Battery Energy Storage is a hot topic these days, so upon request we gathered up the wide-ranging published material borne from many hours of extensive research the News has compiled. Click through the images (click on the yellow graphic then you can swipe through) to find pages with our BESS-related research, with additional info below.
Be prepared to zoom in- most of these are full newspaper pages you'll have to skim around.
In several capacities-- the newspaper, property owners, non-profit groupies, community supporters, not to mention my husband Tyler is a county commissioner, I harbor the intense motivation to know what to expect if the BESS project proceeds. It is imperative the proposal is a safe and revenue producing venture for the long-suffering taxing entities of Menard County and Collyn (Editor) and I worked hard finding legitimate research, scholarly reports and seasoned industry experts. Lots of time interviewing local and state tax-folk to get realistic numbers and community effect on paper.
We remain determined to find the accurate, current facts and statistics and ended up learning an outstanding amount on the history, science, technology and impact of BESS facilities. That does not make me or anyone here an expert by any means, but I am certainly more informed on the amazing technology, science, uses, necessities, risks, bonds, continually updated regulations, standards and anything else I can find. We are far from perfect in reporting on something so complex but know that everything here has been backed up by legitimate sources. We have made corrections immediately when discovered and will continue that practice if alerted to misinformation. We mean to pass along this information in good faith to assist people like us who had no idea of the potential until the opportunity presented itself.
What you'll find in the above photos is everything we have published to inform readers. It is a LOT of information to digest, but I tried to arrange and present it in a casual, conversational manner and not like a textbook. Sit back, zoom in, and take it all in at your own pace.
I can be reached at: paige@menardnews.com
Initial RES (project developer) introduction to County Commissioners and other taxing entities at regularly scheduled meeting, 11/10/25: 11/10/25 Commissioner Meeting, Agenda item 15
"Menard County Information Meeting" at Club Victoria, December 4, 2025, details on video description:
12/4/25 DontBessWithMenard "Information Meeting" at Club Victoria, Nancy White
DontBessWithMenard group's Nancy White at Monday, January 12, 2026, Commissioner Court meeting:
1/12/26 Don'tBessWithMenard Nancy White at commissioner court meeting
Stitch of BESS-related discussion at the Monday, March 9, 2026, County Commissioner meeting:
Stich/compilation of BESS related discussion from 3/9/26 county commissioner meeting
Be sure to read all the disclaimers so you are aware of who (newspaper publisher, wife to county commissioner, owners of the property for the proposed site) is the writer of the majority of this information. And here's one more:
>The property owner of the proposed BESS facility is Menard News publishers Tyler and Paige Wright. Tyler is also a county commissioner who, if the court is ever faced with a decision on this matter, will not participate, as per normal protocol.
> Contributing writer and Editor of The News is Collyn Wright, who is of no familial relation to Tyler & Paige but is an employee.
> This is a LOT of information. Everything contained within these features is intended as fact and has come from verifiable, legitimate sources such as published EPA studies or established data reports. Corrections or revisions will be made immediately as they are brought to our attention.
>This information has been compiled over a few months as we have dived deep into the as property owners and much of it recently as community concerns are voiced.
> Everything on these pages is presented in good faith as a basic learning resource. TMN is not responsible for reader miscommunication/misunderstanding or typographical errors and is not meant to be considered the policy of any entity involved.