MATR Newsletter – April 5, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

Corona Virus Information

• In Empty Amsterdam, Reconsidering Tourism

  Before Covid-19, the city was packed with visitors. Now efforts to rein in the expected post-pandemic crowds are ramping up, but not without controversy.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 4-4-21

  We’ve been busy working on almost 200 active client projects and pursuing targets to invest in the region, but we’ve also been looking at the future. In addition to the housing development market analysis we announced last week, we’re going to be pursuing a range of market assessments to answer what’s next? Watch for details soon.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• The Unabomber next door: Lincoln, Montana not defined by its most infamous denizen

  Garland, a lifelong resident of the small western Montana town where the Unabomber was arrested 25 years ago this week, said that type of person is common around those parts.

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• Why Hawaii’s remote work program attracted ‘a different type of visitor’

  “I was skeptical, but in my first conversation, I learned this was a local group of volunteer CEOs who had a lot of heart in it and had come together to help Hawaii.”

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Video – Testing Elon Musk’s Starlink: Is It Really a Rural Internet Game Changer?

  WSJ spent time with a few beta testers in a very remote area of Washington state to see if it’s truly the solution to the global broadband gap.

• Broadband for all: Inside President Biden’s $100 billion plan to improve internet access

  It would spend $100 billion to “future-proof” broadband as part of an eight-year infrastructure plan, calling high-speed connections “the new electricity” that’s now a necessity for all Americans.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• House Judiciary Committee passes bill squelching Montana press freedom

  A bill to “stop the press from serving as a slander machine” passed Thursday in the Montana House Judiciary Committee with language and a title that are nearly boilerplate to legislation that’s cropped up in other states.

Housing

• Affordable Housing is Moving out of Boise, Idaho

  So where are people buying who cannot (or choose not to) buy a home in Boise? They are looking outside the city limits to places such as Caldwell, Nampa, Kuna. The problem in moving to those areas is that if you work in Boise, you now have the dread I-84 drive to work and home each day.

Montana Business

• Open banking is big. Here’s why open finance is bigger.

  Open banking starts with the premise that consumers have the right to access the data that’s held by their financial institutions — and permit that data to be used by third-parties for the consumers’ benefit.

Funding and Building your Business

• How the future of work, the workforce and the workplace is changing

  Deloitte ran in-depth interviews with business leaders, policy makers and researchers across Europe – to set a clear direction for business stakeholders as they trudge through a period of unprecedented workplace disruption.

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• Tenth annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival confirmed for July 22-25, 2021 in White Sulphur Springs, Montana

  Red Ants Pants said in a press release the the festival is scheduled for July 22-25, and tickets are on sale now. The full lineup is expected to be released in May.

Regional Business News

• I Avoided Fake Meat for Years. That Was a Big Mistake

  Our food writer had been steering clear of Impossible, Beyond, and other plant-based meat replacements—until he finally cooked with some.

University Business Plan Competitions

• Fourteen ventures selected as finalists for second annual MSU $50K Venture Competition April 7-8

  The 14 finalists were selected from among 36 entries submitted by MSU students, faculty, staff and recent alumni. Finalists in a traditional venture track will pitch on Wednesday, April 7. Finalists in a social venture track will pitch on Thursday, April 8.

Government News & Events

• New Helena Mobile Crisis Response Team making immediate impact

  “Law enforcement has done such a good job over the years and has done the very best but this isn’t really their job,” says Kari Koehler, Senior Nursing Director of Inpatient Nursing at St. Peter’s. “They are there and they will stay with our team to make sure everybody stays safe.”

Government Technology

• Seattle Recalculates Walk Signal Timing to Make Crossings Safer for Pedestrians

  The new formulas for calculating the length of walk signals are designed to give people more time to safely cross the street.

Transportation

• The Gas Engine Is Dead. Welcome to the Electric Revolution.

  With new all-electric pledges sparking around the globe, the combustion motor looks about to, well, combust.

• Thinking of buying an electric vehicle? Read this first.

  If the United States switches to clean transportation in a way that keeps the most vulnerable people in mind the whole country will benefit.

• More Bikes Lanes, More Bikes: Lessons from the Pandemic

  New research ties pop up bike lanes implemented in Europe during the pandemic to increased levels of biking.

• Google Introducing the Self-Driving Bicycle in the Netherlands

  “Best thing since the invention of the bicycle itself”

Energy and Climate Change

• The Powerful New Financial Argument from BlackRock for Fossil-Fuel Divestment

  A report by BlackRock, the world’s largest investment house, shows that those who have divested have profited not only morally but also financially.

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