MATR Newsletter – January 2, 2024
The state with the best education wins!

New plan aims to build drought resilience in Montana

The plan’s authors say it’s more than a fresh coat of paint on top of its nearly 30-year-old predecessor. They describe it as a brand new way to proactively think about, respond and adapt to drought.

Tech breakthrough could boost states’ use of geothermal power

Lawmakers in some states have been laying the groundwork to add geothermal power to the electrical grid and pump underground heat into buildings. Now, a technological breakthrough could dramatically expand those ambitions — and perhaps unleash a new wave of policies to tap into geothermal sources.

GIVEBACKBOX makes donations easier than ever!

Give Back Box® provides vendor services to retailers and charities, giving each and every cardboard box a second life to help people in need. So it is also a ‘green’ solution! Reuse your online shipping boxes in which you received your purchases, or any other cardboard box you may have, to donate your unwanted household items: such as gently used clothing, shoes etc., to make a major difference in the life of another person.

Too Good To Go – Restaurants can fight food waste together

Use the app to explore stores and restaurants in your local area and save surprise bags of surplus food from going to waste at a great price.

Today’s MATR Newsletter is sponsored by:

Montana’s Tech Hub Effort

New Technology Promises More Efficient Solar Cells And Faster Miniaturization Of Electronics.
The team has achieved a milestone by manufacturing the first back-contact micrometric photovoltaic cells. The cells, with a size twice the thickness of a strand of hair, have significant advantages over conventional solar technologies, reducing electrode-induced shadowing by 95% and potentially lowering energy production costs by up to three times.

Come Home Montana

Unlikely partnership creates Missoula’s fourth commissary kitchen
The kitchen is not a local eatery or restaurant but part of the cafe at Consumer Direct Care Network, an in-home personal care provider.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

Tech breakthrough could boost states’ use of geothermal power
Lawmakers in some states have been laying the groundwork to add geothermal power to the electrical grid and pump underground heat into buildings. Now, a technological breakthrough could dramatically expand those ambitions — and perhaps unleash a new wave of policies to tap into geothermal sources.
The Fastest Growing Demographic In The Workforce? People Over Age 75
A new analysis by Pew Research Center finds that the share of older Americans who are working has nearly doubled since 1987.
Amtrak Has Big Plans For 2024, But Congress Wants To Derail A Big Advantage
Safety Karens are trying to get Amtrak to put everyone through the same security indignities that air travelers have to go through, because they want very rare incidents to become zero.
GIVEBACKBOX makes donations easier than ever!
Give Back Box® provides vendor services to retailers and charities, giving each and every cardboard box a second life to help people in need. So it is also a ‘green’ solution! Reuse your online shipping boxes in which you received your purchases, or any other cardboard box you may have, to donate your unwanted household items: such as gently used clothing, shoes etc., to make a major difference in the life of another person.
Too Good To Go – Restaurants can fight food waste together
Use the app to explore stores and restaurants in your local area and save surprise bags of surplus food from going to waste at a great price.
The New-Collar Workforce – Advanced skills but no degree
There’s a huge, capable, and diverse talent pool out there that companies aren’t paying nearly enough attention to: workers without college degrees. It’s time for a skills-first approach to hiring and people management.

Big Sky Commerce

Missoula, stakeholders look for ways to support travel beyond cars
The idea is neighborways, a network of infrastructure-adjusted streets meant to provide a safer and more cost-effective alternative to the city’s current system.

Great Falls Development Alliance

GFDA Top Ten for 12-30-23
GFDA was the first economic development organization in the Rocky Mountain West to earn accreditation from the International Economic Development Council.

Montana Business

AI Funding Booms, Everything Else Swoons. A Look at the State of Entrepreneurship
There’s no stopping startups, but they continue to face headwinds and fundraising difficulties. And the upcoming election could throw everything into flux.
Could we make milk from CO2?
A new collaborative project hopes to use the power of microbes to turn CO2 into animal-free milk
Spinning plant-based protein fibres into steak – The end of Cowcatecture? 41% of our land is dedicated to cows.
The innovative method helps to create a vegan steak that rivals the taste, texture, and mouthfeel of its beef counterpart
Innovative water treatment tech could help remove forever chemicals
The Tampa Water Department is exploring suspended ion exchange technology as a way to address PFAS contamination to meet new federal standards.
Bozeman-based wing of Risho family releases final installment of young adult fantasy book series
Bozeman locals Ephie Risho and his child, Blue Risho, published the first installment of the “The Elementalists,” a young adult fantasy series, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

Grizzly Broadband connects 500th fiber customer in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley
“Grizzly Broadband started as a pioneer in the region, and today, they stand as a symbol of progress and innovation,” Magness said. “Their transformation from dial-up speeds in 1996 to delivering gigabit speeds via a state-of-the-art fiber-optic network is a testament to their commitment to staying at the forefront of technology.”

Montana Business and Govt. Agency Collaboration Success

New plan aims to build drought resilience in Montana
The plan’s authors say it’s more than a fresh coat of paint on top of its nearly 30-year-old predecessor. They describe it as a brand new way to proactively think about, respond and adapt to drought.

Housing

Rockford, IL uses real-time, by-name data to reach functional zero with homeless population
In January 2017, Rockford, IL became the first community in the United States to end both chronic and veteran homelessness. Thanks to a system that can ensure homelessness is rare and brief, Rockford, IL has a sustainable solution to the chronic homelessness its citizens face.
Philly Shows How European-Style, Walkable Street Networks Are Possible In America – Video
CityBeautiful explores what would it take to integrate networks of narrow, walkable streets into U.S. cities, using Philly’s Quince Street as a model.
Commerce Awards Funding for More Affordable Homes in Six Montana Communities
Specific to Helena, two companies received a combined total of around 3.5 million dollars to support the construction and rehabilitation of 86 homes for families and individuals. 62 of those home will be constructed using the funding, the remaining 24 will rehabilitated homes.

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

The long-awaited FAFSA is finally here. Now, hurry up and fill it out. Here’s why.
The goal of the new FAFSA form is to make it easier for students and families to get money to pay for school, but the lateness in getting it out may have complicated things for those who have to complete it this year.

Careers

TED Talk – Glenn Close – My mission to change the narrative of mental health
Legendary actor and mental health advocate Glenn Close is on a quest to change how we think about mental health, starting with her decision to speak out about her own family’s struggles — a brave choice considering the stigma that pervades the topic.

Transportation

Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
In this eBook, Route Fifty explores the latest in road and transit trends and projects, as states and localities across the U.S. prepare to spend an influx of new federal infrastructure funding.
Buses are driving Montana’s EV future
“Actually, if I was going to jump into one of our buses on a cold day, I’d take the electric,” Hamilton said, Thursday, now 11 months into the era of EV buses.
The $7,500 tax credit for electric cars will see big changes in 2024. What to know
The government is also trying to push companies to bring more jobs to the U.S. by requiring a domestic supply chain.