Montana Photonics & Quantum Alliance

• EU pledges half a billion euros to lure scientists to the continent, seeking to profit from US President Trump’s federal funding cuts of top US universities.

  “We call on researchers worldwide to unite and join us … If you love freedom, come and help us stay free,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at Paris’ Sorbonne University alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• More than a quarter of computer-programming jobs just vanished. What happened?

  Learning to code was supposedly the salvation of millions of liberal art majors. But now programming jobs are plummeting. The Post’s Department of Data tries to figure out what’s going on.

• Most Montanans support tourism, many worry about overcrowding

  Pessimistic attitudes toward tourism spiked dramatically during the pandemic. 2022 was the first time in the study’s 30 year history that a majority of responders said the state was getting overcrowded by tourists.

• Private equity snaps up disability services, challenging state regulators

  People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report from watchdog group Private Equity Stakeholder Project.

• ‘Really big circle’: Bozeman dog toy company Westpaw profiting from focus on local, sustainability

  “West Paw is the kind of company that wants to contribute to our community,” CEO and founder Spencer Williams said. “The way in which I thought that would work best is to create jobs. Instead of cutting a purchase order to a foreign country to make the product, let’s make it ourselves — and that is certainly a lot more complex — but it fits that vision of, ‘Let’s make our impact larger in our community’.”

• Ravalli County Economic Development Authority awarded $1M grant

  Funding from the grant is allotted to the RCEDA but retained by the EPA between each project, according to Julie Foster, executive director of the RCEDA, who also said that the grant could possibly be renewed in five years, depending on how effectively project goals are accomplished with the awarded funds.

• The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would ban states from regulating AI

  States couldn’t enact consumer AI protections for 10 years, if the bill passes.

• How much must you earn to buy a median-priced home in Montana? $100K – $150K – $200K?

  The median household income in Montana is just over $70,800.

• Pushback Mounts Over Trump Administration ‘Termination’ of Digital Equity Law

  Last week, President Trump announced via a Truth Social post that he was ending the Digital Equity Act, falsely claiming that the program was “unconstitutional” and “racist.”

• A New Angle Podcast – Data security & international intrigue with Chris Tilleman, founder of Missoula, Montana’s TeraDact

  In this episode Chris discusses protecting sensitive data, explains the product offerings of TeraDact and how TeraDact won a UK contract to provide AI-based redaction services for police forces.

• Montana tribal tourism businesses receive grant funding

  The Montana Department of Commerce announced that 17 tribal tourism businesses in the state will share $170,000 in grant funding. This funding is part of the tribal tourism small business grant program.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

• ND Legislature allocates $150,000 for passenger rail service project

  Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, said allocating the $150,000 to the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority gives the state the ability to participate in the planning of the passenger rail route.

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• Jousting, Mead & Mayhem Coming to Missoula – 9/20-21 – Fairgrounds

  Missoula’s Renaissance Festival is happening this fall. I’m talking turkey legs, chainmail, and an alarming number of awkward corsets.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 5-24-25

  Congratulations to the participants in our Winter Entrepreneur Cohort. After a summer break, the group will move to monthly meetings. This cohort was facilitated by GFDA Small Business Development Center Regional Director Deb McGregor. Beginning this Fall, both the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 cohort groups will begin meeting together once a month. We will have a monthly training topic as well as time for connection and getting to know each other’s businesses. The cohorts have covered topics including profit margins, pricing, inventory, buying groups, navigating stress, managing teams, time navigation, systems and more.

• GFDA’s Annual Meeting – 6/17 – Great Falls

  It’s an excellent opportunity to hear directly from the GFDA team, connect with partners and investors, and learn how we’re working to strengthen the regional economy.

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Discover Kalispell halts promotions in Canada as tourism outlook remains rocky

  “We need signals from both governments that cross border friendships and our economic partners matter, and without that no amount of marketing is going to help that right now,” she said.

Montana Business

• Missoula, Montana’s MAK Direct – clear, straightforward, empirical based knowledge and information on direct marketing strategies and tactics.

  I provide hands on marketing expertise to create, test, and execute direct marketing programs leading to sustainable, repeatable, and profitable results.

• ‘Superwood’ that’s 50% stronger than steel is coming this year

  Maryland-based startup InventWood is set to mass-produce the first batches of ‘Superwood,’ a new material made of modified timber that’s stronger than regular barky stems, and even stronger than steel. It’s set to go on sale later this year.

• Montana Set to Become a “Wild West” Hub for Experimental Medical Treatments and Therapies

  Recently, Senate Bill 535, which passed both houses of the Montana Legislature with bipartisan support and was signed into law on May 12, 2025, expands Montana’s right-to-try law by widening access to experimental and unproven treatments via establishing means for healthcare providers to provide access to and administer experimental treatments to their patients who have given their informed consent.

Housing

• How Montana’s new second-home tax could shift your property tax bill

  Reductions projected for homeowners and landlords; big increases coming in 2026 for second homes and short-term rental properties.

Funding and Building your Business

• The Privacy-Friendly Tech to Replace Your US-Based Email, Browser, and Search

  Thanks to drastic policy changes in the US and Big Tech’s embrace of the second Trump administration, many people are moving their digital lives abroad. Here are a few options to get you started.

• Nathan for You on Hulu

  Real businesses. Real customers. Real bad advice. Comedian and self-proclaimed marketing genius Nathan Fielder offers his unorthodox tips for actual businesses — to awesomely awkward results.

YOUR CAREER

• These are the 3 steps that every new graduate should take

  Now’s the time to establish and tap into your personal board of directors.

Energy and Transportation

• “Social Leasing” Could Provide Affordable EVs to 3 Million Households in Europe

  This scheme, which allows affordable electric vehicles under €25,000 to be leased at reduced rents (from €130 and up to €215 per month [1]), already exists in France and could be implemented by other EU countries.

• Missoula’s Free Cycles raising $800,000 to pay off its mortgage

  “This work is about community coming together, fixing bikes, reusing, recycling, environmental stewardship, participating in community life,” said Bob Giordano, executive director of Free Cycles.

• Gas-Killing Geothermal Energy Bonanza Discovered Under Nevada

  “This estimate is a potential substantial increase of the installed geothermal electricity-generating capacity from <1 to 10 percent of current total U.S. power production capacity,” USGS emphasizes.

• Want to Claim the Solar Tax Credit? Get Installing Now

  For anyone in the US who can afford to go solar, “now would be the time,” because House Republicans want to end federal tax credits that make it affordable.

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

• At Khan Academy, AI Is Changing the Lesson Plan

  In the debut episode of his podcast ‘Creative Intelligence,’ Wharton’s Kartik Hosanagar talks to Khan Academy founder Salman Khan about the impact of AI on education.

2025 Legislature and Politics

• A Complete List of Everything in the Republican Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save

  The tax and spending bill passed by House Republicans early Thursday includes hundreds of provisions and would add an estimated $3.3 trillion to the national debt by extending and expanding large tax cuts, partially offset by cuts to Medicaid, food benefits and other programs.

VR/AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Artificial Intelligence and The Internet of Things

• Gen Z is willing to sell their personal data—for just $50 a month

  A new app, Verb.AI, wants to pay the generation that’s most laissez-faire on digital privacy for their scrolling time.

Social Media, Connectivity & Communications

• A Starter Guide to Protecting Your Data From Hackers and Corporations

  Thinking about where to start when it comes to protecting your online privacy can be overwhelming. Here’s a simple guide for you—and anyone who claims they have nothing to hide.

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