MATR Newsletter – April 4, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

“No two persons ever read the same book.”

Edmund Wilson

Come Home Montana

• Great Falls Development Authority promotes the livability of Great Falls

  Brett Doney, CEO of the GFDA, said, “Bringing new people into the community creates more economic opportunity and activity. It enriches our quality of life, so we’re really excited about the population growth and want to continue that.”

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• FCC Chair: Broadband Maps Will Be ‘Absolutely’ Done in Fall

  According to Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, states, local areas and other broadband stakeholders won’t have to wait until 2023 to see new broadband maps from the federal agency.

Housing

• HOAs Fight Back Against Institutional Investors

  A growing number of homeowners associations around the country are using old legal tools to keep institutional investors from buying up, and renting out, the neighborhood.

Montana Business

• Challenges facing the trucking industry – John Oliver’s video has a different view…

  John Oliver explains how truck drivers get paid, how they often don’t, and how companies exploit them to increase profits.

• Minnesota hotline works to improve mental health of small farmers

  Those who remain are barely holding on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farmer suicide rates have spiked 40% in less than two decades.

Visit Montana

• Camping Reservations: ‘A Wicked Problem of Equity,’ Finds UM College of Forestry and Conservation Researchers

  “To use these systems you need high-speed internet, which can be a problem for some campers – particularly in remote places like we have in Montana,” he explained. “You also need flexibility to plan your trip for six months from now. People with lower-income jobs often don’t have the ability to set vacations that far in advance.”

Wyoming Business

• State of Montana Charging Station Funding Plan Meeting – 4/4 – Online

  Montana must develop and submit an “Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan” by August 1. DEQ will lead the development of the plan in coordination with MDT. Anyone interested in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, sharing information or commenting on the development of the plan is encouraged to attend this webinar.

• Wyoming prepares to ‘electrify’ roadways

  WYDOT will host a series of public meetings to pinpoint where to install dozens of new electric-vehicle charging stations across the state.

Government News & Events

• Feral pigs are biological time bombs. Can California stem their ‘exponential’ damage?

  California’s feral pig population has become a monumental headache for government land managers, farmers, homeowners, conservation biologists and water district officials. But there is no clear way to ease the pain.

• Who should pay for EV recharging stations?

  Should the government or EV manufacturers build charging stations?

Events

• Tesla, Waymo, & Cruise To Race Self-Driving Vehicles From San Francisco To NYC

  No humans will be allowed in the cars, not even passengers overseeing the progress and available for emergency purposes.

MATR Newsletter Supporters: