MATR Newsletter – July 3, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

• Dorsey – Generative AI – Basics, Pitfalls, and Best Practices – 7/27 – Online

  We will discuss the basics of generative AI models (e.g., ChatGPT) – what it is, how it is different than other AI, how it is used, and why you should care. We will cover different issues that can be triggered by its use and how you can set up best practices and policies for the use of such technology.

Big Sky Economic Development

• BSED Invites you to the Rock31 Barista Incubator Grand Opening – 7/11 – Billings

  The space is now filled by Sweetwater Coffee House & Eatery! We will celebrate their grand opening in the Rock31 space on Tuesday, July 11th at 9:00 am. Sweetwater is owned and operated by Lisa Burns Rembold.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Development Authority event recognizes people and projects

  The Great Falls Development Authority alongside scores of community members came together at the The Newberry as part of their annual meeting recognizing people and projects that have made impacts across the community.

Montana Business

• Partners Work to Guide E-Bike Accessibility in Montana

  As e-bikes rise in popularity, trail managers, business owners and government agencies are providing outreach and education as they continue to see use in non-motorized areas

• The Top 5 Workplace Trends on TikTok Will Make You Worry About the State of Employee-Employer Relations

  The top hashtags are all playful terms for rebellion and resentment. Business owners should take note.

• How Employers Can Support Women’s Reproductive Rights

  It’s been a year since Roe v. Wade was overturned. In this episode of Leading Diversity at Work, experts tackle the sensitive subject of how companies handle the issue of abortion.

• Virtual Power Plants Are Coming to Save the Grid

  Networks of thousands of home-based batteries could be key to a cleaner, more reliable electricity system.

• New York’s Noncompete Bill Is A ‘Big Domino To Fall’—And The Broadest Ban Yet—In A Growing Movement Against Them – Montana “Allows” Noncompetes.

  I occasionally hear people say that Montana prohibits employee noncompetes. It does not. Montana permits employee noncompetes.

• A Guide to How to Prepare for, Handle, and Recover from Wildfires

  Preparing for wildfires is critical to ensuring the safety of yourself, your loved ones, and your property. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to take before, during, and after a wildfire to reduce risk and ensure safety.

• It’s Time to End the Tyranny of Ultra-Processed Food – Were killing ourselves and our children

  Industrially processed pizzas, cereals, and convenience foods are responsible for a host of diseases. Policymakers and doctors need to lead the food fight.

• Office of Indian Country Economic Development – Montana Department of Commerce

  Upcoming Opportunities

• Montana Office of Tourism Updates

  The Montana Office of Tourism is actively seeking proposals for venues to host the Montana Governor’s Conference on Tourism in 2024 and 2025.

• Lee Enterprises seeks dismissal of privacy-violation lawsuit

  The Iowa-based newspaper chain Lee Enterprises is facing a potential class-action lawsuit alleging it has shared readers’ personal information with Facebook in violation of federal law.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Range Announces $18 Million Investment of High-Speed Fiber Internet to the Forsyth and Colstrip, Montana Communities

  “Being awarded these funds was a great collaborative effort with Range, Southeastern Montana Development Corporation, our city and county governments, and our state legislators. Access to high-speed internet is critical for healthcare, business, education, and every household. This investment shows that Range is committed to these communities and the economic growth of our region.”

• Montana is 50th in a recent ranking of high-speed internet availability and 44th in high-speed internet adoption.

  Without access, rural entrepreneurship can’t flourish, and there’s a “brain drain of small rural towns.” With it, on the other hand, he said people who are creative “have all kinds of opportunities.”

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte issued 26 vetoes on bills passed by the 2023 Legislature. Here’s a complete list.

  Almost two months after the conclusion of the 2023 Montana Legislature May 2, Gov. Greg Gianforte has finished issuing signatures and vetoes on the more than 800 measures passed by legislators this year.

• Governor Gianforte Recognizes Veterans in Miles City – Where will he be next? How does anyone find out?

  Continuing his 56 County Tour in eastern Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte this week recognized four veterans in Miles City with the 2022 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation.

Visit Montana

• Conservation Licenses Required to Recreate on Montana State Lands Beginning July 1. What About Boaters?

  The new licensing requirement is a collaborative effort by FWP and DNRC following significant increases in recreational use across Montana that have driven up maintenance costs

Funding and Building your Business

• U.S. Department of Energy Releases Plan to Ensure Free, Immediate, & Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research

  “Science and innovation cannot flourish in the dark—they require openness, scrutiny, and reexamination so that we can build on them to create the knowledge and technologies that will change the world.”

• Wave of Bay Area tech layoffs may foreshadow something worse

  Tech giants have laid off thousands of workers. Well-funded startups are shutting down. The industry hasn’t seen an initial public offering in 18 months.

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

• Day Care for Less Than $10: How Canada Is Easing the Burden for Parents

  A national program is reducing day care fees to as low as 10 Canadian dollars, about $7.60, per day, a relief for families even as a surge in demand has created obstacles.

• ‘Educators make a huge difference:’ New Billings superintendent working to assemble a parent advisory committee

  “Educators mater,” Superintendent Garcia said. “Educators make a huge difference.”

Government News & Events

• The Politics Of Electric Cars In America

  Electric cars are becoming a partisan battlefield as some politicians seek to demonize them as a tool of “woke” capitalism.

• Streets Can Be So Much More than Car Sewers

  Vital City asked architects and designers to re-envision concrete and pavement without cars. The results were awesome.

Careers

• Canada offers thousands of visas to H-1B holders!

  Canada is taking advantage of the situation and is offering 10,000 visas to H1B holders to move to their country and contribute to the economy.

Transportation

• Joby’s first production eVTOL air taxi is cleared to fly

  The first production prototype has rolled off Joby Aviation’s production line in Marina, California, and the FAA has cleared it to begin flight tests with a special airworthiness certificate. It’s likely to be the first eVTOL delivered to a customer.

• As fuel taxes plummet, states weigh charging by the mile instead of the tank

  Without action, the gap could reach $67 billion by 2050 due to fuel efficiency alone, Boston-based CDM Smith estimates.

Energy and Climate Change

• Why the media too often ignores the connection between climate change and meat

  The burger-sized hole in climate change coverage, explained.

• Air Pollution Causes 1 In 6 Human Deaths

  While we’ve made progress in some areas, it’s been a case of two steps forward, two steps back.

• Climate crisis: It’s time for more drastic solutions

  Decarbonizing America’s power sector with those options would require only 1 percent of the land in the lower 48 states.

TED and TEDX Talks

• TED Talk – There’s more to life than being happy

  Happiness comes and goes, says writer Emily Esfahani Smith, but having meaning in life — serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you — gives you something to hold onto.

MATR Newsletter Supporters: