Can Funding Counties Directly Help Them Overcome Their Biggest Problems?

I ran out of coffee this morning.

    A nice French wine seemed a pretty good replacement.

        Everyone is so pretty today.

TONIGHT – Hellgate Venture Network – 2/15 – Missoula

Come Home Montana

• Anaconda, Montana turns the page on its environmental disaster

  From 1884 to 1981, copper ore processed in Anaconda helped electrify the nation, and made coins, car radiators, air conditioning systems and other machines.

• Communities Have More to Offer Migrants Than They Realize

  Headlines obscure the reality that many cities welcome immigrants for the economic and social benefits they bring. The tools of architecture offer ways to assess the resources needed to accommodate and integrate these populations.

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

• Dorsey – Protecting the Protectors: In Murray v. UBS, the U.S. Supreme Court Articulates the New Standard for SOX Whistleblower Claims

  Whistleblowers under Sarbanes-Oxley (“SOX”) do not need to prove retaliatory intent.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Montana Dept. of Commerce extends cybersecurity grant application deadline

  Montana businesses can receive up to $8,000 to assess cybersecurity readiness and monitor security equipment and programs.

• Blue & Gold News from Montana State University President Cruzado

  Today I’m delighted to share fantastic news about your university: Spring enrollment at Montana State set a new all-time record, with 16,110 students attending classes at the state’s largest university.

• February 2024 Montana Manufacturing News

  Plan Now for Spring Career Fairs

• CyberMontana Advances University of Montana’s Mission to be Cybersecurity Hub for Treasure State

  CyberMontana offers Montanans access to K-12 cyber education, hosts STEM summer camps for aspiring cyber professionals, security awareness training, as well as supports UM’s cybersecurity degree programs.

• Can Funding Counties Directly Help Them Overcome Their Biggest Problems?

  Thousands of county officials came to Washington, D.C., to make the case with Congress that funding counties directly is the best way to improve lives across the country’s diverse rural and urban communities.

Montana Business

• Report: Companies that let people work where they want rank higher for workplace culture
  A new study finds that hybrid and flexible work improves workplace culture and career outcomes for workers.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Documentary: The Municipal Broadband Wave and Monopoly Response

  A new short documentary by Light Reading does a great job of outlining the stakes for local governments, residents stuck on poor connections, and the incumbents as the wave of municipal networks grows. Featuring the network in Loveland, Colorado and context by advocates like the American Association for Public Broadband (AAPB) Executive Director Gigi Sohn and Washington State Representative Drew Hansen, it’s well worth watching.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Gianforte says statewide sales tax off the table as his property tax task force gears up

  An analysis by Montana Free Press found that property taxes rose on median by 21% on residential properties this year, driven partly by historic home value growth that has transferred tax burden onto residences from other types of properties. That analysis also found that tax bills decreased this year for many industrial properties owned by large businesses.

Montana Ambassadors

• Montana Ambassadors Request for Proposal (RFP) for Event Marketing and Social Media Services

  The Montana Ambassadors are seeking proposals from qualified and experienced event & digital marketing providers to enhance the promotion and visibility of our upcoming flagship event, the Montana Ambassadors’ Annual Convening & Sapphire Ball.

Funding and Building your Business

• University of Wyoming Is doubling down to support economic growth in Wyoming

  The Equality State’s lone four-year public university is performing research and launching initiatives that bolster existing industries while encouraging new ventures.

Incubators and R&D

• Here’s What Y Combinator Wants From Startups This Year

  The incubator just published a wish list of sectors where it will invest –good news if you’re in climate tech and med tech.

Come Home Idaho

• Stanley, Idaho Rafting Company for Sale

  Included in the sale is inventory to run over 200-person group trips. Sale includes everything to run the business, including rafts, life jackets, ponchos, wetsuits, booties, rafting equipment, transportation vehicles, client list and marketing materials.

Idaho News & Events

• Idaho Pre-K, school-choice funding bill fails introduction

  House Bill 19 would have created $5K educational savings accounts that qualifying families could use for early childhood or non-public education. Far-right lawmakers celebrated the failure, promoted their own version.

• Problems With Idaho’s Luma – New $100M Financial System Demonstrate Just How Hard Modernization Is

  The new project aimed to modernize accounting, hiring and employee review, but for many, the overhaul has just added unnecessary frustration. The last time Idaho overhauled its processes to this extent was in the 1980s.

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

• The Eureka, Montana Robotics Team Headed to World Championships for Second Time

  They beat 24 other Montana teams in the robot games competition at the State Championships in Bozeman securing their spot in Houston in April.

• Missoula schools move forward with massive budget cuts – Helena school board discusses budget, facility recommendations

  The budget shortfall could affect as many as 100 positions in the district.

• Missoula Co. Public Schools superintendent email to staff warns of cuts

  Missoula County Public Schools is facing a budget crisis, and it could lead to a decrease in school budgets, cut programs and layoffs.

City Club Missoula

• City Club Missoula Forum – High Property Taxes? Here’s Why! – 3/11

  Esteemed panelists Eric Bryson, Executive Director of the Montana Association of Counties (MACo); Tyler Gernant, Missoula County Clerk and Treasurer; and Doug Reisig, Executive Director of Montana Quality Education Coalition (MQEC) will navigate the audience through the nuances of the state law as well as the recent court cases concerning the 95 mills.

• Bridge experts say federal money is key for Montana at City Club Missoula forum

  Statewide, more than 25 bridges have been closed in the last year, including at least two in Missoula County. Several other county bridges are in dire need of repairs.

Energy and Climate Change

• The Feds Just Bet Even Bigger on American-Made Heat Pumps
  The US Department of Energy is announcing another $63 million to supercharge domestic manufacturing of the devices—in the name of national, energy, and climate security.

VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things

• Artificial Intelligence | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

  From January 2019, Scott Pelley’s interview with “the oracle of AI,” Kai-Fu Lee. From this past April, Pelley’s report on Google’s AI efforts. And from this past March, Lesley Stahl’s story on chatbots like ChatGPT and a world of unknowns.

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