MATR Newsletter – March 16, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

Come Home Montana

• University of Montana makes retention effort that will benefit entire state

  University of Montana retained 86.8% of its first-year students from fall to spring semester.

  This is important because that first year is when most universities will lose its largest percentage of a class.

• Montana Career Opportunities – Multiple – Flathead Valley Community College

  FVCC is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.  FVCC employees play a vital role in its…

• Montana Career Opportunities – 11 new nonprofit jobs – Montana Nonprofit Association

  MNA’s 600+ nonprofit members address a broad array of missions, come from all four corners of the state, and range in size from the smallest all-volunteer nonprofits to the largest…

• Montana Career Opportunities – Accounting Manager, Dev. Ops Technologist, Security Technologist and many more… – Northwestern Energy

  Our ability to fulfill our mission and serve our customers depends on employing the best workers. Behind every one of our employees and retirees is a story. Read more about…

Montana Department of Commerce

• Census Bureau survey reveals undercount of Native, Black and Hispanic populations

  The U.S. Census Bureau Thursday said its 2020 headcount missed American Indian, Black and Hispanic residents at higher rates than a decade ago. The Census Bureau’s post-census survey measures whether…

Big Sky Commerce

• Missoula’s Next Riverside Cleanup by the Reserve St. Bridge – 4/22 – 9AM – The Public is encouraged to participate.

  Our next riverside cleanup by the Reserve St. Bridge will occur at 9am on Earth Day 2022 (Friday, April 22nd) and volunteers are needed!

Big Sky Economic Development

• Yellowstone County Summer Jobs Program Employer Priority Deadline March 25th

  The Yellowstone County Summer Jobs Program matches participants with a job or paid internship, provides a paid foundational work skills training, and connects students with an adult mentor for the summer.

• Why We Should Be Investing in a Local Pipeline of Talent – 3/23 – Billings Public Library

  Employing local staff, a strategy often overlooked out of fear that local talent pools lack the required skills. The irony is though those well-trained local professionals can provide a huge…

City of Bozeman Economic Development

• City of Bozeman to study ‘sensitive lands’ amid growth

  The Gallatin Valley Sensitive Lands Protection plan is intended to identify land in the valley that is considered to be “sensitive” — like wildlife corridors — and develop recommendations on how to protect that land.

Great Falls Development Authority

• Forum focused on new housing in Great Falls – No surprise, Great Falls needs housing: Study outlines need, current market

  “The data shows we need housing at all levels,” said Jolene Schalper, GFDA senior vice president.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• TODAY’S TED TALK – 3 things men can do to promote gender equity

  “It is time for a gender reckoning, beginning with men authentically confronting our internal selves and each other,” says essayist and intersectional justice advocate Jimmie Briggs. In this call to action for gender equity, he unpacks how traditional notions of masculinity harm society and offers three ways men can help promote personal safety, dignity and empowerment for all.

• Four tribes in Montana receive millions in coronavirus relief funds

  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced last week that it was awarding nearly $70 million in Indian Community Development Block Grants to 49 tribal communities, including the Blackfeet, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck and Northern Cheyenne tribes in Montana.

• Montana’s Big Sky Is Sprawling, Luxurious and Pricey. And, Maybe, the Future of Skiing. Who Gets to Ski?

  Lone Peak is the dominant landmark at Big Sky Ski Resort in Montana. It towers over the entire area at 11,166 feet. It is also a little daunting: From the top, which is reached by a 15-passenger tram, you can bask in stunning 360-degree views then test mostly expert terrain that Big Sky classifies as “triple black” — if you need to ask, you’re not good enough to ski it.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• KKR raises $17B for broadband, other infrastructure investments

  It will predominantly look to invest in assets which already have strong existing cash flows and attractive reinvestment opportunities for growth.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Montana rejects $36.6 million for food assistance

  The Health Department could not be reached for comment via email late Monday afternoon on whether it might reverse course. A spokesperson for the Governor’s Office also could not be reached for comment via an email sent late Monday afternoon.

Montana Economic Development

• Public input sought on Missoula’s Higgins Avenue corridor plans – Concepts emerge for Higgins Avenue redo with bike, bus and pedestrians in mind

  The stretch of Higgins Avenue between Brooks and Broadway streets has been the focus of a months-long planning effort commissioned by the City of Missoula and the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

Housing

• Two really big ideas that could fix the disastrous U.S. housing system

  The U.S. builds too many houses where it shouldn’t (forest interface) and not enough where people want to live. It’s time to flip the script.

