Latest news with #Crabb
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Legal fees in city audit by Troutman Sanders cost Columbus taxpayers more than $450,000
COLUMBUS, GA. () — The Columbus city government has spent a lot of tax money to investigate claims of illegal activity and misconduct in the city's Finance Department. The legal fees paid to an Atlanta law firm to investigate the city's Finance Department cost taxpayers more than $450,000, according to information obtained by WRBL through Georgia's Open Records Act. The city has paid the money to Troutman Pepper since 2023. That is strictly funds for legal fees alone and not the cost of a forensic audit that accompanied the Troutman Pepper investigation, according to City Attorney Clifton Fay. It started in August 2023 when City Councilor JoAnne Cogle made a surprise motion at the end of a council meeting. The motion by the District 7 representative was specific, asking for a particular law firm. 'I would like to make a motion that we hire Troutman and Pepper to work alongside our internal auditor in a previously approved audit with the intention and goal of providing a detailed report of some of the concerns that have surfaced,' Cogle read. Hiring Troutman Pepper came on the heels of an internal city audit of the Finance Department. That audit suggested, without evidence, that 45 million dollars was missing from city coffers. That is a claim that has been repeated as recently as this week when Mayor Skip Henderson had to correct a citizen who regurgitated it at a public hearing Tuesday night. Troutman Pepper's detailed report found serious operational and organizational issues inside the Finance Department, but nothing rose to a criminal level.. Troutman Pepper partner Charles Peeler said when his work concluded, 'There is no evidence to support the claim that there is $45.1 million of revenue missing.' That wasn't the only investigation. The Muscogee County Sheriff's Office recently concluded a 16-month investigation that resulted in two misdemeanor arrests. Finance Director Angelica Alexander was charged with obstruction. Former Revenue Manager Yvonne Ivey was charged with two counts of simple battery. None of the charges were connnected to alleged financial misconduct. But according to one councilor, the investigations created a deeper divide between the mayor, city manager, and some city councilors. 'We brought in Troutman Pepper and Charlie Peeler to kind of protect the auditor,' District 5 Councilor Charmanine Crabb told WRBL in a May 20 interview. 'They weren't cooperating with her. They were kind of attacking her. And he was supposed to be working for council. And all of a sudden, this investigation comes into play, and he's working for Isaiah and the mayor.' In that Muscogee County Sheriff's Office investigation that Crabb referenced in an interview with WRBL last month, she called Peeler 'disloyal, lacking honor, integrity, and respect.' Peeler is a former U.S. attorney. The Troutman Pepper investigation cost taxpayers $456,221.40. Councilor Glenn Davis and Crabb contend that part of that money paid for investigative work requested by Mayor Skip Henderson and the city manager. The investigations into the Finance Department were one of the reasons given last week when the city council voted 7-3 to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley just seven months short of his retirement. Crabb made that motion to fire Hugley and pay him through the end of December. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hugley attorney demands reinstatement, $213,000 and apology from councilors who fired him
Scroll to bottom to see full letter. COLUMBUS, Ga. () — An attorney representing former Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley has sent a letter demanding that his client be reinstated after being fired on Tuesday. The letter, dated Friday, May 30, was sent to Leslie Hartnett, the attorney representing the six city councilors who voted to terminate Hugley after 20 years as city manager and seven months from retirement. Attorney Scott Grubman claimed Hugley's firing violated state and federal law. He pointed out statements made by Councilor Charmaine Crabb in which she made alleged racist remarks in a sheriff's investigative report on the city's Finance Department. She accused Hugley of 'organized crime' and 'mafia-type behavior.' Crabb made the motion to fire Hugley and is the first signature on the termination notice. 'Less than two weeks after this interview report was released, and after Councilwoman Crabb was called out for this improper, racist behavior, including by Mr. Hugley through counsel, she introduced her unscheduled motion to terminate Mr. Hugley's employment, after over 40 years of employment with the City of Columbus, and 20 years as Columbus' first African American City Manager,' Grubman wrote. 