MATR Newsletter – July 8, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

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“Montana should come with a surgeon general warning that it’s addictive. The sky is big and blue, and the air is always fresh and crisp and scented with pine. There’s a frontier spirit, but also a calmness, beauty in the landscape that slows your pulse.”
― Robin Bielman, Keeping Mr. Right Now

Corona Virus Information

• 10 Montana businesses receive PPP loans over $5M; 29 Missoula businesses over $1M

  Ten Montana companies received loans ranging from $5 million to $10 million, including Consumer Direct Holdings and Western Montana Mental Health, both in Missoula.

City of Bozeman Economic Development

• Gallatin County moves forward on development plan to address growth

  The plan emphasizes compact development, mixed land use, protection of the environment and preservation of agricultural land and open space.

• Montana Career Opportunities – Deputy City Clerk, Building Inspector IV, Accounts Payable Clerk and more – City of Bozeman

  Bozeman is a rapidly growing city with a high quality of life in part due to the easy access to the outdoors, burgeoning tech industry, and cultural experiences it offers.

Come Home Montana

• Great Falls, Montana highlighted in the 17 best cities in the Western US to live in after the pandemic

  The metro area also has the 10th-lowest average housing cost of metro areas in this region, around $849 a month.

Northwestern Energy

• Northwestern Energy 2020 Community Report

  In 2019, we gave more than $2.1 million in charitable donations and sponsorships, economic development opportunities, scholarships and professional association dues across our territory.In addition to our charitable giving, the work we do creates a wide ring of ripples throughout our local economies.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Amtrak cuts could have outsized impact on Hi-Line

  With ridership and revenue declining, Amtrak will reduce Empire Builder service to three days a week starting Oct. 1.

• The Opportunity States Have to Attack Income Inequality Now

  As they rebuild their education, health-care and tax systems after the devastation of COVID-19, they can take important steps that can significantly narrow income and wealth disparities.

• 3 Ways To Lead Whilst Being Isolated

  2. Manage your Bacon Wars

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Chicago Wants to Make Its Student Broadband Program Permanent

  The program, dubbed Chicago Connected, will provide more than 100,000 Chicago Public School students with the Internet at home, and officials say the goal is to make sure those students are never without broadband again.

Montana Business and Govt. Agency Collaboration Success

• Gallatin, Broadwater counties join push for Montana passenger rail service; members now at 7

  With two more counties aboard, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority will include at least seven county members in its inaugural resolution, which will likely be adopted later this month.

Montana Economic Development

• Is your county on board for a new passenger train route through Montana? All Aboard!

  Your county commissioners have one day to decide to participate in the formation of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. Time is running out!

Government Technology

• Company Begins Pay-as-You-Go Program to Replace Water Meters

  The units contain visual, rotational and vibrational sensors that connect to Olea’s back-end software, which in turn uses AI and machine learning algorithms — the “edge computing” component — to identify how a meter is inaccurate, and how it might be fixed.

Non-Profit News

• Nonprofit organizations rely on community support to stay afloat during pandemic

  We are a community that looks out for each other and takes care of each other. I have been repeatedly impressed with how our other nonprofits have worked together,”

Transportation

• Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative Launch – 7/14 – 2-3PM MST

  The signature policy effort of Gov. Brown as WGA Chair will pursue opportunities to improve the planning, siting and coordination of electric vehicles infrastructure in western states.

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