• City Club Missoula sees high attendance as officials discuss housing crisis – Video of Zoom Meeting Now Available

  The city is prioritizing projects to get the ball rolling. In 2020, they permitted 1,308 homes. That’s a 140% increase over the prior year.

• As Rents Soar, States Take Aim at Local Zoning Laws

  Local officials, however, say they should decide what gets built where.

Montana Business

• Bozeman kombucha company expands brand, launches new drink

  Zesty’s Party Hard Tea will be set apart by its commitment to being a healthier option with no added sugar and organic ingredients.

Funding and Building your Business

• What is a venture capital term sheet?

  Mountside Ventures has produced a report demystifying the world of term sheets for founders. What is a term sheet? What’s the difference between types of shares? How long do VC deals take to close?

Metaverse

• The metaverse is just an idea, but Adobe says it’s time to prep for it
  Though it may be years before metaverse hype gives way to reality, it’s not too early to create 3D content and dip a toe into existing immersive worlds.

Regional Economic Development

• Immigration and America’s Aging ‘Time Bomb’

  “This is the direct mechanism through which increased immigration reduces the old-age dependency ratio.  After two to three decades, these immigration waves contribute to reducing old-age dependency a second time, as the children of arriving immigrants become old enough to contribute to the labor market themselves.”

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

• How Did States Use ARP Funds for Career Technical Ed?

  The U.S. Department of Education has detailed many ways that states are using American Rescue Plan funds to make up for lost instructional time, create new CTE and summer programs, and incentivize work-based learning.

Government News & Events

• More than 300 Montanans seek public office

  A total of 287 candidates filed for legislative office, including 21 candidates running for the Legislature unopposed. Sixty-four incumbents face challengers, with 15 facing a primary in June.

Government Technology

• Montana agencies are racing to be 100% digital

  Agencies in Montana’s state government are currently engaged in an internal competition to go digital.Late last year, Gov. Greg Gianforte quietly challenged executive-branch agencies to digitize 100% of their business…

Transportation

• The top five best-equipped countries to support autonomous vehicles – Who’s leading the self-driving revolution?

  This autonomous-vehicle future may not be so far away (and will likely arrive before a zero carb croissant, to be honest), but which countries are making the most moves to support autonomous vehicles?

• U.S. eliminates human controls requirement for fully automated vehicles

  U.S. regulators on Thursday issued final rules eliminating the need for automated vehicle manufacturers to equip fully autonomous vehicles with manual driving controls to meet crash standards.

• ‘Move Ahead Washington’ Launches a New Era of Transportation Planning in Washington State

  The Washington State Legislature has approved a massive 16-year transportation package dubbed Move Ahead Washington.

• Helena replacing bus routes in town with curb-to-curb ride scheduling

  Effective Monday, Capital Transit will offer curb-to-curb ride scheduling within city limits. Riders can download a new Capital Transit app to schedule rides and pay fares. With the new ride-scheduling model, riders can choose custom pick-up and drop-off locations within Helena city limits.

Cool Stuff That’s Coming

• Senolytic drugs boost protein that protects against effects of aging

  Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that these drugs can protect against aging and its related diseases, by acting on a protein long associated with longevity.

Energy and Climate Change

• What Might a Hydrogen Energy Economy Look Like?

  Models can show how hydrogen, power grids and utilities may one day work together in a new, cleaner economy.

• Why You (and the Planet) Really Need a Heat Pump

  Using a furnace is so 1922. In 2022, humanity has to massively ramp up adoption of clean ways to heat buildings.

• The Case for Induction Cooking

  But for all the sexiness of cooking with gas (a concept bolstered by aggressive lobbying and advertising from the natural gas industry), it has been shown to be catastrophic for the environment, emitting potent greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere. Worse, a recent study demonstrated that 75 percent of these emissions occur when the stove is off.

• Video – New satellite LiDAR imaging reveals Arctic ice is melting at ‘frightening rate’

  New tech is revealing just how much worse the problem is. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.

TED and TEDX Talks

• Today’s Ted Talk – The radical potential of self-evolving robots

  She explains how the three ingredients of biological evolution can be replicated digitally to build robots that can self-assemble and adapt to any environment

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