Latest news with #StateFarmInsurance
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Council votes 7-3 to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley seven months before his retirement
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — After a closed session late Tuesday night to discuss a personnel matter, the Columbus Council came out and voted to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley. Hugley has served as the City Manager of Columbus for two decades. He is the longest-serving city manager in the city's history and the first black executive to hold the position. Hugley announced earlier this year that he planned to step down from his post at the end of the year. The council did not wait. If the mayor does not recommend the city manager be terminated, it takes seven votes to remove him from office, according to the city charter. Mayor Skip Henderson did not make the recommendation. Councilors Byron Hickey, Charmaine Crabb, JoAnne Cogle, Toyia Tucker, John Anker, Glenn Davis, and Walker Garrett voted to remove him from the job. Two of the seven votes came from city councilors who are serving unexpired terms. Hickey is filling the spot vacated by Pops Barnes. Anker is filling the seat vacated by the resignation and subsequent death of Judy Thomas. Hugley has been embroiled in a highly publicized legal dispute with six city councilors. He has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Councilors Hickey, Crabb, Cogle, Tucker, and Anker. Those councilors had been critical of a 2022 American Rescue Plan federal grant awarded to Hugley's wife, Carolyn Hugley, a State Farm Insurance agent and Georgia House Minority Leader. In April, Hugley threatened legal action if the six councilors did not retract their statements and issue a public apology. The councilors have not done either. Two city departments have been the subject of criminal investigations in recent years. The Finance Department has been under scrutiny and the subject of audits and investigations into mismanagement. There were multiple arrests last year after a Columbus Police investigation into Animal Control. Hugley has been in the city manager's office since 1998, when he was one of two deputies under former City Manager Carmen Cavezza. He was elevated by the council and then-Mayor Bob Poydasheff in 2005. Hugley started with the city in 1984 as an assistant director of Metra, the city's transportation arm. Hugley is a 1975 graduate of Spencer High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history/pre-law from Talladega College in 1979 and a Master's degree in public policy and public administration from Mississippi State University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hugley ups ante in dispute with six Columbus councilors, accusing Hickey of unethical actions
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — A heated dispute between Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hugley and six city councilors has escalated, with both sides trading accusations of ethical misconduct and harassment. At the center of the controversy is a $29,000 grant awarded to Hugley's wife, State Farm Insurance agent Carolyn Hugley, in 2022 from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The conflict has drawn public attention as lawyers for each side have been trading threatening letters since April 18. Hugley's attorney, Scott Grubman of Atlanta-based Chastain & Grubman, LLP, defends his client's handling of the grant, asserting that the process was transparent and followed multiple levels of independent review. In a letter dated April 28, addressed to Leslie Hartnett of FordHarrison, the Atlanta law firm representing the six councilors, Grubman argues that the council itself delegated the administration of ARP funds to the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Councilors Charmain Crabb, Glenn Davis, and Toyia Tucker, among others, voted in favor of the resolution. Because the administration of the funds was farmed out to the Chamber, Grubman questions whether Hugley was even required to notify the council. Hugley's attorney calls the councilors' accusations 'ambiguous' and accuses them, led by Councilor Byron Hickey, of engaging in a 'pattern of harassment and retaliation' against Hugley. Grubman alleges that Hickey attempted to influence a pay-raise decision for his wife, Sandra Hickey, a corporal with the Columbus Police Department, by verbally confronting Hugley and the City's Human Resources Director and sending a follow-up email on February 12, 2025. Grubman claims this behavior violates the same ethics code the councilors accuse Hugley of violating. Hickey was appointed to the council by his fellow councilors last year to fill the unexpired term of the late Pops Barnes. The District 1 seat Hickey holds will not be on the ballot until May 2026. Hickey declined comment on the latest allegations. Hugley has repeatedly referred all questions about the ongoing legal dispute to his attorney. Last week, Grubman said that Hugley's legal threats were serious and the city manager was not bluffing. The FordHarrison response letter dated April 23, to Hugley's initial letter the councilors categorically denied allegations that the councilors intimidated, defamed, or discriminated against Hugley. The councilors' lawyer argues that Hugley, as a public figure, is attempting to deflect scrutiny from the council's oversight role by publicizing his attorney's letter through media outlets. Last week, Hartnett said she does not comment on 'on going legal matters.' Hugley, who has announced his impending retirement, seeks to clear his name and serve out his term without further conflict. Grubman's latest letter warns the councilors to cease alleged defamation, harassment, and retaliation, reserving Hugley's legal rights. He also requests that the councilors preserve all relevant documents and communications, including those related to Hickey's alleged attempt to influence his wife's pay raise appeal. This fight comes as the city council is preparing to enter budget season. Traditionally, the city's fiscal budget, which begins on July 1, is finalized in a series of May meetings. Mayor Skip Henderson said he does not expect the conflict between Hugley and the council to impact the city's governance. This legal fight also comes amid speculation that Hugley could run for mayor in 2026. Henderson is term-limited and the office will be vacant for the first time in eight years. Henderson recently addressed his discussions with WRBL about a potential mayoral bid by Hugley. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
California officials seem receptive to State Farm Insurance's emergency rate hike request at Oakland hearing
