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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Jan 19, 2016 |
It seems likely that before long, if you don’t want to own a car, you won’t have to. http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Montana Governor Steve Bullock expands anti-discrimination measures in anticipation of worker shortage http://www.matr.net/ar ... .html
Big Sky Economic Development
Montana Politics & Legislature
- Newsweek - NFL Rams Move to L.A.? Wrong! Montana Would Be Better - Billings Bighorns
Before you scoff--oh, too late?--think about the possibilities. The town of Green Bay, Wisconsin, home to the most devoted fans in the NFL, has approximately 105,000 people. Billings, the largest city in Montana, has a population of 109,000.
Northwestern Energy
- Missoulian Editorial: Don't mess with State Fund's success
Montana's legislators would do well to pay attention as the fund makes this transition, learn more about the fund and the way it works, and pledge to keep their hands off its surplus.
TicketRiver.com
- NorthWestern Energy working with nonprofit on child safety
NorthWestern Energy has formed a partnership with Ryan United, a nonprofit group, to help deliver safety information and promote awareness of child safety in communities across its three-state service territory.
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
- Ticket River - Browse local events or create an event page and sell tickets online.
When it comes to event management and promotion, we know what you're up against, so we created Ticket River, a site dedicated to making profitable events a delicious piece of cake.
Great Falls Development Authority
- Dorsey & Whitney Presents: ACA Reporting: Tackling Complex Form 1095-C Situations And Preparing For Form 1094-C, 2/5, Webinar
This seminar will address reporting special cases using Form 1095-C, including COBRA, employees on long-term disability, expatriates, retiree medical participants, directors, and employees receiving allowances under the Davis-Bacon Act or Service Contract Act.
Energy and Climate Change
- Manufacturing Acreage Available in Great Falls AgriTech Park
Gas, electric, water, sewer, fiber, and rail all to your lot line for $30,000/acre.
- Great Falls Development Authority Top 15 for 1/17/2016
Here's the GFDA Top 15 for this week, celebrating great things happening to move Great Falls Forward.
Come Home Montana
- Nevada decision guts the state's thriving solar industry
Electric utility pushed effort to sour economics of rooftop solar.
- Buyer beware: Solar power may be missing key ingredient
Some of the biggest marketers of such deals are stripping the "green" benefits out of them and selling them elsewhere, leaving homeowners with a small discount on the same electricity they were using before.
- Maine Is Steadily Converting to Solar
Solar system costs have dropped 70 percent in six years. The upfront investment is expensive but increasingly within reach.
Montana Business
- Montana Career Opportunity - Loan Officer - Great Falls Development Authority
Join our fun, creative, fast-paced, results-driven team focused on growing and diversifying the Great Falls regional economy and supporting the creation of higher-wage jobs.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Executive Director - One Montana
The successful candidate will enjoy creative problem solving, maintaining and developing statewide networks of partners and supporters, managing large scale projects, and will take a lead role in fundraising.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Veteran's Business Outreach Center Region 8 Director - Big Sky Economic Development (BSED)
Ability to provide coaching, counseling and training to Veteran Entrepreneurs looking to start, grow or expand their business.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Magento Developer, GIS Database Engineer, Cloud-Systems Engineer - onXmaps
Your Moments - Our Maps
- Montana Career Opportunities - Senior Manager/Director/AVP of Account Management, Senior Manager/Director of Training, Senior Manager/Director/AVP of Project & Release Management, Senior Manager/Director/AVP of Implementation Management and more.. - Educa
Education Logistics, Inc. is the original school bus routing software company and has been providing Routing and Planning software solutions to districts across North America since 1977.
- Montana Career Opportunity - Software Engineer I - IGT-Bozeman
From Sydney to South Dakota, from Social Gaming to Sports Betting, from Game Design to Central Systems, we are your trusted growth partner.
Montana Economic Development
- Former Vann's CFO Paul Nisbet pleads guilty to conspiracy
Nisbet faces a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison and will be forced to forfeit $453,000.
- New West Health Services announces possible data breach
New West is mailing notices to customers about the breach and offering one year of credit monitoring and identity protection services to those whose Social Security numbers were involved.
- Water protections up in the air after sale of Missoula utility
"This is exactly what we've been concerned about: A Canadian company disregarding the laws of Montana in an attempt to take control of Missoula's water," Knudsen said. "They're not trying new tricks; they're making up tricks, and it's leading to a lot of uncertainty right now."
- The Story of HDR in Missoula, Montana - Engineering Excellence
We have had an office here for more than 20 years, founded by native Montanans. Most of our staff have been born and raised here.
- Up to 25,000 could be affected by laptop stolen from New West employee
A laptop computer stolen from an employee of New West Health Services contains current and former customers' names and addresses, some of their Social Security and driver's license numbers, and may contain their medical, credit card and banking information.
Careers
- USDA's StrikeForce Initiative Invests $23.5 Billion in Rural Communities, Expands to Four New States Including Montana
"Growing the economy by investing in rural communities, farmers, makers and innovators, and increasing opportunities for families are keys to our nation's future," said Vilsack. "StrikeForce has proven to be an effective, collaborative process that builds partnerships and enables USDA to bring economic opportunity directly to rural Americans where they live and helps rural communities leverage their assets."
Come Home Oregon
- Valuing your time over money may be linked to happiness
New research that was collected over a year and a half and published by the Society of Personality and Social Psychology suggests valuing your time rather than pursuing money may be linked to greater happiness.
- What Makes Someone Fearless?
Five ways to banish fear from your work and personal life.
- The Montana Code School Is Coming To Helena!, 1/20
Join us and our gracious hosts at SoFi, to meet the MTCS co-founders, recent alumni and learn more about the 12 week intensive coding bootcamp classes.
- Write outstanding cover letters with these quick tips
The goal is to write an outstanding cover letter that draws the reader toward your resume, yet job candidates often get the wrong idea of what cover letters can do for them and instead minimize their function.
- Why journaling can boost your career (and startup) for 2016
The results are interesting and support the idea that emotions influence your job search (and business success) and acknowledging them can lift your spirits.
Rural Communities
- Airbnb Recruiting Engineers In Portland, Oregon
Airbnb says it is hiring Software Engineers in Portland, and is looking for back-end, front-end, full stack, and machine learning engineers at what it says is it first remote engineering office.
Government
- Rule Would Allow Insurers to Discriminate against Rural
The proposed changes are worst for low-population-density counties located far from metropolitan areas.
Idaho Business
- Montana Governor Steve Bullock expands anti-discrimination measures in anticipation of worker shortage
"I am honored to stand up for all Montanans to ensure that no one is denied full and equal participation in our state's workforce based on discrimination and intolerance."
North Dakota Business and Economic Development
- Can Idaho lock in college tuition for 4 years?
To get more college-educated students into the workforce and to interject some consistency into families' tuition planning, Gov. Butch Otter is proposing a "tuition lock" to guarantee qualifying freshmen the same tuition for four years.
Regional Business
- 9 Things People ALWAYS Ask When They Know You're From North Dakota
It always seems like to everyone outside of the state, North Dakotans are a rare sighting that they have specific preconceptions about.
- In North Dakota, oil boomtown Williston doesn't want to go bust
The city used its newfound wealth to build a $70-million high school, a $68-million recreation center, and new water and sewer systems. It renovated Main Street and created a city position for someone to write parking tickets. Highways have been widened, and an airport is under development.
- The North Dakota Crude Oil That's Worth Less Than Nothing
Oil is so plentiful and cheap in the U.S. that at least one buyer says it would need to be paid to take a certain type of low-quality crude
Wyoming Business
- We paid $6 Billion in fees to The 3 biggest Banks last year
CNN and SNL Financial found that Americans paid a total of $6 billion in overdraft and ATM fees to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
- Skyly finds progressive voters with the desire and capacity to support your organization.
Skyly saves you time by locating people in your target districts who share your values, and have the ability to contribute.
- Technology-driven economic growth no sure thing
The infatuation with technology is a source of strength, but also of simplistic self-deception.
Montana Education Excellence
- Small Wyoming high school receives national recognition
Big Horn High School was recently named one of America's top 500 schools by Newsweek magazine, in part because of the number of students earning a high school diploma.
