MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Have a backyard Airbnb? Proposed rules say Montana’s upcoming second-home tax will hit it.

  The public can weigh in as the state revenue department clarifies details lawmakers left ambiguous in this year’s major tax legislation.

• Partners on a Plate: Connecting Western Montana farmers and chefs for the perfect pairing – 11/18 – Hamilton

  By establishing those buying commitments, it allows farmers/producers to rely on those sales and improve their processes and infrastructure while restaurants can promote their support for local farms which is a huge draw for customers.”

• How government leaders can balance the pros and cons of data center development

  How data centers are developed in communities can significantly impact residents’ lives and policymakers must consider how to responsibly support their expansion, experts warned.

• Do Yourself a Favor and Go Find a ‘Third Place’ – Americans are lonely and it’s killing them. How the US can combat this new epidemic.

  Today people frequently spend their leisure time in solitude with their personal screens. “Now we have on-demand streaming, and social media, which are further extensions of that fundamental shift,”

• Butte-Silver Bow County, Montana, Sabey provide more details about proposed data center in Butte

  Sabey also said final construction costs for a data center campus near Butte could reach $1.5 billion to $2 billion and new permanent jobs could range from “dozens on the low end” to hundreds over time.

• Taxation is Ruination – A warning for Montana

  What is not an acceptable outcome is to drive Montanans out of their homes through errant and destructive tax policy. Shame on the State government and legislature for putting its wants above the needs of the citizens it is supposed to serve and represent. For Montana to thrive, tax policy must offer stability, prioritize community over government expansion, and guarantee that it’s always the people who come first.

• Americans with six-figure incomes are in ‘survival mode’

  “People used to feel when you got to six figures or above that it was a sign of financial stability,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer and futurist at The Harris Poll. “And now we just see that as a sign of surviving, and being in survival mode.”

• CBS Evening News – The Changing Face of Childcare in America – Rural child care providers join up to stay open

  Nearly 4 million children in the United States can’t get into a licensed child care center, costing states about $1 billion per year in lost economic activity from parents missing work or stepping away from jobs to support their families.

Bear Paw Development

• ‘Stay for the Story’ is the new Havre, Montana brand

  “We wanted this brand to embrace our history while inspiring us to keep moving forward to make Havre everything it can be.”

Missoula Chamber of Commerce

• Missoula seeks residents’ input on train horn noise issue

  The survey will close on December 5, and the city plans to review the responses through the end of the month before making a recommendation. Residents can participate online through Engage Missoula, with a focus on those most affected by the train horn noise.

Northwestern Energy

• Career Opportunities – Northwestern Energy

  NorthWestern Energy is a regional energy company serving electric and natural gas across western and central Montana, eastern South Dakota and several communities in Nebraska. We also proudly serve Yellowstone National Park. Our company is an employer of choice, encouraging employees to creatively address the energy evolution with innovation and integrity. We offer a wide array of careers, from the traditional utility craft professionals to accountants, environmental professionals, biologists, community relations professionals, computer technologists and engineers.   Check out these job openings and see if they are a good fit for your skills.   You’ve Got Jobs! Check Them Out…

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA Top Ten for 11-16-25

  High School Students in Great Falls are building the 48th high school house this year!

• Atlanta-based company withdraws lease plans for huge data center near Great Falls

  There are at least three other data center projects proposed for Montana, and they would need a combined 1,400 megawatts of power by the year 2030 if they all come to fruition. NorthWestern Energy has signed Letters of Intent for those three projects.

Kalispell Chamber of Commerce

• Kalispell Chamber Launches Coalition to Unify Vision for Downtown’s Future

  The Downtown Forward Coalition seeks to repair divisions that emerged among downtown businesses over plans to improve the safety of Main Street

Montana Business

• Add-A-Tudez Entertainment Company in Great Falls helps ‘level up’ Montana’s tech talent

  “The wildest reaction we tend to get is from teachers and parents. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had them come up to us and say, I did not realize so many dozens of jobs were involved in game design,” Hughes said.

• Kalispell consultant launches business master class to empower leaders – Second class 11/17

  Through his firm, Rich in Thought Consulting, Turner is hosting a master class series covering every stage of business ownership. The goal, Turner said, is to help leaders navigate complexity, make smarter decisions, and create lasting impacts.

