Declarations

Bad Geometry

“Our current station geometry does not serve eastern Washington well.”

—John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington, said following a magnitude-4.3 earthquake that rumbled under Washington’s Cascade Range that a new detection system noticed the quake 18 seconds late.

Rideshare Impact

“After many years of rising prices due to limited supply, the average price of a single (New York City) taxi medallion fell around 20 percent from their peak in 2013.”

—Sean Darby, analyst at Jefferies & Co., on New York City taxi medallions. He said on Feb. 17 the medallion price has been falling due to the growing popularity of car-hailing apps. The average price of an individual New York taxi medallion was $840,000 in November, down from $1.05 million in 2013. (New York Times)

On the Money

“This is the finest resort in the world and you have to cut the grass.”

—Donald Trump on his suit against Doral, Fla., over a reported 100-plus noise violation citations — mostly stemming from lawn maintenance — at his Trump National Doral resort. Each violation carries a $1,500 fee and he has spent $50,000 in attorney’s fees fighting the citations. Trump subsequently withdrew the lawsuit “in good faith” and plans to work with the city.

Unsanitary, Overcrowded

“The unsanitary conditions and overcrowding makes for a tense atmosphere.”

—Carl Takei, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Prison Project, comments on conditions at the Willacy County Correctional Center in South Texas. Prisoners at the 2,800-inmate facility took over the center in late February, setting fires and causing significant damage to protest living conditions and poor medical care.

Community Empathy

“We empathize with community members … who have suffered illnesses or deaths.”

—Whirlpool Corp., in a statement released after families whose children have been among dozens sickened in a northern Ohio town dropped a federal lawsuit linking the illnesses to the company’s washing machine factory. While the families dropped their suit, the owners of contaminated land once owned by Whirlpool reportedly plan to continue with their part of the case.