Montana Education/Business Partnerships
- Montanans can now get tax credit for school donations
People can get a tax credit of up to $150 for a donation.
- Gazette opinion - More grads, more work to do, Montana
With a statewide graduation rate of 86 percent, Montana public high schools awarded 9,161 diplomas last year. But 1,199 other students who started as freshmen in the class of 2015 dropped out along the way.
Community
- Arts education program SPARK! Arts Ignite Learning receives $50,000 donation from Top Hat, Wilma owners
"Everyone's just so excited about it. We're currently all brainstorming what it will mean for the middle schools," Neely said. "One of the common ideas being tossed around is media arts, which could include film, photography and different types of alternative and digital music."
Funding and Building your Business
- Creating a Community of Choice
The Mountain View neighborhood in Anchorage is described as the most diverse neighborhood in the U.S., becoming a model of neighborhood change and a community of choice thanks to the efforts of local leaders and many dedicated community residents.
- Health plan forums planned in Flathead County, 1/19 and 1/20
There will be two community forums this week. The first one is Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the second is from 3:30 p.pm. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
- Vote Today! - Bozeman vying for 'best ski town' honor in USA Today poll
The listing notes Bozeman's "laid-back vibe, up-and-coming restaurant scene, smattering of breweries and affordability," as well as its proximity to Bridger Bowl and Big Sky Resort.
GIS Technology
- Welcome to the Montana Business Navigator
The Montana Business Navigator is here to create an easy-to-use environment where Montana's businesses can find the requirements and tools they need to own and operate a business in Montana.
- A guide to buying refurbished technology
To help you snag the best bargains possible, we'll walk you through the terms you're likely to run into when you buy refurbished, used, or anything that's not brand new, so you can make an informed buying decision.
Government Technology
- 2016 Intermountain GIS Conference, 4/4-7, Great Falls, Montana
The conference will include Workshops, Presentations, Posters, Featured Speakers, Exhibitors, and Public Night: All designed to increase your GIS knowledge!
The Creative and Cultural Economy
- Boston Mayor to Unveil Data-Driven Performance Platform - "Complete transparency"
From school attendance to the number of missed trash collections to stabbings and homicides to the rate of potholes being filled and graffiti being scrubbed, whether benchmarks are being met is there for all to see.
- New Software Makes Transit Planning More Like Video Gaming
It may seem strange, but sometimes transit planners wish the software they use to plan bus routes worked a little more like video games. That may be starting to happen.
- 3 Ways to for Governments to Take Advantage of Your Social Media Downtime
Here are six social media resolutions governments should consider as they kick off the new year.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- In Missoula, the arts mean business - Please take the survey
The Missoula Cultural Council is once again collecting this vital information by participating in the Arts and Economic Prosperity V study. During 2016, MCC board members and volunteers will be present at selected arts events with surveys in hand for audience members.
Transportation
- Chelsea Handler invades Silicon Valley in new Netflix documentary
"A lot of these guys can't get any action, right?" she says. "Until they make their money. And then it's probably easier."
- Missoula Volunteers Needed for the 5th/6th Street Transportation Study
Collect important data for the S 5 th St W and S 6 th St W Transportation Function and Safety Study.
- The Feds have a three-point plan to accelerate rollout of new technology in cars
Several federal agencies are beginning to roll out new plans that will help accelerate the development of things like autonomous technology in cars.
- How frozen Minneapolis became a biking mecca
Since 2000, the percentage of bike commuters here has jumped 170%, with an estimated 10,500 at the latest count in 2014.
- Tesla Summon Hints at How the World of Self-Driving Cars Will Work
The questions go on and on, and only a few involve how to make the car drive itself.
- Will Everyone Soon Drive a Connected Car? Google Thinks So
In the very near future, consumers are going to demand that every car be connected, app enabled and updated."
- How GM Beat Tesla to the First True Mass-Market Electric Car
When your goal is to drive energy efficiency up while driving costs down on a mass industrial scale, there aren't many shortcuts or late-night inspirations to be had. But now it looks pretty clear who the winner will be. And it ain't Tesla.
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