Latest news with #Vannatta
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
James G. Johnston Memorial Nursing Home to close in July
JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – United Methodist Homes has made the 'very difficult decision' of closing a Johnson City nursing home, which has been in operation since 1974, this summer. The Executive leadership of United Methodist Homes' Hilltop Campus told News 34 that the 27 current residents of James G. Johnston Memorial Nursing Home will have to find alternate housing as of 'tentatively' July 19, 2025, which meets the required 60-day notice for residents. Vice President of Sales and Marketing for United Methodist Homes, Betsy Vannatta, says the leadership is working closely with families and residents to help them find new facilities to reside. 'Each and every resident and their families will be guided through the process and will be assisted in securing a new housing option as residents and their families are, and will continue to be UMH's top priority. The staff are equally valued and a priority and it is the goal of UMH to retain and reposition as many staff as possible. They are working closely with staff members to identify other employment opportunities within the organization,' Vannatta said. JGJ Memorial has been caring for Broome County seniors and those in need for over 50 years. CEO of UMH, Brian Picchini, says the reasoning for the closure is due to financial strain brought on by the 'insufficient Medicaid Program reimbursement available for nursing home services,' particularly in Broome County, where the number of Medicaid-eligible seniors is higher than usual. 'Essentially, the inadequate reimbursement rate system has not kept pace with the rising cost of care. Therefore, it has been determined the best course of action is to cease operations at JGJ,' Vannatta said. Vannatta did note that the closure is specifically to the nursing home facility, which does not affect the independent and assisted living operations on the Hilltop Campus. 'We remain committed to providing seniors a safe, secure community where they can continue to have access to the care and services needed when the time comes. While we regret the need to cease operation of our nursing home, we are forward looking and have plans to enhance ourcommunity by expanding resident access to wellness and preventative care programs and expand services in other areas which we believe will not only be successful in meeting resident needs, but will better match resident preferences,' stated Ron Patti, Chief Operating Officer. Vannatta says the nursing home will remain open and operational until they 'have successfully secured placement for each and every resident.' Village could use eminent domain on Pope Leo XIV's childhood home, attorney says SUNY Leaders outline priorities in State of the University Address Zeldin slams Whitehouse in heated exchange: Americans 'put President Trump in office because of people like you' Trump confronts South African president over claims of 'white genocide' Mace files resolution to expel McIver over ICE assault charges Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge extends pause on ‘bathroom bill' with preliminary injunction
A sign outside one of the bathrooms in the Montana State Capitol. House Bill 121 would restrict access to bathrooms based strictly on biological sex. (Micah Drew/ Daily Montanan) A district court judge in Missoula extended a pause on state officials from enforcing a new Montana law restricting access to public restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping spaces based on an individual's sex assigned at birth. Missoula District Court Judge Shane Vannatta's 51-page ruling Friday delivered a preliminary injunction blocking House Bill 121 from being enforced. Vannatta last month issued a temporary restraining order on the bill. 'This ruling reaffirms the truth about bathroom bans: they're motivated by prejudice, and they don't protect anyone,' said Robin Turner, Montana staff attorney at Legal Voice working with the plaintiffs, said in a statement. 'HB 121 undermines Montana's strong constitutional protections against government overreach and subjects people to unacceptable privacy violations. Transgender people are vulnerable to violence in restrooms, and they deserve protection instead of persecution.' HB 121, sponsored by Billings Republican Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, applies to all public facilities and those that receive public funding, including correctional centers, juvenile detention facilities, local domestic violence programs, public buildings and public schools. It includes leased public spaces and covers libraries, museums, hospitals, and university buildings, and it requires covered entities to 'take reasonable steps' to keep members of the opposite sex out. In the suit, plaintiffs, including transgender and intersex Montanans, argue HB 121 violates their rights under the state constitution, including 'the rights to equal protection, privacy, to pursue life's basic necessities, and due process.' Attorneys for the State of Montana argued that the law is intended to provide additional protection and privacy for women and girls in these spaces from biological males. 'Today, we're maintaining equal opportunity for all Americans, while also protecting women and girls and their right to safe and separate facilities and activities,' Gianforte said in a statement when he signed HB 121 in March. 'Because we think it's pretty simple. A man shouldn't be in a women's restroom. Shouldn't be in a women's shower room. And shouldn't be housed in a women's prison.' In the court ruling, Vannatta says that the state's argument that the law is not discriminatory against transgender people — because the definitions of 'sex,' 'male,' and 'female' apply to all Montanans — is 'disingenuous.' The plaintiffs in court documents argued that transgender Montanans have been subjected to repeated unequal treatment by the state, pointing to five separate bills passed by the Montana Legislature over the last three sessions that target transgender individuals. 'Transgender Montanans have been subjected to such a history of purposeful unequal treatment and have been relegated to such a position of political powerlessness as to command extraordinary protection.' The court order also says that the state has so far failed to support its arguments that the law helps protect women by not providing evidence of 'how female privacy and safety are threatened by trans females.' 'In addition, the State does not provide evidence of how the safety of trans females may be implicated by requiring trans females to use men's restrooms. The State does not provide evidence of how cis female privacy and safety may be implicated by requiring trans males to use the women's restrooms,' according to the order. The state can appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the preliminary injunction will remain in place until the court rules on the complaint. The decision follows another last week by a Missoula County District Court judge that permanently struck down a law from the 2023 Legislature that sought to ban gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge grants temporary restraining order against ‘bathroom bill' governor signed last week
