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| MATR Newsletter - Tue Nov 22, 2016 |
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"Education is not something you can finish." Isaac Asimov
Montana Politics & Legislature
Northwestern Energy
- Guest opinion: Good, old advice for 2017 Montana Legislature
Our advice to those who are now on the pathway we once followed is to recognize that it can correctly lead in more than one direction. Recognize that. Respect that. And be open to looking for a better way.
Great Falls Development Authority
- NorthWestern Energy Helps Protect Customers by Joining Anti-Scam Coalition
With the right information, customers can learn to avoid and report these predatory scams.
Early Edge Montana
- Here's the GFDA Top 18 for this week, celebrating great things happening to move Great Falls Forward.
The Great Falls Rescue Mission opened its new Cameron Family Center downtown. Congratulations to all involved in this wonderful addition to our community and THANK YOU to all who gave so generously to make the $8.6 million project possible!
Arrow Solutions Group
- How States are Weaving Early Education into the Implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act
CEELO (the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes) is looking explicitly at how states' early education programs can help enhance ESSA.
Energy and Climate Change
- The Love of Montana Meets Technology - Arrow Solutions Group President Kathy Boelter bridges the high tech gap
While more women are being hired into the field, there is still a deficit. She would like to see that balance shift. However, she is quick to say to women "Don't win based on being female. Win because you're the best."
Come Home Montana
- Slovenia becomes first EU nation to enshrine human right to water in their constitution
Largely to prevent the commercialization of the country's water resources, the Slovenian parliament just voted in favor of the new law. Prime Minister Miro Cerar, in favor of the amendment, described water as "the 21st century's liquid gold."
- Microsoft Signs Biggest Wind Power Deal for Wyoming Data Center
Under a new arrangement with Black Hills's utility in Wyoming, backup generators at the data center will be available as a secondary resource to provide power to the local grid when needed. That means the utility can avoid building a new power plant.
Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana
- 'Backroads of Montana' TV show celebrates its 25th anniversary in historic Rialto
"Montanans are sort of defined by their humanity, their neighborliness, their resilience, and I think they're also defined by their humility," he said. "They're self-deprecating and they do these sort of unique, wacky things but sometimes they don't see the value in it."
- Montana Career Opportunities - Applications Technical Analyst, eBusiness Information Analyst and more... - Northwestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy is a leading energy delivery company in the region and provides opportunities to better connect with customers and markets in new ways, enhancing overall service and support capabilities.
- Montana Career Opportunities - Director of Accounting, Litigation Associate and more... - Crowley Fleck
With over a century of legal experience, Crowley Fleck PLLP serves clients in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming and is committed to providing the highest quality legal service in a timely and cost-effective manner.
- Coming up empty: Employers struggle with Montana workforce shortage
"We fight this labor shortage, and it's progressively gotten worse. Most of the time it's robbing Peter to pay Paul; taking one person from a business to another."
Montana Business
- Show and Tel (Aviv): A Startup Nation
More Israeli companies are listed on the Nasdaq than any other country except the United States and China.
Montana Data Focused Business Cluster
- First Interstate will cut jobs, keep community bank feel following big acquisition
"As we get bigger, we can afford a better system and services to meet their needs."
Next Generation Broadband in Montana
- Peter Coffee, VP For Strategic Research, Salesforce From Mass To Force: Finding Value And Direction In Big Data, 12/9, Missoula
Collection and analysis of massive data streams is today's prologue to tomorrow's disruptions.
Rural Communities
- Lobbying for Community Broadband Under a Trump Presidency
Advocates must aggressively engage in politics at all levels if they hope to keep up with giant incumbents that expect the political winds to blow in their favor.
Government
- The Urban-Rural Divide Is Growing and 'We're Living With the Consequences'
Density becomes a marker for politics.
Idaho Business
- Anaconda-Deer Lodge County under fire for agreement with ARCO
Questions have swirled around the integrity of the agreement, which provides the county with money necessary to manage the Environmental Protection Agency's mandated waste left in place. The contaminated land covers thousands of acres.
