Georgia Today: UGA immigration case update; Fani Willis qualifies; Savannah courthouse renovation

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, March 7. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the brother of the man accused of killing a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus two weeks ago will be detained without bond. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has qualified to run for reelection, and the renovation timeline for Savannah's historic federal courthouse just got a little bit longer. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

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State of the Union

Story 1:

Peter Biello: President Joe Biden will speak to a joint session of Congress tonight for his State of the Union address. GPB's Sarah Kallis has more on what one of Georgia's senators would like to see.

Sarah Kallis: Sen. Raphael Warnock says he hopes Biden highlights successes around medical care and spotlights other positive news.

Raphael Warnock: And look, to be sure, these — these are difficult times, but we got a lot of work done on behalf of the American people.

Sarah Kallis: Warnock's guest at the speech is Heather Payne. She worked as a traveling nurse through the COVID-19 pandemic, before losing her health insurance and suffering a series of strokes. Biden is expected to use the state of the Union address to make his case for reelection to voters, ahead of an imminent 2020 presidential election rematch with former President Donald Trump. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis in Atlanta.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Another member of Georgia's congressional delegation, Jackson congressman Mike Collins, says he invited the parents of Laken Riley, the nursing student killed two weeks ago on the University of Georgia campus, but they declined. Join GPB for live coverage and analysis on radio, television and online and GPB.org starting at 9 p.m.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has qualified to run for reelection, as she faces a firestorm of scrutiny for her role in Georgia's election interference case. She filled out her paperwork to seek another four-year term in office at the state Capitol yesterday, just hours after a state Senate investigative committee heard testimony on misconduct allegations against her. Willis called the committee's probe a, quote, "political quest."

Fani Willis: Well, I think it's all just a political quest. I think that people are angry because I'm going to do the right thing and I'm going to stand up for justice, no matter who is the person that may have done wrong in Fulton County. And so they can continue on with their games. And I'm going to continue to do the work of the people.

Peter Biello: Willis said she hasn't decided if she'll testify in front of the committee.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Georgia's unemployment rate declined in January for the first time in more than a year. The state Department of Labor said today the state's jobless rate was 3.1%. That's down from 3.2%, a rate that held steady throughout 2023. The number of employed Georgians hit an all-time high of nearly 5.2 million, up by nearly 5,000 from the December total.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: The agency that oversees federal buildings has added another year to the renovation timeline for Savannah's historic federal courthouse. The General Services Administration said this week the Tomochichi courthouse in the city's downtown will remain under construction until late 2026 or early 2027. It had been slated for completion next March. The agency says the delay was caused by a partial building collapse, which injured three construction workers last year. Built in the 1890s, the federal courthouse has been closed to the public for more than two years.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: The brother of the man accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus two weeks ago, will be detained without bond, GPB's Grant Blankenship reports Diego Ibarra will remain in custody on immigration related charges until a federal grand jury decides to indict him.

Grant Blankenship: Diego Ibarra is charged with a felony for possessing what the authorities say is a false permanent foreign resident card. It came to light during the investigation of Laken Riley's death, for which he faces no charges. Federal Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle denied bond for Ibarra, persuaded he posed a flight risk based on a history of disregarding U.S. immigration law. That includes removing an ankle monitor in Colorado while enrolled in an alternative to immigration detention program. Weigle was not persuaded that Ibarra's employment history in Athens was enough to stop him from fleeing again. Ibarra was illegally employed as a dishwasher in the University of Georgia's Tate Student Center at the time of his arrest. A federal grand jury could begin hearing evidence for Ibarra's indictment for possessing a fake green card as early as next Tuesday. He could serve as many as 10 years in prison if convicted. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

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Xylazine

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Xylazine test strips are now available alongside fentanyl test strips to help prevent overdose deaths. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports, the need for the tests is growing as more people die from xylazine overdoses.

Ellen Eldridge: Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer increasingly mixed with fentanyl in street drugs. Bethany Crippen is with the Harm Reduction Lila Center in Cherokee County, where they offer the test strips free of charge. She says xylazine addiction will further worsen the opioid epidemic.

Bethany Crippen: People need to seek medical care, ultimately, and that's going to flood our hospitals, our psych hospitals, the behavioral hospitals. That's all stuff we can prevent if people are testing their drugs with xylazine test strips.

Ellen Eldridge: The state Department of Public Health reports 15 people died by drug overdose involving xylazine in 2020. Two years later, that number was 222. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 8:

Peter Biello: Albany's Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital has become the first Georgia hospital in nine years to earn a Level 2 designation for its trauma center. Phoebe officials announced the designation yesterday, about five years after the hospital started hiring and planning for it. The Georgia Department of Public Health made the designation based mostly on Phoebe's work in medical research. Phoebe is now only the second Level 2 trauma center in Georgia, south of Atlanta, the other being Piedmont Columbus Regional from South Georgia. The closest Level 1 trauma centers are in Macon and Savannah.

Story 9:

Peter Biello: Foodies rejoice! We've just served up another season of GPB's Fork in the Road podcast. Host David Zelski explores hidden gems, savors local flavors and shares stories from farmers, fishermen, merchants and others who helped define the Georgia foodscape. In this season of the podcast, David visits one of the largest privately owned farms in the country, learns about the science behind growing the perfect seed, and rediscovers an ancient American medicinal plant. Every episode is a new adventure, a new discovery, and a new reason to love Georgia. Find A Fork in the Road online at GPB.org/podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

And thanks very much for listening to this podcast. If you want to learn more about any of the stories you heard today, visit GPB.org/news. And subscribe to this podcast so we'll be back in your podcast feed automatically tomorrow with all the latest news from Georgia. And if you've got feedback or a story idea, let us know about it by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news