MATR Newsletter – November 13, 2020
The state with the best education wins!

Oh GREAT!  It’s Friday the 13th 2020! 

Whatever you do.

Don’t get out of bed. 

It’s not going to be worth it.

Trust me…

Corona Virus Information

• Montana Governor Steve Bullock hangs COVID inaction on lack of federal relief funds

  “I never wanted to punish the businesses that are doing right in this pandemic to keep their employees and customers safe. Shutting down those businesses would do just that,” he said during a news conference.

• Gianforte names 21-member COVID-19 task force; 1 doctor, 1 nurse on panel

  During the campaign, Gianforte often said he would rely more on Montanans exercising “personal responsibility” to fight the outbreak of Covid-19, as opposed to some of the mandates handed down by Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock.

Come Home Montana

• Montana Career Opportunities – Associate Counsel, Systems Administrator, Quality Assurance Analyst and more… – Zoot Enterprises

  No Suits, Montana Roots At Zoot, our employees are committed to providing the best decisioning engines for the largest financial institutions in the world. Zooters are also committed to passions outside the company – family, friends, outdoor activities and environmental causes. Zooters enjoy all of the beauty and opportunity the Treasure State has to offer…

Montana Department of Commerce

• Missoula, Montana -based  ATG to receive local job creation grants for remote workers

  Calling it a rare exception, the Missoula Economic Partnership on Thursday sought and received approval to use a state grant to reimburse a local company for several jobs created outside Missoula County.

Big Sky Economic Development

• Big Sky Finance November 2020 Newsletter

  Thank You to Our Partner Lenders!

Zoot Enterprises

• Synthetic Identity Fraud: Hiding in Plain Sight

  One of the most insidious types of fraud is also one of the fastest growing – synthetic identity fraud.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• The 15-Minute City—No Cars Required—Is Urban Planning’s New Utopia

  From Paris to Portland, cities are attempting to give residents everything they need within a few minutes of their front doors. Can it work—without leaving anyone out?

• Street Redesign as an Economic Development Tool

  “We’re trying to create a pedestrian friendly environment in what essentially is a continuously developing business corridor,” City Engineer Rich Anthony said.

• Montana Ag Network: U.S. pulse industry excited for new McPlant burger

  The Beyond Meat folks, who we certainly know and love, use a lot of pulse crops and particularly a lot of peas. So, this is really good news for the producers of peas, lentils, chickpeas and dried beans.”

• This U.S. Region Will Pay You $10,000 To Move There (And Give You A Bike, Too)

  These days, it’s not just about making a fresh start. By making a big move, you might be able to get rich at the same time.

• Today’s TED Talk – To save the climate, we have to reimagine capitalism

  Hear what a reimagined capitalism, in which companies pay for the climate damage they cause, could look like.

• Startup Communities Audiobooks from Brad Feld

  The audiobooks for The Startup Community Way and Startup Communities, 2e are both available. I’ve gotten this request from many people, so I’m glad they are finally out.

• Helena to create affordable housing trust fund

  The fund could be used for a variety of needs including purchasing property, rehabilitating or making health or safety improvements to existing property, below-market financing, matches for other funding sources or fostering public/private partnerships, according to the resolution.

• What Biden’s Win Could Mean for Land Use, Transportation, and Climate

  Campaign in poetry and govern in prose, the saying goes. Now that the reality of a Biden presidency is settling in, what does it mean for how the United States plans its future?

The Telecommuting and Gig Workforce in Montana

• Working from Home And the Future of Smart Cities

  If you could always work remote, would you relocate to a smaller, quieter city?

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

• Alphabet project uses light beams to bring broadband to remote regions

  Project Taara is partnering up with a local telecom company to deliver wireless internet in Kenya.

Montana Business

• Michael Fitzgerald – “After 10 Years, I’ve Stepped Down as CEO of Submittable in Missoula, Montana”

  OK, that was amazing.

• With Beyond Meat Partnership, Pizza Hut Is The First Major Pizza Chain To Launch Plant-Based Toppings Nationwide

  Pizza Hut’s announcement marks the first national rollout of such an offering from a major chain.

Developing a more Entrepreneurial Montana

• University of Montana Awarded $300K for COVID-19 Economic Recovery for Women in Business

  The funds from the U.S. Economic Development Administration will create and support online micro-courses and accelerator programs for rural, Indigenous and urban Montana women interested in or already in business.

Funding and Building your Business

• This tableware made from bamboo and sugar waste biodegrades in 60 days

  As importantly, it’s nearly as cheap as plastic.

