Latest news with #JonathanPatterson
Business Wire
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Lightshift Energy and Groton Electric Light Department Unveil Innovative Energy Storage Microgrid to Strengthen Community Resilience
GROTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Groton Electric Light Department (GELD) and Lightshift Energy, a leading energy storage project developer, owner and operator, on Wednesday hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil a second battery storage project and microgrid in Groton, Massachusetts. The energy storage project will primarily serve two key needs: reducing grid load during peak events, saving millions for GELD customers, and providing direct backup power to Florence Roche Elementary School. Solidifying Massachusetts as a leader in the nation's clean energy deployment, representatives from across the state, including State Undersecretary of Energy Michael Judge, participated in the project ribbon cutting ceremony. The speakers celebrated how this 3 megawatt battery storage project is a testament to the state's innovative approach to clean energy with the pairing of a peak shaving project and microgrid that brings multiple benefits to the local community. GELD Manager Jonathan Patterson said GELD is pleased to bring these projects to the community. 'We are proud to offer the school and our ratepayers in Groton an innovative solution to help maintain low rates while enhancing reliability, reducing Groton's peak demand, and lowering carbon emissions,' said Patterson. GELD is one of the first municipal utilities to implement a multi-use microgrid to serve as direct backup power for critical infrastructure while also providing savings to the community. The Groton II microgrid became operational in August 2024 and is the second energy storage project in an ongoing partnership between Lightshift and GELD. Groton I, also 3 megawatts, became operational in July 2024. 'Groton II delivers both cost savings and critical backup power, maximizing the value of energy storage for the community,' said Lightshift Co-Founder and Managing Partner Rory Jones. 'This project reflects the leadership and innovative thinking of GELD, and we're proud to partner on their efforts to strengthen local energy resilience, support clean energy and create value for the community.' "The Groton II microgrid provides an innovative solution to providing energy at the Florence Roche Elementary School and to residents of Groton,' said State Representative Danillo Sena. 'The project is a unique and exciting opportunity to lower energy prices while providing backup power to vital infrastructure. I'm so excited to see the success of this new microgrid!" About Groton Electric Light Department The Groton Electric Light Department (GELD) has served the community of Groton since 1909. Currently serving approximately 5,000 customers, GELD's mission over the past 116 years has been to provide power at the highest degree of reliability, and at the lowest cost that fiscal prudence dictates. GELD is committed to incorporating additional clean resources into its power portfolio, striving to be part of the solution when it comes to climate change. About Lightshift Energy Lightshift Energy is a utility-scale energy storage project developer, owner and operator headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 2019, Lightshift is developing a diverse, multi-gigawatt pipeline of energy storage projects, located throughout the U.S. With leading energy storage analytics, application design, finance, and development expertise, Lightshift deploys dynamic, multi-use energy storage projects that maximize value for utilities and other partners, while reinvesting directly into the communities where their projects are located. For more information, please visit
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why the fight over abortion in Kansas and Missouri isn't going away anytime soon
Kansas and Missouri voters have spoken on abortion. But nearly three years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to the procedure, sending the issue back to the states, abortion continues to dominate politics on both sides of the state line. And it's now clear that the situation will continue for at least two more years, if not longer. Missouri voters in November by a slim margin approved Amendment 3, enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution. In 2022, Kansas voters soundly rejected an amendment that would have overturned a state Supreme Court decision that affirmed a right to end a pregnancy. Yet developments in both states this spring, and even in the past few weeks, demonstrate that abortion remains far from a settled matter. Collectively, they show why access to the procedure is poised to remain central to politics in both states through at least 2026. 'For the next, at least, couple election cycles, we're going to figure this out, and we're going to do it at the ballot box,' Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican, said. The Missouri Supreme Court last month effectively reinstated a de facto ban on abortion when it overruled orders by a Jackson County judge that had allowed legal abortions to resume after the November vote. While the high court's decision was on procedural grounds, the practical consequences have been to pause access for potentially months despite the Missouri Constitution now containing a right to reproductive freedom. Kansas lawmakers this spring advanced a constitutional amendment that would provide for the election of state Supreme Court justices. Currently, the governor appoints justices from finalists chosen by a commission. But Republicans have been angry with the court for years over decisions on abortion and other issues. Voters will decide whether to approve the amendment next year, setting the stage for intense campaigning that's certain to center on the future of abortion rights in the state. Before