MATR Newsletter – March 18, 2022
The state with the best education wins!

2022 Montana Broadband Availability Map – How is your location doing?

Click in the map to see county statistics in a popup. Zoom in until country boundaries appear and click in the map to see relevant statistics. Zoom in still further to see Served / Unserved / Underserved / Frontier Locations in the map.

New ‘digital equity’ data, mapping tools opened to state and local agencies

The “Digital Equity Intelligence Center,” is a library of data models and an interactive map-based application. The tools allow states and cities to skip much of the data modeling needed to understand the digital divide

Town Hall in Ekalaka with Governor Greg Gianforte – 3/24 – 5PM – Carter County Events Center

“Getting out of Helena and into our communities to visit with Montanans is my favorite part of my job, but also the most important part,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As we continue leading the Montana comeback, I’ll keep working in our communities to make Montana an even better place to live, work, and raise a family. I look forward to talking with folks in Ekalaka and learning firsthand about the challenges they face and the successes they enjoy to help me do my job better.”

Today’s MATR Newsletter is sponsored by:

Corona Virus Information

The surprising link between Covid-19 deaths and … internet access
The case for treating internet access as a health necessity.
Europe Is Getting Hit by Covid Resurgence After Rushed Exit
In Germany, the record infections means there’s “the danger of long Covid for more people than ever before,” Lauterbach said on Twitter on Monday. “Two hundred deaths per day. Soon it could be more.”

Come Home Montana

Montana Career Opportunity – RFP: Strategic Planning Consultant – Montana Nonprofit Association (MNA)
Montana Nonprofit Association (MNA) has initiated a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to identify qualified consultants to guide and execute a strategic planning process with our Board of Directors and…
Montana Career Opportunity – Investigative Political Reporter – Montana Free Press
Montana Free Press, Montana’s premier statewide nonprofit news organization, has an immediate opening for a dogged government and politics investigative reporter to join our newsroom in Helena. Who you are:…

Welcome to Bear Paw Development

Bear Paw Development Corporation – Paw Prints – A quarterly newsletter to keep you informed
During last year we coordinated more than $13.1 million in funding for business start-ups and expansions and community enhancements, including local government infrastructure. We also leveraged $125 from outside sources for every $1 we received from our local government member entities and helped the private sector to create or retain 61 jobs in our rural area of Montana.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

New ‘digital equity’ data, mapping tools opened to state and local agencies
The “Digital Equity Intelligence Center,” is a library of data models and an interactive map-based application. The tools allow states and cities to skip much of the data modeling needed to understand the digital divide
2022 Montana Broadband Availability Map – How is your location doing?
Click in the map to see county statistics in a popup. Zoom in until country boundaries appear and click in the map to see relevant statistics. Zoom in still further to see Served / Unserved / Underserved / Frontier Locations in the map.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

Town Hall in Ekalaka with Governor Greg Gianforte – 3/24 – 5PM – Carter County Events Center
“Getting out of Helena and into our communities to visit with Montanans is my favorite part of my job, but also the most important part,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As we continue leading the Montana comeback, I’ll keep working in our communities to make Montana an even better place to live, work, and raise a family. I look forward to talking with folks in Ekalaka and learning firsthand about the challenges they face and the successes they enjoy to help me do my job better.”

Housing

Boise City Council greenlights ordinance requiring short-term rental licenses
If you operate a short-term rental in the City of Boise, you’re going to need to get a license.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

Lily Clarke’s High Morel LLC Gets Off the Ground with the University of Montana’s Blackstone LaunchPad as It Elevates Entrepreneurs
Clarke’s business was founded to explore the potential of mycoremediation — using mushrooms to decontaminate the environment. So far, she has worked on a mushroom mycelium filter that could clean hazardous chemicals out of water, allowing dirty water to become drinkable.

Funding and Building your Business

In Love, With Business: Lessons From Co-Founder Couples
Couples who add a startup to their relationship seem to be adding risk and complexity, too. But these successful pairs say their personal synergy is a strategic advantage.
TED Talks – Don’t fail fast — fail mindfully
After having a career in healthcare for over 20 years, I took a leap of faith by venturing into the world of business and entrepreneurship. It was challenging, and I too was met with failure. But what I’ve learned from Gasca’s talk is the importance of failing mindfully. It sets you up for success the next time around and makes you a better person.

American Prairie

In South Dakota, a Tribal Nation Owns the Largest Native-Managed Buffalo Herd in the World
The buffalo has historical and cultural significance for the Lakota people, but the restoration efforts can help mitigate environmental issues as well.

City Club Missoula

City Club Missoula – State of the Community: Building a Future for All of Us – 4/11 – Online
Join our annual forum to hear from the leaders of the City, County and the University of Montana. The forum is free and open to the public, and will be hosted on Zoom.

Transportation

City of Helena seeks public comment to better downtown accessibility
“The overall goal of trying to improve connectivity and options for travel between areas of downtown, connecting to the Great Northern, the walking mall, the downtown core, the Centennial Trail; focused on providing better connectivity and the ability for people to travel between the areas,” said Scott Randall, Consultant Project Manager for the Multimodal Plan.
Are Mobility Hubs the Future of Urban Transportation?
Transportation nodes serving as the meeting point for various transportation types are helping to accommodate the many mobility needs of city residents. They also serve as opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate.
8 Key Steps For States To Prepare For The EV Charging Boom
Prepare the ground. Now is the time for states to create a more “charger-friendly” environment by addressing the “soft costs” of charging through policy and regulatory changes.
Self-driving vehicles are coming to the farm as John Deere plans to roll out driverless tractors
Beginning this fall, green 14-ton tractors that can plow day or night with no one sitting in the cab, or even watching nearby, will come off the John Deere factory assembly line in Waterloo, Iowa, harkening the age of autonomous farming.

Cool Stuff That’s Coming

A Big Bet to Kill the Password for Good
After a decade of work, the FIDO Alliance says it’s found the missing piece in the bridge to a password-free future.