- What Academia Could Be Doing for Government
Public administration schools' research doesn't have to be irrelevant. Business schools provide a model.
- Missoula approves six-week paid maternity leave for city workers
Down the road, the council plans to look into another six weeks paid time off for pregnant mothers and 12 weeks of paid leave for partners of pregnant women or adopting couples, both of which would require the city to budget money for overtime pay or hiring temporary staff, especially in emergency services.
Regional Economic Development
- Idaho's Treasure Valley employers are embracing refugee workers more than ever. Here's why.
"They come with a positive attitude every day, even if they wash dishes, which isn't that especially fun," he said. "Everybody gets involved. It becomes so much more than just a job."
- Idaho's noncompete law bucks a national trend
Idaho businesses will have an easier time enforcing non-compete agreements that restrict key employees and independent contractors from engaging in post-employment competition.
Workforce Development
- Midwestern (and Western) community leaders need to think bigger.
It doesn’t matter whether you run a non-profit for the tech community, own a coworking space or run an accelerator, focus on meeting your peers in other cities.
21st Century Education Initiative - "You Should Care..."
- Without Strong Recruitment of Veterans, Clean Energy Companies Miss Out on a Competitive Advantage
Veterans of the last 15 years possess a baseline understanding of energy from their military service.
Education
- Learning from Our Students
Surveys offer performance feedback to teachers
- Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Questions
When students know how to ask their own questions, they take greater ownership of their learning, deepen comprehension, and make new connections and discoveries on their own. However, this skill is rarely, if ever, deliberately taught to students from kindergarten through high school.
Montana Education Excellence
- Spokane schools suspending first-graders, kindergartners more than high schoolers
Special education students continued to be suspended at a disproportionate rate. Although comprising only 12 percent of the district's student population, those who are considered special education students receive 34 percent of all district suspensions.
Community
- Montana State University - Federal grant will fund development of career pathway program for emerging jobs in transportation
The National Network consists of five regional workforce centers, including the West Region Transportation Workforce Center (WRTWC) led by Montana State University's Western Transportation Institute, or WTI, in the MSU College of Engineering.
- STEM projects (experiential learning) benefit communities, could help Montana worker shortage
Students are gaining first-hand experience with mapping systems and technology, while also adding to the data from previous generations.
- University of Montana Western's Experience One program gets high marks
Montana Western is the only public four-year institution teaching under X1, where students take a single-class-at-a-time in 18-day blocks.
- Largest Single Gift in University of Montana History Supports Conservation, Global Leadership
"We are both humbled and affirmed by the Frankes' thoughtful investment in UM," said UM President Royce Engstrom. "The ongoing work of the College of Forestry and Conservation and Global Leadership Initiative will have a profound impact on our future."
- The importance of Montana's career and technical education classes
These classes focus on preparing students for future careers, but oftentimes they are the first to go when budget cuts weigh heavy on a school.
- Regents quiz University of Montana officials on enrollment, finances, and "changing the narrative"
"This is not a broken campus," said Regent Bob Nystuen. "It's one that clearly needs some additional direction and attention and messaging to continue to restore it to where it really belongs."
Funding and Building your Business
- Every Thursday Is Like Thanksgiving Here - Does your family have an extra seat at the table for a child in need?
Americans will gather at the dinner table across the country next week to give thanks, but even when it's not a holiday, this family always has an extra seat at the table for a child in need.
- Empower Montana working to create inclusive, welcoming communities
During a time when communities are seeing more and more divisiveness, it's important to engage others in authentic dialogue.
Connectivity & Communications
- Retaliation And Other Ways To Get Into Hot Water, 11/29, Missoula
Protect your business from Disability and Retaliation Discrimination Claims.
- How Well Do You Know the Language of Startups?
From pebcak to pufferfish, entrepreneurs throw around lots of jargon. Take our quiz and see how well you know it.
- 10 ways to reduce your 2016 federal income tax bill
The question is important now, because this is the time when people try to juggle their income and certain spending before year-end so they pay as little as possible in taxes when they file their return in a couple of months.
