Ascendant Group’s profits rose in the first half of the year even as electricity sales fell.Core earnings from operations, before corporate expenses, were $8.7 million compared to $7.5 million for the same period in 2019. Total revenue dipped by $15.9 million during the January-to-June period to $91.28 million, compared to $107.18 million a year earlier.Ascendant is the parent company of power utility Belco, whose earnings for the six-month period jumped by $2.8 million.This w