At an Oakland hearing Tuesday, attorneys for State Farm Insurance made their case for an emergency rate hike that could impact insurance rates for millions of Californians. State Farm -- the state's largest insurer -- is asking California's Department of Insurance for a 17% emergency rate hike. But first, they will have to convince a judge. The company has already put in other rate requests over the past year, but this emergency request comes as a direct response to the deadly Los Angeles County wildfires in January which destroyed more than 18 buildings -- most of them homes. State Farm estimates it will have to pay out roughly $7.6 billion to fire survivors. The company says those payouts will deplete its reserves. A consumer watchdog argues policy holders shouldn't be on the hook. While there wasn't a lot of drama on the first day of the hearing, it is part of a process that will likely dramatically increase the amount it costs to buy homeowners insurance in California With catastrophic wildfires becoming commonplace in California, the home insurance market is in crisis. State Farm says it's been slowly losing money for the last ten years. On Tuesday in Oakland, its lawyers sat before Administrative Law Judge Karl Seligman to argue that an interim rate hike is justified to keep the company solvent. "State Farm General's surplus, which is the money that's available to pay claims, has fallen from about $4 billion in 2015 to about $1 billion in 2024," said State Farm counsel Katherine Wellington. "Following the fires in Los Angeles, State Farm General has estimated that its surplus will decline to about $600 million." They said that's not nearly enough to pay claims if another disaster should strike. There are even warnings that the company's policies soon may not be acceptable to some lenders for people seeking mortgage loans. The company is asking Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for the emergency rate hike that would be imposed on all State Farm policy holders statewide to refill its cash reserve. At the hearing, state officials seemed sympathetic to the idea. "It is not in California consumers' best interest to allow State Farm General, the largest property insurer in California by far with 20% market share, to go bankrupt or to otherwise withdraw from the California market," said California Department of Insurance attorney Nikki Kennedy. Harvey Rosenfield, founder of the state and national advocacy group Consumer Watchdog , argues otherwise. The group was also party to the hearing. Rosenfield said Prop 103, which regulates the state's insurance market, requires that companies first prove that they need rate increases. He says State Farm has been reluctant to do that. "The way it's been engineered by State Farm, it's a fast track," said Rosenfield. "They want the commissioner to approve their rate increase now, and then figure it out later whether it was justified or not. That's not how the law works in California." There's reason to be skeptical. State Farm was requesting a 30% increase last June, before the Los Angeles county wildfires. After the fires, they initially reduced that amount to 22%. Now that they're being required to show proof, they announced at the hearing that they've lowered the request to 17%. As a result, Consumer Watchdog attorneys asked the judge to strike the evidence being presented. "We've been demanding this information for nine months. And last night, on the eve of this hearing, State Farm sent us six documents," said Rosenfield. "We haven't even had a chance to look at it." However, industry expert Karl Susman told CBS News Bay Area he thinks Consumer Watchdog is just stalling the process. "Can we just get the facts here?" Susman asked. "If they need the rate increases, show us the proof. Nobody cares if it was submitted an hour late or a day late. If the proof exists, let's see it. Let the insurance commissioner decide what he's going to do." Lara may have already decided. He gave provisional approval of the 22% rate hike last month and said he will let the judge decide if it's justified. At the hearing, the California Department of Insurance's lawyers were clear on the state's position. "Normal rules don't apply," said Kennedy. "We're on the Titanic and we see the iceberg. Now is not the time to argue about where to put the deck chairs. There is still time, your honor, to turn this ship around. If we don't, over three million Californians are going in the water. And there are not enough life boats." It's probably not a stretch to compare California's insurance market to a sinking ship. Now the judge will decide if State Farm's claims of poverty actually hold water.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Atlanta elementary students get first-hand experience with STEM activities
Some future Einsteins are already hard at work in southeast Atlanta, and most of them are in the second grade. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen met the young masters of science, technology, engineering, and math—what the cool kids call STEM. The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Insurance teamed up to bring the Secrets of Science event to children who attend the Good Neighbor Clubs, the team established across the city. One location is Coan Park. TRENDING STORIES: STORY 1 STORY 2 STORY 3 'The kids are extremely excited to learn about STEM. We're teaching them about the water cycle and how to make slime. We know how kids love slime,' Portia Benbow, Atlanta Hawks Director of Community Impact, said. The science teachers were from the Children's Museum of Atlanta. The goal is to give children, many from underserved areas, a head start with STEM and have a little hands-on fun while they're at it. 'Even making gloopy-glop, also known as slime. We want STEM to be fun. Fun is really where the kids get to learn and explore,' Shanita Drake of State Farm Insurance said. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Volunteers raise over $12 thousand for Special Olympics Arkansas with annual Polar Plunge
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With ice still on the ground, the 2025 Central Arkansas Special Olympics Polar Plunged lived up to its name Saturday morning. Volunteers raised $12,000 to benefit Special Olympics. Saline County hosts polar plunge to benefit Special Olympics Arkansas The Law Enforcement Torch Run hosted the event at the Little Rock Racquet Club and at 10 a.m. with temperatures in the 30s, groups and individuals took the plunge. 'Special Olympics means so much to me just because I've got family members that are really involved with Special Olympics,' Joe Stitzman from State Farm Insurance in North Little Rock said. 'It just gives me an opportunity to give back to the community in a different way. It really means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to my team as well.' Special Olympics Arkansas hosts Spring Games at Mills High School In addition to raising funds for Special Olympics, the Polar Plunges help create awareness for athletes with intellectual disabilities. You can find more information about Special Olympics Arkansas at . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
