Georgia
Suspect in Georgia student’s death arrested multiple times since illegally entering U.S.
The suspect charged in the death of nursing student Laken Hope Riley on the University of Georgia campus has been arrested by federal and local authorities in multiple jurisdictions since unlawfully entering the country in 2022, authorities said. There was a bench warrant for his arrest stemming from an earlier incident at the time of Riley’s death, records show.
Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Sept. 8, 2022, after unlawfully entering the United States, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Sunday. The agency said that it lodged a detainer after its Enforcement and Removal Operations unit in Atlanta encountered Ibarra on Friday following his arrest on murder charges.
More: Police questioning ‘person of interest’ in death of Georgia nursing student
On Oct. 27, 2023, Ibarra, 26, and his brother Diego Jose Ibarra, 29, were issued citations after being accused of shoplifting and given information about a pre-arrest diversion program, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police report. Local authorities allege about $200 worth of clothing and food was stolen from a Walmart, records show.
The brothers, from Venezuela, had been separately apprehended by U.S. border patrol agents near El Paso, Texas, and released to New York pending adjudication of their asylum claims, authorities said.
The Athens Walmart incident occurred about a month after Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested in New York and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child and a motor vehicle license violation.
A bench warrant was issued for Jose Ibarra’s arrest on Dec. 20 after he failed to appear in court, records show. He was arrested in Athens by University of Georgia Police on Friday and charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of Riley.
The body of Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was found Thursday in a wooded area near UGA’s intramural fields after she went for a run and didn’t return home. Investigators believe she died from blunt force trauma. Jose Ibarra’s arrest warrant, obtained by the AJC on Monday, said Jose Ibarra committed aggravated battery against Riley by “disfiguring her skull,” and concealed her death by “dragging the victim to a secluded area.” The crimes occurred between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, the warrant states.
Diego Ibarra was also apprehended Friday and charged by federal prosecutors with possessing a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card.
In a statement to the AJC on Monday, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said its officers don’t have immediate access to immigration status governed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The general process of identifying and removing non-citizens with criminal or pending criminal charges arrested by state and local law enforcement agencies is handled during the booking process by the law enforcement agency responsible for the jail,” the department said. “In our jurisdiction, that is the Clarke County Jail.”
A complaint in a Georgia federal court states that Diego Ibarra was apprehended by U.S. border patrol agents in late April 2023. He was processed for immediate removal from the United States, but claimed a credible fear of returning to Venezuela and was released to New York pending adjudication of his claim for asylum.
Venezuelans are given special immigration status by the Biden administration as millions flee political repression and poverty.
Diego Ibarra has not applied for or lawfully obtained a permanent resident card, the complaint states.
Reports from Athens-Clarke County Police indicate Diego Ibarra first came to the attention of local officers when he was arrested in late September. Police say he was driving 80 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone while under the influence of alcohol and without a license. He told the arresting officer he’d consumed seven beers, records show.
Two days later, Diego Ibarra was charged with criminal trespass stemming from a domestic incident, records show. In December, records show he was charged with shoplifting from the same Walmart a second time.
The Georgia Public Service Commission this week approved a plan expected to reduce utility bills for Georgia Power customers by a few dollars a month.
The commission said the change will generate about $285 million in total annual savings for Georgia Power customers, or roughly $50 per year — about $4.04 per month — for the average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month.
The Georgia PSC voted Thursday to lower overall rates as part of the approved plan.
Georgia Power Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Tyler Cook said the decision will provide “real savings for Georgia families and businesses as the heat of summer begins and energy use increases.”
“At Georgia Power, our teams work every day to run our business efficiently and keep reliable and affordable energy flowing to our customers,” Cook said.
Cook said the outcome followed months of work between Georgia Power and PSC staff, including reviews, public hearings and input from residents and intervenors.
The approved plan is tied to a stipulated agreement reached earlier this month involving two cases filed with the PSC in February, the Fuel Cost Recovery case and the Storm Cost Recovery case. Those cases addressed recovering fuel costs used to generate electricity and expenses tied to restoring power after storms.
Georgia Power said its rates remain, on average, about 15% below the national average and that it is still on track to provide additional annual savings of about $102 per year for typical residential customers beginning in 2029.
ATLANTA – The Georgia Public Service Commission approved a stipulated agreement on Thursday to lower utility rates for Georgia Power customers starting June 1.
The regulatory body voted to pass the deal without changes, establishing how the utility can bill for fuel costs and storm damage restoration expenses.
State regulators approve rate cuts
What we know:
The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) voted 3-2 to reject several utility cost amendments before ultimately passing the overall deal. Under the approved agreement, a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month will see monthly bills decrease by roughly $4.03 to $4.04. Total annual savings across all 2.8 million Georgia Power customers are projected to reach approximately $285 million.
The deal reduces how much money the utility can recover from its customer base for storm expenses by nearly 60%, dropping the revenue requirement from $270 million down to $109 million. The agreement also extends the amortization of storm recovery costs, largely tied to Hurricane Helene in 2024, to 67 months, caps natural gas advance purchases at 20% over a 36-month window, and cuts $13 million from the company’s original fuel recovery estimates.
Accountability questions remain unresolved
What we don’t know:
While the PSC agreed to launch a separate investigation into how fuel costs are allocated, officials have not yet confirmed how much large industrial operations will be forced to pay in future rate cases. Consumer advocacy groups argue that massive data center companies are driving up fuel costs for everyday ratepayers without paying for the infrastructure upgrades they require. Critics note that it remains unclear if a future utility asset structure will successfully shift financial burdens away from residential homes.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from official press releases issued by the Georgia Public Service Commission and Georgia Power, as well as previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting.
Georgia
St Louis CITY2 Goalkeeper Lucas McPartlin Called Up to U.S. U-19 MNT Domestic Training Camp in Fayetteville, Georgia | St. Louis SC
St Louis CITY2 goalkeeper Lucas McPartlin has been called up to the U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team for their upcoming domestic training camp in Fayetteville, Georgia from June 1-10, led by head coach Gonzalo Segares. McPartlin will be representing the U.S. for the first time in his youth national team career. McPartlin is the first CITY SC goalkeeper in club’s history to get a national team call up.
The U.S. U-19’s will face Argentina in back-to-back matches on June 5 and 7, then close out their final match against Japan on June 9.
McPartlin has been a member of St Louis CITY2 since 2025 and made his professional debut against Sporting KC II in August 2025, earning his first professional clean sheet in a 3-0 win. The Missouri Native has made seven starts and appearances for CITY2 this season, earning three clean sheets and making 24 total saves, with a 3-1-3 record. McPartlin spent time with CITY SC in both preseason camps this year and has been a regular in first team training this year.
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