The 2025 Rural Economic Development Retreat, will bring together 400–500 rural economic development leaders, practitioners, innovators and policymakers in Great Falls, Montana.
I went skydiving today for the first time. This guy strapped himself to me, we jumped out of the Plane and as we plummeted, he said: “So, how long have you been an Instructor?”
The local food programs were initially funded by 2021’s American Rescue Plan Act but were later expanded by the Biden administration. The Trump administration, though, has cut the funding that went to thousands of small farms, saying that it’s instead “prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact.”
A $3 million Ferrari or $4 million Bugatti hypercar on the road turns heads as people scramble to take photos. Chances are good it will have a Montana license plate. The state’s tax laws make it a haven for the super-rich to register their supercars.
The 2025 Rural Economic Development Retreat, will bring together 400–500 rural economic development leaders, practitioners, innovators and policymakers in Great Falls, Montana.
HB 456, which passed both chambers with strong bipartisan votes, will provide Best Beginnings Scholarships for child care workers, making child care affordable for the people who work in the “workforce behind the workforce.”
James Brown III, President and CCO of Story House Montana, expressed the vision behind the facility. “It’s an opportunity to build a creative village where stories deserve to be told right here in Montana for Montana about Montana,” he said.
At the forefront of Bozeman’s evolution is Montana State University’s 42-acre Innovation Campus, led by Executive Director Mark Sharpe. Sharpe is a strategic visionary whose leadership over the past five years has helped shape the region’s economic future.
Get registered by May 30th for the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Rural Retreat to get the early bird registration. The first ever IEDC Rural Retreat will be in North Central Montana June 23-25. Also, members of the Montana Economic Developer Association get a special discounted rate.
The Sperry and Granite Park chalets are the only surviving wilderness hotels in the park, offering an experience almost unchanged since the park’s earliest days (no electricity here!).
Highlands has received a $5.75 million rant from the U.S. Department of Labor to create a course to prepare students for broadband jobs across Western Montana.
Senate Bill 471 seeks to make pedestrian crossings safer, while Senate Bill 428 makes it easier for counties to change speed limits. Senate Democrats brought both bills, which passed through the House and Senate by comfortable margins.
Supporters of the new law described law enforcement’s ability to buy citizens’ digital information from data brokers as the “data broker loophole.” According to state Rep. Tracy Sharp, controls are necessary “in order to protect ourselves and our citizens in the future from what government’s going to be able to do with all of this information.”
These grants fund a wide range of public health services. Montana Public Health Institute CEO Matt Kelley says much of this funding helps local public health departments put on vaccine clinics.
the Transparent Election Initiative will focus on a grassroots effort to eliminate dark money that has flooded Montana’s elections since the Citizens United decision. Members of the community are invited to join TEI at one of a series of listening sessions across the state and share their perspectives, ideas, and thoughts on money in politics.
VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things
