“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale.  The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, neither by American platforms nor by Chinese algorithms.”  French President Emmanuel Macron

The Children of Baby Boomers Are Going to Inherit $93 Trillion. What Will They Do With What’s Left After Taxes?

Northwestern Energy

• Missoula and Bozeman Launch Montana’s First Green Power Program With Northwestern Energy

  “This project originated from a request from these communities, and NorthWestern Energy is excited to move closer with the communities on a solution that addresses their needs while safeguarding safe, reliable affordable service for all customers,” said Charlie Lane, NorthWestern Energy director of regulatory affairs. “The willingness of all parties to work together helped achieve a balanced outcome, and we appreciate the constructive engagement that made this progress possible.”

Montana Business

• Over Half of Retirees Leave Workforce Earlier Than Expected and Wish They’d Saved More

  A recent TIAA Institute report reveals that 52% of retirees retire at age 57 on average, five years earlier than planned. This highlights the need for more aggressive saving and planning for multiple retirement scenarios.

• Forever chemicals are hidden in farm soil. Scientists found a new way to remove them

  Existing methods of PFAS cleanup are expensive. A new approach is an order of magnitude cheaper—and could also help fight climate change.

• Montana’s Future Is All About Water

  Montana’s population growth and widespread exempt wells are straining water resources and senior water rights. For the past 30 years, agriculture and other groups have worked to find a way to curb overuse and protect senior water rights while still allowing the exemption. Not a single bill that would have limited the exemption has passed.

• The Children of Baby Boomers Are Going to Inherit $93 Trillion. What Will They Do With What’s Left After Taxes?

  It will be the greatest transfer of wealth in history.

• Corporate Polluters Have Emitted 700 Gigatons of Greenhouse Gases – It’s Time To Adopt A New Mindset About The Planet

  Top polluters and billionaires call for a new mindset to hold actors accountable and protect the planet. Montana businesses may face changing costs and resource availability amid evolving environmental policies but it’s our future.

• One in Four U.S. Workers Stuck in Jobs to Keep Their Health Insurance

  Nearly 24 percent of U.S. workers remain in unwanted jobs to keep health coverage, with those having chronic conditions most affected. Rising healthcare costs and the end of ACA subsidies may be worsening this job lock, impacting labor market flexibility.

• California has a big pig problem and they don’t like people.

  California has between 200,000 and 400,000 wild pigs — the fourth-largest population in the country. How long before they become a huge problem in your state?

• Where will Missoula’s Food Trucks be? Zootown Eats – Does your Montana town have a food truck guide?

  “Zootown Eats is still being manually updated until I can get some food trucks to update their information themselves… if you’re a food truck owner, send me a message via the contact page on the site, and I’ll get you connected.” -Alarmed_Load3942

• Short-Term Rentals Inject $755 Million Into Montana Economy

  “This is not a niche market. Short-term rentals have resulted in more visitors coming to Montana, spending more money and creating an economic impact we all benefit from.”

Montana Housing

• Bridging the Gap: A Guide to Funding Affordable Housing in Montana

  This report explores existing tools that could be scaled up to more meaningfully address the housing problem AND identifies potential new tools at both the state and local level.

Visit Montana

• Ekalaka, Montana’s Carter County Museum to Triple Size and Double Economic Impact

  Currently, the museum draws about 5,000 visitors annually to a town of roughly 400 residents, generating around $1 million in economic impact. While this little museum may be two hours from everywhere, soon, it will be a whole lot harder to ignore.

• Bozeman, Montana’s Museum of the Rockies tech experts remodel “Big Al” the dinosaur’s face. (And Dinosaurs Were Colorful)

  Renowned paleontologist Jack Horner—who inspired the character of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park—argues that we should rethink how we picture dinosaurs. Rather than the muted grays and browns typically seen in movies, Horner believes dinosaurs were brightly colored, much like modern birds, using vibrant tones for mating displays and camouflage.

Funding and Building your Montana Business

• An ‘Egregious Loophole’ Is Helping Startup Investors Build $100 Million Fortunes, Tax-Free

  Democrats in Congress want to put a cap on the tax maneuver, which is growing increasingly popular. Here’s how it works.

Regional Economic Development

• Idaho National Laboratory to play central role in new Nuclear Energy Tech Hub

  The grant, along with $9 million in matching funds and investments, will bring more than $40 million into the Idaho-Wyoming region.

YOUR MONTANA CAREER

• What jobs do people really want? – “how to become a [occupation].” It’s not AI

  Technology roles are not included in the top queries. People are looking for a faster door out of their current job.

• Become an Insider Faster: Relationships Drive Results – Wharton School of Business

  Reach full effectiveness sooner after stepping into a new role by treating local familiarity as the work itself, not as something that accumulates on its own.

• New law holds colleges accountable if grads don’t earn more than $36,000 a year

  Effective this month, all colleges, universities and short-term certificate programs in the U.S. must prove that their graduates earn at least the median wage of someone in their state with only a high school diploma. Otherwise, their students will soon become ineligible for federal loans.

Montana Energy and Transportation

• Logan Utah’s Fare-Free Buses Serve Over One Million Riders Annually
  Logan’s Connect Public Transit system proves that dependable, easy-to-use service drives success in smaller cities.
• Trump Administration is the sole vote in the UN against cutting road deaths in half by 2030 .

  The U.S. was the single country to cast a vote against. Even Argentina, which has followed the U.S. lead in attempting to pull out of the UN’s World Health Organization, voted for the declaration

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

• Can one question help children feel emotionally safe?

  You’re going to wish your Mom and Dad had asked you this question regularly.

• What’s behind the “learning recession” for U.S. students?

  Compared to a decade ago, math scores today are down in 70 percent of school districts and reading scores are down in 83 percent.

• France Bans Social Media (and cellphones in school) for Children Under 15 Starting September

  “The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale. The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, neither by American platforms nor by Chinese algorithms.” French President Emmanuel Macron

2025 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Montana-Based NIH Virus Researcher Arrested Amid $82 Million Funding Freeze

  Montana Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy sent a letter to HHS calling for an investigation, saying the alleged improper behavior by the scientists could threaten national security. A Montana-based NIH scientist was then arrested for conspiracy related to virus specimen smuggling, prompting an $82 million halt in emerging virus research funding. This controversy may impact Montana’s Rocky Mountain Labs and its federally funded projects.

• Montana Continues to Sell More State Trust Land Than It Buys

  The land-banking account holds over $40 million, yet roughly $5.5 million risks being redirected away from the fund after 2028 if unused.

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