“We’re ready to bring the scows out...

“We’re ready to bring the scows out and bring the dredgers out and

start work, and you can’t do that with half a million [dollars].”

-- Dave Kiff, Newport Beach assistant city manager, on dredging

the Back Bay. So far the city has nailed down only $500,000 of the

estimated $24.5 million needed.

“We tried to get balloons that said: ‘It’s a Boy,’ but they were

out. We want to be as embarrassing as possible.”

-- Danielle Lyons, 19, who was at Newport Harbor High School’s

graduation, cheering on friend Bryan White.

“I’m excited; I’m ready for it. It was a lot of work, but worth

it. It was fun too -- meeting new people, being with your friends,

always feeling comfort at school.”

-- Melissa Willey, 18, on the day she graduated from Estancia High

School last week.

“It’s a beautiful place. There’s not many views like this in the

whole area.... To turn it into rooms is a waste.”

-- Paul Jonswold, of Temecula, on the closing of the View

restaurant at the Newport Beach Marriott to make way for more suites

at the hotel.

“It’s really a very exciting prospect. The academy could have

selected all kinds of other people. But I’m excited and willing to

go.”

-- Ralph Cicerone, UC Irvine chancellor, on being named president

of the National Academy of Sciences.

“I used to think I was busy,”

-- Steve Hayman, the newly named Costa Mesa assistant city

manager, on his new job.

“We matched two DNA samples from the crime scene with his sample.

On one sample, the match was one in 1 trillion and on the other one,

it was one in 90 billion. That’s pretty powerful.”

-- Jack Archer, Costa Mesa Police sergeant, on officers cracking a

16-year-old murder case.