Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

• Amtrak’s sleek new high-speed electric trains are coming next spring

  Building a whole new track in the densely built Northeast is probably unlikely at this point. But new, truly fast routes are more feasible in other parts of the country.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• 69th Montana Legislature to Commence Next Week 

  Lawmakers in 2025 will be tasked with navigating a set of complex policy challenges, including rising property taxes, an overcrowded state prison and teacher retention issues

• Ronan, Montana business uses high-tech oven to ‘cook’ wood

  Tech Woods USA was the only company in Montana and one of only 19 nationwide to receive federal funding for projects that either create a community wood energy system or build an innovative wood product facility.

• A Science Fair for the Future of Aging

  Sponsored by the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP, the exhibit at WIRED’s Big Interview showcased technologies empowering people to live better, for longer.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 12-29-24…Here is our Top 10 highlights for calendar year 2024! Well, Top 11 — really tried to keep it to 10.

  If I haven’t mentioned your business or project, please forgive me. So much has been accomplished across the region this year that we could write a long book!

Montana Business

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sues big banks over ‘widespread’ fraud on Zelle app

  “What they built became a goldmine for criminals,” making it easy for fraudsters to drain accounts, while providing insufficient protections for consumers or making them whole for losses, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra told journalists in a briefing. “These banks broke the law by running a payments system that made fraud easy, while refusing to help the victims.”

• The Return-to-Office Productivity Argument Is Over

  Hammering the last nail into the return-to-office mandate coffin in a way that everyone can understand.

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Early child care advocates prepare for upcoming legislative session

  According to state data, Montana’s child care capacity met less than half the need for out-of-home care in 2023. The state labor department says that resulted in 66,000 parents unable to fully participate in the workforce.

Government News & Events

• Crypto cash flooded the election. Here’s why and the impact it may have | 60 Minutes

  The price of Bitcoin hit record highs after President-elect Donald Trump’s win. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse explains why the crypto industry poured millions into super PACs ahead of the election.

Transportation

• How Cities Confronted Cars in 2024

  Whether it’s to tackle congestion or improve pedestrian safety, here’s how cities confronted cars this year.

• Electric Vehicle Charging Is Going to Get Political

  The incoming Trump administration has signaled its hostility toward EVs. Will the red-state/blue-state divide come for public charging?

Energy and Climate Change

• Virginia’s fusion power plant: A step toward infinite energy

  The goal is to achieve a steady burn which will continuously produce electricity like a conventional power plant. If successful, it could power 150,000 homes without the environmental downsides of fossil fuels.

• ‘Science and realism’: Governments plan for doomsday climate scenarios

  Governments around the world are confronting and preparing for some dramatic disaster scenarios that could unfold in the next few decades as climate change continues. Here’s a few:

• Stop saying climate change will destroy the world. The truth is far scarier

  “The world is going to end” is sloppy and misleading shorthand for the actual crises we can expect, and it damages the movement’s credibility.

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