump the dredged material on West Newport's beach. It instead was pumped offshore.
Done with the
steeple chase
"It is the most important building we have in the church. It's the greatest project. I like to work on a temple more than any other kind of building."
-- Vern Forbush, project superintendent for Jacobsen Construction, which worked on the Mormon temple built in Newport Beach. Forbush is also a church member, and the Newport Beach temple is the fourth one he's built.
Yeah, but that
was last year
"We're all fired up. It's great to have that [national championship], especially to hold over little Bruins' heads."
-- Dylan Gormly, Newport Beach resident and 2002 grad of USC, basking in the school's football championship -- the 2004 one, not the one being decided this week.
Remembering a leading teacher
"Linda was my mentor. She saw something in me that I didn't even see, and that gave me the confidence to stand up here today and represent the 1,200 teachers in the Newport-Mesa district. And I'm very thankful for that."
-- Jim Rogers, Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers president, remembering Linda Mook, the former head of the union. Mook died Dec. 30, 2004.
Speak up, Chuck
"I see my main role in this environment as a gatekeeper. We would kind of serve as an early warning signal to the Republicans in the legislature that this [bill] is not something you want to vote for."
-- Chuck DeVore, Newport-Mesa's assemblyman, who sits on the committee that oversees revenue and taxation.
"The kind of quaint and naive thing about politics is, just like acting, everybody thinks they can do it."
-- DeVore, who said he would not seek to replace Rep. Chris Cox during the tumultuous time leading up to the confirmation of Cox's appointment to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A starry-eyed city councilman
"I think this is my first time [on the red carpet]. We're the celebrities of Newport Beach. That's pretty sad."
-- Steve Rosansky on the red carpet at the party for Newport Beach's Glenn Stearns after he won "The Real Gilligan's Island."
A painful
story's end
