Come Home Montana

• Montana college grads likely to earn more than average resident less than 5 years after graduation

  Newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that a vigorous investment in workforce training might be a good bet for colleges looking to remain relevant in a changing economy and for students eager to grow employment and earning potential over time.

• Current best practices for resume writing

  So new year, new you, new job? If you’re feeling like it’s time for a professional change, one of the first things you’ll need to do is update your resume. Career coach Cynthia Pong says, you never know when the right job will come along, and you’ll want to send that resume over without delay.

• Ammunition company expansion in Montana to create hundreds of jobs

  A national ammunition company recently decided to expand their business with a $125 million facility in Glendive

• Horse to Human – The Next Generation in Horsemanship – 9/5-7 – The Montana Center for Horsemanship in Dillon, Montana

  Horse to Human – the Next Generation in Horsemanship, in partnership with Montana Western and EQUUS International Film Festival, will bring Nick Dowers, Bryan Neubert and Joe Wolter together for three days of clinics, including Horsemanship and Cow Working. Participants with horses can apply to be in each three-day class but auditing is open to all.

• Rocky Vista announces plans for Billings, Montana college of veterinary medicine amid growing vet shortage

  Rocky Vista University, which currently operates a college of osteopathic medicine, announced Thursday that it would be building a college of veterinary medicine on its Billings campus.

Eventgroove

• “Eventgroove: Montana’s one-stop integrated events and fundraising platform. Free for event organizers and nonprofits.”

  Eventgroove:  Montana’s one-stop integrated events and fundraising platform. Born and raised in Montana, we have helped over 35,000 Montana event organizers and fundraisers manage events, sell tickets and merchandise, and raise over $100M in Montana since 2007. Eventgroove is conservation-driven: 100% wind energy, carbon neutral, and since 2007 Eventgroove has donated over 42% of net profits to habitat organizations.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• New Database of Federal Grants for Food Waste

  Approximately 38% of food in our country goes unsold or uneaten, and most of this ends up as waste in landfills or incinerators.

• Drive Less, Live More: How States Can Lead the Way in Climate-Smart Transportation

  State departments of transportation (DOTs) are uniquely positioned to accelerate the shift to clean transportation. While many have made heartening progress in areas like vehicle electrification, most have neglected other necessary solutions — namely, equitably expanding access to mobility choices and reducing the miles we have to drive (referred to as vehicle miles traveled or VMT).

• Great Falls Development Authority (GFDA) hosts ‘Ignite 24’ to highlight economic growth – When will your community host an “Ignite” presentation?

  Nearly two dozen businesses and organizations presented their startup or expansion plans or updates on current projects for the new year.

• States (Montana) increasingly join the land use reform rodeo

  For a long time housing-related land use issues have been primarily dealt with at the local level, but that’s changing as a case in Montana shows.

• City Club Missoula Video – Treasure State Taxes: Shedding Light on Montana’s Tax System (Best way to understand our current situation)

  City Club Missoula’s August forum dove deep into Montana’s Taxation System. The forum featured current and former members of local and state government. The expert panel provided an overview of Montana’s multifaceted system, including tax codes and rates, collections, rebates, and burdens.

• Governor Gianforte Launches Property Tax Task Force – City Club Missoula Video – Treasure State Taxes: Shedding Light on Montana’s Tax System (Best way to understand our current situation)

  Governor charges task force with providing recommendations to reform the property tax system and reduce the burden on property taxpayers

Northwestern Energy

• Brian Bird: NorthWestern Energy employees’ skilled year-round dedication delivers reliable energy service

  The reliable energy service NorthWestern Energy provides is possible because of our employees’ skilled dedication year-round. Planning and investment are critical pieces of that work.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 1-14-24

  Congratulations to Lily Gladstone on winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress and everyone involved in producing Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” movie set on the Blackfeet Reservation! See KRTV and KFBB.

Montana Business

• Class action lawsuit claims Montana discriminates against out-of-state financial advisers

  Law passed in 2019 has collected more than $25 million, lawsuit claims

• Hellgate Venture Network – Celebrate the remarkable life of Michael Fitzgerald, the visionary CEO of Submittable – 1/18 – Goodworks Ventures Missoula

  Please join us to celebrate the remarkable life of Michael Fitzgerald, the visionary CEO of Submittable and early HVN member, who touched our lives in countless ways. We will dedicate our January meeting to remember and honor his extraordinary life.

