Who Said That
House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Burien, said during the session. Washington State Press — May 1, 2024
Joie Henney, a Pennsylvania man, regarding the loss of his emotional support alligator named Wally who has gone missing during a vacation to the coast of Georgia. Henney credits the animal for helping relieve his depression for nearly a decade and has amassed thousands of social media followers. Pennsylvania has no state law against owning alligators as pets, but it is illegal in Georgia to keep alligators without a special license or permit. (Associated Press — May 1, 2024)
First Presbyterian Church of Lansing, Mich., Pastor Stanley Jenkins, regarding the proposal by Willye Bryan to collect money from her church, with a predominantly white congregation, for a grassroots effort of reparations. The church ended up raising $100,000 over the course of 10 years and individual congregants gave $80,000. The initiative became known as the Justice League of Greater Lansing and has collected around $400,000 in less than three years. (NPR — May 1, 2024)
Walmart, regarding its decision to close all 51 of its health-care centers in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas, as well as to end virtual care services. The company’s 4,600 pharmacies and 3,000 vision centers will continue to offer services. (The Hill — April 30, 2024)
Dave Reidmiller of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, regarding the Gulf of Maine’s annual sea surface temperature. It was nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in 2023, making it the fifth-warmest year on record for the sea. (Associated Press — April 29, 2024)
Tennessee state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, regarding the end of the state’s General Assembly session on Thursday, April 26, after months of political infighting. (Associated Press — April 25, 2024)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, regarding pro-Palestine protests at universities across the country. Activists at numerous colleges have set up encampments to protest the Israel-Hamas war, including in areas not approved by the schools. (The Hill — April 25, 2024)
Newberry County, S.C., Sheriff Lee Foster, regarding the loud sound produced by male cicadas after receiving several messages to complain about the noise. The collective songs of the trillions of red-eyed periodical male cicadas that have emerged this month can be as loud as jet engines. (Associated Press — April 23, 2024)
American University’s Brian Hughes, regarding a Maryland State Police report last month that alleges that three 12-year-olds were repeatedly targeting another middle school student with antisemitic harassment. FBI records show that last year there were roughly 900 reported hate crime offenses at K-12 schools, most of which targeted Black people with anti-Jewish offenses coming in second. (NPR — April 23, 2024)
Brightline Holdings founder and Chair Wes Edens, regarding the construction of a $12 billion high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area. Work began on the project on Monday, April 22. Officials predict that the first passengers will board trains by 2028. (Associated Press — April 22, 2024)
Jalen Beard, a senior at North Community High School in Minneapolis, regarding the prevalence of gun violence at the school. Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens over age 1 nationwide. The federal government is investing billions of dollars to combat the issue, but some students say there’s a disconnect between what the government is offering and what they actually need. (NPR — April 19, 2024)
U.S. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, in a heated shouting match with Republican Rep. James Comer during a hearing about the Chinese Communist Party. The argument largely focused on the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Biden. (The Hill — April 18, 2024)
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, regarding certain social issues, such as consumer protection and crime, on which she collaborates with Democratic attorneys general from other states. (Governing — Spring 2024)
"No miner should ever have to sacrifice their health or lungs in order to provide for their family.”
