“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Dolly Parton

Eventgroove in Montana

• Eventgroove can help you sell raffle tickets online to reach supporters who can’t be in the room.

  Launch an online raffle for your fall fundraiser and sell tickets to supporters anywhere — not just the people in the room. Buyers purchase in seconds, and you draw the winner right from your dashboard. Raffle rules vary by state, so we’ll point you to the right resources as you set yours up.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 8/30/26

  Great Falls is an amazing place to work! I worked Friday morning and by midafternoon was out on St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park then enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Many Glacier Hotel.

Montana’s Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

• Montana passenger rail hits delays, but officials say future looks bright

  The first phase of a nationwide effort to return passenger rail service to southern Montana is about 95% complete, but officials said this week the federal program has been paused to review its policies.

• Is That a Solar Farm, or a Train Track? In One Swiss Town, It’s Both.

  A pilot program placing solar panels between the rails has proven successful enough that the idea is spreading to Italy, France and Korea. Why not Montana as well?

Montana Business

• Montana Farmers Struggle With Record Low Crop Production Despite Rising Wheat Prices

  Montana farmers face tight profit margins as input costs for fuel, fertilizer, labor, and equipment repairs outpace gains in wheat prices. Many are diversifying into lower-input crops and relying on seasonal foreign labor to sustain farm income amid record-low production.

• Constellation Brands Pledges $100 Million to Support Montana’s Northern Plains Barley Farmers

  The beverage giant’s investment aims to stabilize barley supply amid declining acreage and rising costs. Montana farmers see this as a hopeful step to sustain their agricultural legacy and rural economies.

• AI Has Human Doctors Asking: What’s Left for Us?

  A recent paper argues that AI is often better at doctoring than doctors. Guess who isn’t thrilled.

• Wanna know where the Flock cameras are? 

  DeFlock is an open-source, volunteer-powered project for identifying and documenting automated license plate readers. The map is powered by OpenStreetMap. Camera locations come from volunteers and the OpenStreetMap community, not a private company or government agency.

• Who owns Montana?

  The state doesn’t keep an easy-to-read list of the state’s top private landowners. So we built our own.

• Trump Expands Beef Processing Rights for Farmers and Ranchers But at What Cost?

  New policies will allow state-inspected facilities to sell beef across state lines, challenging current restrictions. Montana producers may gain broader market access, but concerns about food safety and market impacts persist.

• Grants offered to downtown Missoula businesses for disruption by street projects

  The Downtown Business Support and Resiliency Grant program officially opens for applications on Sept. 1 and closes on Nov. 1. Business owners can apply for the program at http://www.missouladowntown.com.

• “I Have Studied Greater Yellowstone for 33 Years. Never Has It Been So Threatened.”

  Currently, more than 31 percent of the ecosystem has been degraded or lost to development. At the same time, data shows the local climate has warmed by 2.3°F since 1950, and snowpack has declined by 25 percent. Rivers have warmed so significantly that summer fishing is routinely restricted to “hoot owl” hours.

• Learn about Economic Development Bonds and C-PACE Financing with the Montana Facility Finance Authority – 9/15 – Butte, MT

  This discussion will explore how tax-exempt bonds, taxable bonds and Montana’s C-PACE Program can be leveraged to finance commercial development projects, create opportunities for expansion and support long-term financial goals.

Montana Housing

• He Sold His Home Without an Agent. Now His AI Company, Ridley Wants to Save Homeowners Billions

  The goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate real estate professionals. It’s to unbundle the job.

Visit Montana

• A fun site – Walk, drive, drone or whatever through world wide locations while listening to a radio station. 

  Walk, drive, drone or whatever through world wide locations while listening to the local radio station.

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• Emotionally Intelligent People Use 3 Simple Techniques to Control Their Emotions When Triggered

  We all have triggers. Here are three things to try to help you manage your emotions when someone sets off yours.

Regional Business News

• OpenAI and Anthropic are ruining San Francisco

  San Francisco has the fastest-growing rental rates in the country, pushing out local families and crushing affordable living throughout the Bay Area. It’s bad now, and it’s only going to get worse.

YOUR MONTANA CAREER

• Master your future with 300,000+ Free Courses

  Join millions of learners worldwide. Access premium MOOCs, earn verified certificates, and accelerate your career—all in one place.

• WeLib – 43 million books and 98 million articles. Read freely and join us in building a more enlightened future.

  Explore the profound depths of 43 million books and 98 million articles. This isn’t just data; it’s the accumulated wisdom, curiosity, and insight of generations. Read freely, reflect deeply, and join us in building a more understanding and enlightened future, one page at a time.

• School has started so here is a catalogue of free courses from MIT

  Free lecture notes, exams, and videos from MIT.
  No registration required.

Montana Energy and Transportation

• Gasoline Cars May Cost More Than Their Value by 2031

  Used electric vehicles are expected to flood the market, making gasoline cars economically obsolete. Montana’s rural landscape could slow EV adoption, but cost advantages will grow as charging infrastructure improves.

• US companies are on the cusp of big climate solutions thanks to 15 years and $4 billion of Government Grants

  Even though Trump hasn’t destroyed the program itself, his policies have hindered the growth of the clean tech field that ARPA-E helped to advance.

Montana’s 21st Century Education Initiative – “You Should Care…”

• Jerome Broussard Donates $7 Million to Expand FVCC Trades Institute

  Kalispell philanthropist Jerome Broussard’s $7 million gift is the largest in FVCC history and supports a $16 million campaign to modernize and enlarge the Trades Institute. The expansion will add 24,000 square feet of new space and renovate existing facilities to better prepare students for skilled trades.

• Montana State University Would Like Your Input On The Strategic Plan – 9/9 – Bozeman

  Feedback can be shared at a community event in Bozeman in September or through an online survey.

University of Montana & Montana State University Tech Transfer

• University of Montana Office of Research and Creative Scholarship Newsletter

  Events, News and Updates,  Research & Creative Scholarship Stories, and Funding Opportunities

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• The bill to tax A.I. tokens

  A.I. is increasingly becoming a big issue in the midterm elections, especially as it relates to data centers. But I think it will move from a big issue to a very top-level issue in a 2028 presidential campaign.

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