MATR Newsletter – December 9, 2024
The state with the best education wins!

Montana Department of Commerce Opens Applications for Grant Supporting Montana-Based Film Projects and Filmmakers

The Montana Department of Commerce announces the opening of the 2024 Big Sky Film Grant, aimed at fostering growth and opportunities for Montana-based projects.

Montana Media Coalition

• Montana Department of Commerce Opens Applications for Grant Supporting Montana-Based Film Projects and Filmmakers

  The Montana Department of Commerce announces the opening of the 2024 Big Sky Film Grant, aimed at fostering growth and opportunities for Montana-based projects. The program closes for applications on Feb. 7, 2025. Awardees will receive financial support for feature films, television series, short-form content or other projects that utilize Montana’s unique landscapes, culture and talent.

Come Home Montana

• Positively Montana (December 8, 2024)

  Every week, MTN News presents “Positively Montana” – featuring uplifting stories of good people and good things across Montana. Watch the video for this week’s edition!

• Special education teacher shortage is critical in areas of Montana

  “I do have openings for all kinds of teachers right now, and it’s been cut in half, but I’m still almost 400 teachers in need,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen.

• Has ‘Yellowstone’ fueled a real-life land battle in Montana? Find out here.

  The people who moved here because of “A River Runs Through It” are now mad at those moving here because of “Yellowstone”.

• A True legend of the American West, Arnold “Smoke” Elser – The Cowboy and The Immigrant

  For 50 years, one of the last living (and working) legends of the American West, Arnold “Smoke” Elser, made camp here. Now at age 90, Smoke is well-known beyond Montana as an award-winning outfitter, horse and mule packer, teacher, and conservationist. Our unlikely friendship brought me to the top of this mountain, changed my life, and gave the world his stories.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• A look at how tariffs, deportations and more of Trump’s proposals could affect housing costs 

  Policy experts, researchers and economic analysts are looking at Trump’s record, his recent remarks on housing, and Project 2025 – the conservative Heritage Foundation’s 900-page plan to overhaul the executive branch – for a glimpse of what may lie ahead.

• Rural Business Development Grant offers opportunities for Montanans

  To be eligible for the grant, applicants must submit their completed applications to the nearest USDA Rural Development office by 4:30 p.m. local time on February 28. The grant is available to those living outside cities with populations of 50,000 or more.

• A double-edged knife: Missoula knife company purchases sale barn; keeps cattle moving 

  Josh Smith of Frenchtown, Mont., owner of Montana Knife Company purchased the 27-acre property west of Missoula, Mont., that was formerly the Five Valleys Livestock Auction last spring. The final livestock sale was held in May, and on June 1, he started construction of a new 50,000 square-foot facility to house his booming knife production company.

• Welcome to the December Edition of Biowire – The Montana Bioscience Alliance

  This month’s issue is packed with upcoming events and resources that will help shape the future of bioscience in Big Sky Country.

• UM Business Class Pairs Data Analytics With Beer

  Each fall semester, Chandler breaks his class into groups who work to answer different questions using the sales data. The analysis helped the Dram Shop track their business through the COVID-19 pandemic, develop the Dram Fam customer club and make price changes.

• Montana Department of Commerce Weekly Roundup – Volume 1, Issue 18

  The Weekly Roundup is designed to be simple, easy to digest and informative – just the information you need. We know you’re busy, so we’re giving you access to more information without adding more emails to your inbox.

Big Sky Economic Development

• A sound idea: Big Sky EDA podcast highlights locals doing good

  The EDA-sponsored podcast, known as “The Vault” because it is recorded in an old bank vault, is nearly three years old. The 70th episode will air this week.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 12-8-24

  We won a $2,214,285.72 loan capital grant from the Montana Department of Commerce to use to support the start-up and expansion of tourism-related businesses.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Montana only state missing from national childhood immunization reports

  “We have a public health emergency, a disaster on our hands, without that data,” Stafman said at the time. “If and when an epidemic breaks out, we don’t have the tools to deal with it.”

