MATR Newsletter – May 13, 2024
The state with the best education wins!

I’m going for life.  I’m mashing the accelerator to the floor and I aint liftin til I see God or the checkered flag.

Come Home Montana

• Affordable housing for teachers under development in Gardiner, Montana in hopes of attracting more educators

  “If you look at local house prices, you’re going to find that they start at about eight or nine hundred thousand, which is just not reasonable for a teacher.”

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Republican Montana lawmakers halt implementation of child care reform rules

  Against the recommendation of many day care providers, the Children, Family, Health and Human Services Interim Committee voted on Thursday to prevent the suite of rules from going into effect before the end of the next legislative session in 2025. The vote was on partisan lines with the two committee’s Democrats offering the dissents.

• The child care system is broken. Here are 5 striking statistics that show why.

  As more than 1,000 providers shut their doors for a Day Without Child Care, we examine a few numbers that reveal why the landscape is in crisis.

• Rick Steves on Walkability Lessons From Europe

  Many of Europe’s pedestrian-friendly, transit-rich cities weren’t always that way.

• Parents say lack of childcare is hampering Big Timber, Montana’s growth – Why no Universal Pre-K in Montana?

  Big Timber Daycare is the only daycare in all of Sweet Grass County, and community members agree that’s not enough childcare service for the growing rural community.

• CBS News – Schools across U.S. announce teacher layoffs “Worst Staff Cuts ‘in a Generation'” Missoulian

  American schools are facing layoffs as enrollment falls and pandemic-era aid dries up. CBS News reporter Bo Erickson has the details.

• The Father of the 15-Minute City Doubles Down on His Vision In New Book

  In the wake of attacks by conspiracy theorists, Carlos Moreno is out with a new book that seeks to school the world on his pervasive urban planning concept.

• Big Sky Rail Authority: ‘We are no longer debating feasibility’

  Big Sky Rail Authority Chairperson Dave Strohmaier said a federal rail study identifies two long-distance routes through Montana as preferred, an east-west line connecting Seattle to Chicago and a north-south line to Billings.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 5-12-24

  In an exciting move during International Economic Development Week, the Great Falls Development Alliance travelled to Lethbridge, Alberta to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Economic Development Lethbridge (EDL). With this agreement, we plan greater cross-border cooperation between our two economic development organizations that will raise awareness of our region, ease the experience of companies looking to start, expand or relocate on either side of the border, and to attract investment to our region- especially in the world of food, ag and bio processing. We are very grateful to our partners at EDL for orchestrating such a magnificent visit and look forward to hosting them this fall.

• Economic Development Lethbridge highlights partnership with Great Falls Development Alliance (GFDA)

  EDL has been touring members of the Great Falls Development Alliance (GFDA) around southern Alberta and discussing opportunities to boost the food, agriculture, bioprocessing and energy industry sectors.

Montana Business

• This is how we finally end the 40-hour, 5-day workweek

  California Congressperson Mark Takano, who introduced a 32-hour workweek bill, discusses how we can transform the way we think about our work schedules.

• Bozeman organizers work to get single-use plastic initiative on ballot

  And Bozeman isn’t the only city in Montana where single-use plastic is on the chopping block. Gracey said organizers in Missoula and Billings have plans to submit similar petitions.

• Leadership Intensive Fundamentals of Community Organizing – 5/29-30 – Missoula

  Overall, this two-day institute equips community members with the skills and knowledge to understand the importance of the role of civic society in a healthy local Democracy.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Gianforte reiterates aggressive strategy for dousing wildfires during annual briefing ( In Spite of Scientific Evidence)

  During the 2023 fire season, 96% of fires were limited to 10 acres or less due to aggressive attack and fuel mitigation, Gianforte said. The state also successfully placed 36,000 forested acres under management in 2023, compared to 11,000 acres in 2020, he said.

Housing

• Anker Introduces Modular Whole-Home Battery System

  The system offers software that can keep your home tickin’ when the grid takes a lickin’.

• Less permitting, less parking and more funding: Montana task force tackles adding more affordable housing

  The task force had a combined list of 31 recommendations – which include everything from fast-tracking permitting to infusing cash in existing housing funds – that the task force is looking to consolidate where possible for the final report.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

• Students in Billings gain small business experience through Spring Market Day

  Over in Billings, local high school students got to take part in what is known as Market Day, designed to teach kids about operating a small business through hands-on experience and person to person interaction.

Incubators and R&D

• These Artificial Blood Platelets Could One Day Save Lives

  Platelets help blood clot, but they have a short shelf life. With blood in short supply, synthetic platelets could help meet demand.

Regional Economic Development

• Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World Is Alarmed.

  The world is at a startling demographic milestone. Sometime soon, the global fertility rate will drop below the point needed to keep population constant. It may have already happened.

Come Home Wyoming

• University of Wyoming to close DEI office, reassign staff in response to legislative mandate

  Following President Seidel’s recommendations, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously Friday to close the office and reassign positions elsewhere.

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

• University of Montana Health Science Symposium to Feature Student Air Quality Research – 5/14 – Skaggs Building and the Underground Lecture Hall

  More than 250 high school students from schools across western Montana, including Helena, Corvallis, Ronan, Libby and Missoula, will present their air quality research findings. Through their research and related classroom activities, students participating in the REACH program learned about the risks associated with indoor air pollution – especially within homes, schools and local businesses.

2024 Montana Legislature and Politics

• Residents seeking to regulate single-use plastic in Missoula

  “By taking action at the local level to reduce plastic, we’re not only doing what is best for our environment, but also what is best for our communities now and in the future,” Missoula resident and leader in the national Zero Waste movement and plaintiff Jeremy Drake said in a release, “this action is consistent with the City of Missoula’s ZERO by FIFTY Pathway to Zero Waste Plan and will help move the city closer to its Zero Waste goal.”

Government News & Events

• Biden To Set 100% Tariff On Electric Cars Made In China — Solar Panels May Be Next

  It’s not official yet, but the Wall Street Journal says the Biden administration this week is expected to increase the import tariffs on electric cars made in China from 25% to 100%, a move that may embolden regulators in the European Union to do likewise. The US also adds 2.5% on top of the base tariff just for good measure.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

• Homo sapiens has been on Earth for only 0.0067% of its existence.

  We haven’t been here the longest — that would be Homo erectus, whose 1.5 million years on the planet is a record among humans that we sapiens won’t surpass for some 1.2 million years — but we have left the most sizable footprint. Whether that ends up being a good thing may be for the next species to decide.

Transportation

• 8 Things To Know About Electric School Bus Repowers

  Repowering existing school buses with a new electric drivetrain shows promise to provide school bus operators with a lower cost and more sustainable vehicle compared to buying a brand-new electric school bus.

• Why Some Cities Want to Combine Transit Agencies – How About Bus Systems in Missoula?

  Chicago and San Francisco are looking to consolidate the transit agencies in their respective cities, proposals backed by state lawmakers. Advocates say such reforms could improve service for riders and make it easier for politicians to address funding issues.

• Zooming in on Electric Vehicles: How Duluth, Minnesota, Is Preparing for the EV Future

  Improving reliable, equitable, and widespread access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure in all communities will be critical to ensuring the continued success of the EV revolution.

Energy and Climate Change

• Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory just captured ominous signals about the planet’s health

  Atmospheric levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide aren’t just on their way to yet another record high this year — they’re rising faster than ever, according to the latest in a 66-year-long series of observations

• An easy-to-use electric grid monitoring system is preventing fires and minimising outages

  Gridware’s devices attach to electrical utility boxes so that utility companies can tell what condition their equipment is in and use this information to prevent fires from starting.

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