MATR Newsletter – March 12, 2021
The state with the best education wins!

Corona Virus Information

• What exactly is in the $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Act passed by Congress? Montana may get as much as $2.7 billion

  The bill contains many provisions that may have down-stream benefits for small businesses.

Come Home Montana

• Flathead Valley Community College Schedules Virtual Workforce Opportunity Fairs for multiple dates in April

  Event sponsorship opportunities at various levels are available to employers.

Montana Department of Commerce

• Montana Department of Commerce Housing Newsletter

  Coming Soon: Montana Emergency Rental Assistance Program

• Filmed in Montana’s Flathead Valley, ‘Cowboys’ is a Tough and Tender Tale of a Transgender Child

  Director Anna Kerrigan’s debut feature starring Steve Zahn seizes on a relevant social issue in this non-traditional western drama

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• Making Great Falls A Remote Ready City Friday, March 19, 10:00AM MST via Zoom

  We will start with a short presentation of “Remote Ready Cities” by national talent attraction experts Fourth Economy and Livability Media, followed by an interactive discussion about how we can implement these ideas in the Great Falls market.

• Zillow to hire 2,000 employees — but they won’t all be in Seattle as distributed model takes root

  Even as Zillow accelerates hiring, many of the new workers won’t be based at the company’s headquarters — and that could be yet another blow for a battered downtown Seattle.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• How the digital divide leaves students behind, and what we should do to fix it

  We should use those realities as a “north star” to build a new, inclusive education system. She said this means transforming public education into “a racially and socially just and equitable system that prepares every student — every one —to succeed in a diverse and independent world.”

• Coronavirus relief measure could net you $50 toward your broadband bill, help erase the digital divide

  A new bill, The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, set to be introduced Thursday in the U.S. House and Senate, devotes more than $94 billion to connect currently unserved and underserved communities with affordable high-speed internet access.

Senator Jon Tester

• Tester Statement on COVID Package with Vaccine Funding, Relief for Montana Workers and Small Businesses Becoming Law

  “This targeted package will make sure every Montanan who wants a vaccine can get one—getting folks back to work faster, fully reopening schools sooner, and reviving Montana’s economy as quickly as possible.”

Funding and Building your Business

• How Google’s New Career Certificates Could Disrupt the College Degree

  Get a first look at Google’s new certificate programs and a new feature of Google Search designed to help job seekers everywhere.

• Shopify President Harley Finkelstein on Retail’s Recent Revolution–and Where the Industry Is Headed Next

  The pandemic has transformed the retail landscape. Here’s what businesses need to know going forward.

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

• Transgender athletes bill could cost Montana $350 Million

  Montana could lose an estimated $350 million in federal funding — money that goes largely to student loans and Pell grants — if a bill that aims to regulate transgender athletes becomes law, according to the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

• Great Falls, Montana ‘Desk of their Own’ program donates 100+ hand-crafted desks to remote learners

  Troy and his Mom plan to keep the desk in his room even when remote learning is over. Each one comes with a special plaque to commemorate this unique academic year forever. Desks are still being delivered to anyone who placed an order.

• University of Montana dean resigns post after eight months

  Can Missoula remain committed to the liberal arts?

Careers

• If You Live to 100, You’ll Need More Than Money

  “What do you want out of life, what gives you joy, and how do you pay for it?”

Transportation

• Ready for a Revolution in Energy? All-Electric Battery Capacity Is Tripling

  A new nanomaterial could spark an all-electric revolution.

• Mapping State, Local, and Private Funding Investments in EV Infrastructure webinar – 3/25 – 11:30 MST – Online

  The webinar, which will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. MT, is part of a series in conjunction with the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative of WGA Chair and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. The Chair’s Initiative is examining opportunities to improve the planning, siting, and coordination of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in western states.

• Electric Cars Are Coming. How Long Until They Rule the Road?

  Today, Americans still buy roughly 17 million gasoline-burning vehicles each year. Each of those cars and light trucks can be expected to stick around for 10 or 20 years as they are sold and resold in used car markets.

• On-Demand Transit Provider Via Acquires Planning Platform Remix

  Via, founded in 2012, has established itself as a leader in offering on-demand transit services, usually as a partner to fixed-route transit.    The deal may help cities offer better integrated transit options.

• The Pandemic Prompts Cities to Rethink the Parking Spot

  Some urban designers have long wanted to reduce the area set aside for cars. Covid is giving them a chance.

• Are electric vehicles poised to kill the gasoline engine car? Welcome to the ‘golden age’ of EVs

  Look no further than Wall Street, where investors are positively giddy about the prospect of established automakers offering full lineups of electric vehicles, like General Motors, and about the chances of startups like Lucid Motors and Rivian that are promising groundbreaking EVs to come.

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

• What Are NFTs, Anyway? One Just Sold for $69 Million.

  Where Bitcoin was hailed as the digital answer to currency, NFTs are now being touted as the digital answer to collectables.

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