• Why the CEO of a $350 Million Internet Security Company Practices Radical Transparency

  A scandal taught Cloudflare co-founder Matthew Prince that in a business where trust is paramount, he needed to be relentlessly open about his company’s mistakes.

Regional Business News

• Small-Town Editor Who Was Fired by Lee Enterprises Newspaper Chain Starts New Online Forum

  Ashley Spinks Dugan spoke to the Daily Yonder, then to a public radio station. Then Lee Enterprises fired her.

Wyoming Business

• Wyoming Doubles Down on Blockchain with University Center

  The University of Wyoming is now one of a few universities in the country to have a blockchain-focused educational center. Stakeholders believe it will attract even more blockchain businesses to the state.

• Wyoming Needs to Bite the Bullet – Cash-Strapped Wyoming Towns Face Existential Threat

  With the decline of the fossil fuel industry and the economic effects of COVID-19 further gutting the state, Wyoming and some of its small cities are facing dire fiscal consequences.

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

• Parents organize GoFundMe to support Bozeman teachers

  The page was created for parents to thank their kids’ teachers for working in-person during COVID-19. All the money donated will provide free lunches to Bozeman teachers and staff.

Education News

• Montanan Fall 2020 – The Magazine of the University of Montana

  Students arrive on our campus from all over the world, bringing to UM their varied histories and backgrounds. We are privileged that each student brings with them an individual lens for understanding and a unique set of abilities to influence both UM and the wider world.

2020 Montana Politics

• Capitol Talk –  – Fridays at 6:35 Every Friday during the upcoming Montana Legislature Session.

  “Capitol Talk,” our weekly legislative news and analysis program, appears on Fridays throughout the legislative session. MTPR’s Sally Mauk is joined by veteran Capitol Reporter Holly Michels and UM Political Science Professor Rob Saldin.

Government News & Events

• DEQ Announces Two New Funding Grants to helps businesses install direct current fast charging electric vehicle stations and school districts in Montana to replace diesel buses with battery-electric or certified low nitrogen oxide emission school buses.

  The grants are funded by the Volkswagen Settlement, which is intended to reduce harmful nitrogen oxide emissions that can contribute to unhealthy air.

Non-Profit News

• Washington Foundation donates $307,500 to basic needs groups

  The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation has selected 96 food banks, food pantries, rescue missions, homeless shelters, United Way and Salvation Army organizations across Montana to receive a combined $307,500 in additional grant funds to aid them in helping Montana’s most vulnerable citizens during the continuing pandemic.

American Prairie Reserve

• America’s answer to the Serengeti is spreading in Montana – The American Prairie Reserve is amazing.

  Nowhere else in America, however, could host a prairie wildlife reserve of this scale.

Transportation

• Barcelona is redesigning 21 downtown streets to prioritize people, not cars

  It’s a light version of the city’s revolutionary car-free neighborhood superblock program, but in a more central area.

• Parking minimums are costing your city. For a way forward, look to Edmonton.

  Land that could be an engine for prosperity and well-being instead becomes a costly burden on homeowners, small businesses, and taxpayers.

• Walmart To Test Robotic Deliveries With Cruise’s Electric Self-Driving Vehicles

  Walmart wants to learn whether robotic deliveries fit in with its retail operations so it’s launching a pilot program with General Motors backed Cruise using the tech startup’s electric, self-driving to haul groceries and other goods to suburban Phoenix customers.

• Massachusetts voters pass a right-to-repair measure, giving them unprecedented access to their car data

  A ballot measure passed by 75% of voters in Massachusetts has resolved a thorny question that could have widespread implications for the automotive industry: once a person buys a vehicle, they own all of its data.

Energy and Climate Change

• Meet the startup building a sustainable alternative to Tesla’s Powerwall

  It is the size of a small fridge, doesn’t use unsustainable rare-earth metals, won’t blow up and can power your house for 20 years.

• Everything You Need to Know About Energy 

  We’ll talk about the different types—kinetic energy, electrical potential energy, etc.—and different sources, from fossil fuels to solar.

• The Role of the Customer in Utility Zero-Carbon Targets

  In this special podcast from Opower and Oracle: mapping out the ways utilities and customers can work together to slash emissions.

Social Media, Connectivity & Communications

• The election is over, but the misinformation age is just beginning.

  “QAnon will evolve, it will mutate and it will be weaponized and exploited,”

• The ‘Coded Bias’ documentary is ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ for Big Tech algorithms

  Director Shalini Kantayya’s documentary ‘Coded Bias’ unravels how inherent gender and racial biases get embedded in the algorithms that run our lives.

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