Chris Williamson, the assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, regarding new federal guidelines that protect coal workers from toxic silica dust. The updated rules will make the exposure limit to silica dust twice as restrictive as currently allowed and will directly regulate exposure so that citations and fines are possible when miners are overexposed. (NPR — April 16, 2024)
Sara Bristol, mayor of Grants Pass, Ore. The town’s policies regarding homelessness are the subject of a case that will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on April 22. The case will have an effect on communities nationwide, deciding whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. From 2013 to 2018, Grants Pass, which has 40,000 residents, issued 500 citations for camping or sleeping in public, including in vehicles. (Associated Press — April 13, 2024)
Carol Topinka, a retired St. Francis, Wis., superintendent, regarding a job listing for the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District in Sheboygan County, Wis. It listed “Christian values” and “conservative politics” as desired characteristics for a new superintendent at a public school. The qualification has since been removed. It was “a comment made during the focus groups,” according to the law firm aiding the school district with the job search. (WPR — April 11, 2024)
Matt Juanes, a salmon fisherman in California, regarding the state’s decision to close the commercial salmon season after not enough fish were able to swim upriver to spawn. This is the second year in a row that the Pacific Fishery Management Council has voted to close the season, harming hundreds of commercial fishers and tribal members who rely on the season for their livelihoods and food supplies. This year’s scarcity of Chinook salmon is tied to California’s last drought, as the fish have a three-year life cycle. (KQED — April 10, 2024)
Charlie Kirk, of the Nebraska Republican Party, regarding the state’s current election system of splitting electoral votes by congressional district. There is a growing movement to implement a “winner take all” system for the state’s presidential vote. (Associated Press — April 10, 2024)
Milwaukee Common Councilmember Michael Murphy. Murphy opted to not seek re-election this year. He was first elected in 1989 and leaves office as the third-longest-serving Common councilmember in history. (Urban Milwaukee — April 9, 2024)
Brigitte Combs, a resident of Richmond, Va., regarding how, decades ago in Texas, she had been married at 15 years old to a 37-year-old man. Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation that would raise the state’s minimum age for marriage to 18; it’s pending action by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. If signed by the governor, Virginia would become just the 12th state to prohibit minors from getting married. (NPR — April 4, 2024)
Bill Jones, head of enforcement for the California Department of Cannabis Control. Despite voter approval of legalized recreational marijuana back in 2016, sales still occur mostly through the black market. Only about 40 percent of local jurisdictions in the state permit cannabis stores. State officials are trying to crack down on the growing illegal industry, but the penalty for getting caught selling unlicensed marijuana is relatively light, usually a $500 fine, which results in officers having to raid the same storefronts multiple times. (NPR — April 5, 2024)
A complaint from six inmates in the Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Woodbourne, N.Y., after the state corrections department decided to lock down prisons during the total solar eclipse on April 8. The inmates filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying the lockdown violates inmates’ constitutional rights to practice their faiths by preventing them from taking part in a religiously significant event. The celestial event won’t be seen in the U.S. again until 2044. The total eclipse will occur in upstate New York around 3:15 p.m. and last just a few minutes. (NPR — April 2, 2024)
Pauline Wasserman, a Kansas City, Mo., voter, regarding the rejection of a proposed ballot measure that would have established a new stadium, ballpark district and residential and retail development. Many voters questioned the need for their tax dollars to aid the teams and their wealthy owners. Others questioned whether the investment of public funds into a new Royals stadium would provide enough economic benefit. (The Kansas City Star — April 3, 2024)
Scott Berkowitz, founder and president of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, regarding new guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stating that hospitals must receive written informed consent from patients before performing breast, pelvic, prostate and rectal exams for “educational and training purposes.” Doctors and medical students sometimes perform exams of sensitive areas for training purposes when a patient is under anesthesia. Already, at least 20 states have passed laws requiring a patient’s consent. (Associated Press — April 2, 2024)
David Santoro, president of the Pacific Forum think tank in Honolulu, on the growing recognition among Hawaii residents that their state is technically not covered by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The clue is in NATO’s name, while Hawaii is in the Pacific. . (CNN, March 30, 2024)
Tennessee state Sen. London Lamar, a Democrat, regarding a new law that GOP Gov. Bill Lee signed on Thursday, March 28. The new law prevents local governments from passing policies to interfere with police stopping crime. After Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by officers last year, the Memphis City Council adopted several ordinances aimed at reforming the city’s police department. (WPLN — March 28, 2024)
Cliff Green, a mechanic at the Black Butte Coal mine in Kemmerer, Wyo., regarding his belief in the resiliency of the coal industry despite the push toward renewable energies. Green was laid off just a few weeks before Christmas last year, which has been a common trend in the industry. Eleven coal power plants in Wyoming are set to be decommissioned or converted to natural gas in the next 15 years. (NPR — March 28, 2024)
Susan Brossman of Street Moms, regarding the way many residents treat the homeless population in Wheeling, W.Va. A majority of the city’s homeless individuals have experienced significant trauma stretching back to childhood, have mental illness or are in active addiction. (West Virginia Watch — March 26, 2024)
John Dixon Keller, who heads the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, commenting about the prosecution of 20 people who threatened election workers. (Washington Post — March 25, 2024)
Judith Vogel, the director of the Stockton Maple Project, a program at Stockton University that produces maple syrup. The project is in its fourth year of producing syrup from the 300 acres of maples surrounding the school. In 2022, New Jersey produced 1,817 gallons of maple syrup, worth $88,000; by contrast, Vermont produces nearly 3 million gallons each year, worth approximately $105 million. (Associated Press — March 24, 2024)
