MATR Newsletter – July 13, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

Montana Property Assessment Townhall Information – Statewide Public Meetings Schedule for July

Great Falls Development Authority

• GFDA Top 10 for 7-11-23

  As part of our effort to increase housing production in Great Falls, GFDA is partnering with the Montana Facility Finance Authority to offer a free interactive presentation on the C-PACE program and how this and other tools can be leveraged to get housing projects off the ground.

Montana Business

• They had one job. And the Montana Legislature failed.

  Residents shocked, outraged by property tax assessment as state is deluged with appeals

• Montana rail proponents say passenger rail good for mental health

  “It brings economic opportunity,” Stewart-Peregoy said. “It brings economic boom and it provides employment. So, it’s a ripple effect.”

• Missoulians share struggles with finding and providing child care

  The barriers to finding child care and providing in Missoula it are connected in many ways.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Montana constitutional questions raised regarding company anonymity in broadband comments

  Some private companies want to stay anonymous to comment on a plan for how Montana will use $629 million of federal broadband money.

• Montana planning for next round of broadband funding

  In Montana, about 16% of rural locations are unserved, and another 6% are underserved. However, even populous counties like Yellowstone, Gallatin, Flathead and Missoula have thousands of unserved locations.

Montana Business and Govt. Agency Collaboration Success

• Montana Property Assessment Townhall Information – Statewide Public Meetings Schedule for July

  The Department of Revenue Property Assessment Division is holding public meetings in cities and towns across the state to help taxpayers understand the property valuation process and how the department determined the new values on their classification and appraisal notices.

Housing

• How To Protect Your Home From Wildfires

  Every year hundreds of homes and structures are destroyed by wildfire. As we enter the peak of wildfire season, we wanted to keep you informed on how to protect your home from wildfires and keep your family safe.

Biotech

• Want to live healthier longer? Scientists aim to improve life quality over quantity

  “There are things almost anybody could do right now to start to put themselves on a better healthspan trajectory,” said Matt Kaeberlein, a biogerontologist at the University of Washington and chief science officer of Optispan, a company in the field.

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

• Harvard Will Use AI Instructors Next Semester

  The hope is that AI will reduce the time spent on assessing code quality, allowing more meaningful interaction between teaching staff and students. While acknowledging the potential limitations of early AI programs, Harvard advises students to think critically and evaluate information from both humans and software.

• University of Montana Law School Breaks Into Top 100 Nationally

  “Our law school consistently achieves excellent performance outcomes, with a 94.8%  placement rate for 2022 graduates seeking employment,” said law school Dean Elaine Gagliardi. “We also have a consistently strong Montana bar passage rate above the national average.”

Transportation

• Why Is Tesla Buying A Wireless Charging Company?

  The most obvious assumption is that Tesla is preparing to offer wireless EV charging. However, the question would be whether this is for home EV wireless charging, fast wireless charging at Superchargers, wireless charging for Semi trucks, wireless charging for Tesla robots (Optimus), or some combination of those purposes.

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

• TED Talks – War, AI and the new global arms race

  Lethal drones with facial recognition, armed robots, autonomous fighter jets: we’re at the dawn of a new age of AI-powered warfare, says technologist Alexandr Wang.

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