MATR Newsletter – March 23, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

Rural Montana – Social distancing champions since 1886! 7 people per square mile.

Corona Virus Information

• Gov. Steve Bullock: Montana rallying together during crisis

  Montanans are no strangers to challenging and unprecedented times.

• Ronan CBD manufacturer Green Ridge Biosolutions producing in-demand hand sanitizer

  Using products they already have on hand, the company is selling the in-demand hand cleaner at an affordable price and has also provided bottles for free to local stores and agencies in need.

• Fly fishermen socially isolate and flock to Montana rivers

  “It’s a beautiful day, so I decided to come out and see how the fishing was going,” said Jared Arnold, a local guide from Bozeman.

• Canadian Doctor Rigs Ventilator to Treat Nine Patients Instead of Just One

  The device has garnered many fans, including Elon Musk.

• Senator Tester Statement on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Coronavirus Bill Vote

  “This bill is a multi-trillion dollar bailout for the largest corporations that ignores the urgent needs of Montana workers, families, and small businesses who are suffering.

• Are Bozeman’s good times over? Recession expected in wake of virus

  Nobody knows yet if this will be just a momentary blip in the area’s rising prosperity, or if the downturn will last a long time.

  Recession

• Tester Announces Emergency Economic Assistance Declaration for All 56 Montana Counties

  The Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance per small business and can provide vital economic support to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.

• “Bozeman Strong:” Bozeman’s Paul Van Lierop creates website to help businesses, customers during COVID-19 pandemic – What is your community doing?

  In these troubling times come some of the best examples of people coming together to help each other.

Come Home Montana

• Walmart to hire 500 in Montana

  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walmart has announced plans to hire 500 new associates in Montana through the end of May. Walmart made the announcement on Thursday of plans to hire 150,000 associates nationwide. The Montana hires will be placed in stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers, Walmart communications director Tiffany Wilson said…

• Montana Career Opportunity – President & CEO – Yellowstone Forever

  Yellowstone Forever is the official nonprofit education and philanthropic partner of Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park. The organization was formed in 2016 as a result of a merger between the Yellowstone Association and the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Yellowstone Forever connects people to Yellowstone National Park through outstanding visitor experiences and educational programs…

Great Falls Development Authority

• Great Falls Economic Development Top 10 for 3-22-20

  Here is our Top 15 for this week celebrating work and successes to grow and strengthen the Great Falls regional economy! I’ll start out with a couple pieces of good news.

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Kalispell Chamber, Convention & Visitor Bureau Provide COVID-19 Resources to Business and Travel Communities

  “Thank you to the citizens of the Flathead Valley for your support of local businesses. Your commitment and support, at this time will help families and small business owners survive the impacts of this pandemic and emerge stronger when the conditions improve in the next few weeks.” said Chamber President Joe Unterreiner.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• How 3D Printing Has Changed the Manufacturing World

  Additive manufacturing is here to stay.

Funding and Building your Business

• 6 Keys To Managing Funding From People Close To You

  In their passion to succeed, too many entrepreneurs treat friends and family investments as “low-hanging” fruit, only to find out later, after a stumble, that the pain of lost relationships is greater than the loss of their beloved startup.

Idaho News & Events

• Texting while driving? Hemp? Property tax relief? What the 2020 Legislature did, or didn’t do

  The session ended March 20 amid a global coronavirus pandemic with lawmakers taking no major action on property tax reform or legalizing hemp and, instead, engaging in a tumultuous battle over transgender rights and other socially divisive legislation.

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

• The College Board will allow at-home testing for AP exams in response to COVID-19

  The organization, which administers the SAT and AP exams, announced two new initiatives Friday: 1) Free live and on-demand online AP courses and 2) an at-home AP testing option.

Education News

• Coronavirus Silver Lining: Easier To Get Into Many Top Colleges

  Many schools, unable to court prospective enrollees with festive campus “admitted students days” or even routine campus tours, will be increasing the number of students they send acceptance emails to in an effort to ensure that they yield enough to fill their incoming classes.

2020 Montana Politics

• Montana Podcast Episode 52 — Sen. Fred Thomas on deregulation, term limits, and three decades in the Capitol

  While Thomas supported the 1992 constitutional initiative that led to legislative term limits — citizens may serve as a state representative or senator for no more than eight years in a 16-year period — he now sees term limits as limiting the experience available to the Legislature.

Careers

• How Long Do You Want to Live? This Technology Could Potentially Help People Live Forever

  The idea of dying may become a thing of the past in the next 40-100 years.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

• A bit of humor…

  How many grains of rice in a bag?

• Developers. Are you watching DEVS on Hulu? You’ll get hooked.

  In Devs, an FX limited series, a young software engineer, Lily Chan, investigates the secret development division of her employer, a cutting-edge tech company based in Silicon Valley, which she believes is behind the murder of her boyfriend.

Transportation

• Despite setbacks, coronavirus could hasten the adoption of autonomous vehicles and delivery robots

  In a climate of social distancing, when on-demand services from Instacart to GrubHub have taken steps to minimize human contact, one factor in driverless cars’ favor is that they don’t require a potentially sick person behind the wheel.

• Automated Trucks Are Coming Much Sooner Than You Think

  The technology may seem like an exciting one but it will cost many truck drivers their jobs, sadly.

Energy and Climate Change

• There’s Power in Those Pipes…the Ignored Treasure Hidden in Water

  If the world learns to tap the treasure trove of energy and profit hidden in its pipes, that could help insulate us from over-dependence on fossil fuels.

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