- Iconic Franchises--Then and Now
A look at the humble beginnings of some of the biggest names in fast food, from KFC to McDonald's
- 13 Red Flags To Avoid In Your Investor Funding Pitch
Others, like Guy Kawasaki, have irreverently called some of these "entrepreneur lies," but I prefer to think of them as innocent enhancements or omissions that can kill your deal.
- You Think You Need to Open a Second Location. How Do You Decide?
Inc. 5000 honorees tell us how they would tackle a common business challenge.
Government Technology
- TED Ideas worth spreading - Beware "Online Filter" Bubbles
We get trapped in a "filter bubble" and don't get exposed to information that could challenge or broaden our worldview. Eli Pariser argues powerfully that this will ultimately prove to be bad for us and bad for democracy.
- Fake news, ads dupe Internet-savvy students, study finds
Teenagers are thought to be fluent in the ways of the Web. Yet students from middle school through college are easily duped by unreliable sources and deceptive advertisements peppered throughout news sites and social media feeds, according to a Stanford University study.
- Comcast speed boost goes live for most subscribers -- but you have to activate it
"We want to stay ahead of the needs of our customers so they have a great experience."
Non-Profit News
- Talent Gap Is a Main Roadblock as Government Agencies Eye Emerging Tech
Advanced analytics and predictive modeling top the list of technologies government is watching, according to a new report.
- What Cities Can Learn from The Opportunity Project
The U.S. Census Bureau-led project leverages open data for economic mobility.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
- New Yellowstone nonprofit launches - Yellowstone Forever
Reaching younger and more diverse people will be one of their key initiatives, White said. Along with that, they want to build strong ties with the communities around the park and raise money to support projects the park wants to pursue.
Cool Stuff That's Coming
- So what's next?
How did our political system produce two candidates everybody loved to hate? How did we fail to see the parallel of pre-war Germany re-enacting itself in 2016 America?
Transportation
- Pilot-optional helicopter and drones work together to fight fires and rescue "missing" person
"Our goal is to support the integration of autonomy into aviation to improve the safety and capabilities for military and commercial missions."
- How Platforms Will Disrupt the Future of Media and Entertainment
Reality is changing as the media and entertainment and industries are being turned upside down and outside in.
- Miniature WiFi device developed by Stanford engineers supplies missing link for the Internet of Things
To become reality, the Internet of Things will require a new class of tiny, energy-efficient WiFi radios to pass commands to and from the network to a myriad of devices.
- Thomas Friedman's Guide to Hanging On in the 'Age of Accelerations'
He argues that if we are to cope with 21st century life, we'll have to rediscover the communal spirit, enthusiasm for public education, and political commitment he recalls fondly from his 1960s boyhood.
Events
- Alaska-Virgin America deal set to close soon
Seattle-based Alaska Air Group, parent company of Alaska Airlines, announced in April it would buy San Francisco-based Virgin America for $2.6 billion, to create the 5th largest U.S. airline.
- It's Time to Replace Meter Maids With Riderless Motorcycles
Like a combination of KITT, a red light camera, and a meter maid, Brigade would silently patrol the streets, looking for things like expired registrations and illegally parked cars. It would file timestamped video evidence with the municipal court and email the owner a citation.
- Helena Regional Airport officials want to expand service to Portland, Oregon
Helena Regional Airport Authority commissioners will seek community financial support for a federal grant to expand local air service.
- NuTonomy to test self-driving cars in Boston
The company said it outfits its vehicles with a state-of-the art software system to enable safe operation without a driver.
- 6.9 billion thankless hours in traffic: Our view
Why America needs a big jolt of investing in transportation infrastructure.
- Infrastructure's Digital Disruption - A New Transportation Environment Is Coming Quickly
"self-driving technology could allow cities to redevelop at least 50 percent of their current street parking permanently, reclaiming space for sidewalks and dramatically expanding the public realm."
- How the convergence of automotive and tech will create a new ecosystem
Four trends that favor software-driven innovation
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