'Councilwoman Crabb's signature is the first to appear on Mr. Hugley's termination letter. The letter claims the termination reasons violated Title VII's prohibition on race-based discrimination and retaliation.' WRBL has reached out via text to the 10 city councilors — Crabb, Byron Hickey, JoAnne Cogle, Toyia Tucker, John Anker, Glenn Davis, and Walker Garrett voted to fire Hugley. They have not made any public comments on the termination. Anker responded late Friday saying 'Council does not comment on personnel matters, and particularly now that Mr. Hugley has publicly threatened legal action against the city, we cannot comment. We refer you to any statements made during the Council meeting and vote to terminate Mr. Hugley.' In addition to Hugley's immediate reinstatement, the letter asks for a written apology, and $213,278.52 in compensation. Grubman claims failure to respond by June 6 will result in an EEOC discrimination charge. The attorney also demanded that all relevant documents and communications be preserved. Hugley-Demand-and-Preservation-Letter-May-30Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
REAL ID transition: Portlanders should prepare for delayed lines at PDX
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wednesday is the first day that airports across the U.S. will require a REAL ID to fly, but it appears to be smooth sailing so far at Portland International Airport. The requirement comes from legislation following 9/11 and states that travellers must now show a REAL ID. Airport security will also accept passports, military IDs, tribal IDs, a permanent resident card, or even a foreign-government-issued passport. As of May 7, Oregon is at 38.1% compliance with 1.4 million REAL ID credential holders. Another 46% have a non-compliant license, permit or identification marked, 'Not for REAL ID Act.' READ MORE: Don't have a REAL ID? Everything you need to know about flying after the deadline According to the Oregon DMV, the TSA said people without a REAL ID will most likely be able to get on their flights, but should arrive early to make sure they get through. Chris Crabb with the DMV also said people without a REAL ID can face additional screening. As of Wednesday morning, many airports are reporting wait times of just a few minutes. 'They will probably have delayed lines,' she said. 'And again, that depends if, you know, if a couple people show up on Wednesday without a real ID, probably not a big deal for the lines. If 10,000 people show up on Wednesday, that line is going to be significantly longer.' An example of a Real ID in Oregon, March 18, 2025 (ODOT) FILE – A sample copy of a Washington driver license is shown at the Washington state Department of Licensing office in Lacey, Wash., on June 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) FILE – In this April 6, 2016, file photo, a sign at the federal courthouse in Tacoma, Wash., is shown to inform visitors of the federal government's REAL ID act, which requires state driver's licenses and ID cards to have security enhancements and be issued to people who can prove they're legally in the United States. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) It can take up to three weeks after your DMV appointment to receive your REAL ID card in the mail. Crabb said the DMV has seen record crowds as people try to get their cards in time. DON'T MISS: REAL ID enforcement starts this week: 5 things to know In the past, TSA said they would not accept temporary cards as a form of REAL ID. But with the deadline days away, Crabb said it might be worth a try. 'If you are having a flight this week and you've got your real ID and you have that temporary card, we're encouraging people to go ahead and bring that and bring your ID that has the punch card, something that just kind of shows that you have made the effort to get through this line,' she said. However, Crabb said travelers should absolutely bring an alternate form of REAL ID in addition to their temporary cards just in case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
'He swam out to the Russian vessel and was never seen alive again': The Cold War spy mystery of the 'vanishing frogman'
'He swam out to the Russian vessel and was never seen alive again': The Cold War spy mystery of the 'vanishing frogman' 1 day ago Share Save Myles Burke Share Save Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) In 1956, Royal Navy Commander "Buster" Crabb disappeared in murky circumstances during a visit to the UK by Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev. In 2006, the BBC's Michael Buchanan read the newly declassified files that detailed Crabb's unofficial secret mission – and how the government tried to cover it up. It was on 9 May 1956, 68 years ago this week, that UK Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden finally succumbed to press pressure and international embarrassment, and ordered an enquiry into the mysterious disappearance of Royal Navy diver Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb. The decorated frogman had vanished during a goodwill visit to the UK by the Soviet leadership at the height of Cold War tensions. When word leaked that Crabb had gone missing, The Admiralty, the government department responsible for the Navy, issued a vague statement that the diver had been testing underwater equipment at Stokes Bay on the Hampshire