Senator Jon Tester

• Following Report that Foreign Billionaire is Second Biggest Foreign Owner of U.S. Land, Tester Presses for Passage of His Bill to Block Adversaries from Buying Farmland

  Senator presses Administration to review purchase, calls on Congressional leaders to pass his bipartisan legislation to crack down on ownership of U.S. farmland and agribusinesses by foreign adversaries after House Republicans blocked it;

  Tester: “Make no mistake, our food security is national security”

The Creative and Cultural Economy

• Gen Z and millennials have an unlikely love affair with their local libraries

  Why might Gen Z and millennials – sometimes characterized as attention-addled homebodies – still see value in trips to the public library?

Government and University TechTransfer

• Billionaires spending a fortune to lure scientists away from universities

  The wrinkle is that for decades, many drug discoveries have not just originated at colleges and universities, but also produced profits that helped fill their endowment coffers. The University of Pennsylvania, for one, has said it earned hundreds of millions of dollars for research into mRNA vaccines used against Covid-19. Under this model, any such windfall would remain private.

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

• Montana prepares to launch new education savings accounts

  A controversial program approved by lawmakers last year will make state education funding directly available to parents of special needs students.

• Less than 25% of Montana districts taking advantage of state money to boost teacher pay

  Just 99 of Montana’s 399 school districts increased starting teacher salaries enough by the start of this school year to receive the state’s financial incentive for doing so. That’s down from 109 districts last year.

• Public Higher Ed and the Real Value of Arts and Humanities

  In a time of disinvestment and other budget pressures, these programs are too often the first to be cut. But they are where students learn to have difficult conversations in an atmosphere of free inquiry and expression.

• What states are doing to try to limit social media for teens

  While the report found some benefits of social media among youth, it also found “ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm” to the mental health and well-being of children.

Government News & Events

• Applying a Sustainable Transportation Hierarchy

  To be equitable and efficient, transportation planning must apply a sustainable transportation hierarchy that prioritizes affordable, healthy, and resource-efficient mobility options.

• How Cities Can Scale Onsite Solar with New Federal Incentives

  San Antonio, Texas, will soon be one of the first major US cities to leverage the new “direct pay” mechanism to build one of the largest on-site solar projects for local governments.

Government Technology

• Citizen Engagement Tools Build Trust, Public Access to Government

  AI-powered chatbots and translation tools are just some of the offerings available to state and local governments looking to connect with residents and increase civic participation.

City Club Missoula

• City Club Missoula – “The Montana Constitution: Past and Present Video

  A Conversation with Mae Nan Ellingson, former delegate to the 1972 Constitutional Convention and Rep. Wayne Rusk, HD 88 (R-Corvallis)  regarding the history and current challenges surrounding the Montana State Constitution. After short introductory presentations, the audience engaged with the panel during our usual Table Talk and Q&A session.

MAPS : Media Arts in the Public Schools

• MAPS Media Institute wins Emmy, arts program inspires high school kids across state

  Based in Hamilton, MAPS Media Institute teaches youngsters film production, graphic design, music production, and new technology.

• MAPS Media Institute starts second session classes – This is your chance!

  The Emmy-winning Maps Media Institute has started its second session of classes, which are all free of charge

Careers

• What Workers Should Know About The Job Market In The New Year

  Want to get your career back on track in 2024? U.S. economists break down three labor trends they expect for the year ahead.

Transportation

• Solar cycle paths: a bright idea for power generation

  The PV system is set to transform bike lanes in the Netherlands into hyperlocal energy generators

• The EV Revolution In The US Is Just Getting Started – Hertz Management Blew It.

  In other words, Hertz bungled the whole EV rental experience. Why Scherr hasn’t been fired is the real mystery here.

Energy and Climate Change

• ’Magic balls’ installed by drones may soon be revolutionizing the US power grid: ‘Unrivaled quality at scale’

  Heimdall Power is rolling out unique technology in the form of sphere-shaped sensors that have increased power-line capacity by 30% in Europe, according to a story on the tech from Electrek.

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

• The best products and ideas at CES 2024

  This was an amazing year for new technology, triggered by refinements in old ideas as well as the gift of generative AI.

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