that pivotal vote, a Johnson County jury will be asked to weigh the legality of a slew of Kansas abortion restrictions that providers are challenging. That trial is set to run between September and October. The Missouri General Assembly this spring approved a constitutional amendment that would overturn the amendment just approved by voters. The new amendment, set to be on the ballot in 2026, would allow abortions in medical emergencies and cases of fetal anomalies, such as birth defects. It would also allow the procedure in exceptionally rare cases of rape or incest within 12 weeks of gestational age. In addition to the abortion ban, the constitutional amendment would ban gender-affirming care for transgender residents under the age of 18. Those procedures, which include hormone therapy, are already banned under state law but became a rallying cry among abortion opponents who falsely claimed that Amendment 3 opened the door to legalizing them. 'There's a common theme on both sides of the state, which is that the legislatures don't believe the people of Kansas or the people of Missouri understand how their state processes work or what their votes mean and so they second-guess, again and again, what the people have asked for. In this case, of course, it's abortion rights,' said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. In Kansas, the proposal to allow for the election of state Supreme Court justices looms large and is seen by many observers as a proxy fight over abortion. The current amendment would allow justices to make political contributions, take part in political campaigns and hold office in political parties. In theory, a justice could simultaneously lead the state Republican or Democratic party while sitting on the court. For over half a century, the governor has chosen members of the court from a list of finalists curated by a nine-member nominating commission. The current system, instituted after a major political scandal in the 1950s, has over time shielded the court from partisan politics. On the nominating commission, each of the state's four congressional districts is represented by one lawyer and one non-lawyer. The lawyers are elected by other lawyers within their district, while the governor appoints the non-lawyer members. A chairperson is elected by lawyers statewide. The amendment would abolish the commission. The measure doesn't require partisan elections, but would allow the Legislature to set the rules of the elections. Even if lawmakers make the contests nominally nonpartisan, the wide leeway for political activity by justice candidates could effectively lead to Republican vs. Democratic races in all but name. Some supporters of electing justices say abortion doesn't figure into their position. Instead, they cast the current selection process as controlled by a small, select group of legal insiders. Kansas state Rep. Susan Humphries, a Wichita Republican who staunchly opposes abortion, said she wouldn't speak to whether she wants to see an elected court relitigate abortion rights. 'I mean, at the moment we have it, right? It is what it is,' Humphries said. 'They have said there's a right to an abortion in the Kansas Constitution, and so we work with that — even though I'm clearly pro-life.' It's unclear whether the outcome of the judicial selection vote would affect the ongoing Johnson County lawsuit over abortion restrictions currently in Kansas law. While a trial is set to start later this year, Johnson County District Court Judge K. Christopher Jayaram has already temporarily blocked many of the restrictions. Any final decision by Jayaram is almost certain to be appealed up to the Kansas Supreme Court. By the time the lawsuit goes to trial this fall, it might have a different judge presiding over it. The nominating commission has selected Jayaram as one of three finalists to replace Justice Evelyn Wilson when she resigns her Kansas Supreme Court seat on July 4. If Gov. Laura Kelly chooses Jayaram and voters approve next year's direct election ballot measure, he could be the last justice chosen under the system Kansas has used for more than 60 years. Opponents of altering the selection system say it protects the court against partisan politics. They say electing the justices risks expensive, bitterly partisan contests similar to what happens in other states like Wisconsin. In a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election, the billionaire Elon Musk spent millions, though his favored candidate lost. 'I'm glad that Kansas has listened to the people of Kansas so far — unlike Missouri, who you know, literally just voted and then they're putting it back on the ballot,' Kansas House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, said. 'And yet, I think that we all know that this move potentially to electing our Supreme Court justices is because of school funding and abortion.' Some Missouri GOP lawmakers have also floated the idea of electing state Supreme Court judges, but the idea has yet to advance in Jefferson City. Last year, Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, said she wanted elected judges after the high court voted 4-3 to keep Amendment 3 on the November ballot. Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion lobbyist in Missouri, said the relationship between legislatures and the courts has grown more strained in the past three years since the end of the federal right to abortion. At the same time, state courts are increasingly having to wade into thorny questions of abortion access. 'We don't even know what the Missouri Supreme Court ultimately will decide is constitutional and what is not constitutional under Amendment 3,' Lee said. A Jackson County lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood immediately after the November vote sought to strike a range of abortion restrictions in Missouri law, citing the new constitutional protections for reproductive freedom. Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang issued two preliminary injunctions blocking many of the rules, and Planned Parenthood resumed providing abortions in February – the first time legal abortion had been available in the state since 2022. But the Missouri Supreme Court in late May ordered Zhang to vacate those rulings and reevaluate her decision, effectively pausing abortion access. Zhang's rulings had temporarily blocked a series of TRAP laws, or Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, that providers said prevented them from restoring access to abortion. Those laws included a 72-hour waiting period and licensing requirements. Zhang could issue a new preliminary injunction allowing abortions to resume, but the underlying case will continue. A full trial over whether the restrictions should be permanently blocked was set for January. Whatever Zhang decides after the trial is certain to be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court – something that might not happen until well into 2026. By then, voters will be preparing to cast their ballots on the new abortion amendment. If they approve it, the case will be rendered moot. 'The pro-life community, obviously, is focused on saving the life of each and every mother who's been affected by abortion and their unborn child,' said Missouri state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican. 'Any single abortion that takes place is a travesty. So that's going to be really driving the fight to undo this abomination that is Amendment 3, which, by the way, isn't really just about abortion,' she said, adding that the amendment is 'sweepingly broad.' Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said the confusion over the status of abortion rights will make medical providers less likely to practice in Missouri. She said that if 'we can turn the tide' in the General Assembly, that's 'where change really starts.' Republicans hold a supermajority in the Missouri House and Senate. Aune said ending the supermajorities would allow lawmakers to focus on issues that matter to residents, such as child care and public education. 'This patchwork of laws,' Aune said, 'and these abortion bans and these court cases are causing some, you know, some of our most talented OBGYNs and medical providers to leave the state and practice somewhere where they are less likely to be convicted just for helping the patient and providing necessary medical care.' 'That's what people care about,' Aune said. 'People don't want their lawmakers screaming about abortion for the next eight years when there are actual problems to be solved.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After outcry over property tax hike, MO to vote on big change in Jackson County
Missouri voters will decide next year whether Jackson County's appointed assessor should instead be elected after months of fury from residents over increased property assessments. The Missouri House on Thursday voted unanimously to place a question on the ballot asking voters across the state whether Jackson County should elect its assessor. The question will either appear on the November 2026 ballot or at an earlier election called by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe. If voters approve the state constitutional amendment, the decision would put Jackson County in line with every other major county in Missouri. Jackson County remains the only charter county in the state with an appointed assessor, who values and assesses all real and personal property in the county. The measure comes amid an intense outcry from local homeowners after a dramatic increase in property assessments in 2023. Kansas City-area lawmakers of both parties prioritized changing the assessment process this year, arguing that an elected assessor would make the position more accountable to voters. 'Jackson County families and homeowners have waited long enough,' said House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican. 'Now, they'll finally have the chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box.' State lawmakers believe the legislation could also play a key factor in the ongoing fight over the future of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. For months, state and county leaders have signaled that if residents are more confident in the tax assessment process, they'll be more likely to vote in favor of a future stadium funding package. 'I think that voters have lost a lot of trust in, you know, our regional government,' Rep. Aaron Crossley, an Independence Democrat, told The Star at the Capitol. 'It's going to be important that that trust continue to be rebuilt.' Gail McCann Beatty, a former Democratic leader of the Missouri House, currently leads the Jackson County Assessment Department. Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr., a Democrat, appointed her to the position. A spokesperson for Jackson County did not immediately respond to a question from The Star on Thursday. But county officials, including Beatty, have previously said they've worked to correct errors in the assessment process amid a series of legal fights with state officials. While receiving bipartisan support, some lawmakers have acknowledged that the push for an elected assessor is only a piece of solving concerns about property assessments. Some critics have also drawn parallels to similar efforts by Republicans in Jefferson City to enact changes that impact the Democratic-leaning cities of Kansas City and St. Louis. Missouri voters across the state, for example, last year passed a measure to require Kansas City to spend more money on its police department. The unanimous vote from the Missouri House on Thursday was exceptionally rare for a General Assembly that is often mired in fighting between Democrats and Republicans. While there were no votes against the legislation, 18 lawmakers voted 'present' and 15 were absent. The vote came quickly and just two days after the Senate also passed it unanimously. A bipartisan group of legislators from Jackson County on Wednesday held a press conference in support of the legislation. The group, led by Sen. Joe Nicola, a Grain Valley Republican, said they were pushing for a slew of changes to the tax assessment process. 