“He always had his homework done. Always.”

— Kerri Barsness, describing the diligence of her former middle school student, Harley Miller, who died last weekend in a plane crash in Afghanistan.

“It’s exactly Florida. It’s Florida except you’ve got Douglas firs rather than palm trees.”

— Washington state Republican Chairman Chris Vance, describing the battle over how to count votes in the state’s razor-thin gubernatorial contest.

“Personally, he’s lucky he took his own life too. That’s what I feel about it.”

— Shane Cantrell, friend of Tiffany Benoff, who police believe was shot to death by her estranged husband, William Benoff III, who then turned the gun on himself.

“This is the people’s building. I really think it’s a shame that we don’t have this building wide open.”

— Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, regarding the elaborate security system that will control public access to the state’s renovated Capitol.

“The thing that has kept the Shias out in the country quiet is that there would be an election by January.”

— Henri Barkley, former State Department official in the Clinton administration, about the importance of holding to Jan. 30 as the date for elections in Iraq.

“Americans seem to look for that magic pill, don’t they?”

— Professor Dennis Shea of Pennsylvania State University’s College of Health and Human Development, reacting to news that 40 percent of Americans take at least one prescription medication and the numbers keep rising.

“The academic performance is at fever pitch; it has never been better. … But on Saturday we’ve struggled.”

— Athletic Director Kevin White, explaining why the University of Notre Dame fired football coach Tyrone Willingham, who was credited with promoting classroom performance and other measures of integrity among his players.

“You can’t put a cork in it.”

— Greg Nothstein of the Washington state Energy Office, noting that Mount St. Helens, whose ash output has been identified as the state’s worst source of air pollution, can’t be regulated the way an industrial plant can.

“Women gauge their happiness and judge their success by their relationships. Men’s happiness and success hinge on their accomplishments.”

— Why kNOw, a federally funded abstinence curriculum that came in for criticism this week by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who says it provides false and misleading information.