coast and was presumed drowned. WATCH: 'Crabb's handless and headless torso was discovered a year later'. But the story fell apart when the visiting Russians accused their hosts of espionage. The Soviets claimed that they had seen a frogman near the Ordzhonikidze – the ship that had brought the Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev to the UK – while it was docked in Portsmouth Harbour. Despite questions being asked repeatedly in Parliament, Eden refused to say more, claiming: "It would not be in the public interest to disclose the circumstances in which Commander Crabb is presumed to have met his death." The government's stonewalling merely heightened suspicions that Crabb had been on a covert spy mission. Fourteen months after Crabb vanished, a headless, handless body in a diving suit was found by fishermen in Chichester Harbour on the south coast of England. Its lack of fingerprints and teeth made the mutilated body difficult to identify, but a later inquest ruled that it was Crabb. The whole episode publicly embarrassed Eden and wrecked his attempts to develop a more friendly relationship with a post-Stalin Soviet Union. When he disappeared in 1956, Crabb was well known for his daring underwater exploits. Nicknamed "Buster", after the US Olympic swimmer and actor Buster Crabbe, who had risen to fame in the 1930s, he was an expert in underwater bomb disposal. His bravery during World War Two had earned him the George Medal for removing Italian limpet mines from British warships at Malta, and an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his mine clearance work at Livorno in Italy. His wartime amphibious adventures would later be fictionalised in a 1958 film, The Silent Enemy, with Crabb being played by Laurence Harvey. And even after he was officially demobbed in 1947, he continued diving for the military in various capacities, including investigating sunken submarines. An unofficial mission For decades following the frogman's disappearance, the UK government staunchly maintained its silence on the incident. It would only be from 2006 onwards, when due to Freedom of Information requests by the BBC, and classified documents being made public under the 50-year rule, that the murky circumstances of Crabb's ill-fated final dive began to emerge. The declassified files showed that, from the start, the UK's security services were keen to use the opportunity of Khruschev's visit to gather intelligence on their Cold War opponents. They suggested hiding microphones in Claridge's hotel, which the Soviet leadership intended to use as their headquarters during their stay. But the prime minister expressly ruled out the idea and made "clear that adventures of a similar nature were forbidden". Despite this, MI6 recruited Crabb to undertake an "unofficial enterprise" to investigate the Russian ship Ordzhonikidze. The exact nature of his mission is still unclear, but the ex-MI5 officer Peter Wright suggested in his book Spycatcher (1987) that it was to examine and photograph the ship's advanced propeller design. In History In History is a series which uses the BBC's unique audio and video archive to explore historical events that still resonate today. Subscribe to the accompanying weekly newsletter. Two days before the mission, Crabb and another MI6 agent, who went by the name Bernard Smith, checked into the Sally Port hotel in Portsmouth. On the evening of 17 April 1956, Crabb met with a military colleague in a local pub. This colleague, whose name was deleted from the file, was a Royal Navy lieutenant commander who agreed to help Crabb get into Portsmouth Harbour for his final dive. In 2006, the BBC's Michael Buchanan got the chance to examine the previously classified sworn statement by "the last man to see Crabb alive". "He says he was approached by the commander a couple of days before his final dive and asked 'if I would be prepared to assist him, entirely unofficially and in a strictly private capacity, in connection with a dive he was taking a day or two later'. He goes on to say under no account was this man to contact any responsible naval authority," said Buchanan. Just before 07:00 on 19 April, the unnamed lieutenant commander went with Crabb to Portsmouth Harbour, and helped him dress and check his equipment. Crabb then swam out to the Russian vessel, and was never seen alive again. The Royal Navy made no attempt to look for the missing frogman for fear of alerting the Ordzhonikidze's crew. "The documents further reveal that no search and rescue efforts were made for Crabb as it was not a bonafide operation," said Buchanan. "And they detailed the extensive efforts made by [the Admiralty] to ensure they weren't implicated in a botched mission they knew nothing about." The intelligence services surmised that Crabb must have either been captured by the Soviets, been destroyed by Russian "countermeasures", or suffered a "natural mishap". Smith, the MI6 agent, removed Crabb's belongings and checked out of the Sally Port hotel. A few days later, the police removed the pages with their details from the Sally Port's register, which only served to