• Auditors say state property tax rolls have missed $1.2 billion of new construction

  The Montana Department of Revenue, responsible for maintaining the property listings used to calculate property tax bills, is losing track of hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new construction as it struggles to keep its data updated, according to a study published Thursday by legislative auditors.

Housing

• Federal Resilience Program a Lifeline for Affordable Housing Providers

  The little-known Green and Resilient Retrofit Program funds upgrades and repairs that improve efficiency and comfort in existing housing stock.

• Opinion: “New Towns” Are the Answer to Affordable Housing Challenges

  How thoughtful design can create more walkable, livable communities.

• How the 17th-Century ‘Mews’ Could Make 21st-Century Suburbs More Walkable

  A new development in Texas is repurposing an old idea to make constant driving optional.

Incubators and R&D

• Fitbit data accurately predicts bipolar disorder mood swings

  It opens the door to using a personalized algorithm to drive treatment of the life-impacting condition.

• ‘Breakthrough’ dementia drug looks to stop disease in its tracks

  “We see dementia as a two-step process involving (i) creation of an ongoing neuroinflammatory trigger, and (ii) the consequences of that trigger,”

Idaho News & Events

• Greater Idaho movement asks Trump for his support

  “It takes time for these things to filter through, but we are hopeful that somebody from the administration will reach out to us and pick this up,” McCaw said. “This is an idea whose time has come.”

Come Home Wyoming

• With sharp rise in incorporations, Wyoming cements reputation as US secrecy haven

  New figures show that company registrations in the Cowboy State have eclipsed Delaware, a renowned tax haven.

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

• Missoula-area teachers explore the use of artificial intelligence in schools

  Montana’s education leaders have provided little guidance on AI so far. A spokesperson for the Office of Public Instruction says it has not adopted any AI best practices. The Montana School Boards Association is in conversation with state lawmakers about how they can support schools.

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Bill-tracking website gets an update ahead of Montana legislative session

  Besides a completely different look and feel, the new site comes with features like an updated calendar of events, a new system for public comments and more tools for lawmakers.

City Club Missoula

• City Club Missoula – Missoulians in Film and Theater: Kendra Mylnechuk and Jeff Medley – 12/9 – Missoula Library

  Please join City Club for a discussion with two Missoula locals who have found success on stage and screen. Kendra Mylnechuk, an actress and playwright, and Jeff Medley, a film actor, will discuss the creative process and their ties to Missoula.

Careers

• Mental Health Association Launches Hub to Help Rural Residents

  A new resource hub can help rural residents struggling with mental health begin their journey back to health without having to drive to a therapist.

• Montana Nonprofit Association News November 2024

  It’s hard to believe that 2024 is coming to a close. The MNA team is incredibly grateful for another year of being in community with you. Thank you for your work on behalf of a better Montana, nation, and world. We hope 2025 brings you hope, prosperity, and health.

South Dakota News & Events

• Massive data centers consuming large amounts of energy have eyes on South Dakota

  ‘Utilities are getting calls every week,’ state regulator says

Transportation

• Mercedes claims new ‘solar paint’ could eliminate daily EV charging

  Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a list of research programs and future technologies it’s working on – including a “new kind of solar paint” it says could generate enough energy for up to 20,000 km (12,427 miles) of driving per year under ideal conditions.

• 4 ways to get ready for AI in transportation

  Department of transportation leaders shared these thoughts in closed-door meetings
  convened by Rekor, which develops AI-powered hardware and software for the transportation
  sector.1 The meetings concluded that leaders should focus on four areas — data, workforce,
  cybersecurity and collaboration — to build a solid foundation for AI in transportation.

TED and TEDX Talks

• Must-watch tech talks of 2024

  In this compelling collection of tech-focused talks, visionary speakers explore the frontiers of innovation — from AI-powered coding and entertainment to vertical farming, limitless energy, robotics and how to govern emerging technologies.

• Most popular TED Talks of 2024

  From AI and technological innovation to climate change, social dynamics and global transformations, the most popular TED Talks of 2024 offer insights into the issues shaping the future.

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