'We are pushing every day to move these bills forward because the people of Jackson County cannot wait any longer,' Nicola said. Nicola also pushed back on a question from The Star asking whether he was concerned that making the assessor elected would insert politics into the tax assessment process. 'I have no concerns at all,' he said. 'As a matter of fact, our county assessor right now does have the license and has all kinds — and our assessments are a disaster. So that doesn't guarantee anything.' The proposed amendment comes more than a decade after Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution that allowed Jackson County to keep an appointed assessor. The exemption was specifically aimed at Jackson County and was worded to apply only to charter counties with populations of more than 600,000 people but less than 700,000 people. Before the legislative session, The Star spoke with Jackson County homeowners about the increased property assessments. For Danielle Dent-Breen and her mom, Phyllis Dent, dealing with the assessments had been a nightmare. Dent's Blue Springs home increased roughly 41%, causing her monthly house payment to jump by about $400, she said. And Dent-Breen's payment for her home in Independence increased by about $150 a month. Dent-Breen previously said she thinks making the position elected would be a step in the right direction. 'At least it would allow some form of accountability for that office,' she said.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bills to charge women who get abortions with murder get votes before failing
Abortion rights advocates feared the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to state abortion bans would also lead to tracking women and charging women who get abortions with murder. No states have allowed either, but the ideas, once off the table, have gotten attention in legislatures this month. Oklahoma lawmakers killed a bill that would have allowed murder charges after a public hearing, and North Dakota did so after a floor debate. Similar bills have been introduced before, but they haven't been granted hearings, in part because most major anti-abortion groups oppose them. A Missouri committee heard testimony on a bill to create a database of pregnant women deemed 'at risk' of getting an abortion and connecting them with prospective adoptive parents. Here's a look at the proposals: Under the Missouri legislation, the state Department of Social Services would be directed to create a new division tasked with maintaining a 'central registry of each expectant mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion.' The division would also keep a list of prospective adoptive parents and coordinate adoption proceedings. House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Republican, said Thursday that he wants to aid adoption but that the bill doesn't have broad support among House Republicans. Two similar bills were rescinded this week. 'There is some question about the central registry and databases,' Patterson said. 'That has to be really tightened up to make sure that people's privacy is protected.' Republicans are also wary of expanding government and concerned about the measure's estimated $30 million-a-year cost. Still, it has won some support. 'Bills like this continue to disprove the false narrative advanced by pro-abortion advocates that the pro-life movement does not care about women, or care about children after they are born,' Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, wrote in a statement supporting the bill. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America says the Missouri legislation is the first of its kind, though fears over the potential tracking of pregnant women are nothing new. Abortion rights advocates have long argued that if individuals' reproductive health information is not kept private, then it could be used not only in targeted ads but also in law enforcement investigations. Some Democratic-led states have taken steps to protect such health data in recent years. On a call with reporters Wednesday, Katie Knutter, executive director of Wellspring Health Access, which provides abortion in Wyoming, said that she hears from out-of-state patients that they might be tracked by their home states when they seek abortion — even though laws to do so are not on the books. 'The broader discussion in the media has made patients very aware and very concerned about these things,' Knutter said. Oklahoma's Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted 6-2 against advancing a proposal to allow murder charges against women who obtain abortions, with possible punishments including the death penalty and life in prison. A week earlier, North Dakota's House rejected a measure with similar features 77-16. Groups including the National Right to Life Committee and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America have for years been urging lawmakers not to consider those measures, arguing that women are often coerced into abortion and should not be punished. Some conservative lawmakers see it differently. 'While the abortion clinics no longer offer or perform abortion, there is a massive loophole in Oklahomans' laws,' Sen. Dusty Deevers, who sponsored the Oklahoma measure, told the judiciary committee during a hearing Wednesday. 'Namely, they don't apply to the mothers themselves.' Deevers said his approach is the only way to stop the flow of abortion pills prescribed by doctors in other states via telehealth and shipped in. A survey conducted for the Society of Family Planning, which advocates abortion access, found that there were nearly 1,000 abortions via telemedicine in Oklahoma in the second half of 2023. The Guttmacher Institute, another research organization that supports abortion rights, has found that by 2023, more than 6 in 10 abortions in the formal healthcare system nationally involved pills. Democrats and some Republicans on the committee had concerns, including that the law could lead to criminal investigations of women who have miscarriages, that such an extreme approach could rally support for a state constitutional amendment to allow abortion, or that enforcement would be hard. Similar measures in Idaho and Indiana appear unlikely to advance. Bills have also been introduced in South Carolina and Texas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Once off the table, bills to charge women who get abortions with murder get votes before failing