fuel suspicions of a covert mission. Under pressure from MI6 and the government, the Admiralty hastily concocted the spurious story that Crabb had gone missing during a test in Stokes Bay. The sniper and the underwater fight Records of meetings show the panic at the highest levels of government. Officials feared that if a body was found, the Soviets could use Crabb's death for propaganda purposes. National Archives' Howard Davis told the BBC in 2006 that the file "makes it perfectly clear that this wasn't an Admiralty operation; they had nothing to do with it and we see them trying to construct a story that they can plausibly tell to face the inevitable questions from the press". But despite the release of some of the government's classified documents, exactly what happened to the diver that day in 1956 is still unknown. In 1990, Joseph Zwerkin, a former Soviet naval intelligence agent, claimed that a Soviet sniper on the Ordzhonikidze's deck had spotted the diver in the water and shot him. In 2007, a 74-year-old former Russian frogman, Eduard Koltsov, claimed that he slashed Crabb's throat in an underwater fight after catching him attaching a mine to Ordzhonikidze. It has also been suggested that as Crabb was an associate of Sir Anthony Blunt, who was unmasked as a Soviet spy in 1979, he could even have defected. Nicholas Elliott, a former senior MI6 agent who was rumoured to be involved in Crabb's final dive, believed that the 47-year-old diver, who was known for his fondness for whiskey and cigarettes, had succumbed to oxygen poisoning or a heart attack as a result of his exertions while underwater. It may be some time before more details of Crabb's fate come to light. While some papers concerning the affair have been released into the public domain, others have had their classified status extended by the government and are not scheduled for release until 2057. -- For more stories and never-before-published radio scripts to your inbox, sign up to the In History newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights twice a week.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Don't have a REAL ID? Everything you need to know about flying after the deadline
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – State DMV officials are warning of lines at both the airport and DMV offices ahead of Wednesday's REAL ID deadline. Chris Crabb with Oregon DMV said if you do not have a REAL ID card by the deadline, you will still be able to travel, but you need a form of ID that is REAL ID compliant. VIDEO: Driver 'intentionally' sideswipes motorcycle on Hwy 26 before fleeing There are quite a few options that you can present at TSA and still get on a flight including a passport, military ID, tribal ID, permanent residence card, or even a foreign government issued passport. You can find a full list of acceptable forms here. Crabb said it is not mandatory that you have that REAL ID by the deadline, but traveling without it will not be convenient. 'You should do everything you can to have some form of real, identifiable, REAL ID compliant identification to get on a plane on Wednesday,' she said. 'If you don't, you will probably face much longer wait times and significantly more security, and you might not get on your flight.' Crabb said TSA has been telling the DMV people will most likely be able to get on their flights, but they are encouraging people to get to the airport early to make sure they get through, and to expect delays. Crabb said TSA is also saying the people who do not have a REAL ID can face additional screening. 'They will probably have delayed lines,' she said. 'And again, that depends if, you know, if a couple people show up on Wednesday without a real ID, probably not a big deal for the lines. If 10,000 people show up on Wednesday, that line is going to be significantly longer.' Crabb said DMV's are still seeing record crowds as people try and get their REAL ID's. Her message if you need something at the DMV— see if you can skip the office. 'Unless you are getting a real ID, see if you can do your transaction another way, either by phone or by mail,' she said. 'We have self-serve kiosks in Fred Myers across the state where you can renew your driver's registration, print your stickers out right there. See if there's another way to avoid having to be in a DMV office right now.' Bodies found in Portland area rivers 'pretty normal occurrence' It takes up to three weeks after your appointment to get your REAL ID card in the mail. In the past TSA has said they would not accept temporary cards as a form of REAL ID. But with the deadline days away, Crabb said it might be worth a try. 'If you are having a flight this week and you've got your real ID and you have that temporary card, we're encouraging people to go ahead and bring that and bring your ID that has the punch card, something that just kind of shows that you have made the effort to get through this line,' she said. Crabb said travelers should absolutely bring an alternate form of REAL ID in addition to their temporary cards just in case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