A sign outside one of the bathrooms in the Montana State Capitol. House Bill 121 would restrict access to bathrooms based strictly on biological sex. (Micah Drew/ Daily Montanan) A district court judge in Missoula on Tuesday temporarily blocked state officials from enforcing a new Montana law restricting access to public restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping spaces based on an individual's sex assigned at birth. Missoula District Court Judge Shane Vannatta's ruling said a temporary restraining order on House Bill 121 is warranted and will preserve the status quo until the court can rule on a motion for a preliminary injunction. The court scheduled a hearing for April 21. Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB 121 last Thursday, praising the legislature's speedy passage of a bill that safeguards 'fairness, privacy and security for women and girls.' The same day, the ACLU of Montana filed a lawsuit on behalf of five transgender and intersex individuals from across Montana who would be 'immediately' impacted by the 'terrible law,' according to the organization's legal director, Alex Rate. The Governor's Office did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. The law, introduced by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings, applies to all public facilities and those that receive public funding, including correctional centers, juvenile detention facilities, local domestic violence programs, public buildings, and public schools. It includes leased public spaces and covers libraries, museums, hospitals, and university buildings. In the suit, the five plaintiffs allege HB 121 violates their rights under the state constitution including 'the rights to equal protection, privacy, to pursue life's basic necessities, and due process.' If implemented, the bill 'would make it difficult, if not impossible, for transgender and intersex Montanans to participate in public life — to work, attend school, go to the courthouse or the Motor Vehicle Division, or visit a library or state park,' the complaint states, and essentially 'excludes intersex people from these facilities altogether.' The bill, Vannatta wrote, 'is motivated by animus and supported by no evidence that its restrictions advance its purported purpose to protect women's safety and privacy.' But the law, along with another law barring transgender individuals from participating in sports aligning with their gender identity, have been priorities for the Republican majority in the Legislature, as seen by the bills' swift passage through both chambers. HB 121 was one of the first bills heard during the 69th Legislative session, and Gianforte also made it a major point in his State of the State speech in January. Speaker of the House Brandon Ler, R-Savage, said when the bill was signed that the measure represented a 'common sense' victory and showed that 'in Montana, we still believe in biological reality.' Vannatta said the plaintiffs had shown 'at least serious questions going to the merits' of their claims, and that they 'are concretely harmed' by the law's denial of access to facilities that align with their gender identity. The order also states that intersex people, who do not fit the law's definitions of male and female, 'do not know whether they are permitted to use any sex-separated facilities at all.' A hearing on the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 21 in the Missoula County Courthouse. Temporary Restraining Order and Order Setting Preliminary Injunction Hearing 11 Temporary Restraining Order and Order Setting Preliminary Injunction Hearing (1)
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana's anti-transgender bathroom restrictions are on hold under a judge's order
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a Montana law that restricts transgender people's use of bathrooms in public buildings. The measure signed into effect by Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, last week threatened to deprive transgender people of their constitutional right to equal protection under the law, Montana District Judge Shane Vannatta ruled. The law prevents people from using restrooms in public buildings that do not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. The five people who sued over the law were likely to prevail, Vannatta added in his ruling. The new law 'is motivated by animus and supported by no evidence that its restrictions advance its purported purpose to protect women's safety and privacy,' Vannatta wrote. The judge's order will be in effect at least until an April 21 hearing on whether it should continue to be blocked while the lawsuit moves ahead. The American Civil Liberties Union praised the ruling in a statement. Gianforte had no immediate comment, spokesperson Kaitlin Price said. At least a dozen other states already have variations of bathroom bans on the books, many directed at schools. Even more states, including Montana, have passed laws to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children and keep trans girls out of girls sports. Montana's law allows people to sue a facility if it does not prevent people from using restrooms or changing rooms that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. They can recover nominal damages, generally $1, and the entity could be required to pay the plaintiff's legal fees.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Montana's anti-transgender bathroom restrictions are on hold under a judge's order
A judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a Montana law that restricts transgender people's use of bathrooms in public buildings. The measure signed into effect by Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, last week threatened to deprive transgender people of their constitutional right to equal protection under the law, Montana District Judge Shane Vannatta ruled. The law prevents people from using restrooms in public buildings that do not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. The five people who sued over the law were likely to prevail, Vannatta added in his ruling. The new law 'is motivated by animus and supported by no evidence that its restrictions advance its purported purpose to protect women's safety and privacy,' Vannatta wrote. The judge's order will be in effect at least until an April 21 hearing on whether it should continue to be blocked while the lawsuit moves ahead. The American Civil Liberties Union praised the ruling in a statement. Gianforte had no immediate comment, spokesperson Kaitlin Price said. A dozen other states already have variations of bathroom bans on the books, many directed at schools. Even more states, including Montana, have passed laws to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children and keep trans girls out of girls sports. Montana's law allows people to sue a facility if it does not prevent people from using restrooms or changing rooms that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. They can recover nominal damages, generally $1, and the entity could be required to pay the plaintiff's legal fees.