Abortion rights advocates feared the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to state abortion bans would also lead to tracking women and charging women who get abortions with murder. No states have allowed either, but the ideas, once off the table, have gotten attention in legislatures this month. Oklahoma lawmakers killed a bill that would have allowed murder charges after a public hearing, and North Dakota did so after a floor debate. Similar bills have been introduced before, but they haven't been granted hearings, in part because most major anti-abortion groups oppose them. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. A Missouri committee heard testimony on a bill to create a database of pregnant women deemed 'at risk' of getting an abortion and connecting them with prospective adoptive parents. Here's a look at the proposals: Missouri proposal would make a database of certain pregnant women Under the Missouri legislation, the state Department of Social Services would be directed to create a new division tasked with maintaining a 'central registry of each expectant mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion.' The division would also keep a list of prospective adoptive parents and coordinate adoption proceedings. House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Republican, said Thursday that he wants to aid adoption but that the bill doesn't have broad support among House Republicans. Two similar bills were rescinded this week. 'There is some question about the central registry and databases,' Patterson said. 'That has to be really tightened up to make sure that people's privacy is protected.' Republicans are also wary of expanding government and concerned about the measure's estimated $30 million-a-year cost. Still, it has won some support. 'Bills like this continue to disprove the false narrative advanced by pro-abortion advocates that the pro-life movement does not care about women, or care about children after they are born,' Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, wrote in a statement supporting the bill. Tracking pregnancies is not a new worry for advocates The Planned Parenthood Federation of America says the Missouri legislation is the first of its kind, though fears over the potential tracking of pregnant women are nothing new. Abortion rights advocates have long argued that if individuals' reproductive health information is not kept private, then it could be used not only in targeted ads but also in law enforcement investigations. Some Democratic-led states have taken steps to protect such health data in recent years. On a call with reporters Wednesday, Katie Knutter, executive director of Wellspring Health Access, which provides abortion in Wyoming, said that she hears from out-of-state patients that they might be tracked by their home states when they seek abortion — even though laws to do so are not on the books. 'The broader discussion in the media has made patients very aware and very concerned about these things,' Knutter said. Lawmakers consider but reject allowing charges against women who obtain abortion Oklahoma's Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted 6-2 against advancing a proposal to allow murder charges against women who obtain abortions, with possible punishments including the death penalty and life in prison. A week earlier, North Dakota's House rejected a measure with similar features 77-16. Groups including the National Right to Life Committee and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America have for years been urging lawmakers not to consider those measures, arguing that women are often coerced into abortion and should not be punished. Some conservative lawmakers see it differently. 'While the abortion clinics no longer offer or perform abortion, there is a massive loophole in Oklahomans' laws,' Sen. Dusty Deevers, who sponsored the Oklahoma measure, told the judiciary committee during a hearing Wednesday. 'Namely, they don't apply to the mothers themselves.' For the sponsor, the influx of abortion pills is the growing concern Deevers said his approach is the only way to stop the flow of abortion pills prescribed by doctors in other states via telehealth and shipped in. A survey conducted for the Society of Family Planning, which advocates abortion access, found that there were nearly 1,000 abortions via telemedicine in Oklahoma in the second half of 2023. The Guttmacher Institute, another research organization that supports abortion rights, has found that by 2023, more than 6 in 10 abortions in the formal healthcare system nationally involved pills. Democrats and some Republicans on the committee had concerns, including that the law could lead to criminal investigations of women who have miscarriages, that such an extreme approach could rally support for a state constitutional amendment to allow abortion, or that enforcement would be hard. Similar measures in Idaho and Indiana appear unlikely to advance. Bills have also been introduced in South Carolina and Texas. ___ Associated Press writer Summer Ballentine contributed to this report.