• We haven’t seen layoffs like this since the pandemic—and the 2009 recession before that.

  If you’re impacted by layoffs—either directly or because you’re faced with the fallout—here’s some advice on how to navigate the path forward.

• The Data Center Resistance Has Arrived

  A new report finds that local opposition to data centers skyrocketed in the second quarter of this year.

• Emissions Data You Can Act On – Bridger Photonics

  Bridger’s aerial Gas Mapping LiDAR® transforms emissions detection into actionable data intelligence to deliver insights you can trust for audits, compliance, and emissions reduction.

• British Churches Are Putting Their Faith in Heat Pumps

  Ancient buildings and old bones aren’t getting in the way of the transition.

Housing

• Property owner in France fined €33,000 for unauthorised Airbnb rental

  The penalties for non-compliance have risen since the Le Meur law on holiday rentals of November 20, 2024, which set the maximum fine at €100,000 per illegally let property, with fines paid directly to the commune.

• A Look Into Finland’s Housing First Initiative

  Finland’s Housing First initiative is rewriting lives, with nearly 80% of participants finding stability and overcoming homelessness. A powerful example of how providing a home first can change everything.

• Missoula County seeks $500,000 CDBG to replace failing septic systems for low‑income homeowners

  These areas include East Missoula, Bonner, West Riverside, Milltown, Greenough, Potomac, Seeley Lake, Condon, Lolo, Frenchtown, Grass Valley, Evaro, Ninemile, Target Range, the Wye and the urban areas outside Missoula city limits.

• Event featuring Emmy winner Mike Rowe boosts Great Falls, Montana High’s home-building initiative

  Mike Rowe emphasized the program’s broader significance, saying, “The whole country is desperate to see the trades reinvigorated. Programs like this prove that young people rise to the challenge when given real skills and responsibility.”

Visit Montana

• “Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots!” Visitors stunned as man seemingly provokes wolf pack

  A man approached and seemingly pepper-sprayed a wolf last month, according to a video posted in a Facebook group

YOUR CAREER

• ‘Ghost job’ postings are adding another layer of uncertainty to the stalling jobs picture

  “Ghost jobs” are job postings that are not genuine employment opportunities, often created to build talent pools, comply with investor relations, or for other internal reasons without the intent to hire from the ad.

Energy and Transportation

• Microsoft in your community – Our datacenter community pledge

  We believe that companies that can do more, should. That’s why we remain focused on key areas in which technology can and must benefit the future of humanity and our planet.

• Helsinki, Finland has achieved a remarkable milestone by recording zero road crash fatalities in the past year.

  The city’s success is credited to strict speed limits, safer street designs, and improved infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Guided by the Vision Zero philosophy, Helsinki reduced most residential speed limits to 30 km/h, redesigned intersections, and enhanced street lighting and crosswalks. These long-term efforts, along with strong public transport and road safety campaigns, have made Helsinki one of the safest cities in the world for urban mobility.

• How Are Companies Cooling Data Centres Without Water?

  Microsoft, Vertiv, Evolution and Bridge Data Centres are leading the move to zero-water cooling, saving more than 125 million litres per site each year

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

• Montana State receives NSF grant for sophisticated X-ray photoelectron spectrometer

  “This really is a statewide effort coming together to demonstrate the need this capability, and those collaborative efforts were commented on time and time again in the (grant) reviews,” Walker said. “The entire jurisdiction is going to benefit from this.”

2025 Legislature and Politics

• “The Montana Plan” To Override The Citizens United Decision – The Transparent Election Initiative

  According to Truthout, Montana is about to become the first state to oppose the 2010 Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court by using a 2026 ballot initiative — an innovative legal maneuver that could be adopted by other states. The idea is wildly popular.

• Colorado just took a step towards correcting one of the oldest injustices in the West

  For the first time in more than a century, Colorado is preparing for wild bison to exist again. A species once nearly erased for political and economic gain is being recognized—legally and culturally—for what it has always been: wildlife.

• “Will People Trust Voting by Phone? Alaska Is Going to Find Out.” Will Mobile Voting Defeat Gerrymandering and Increase Participation?

  The largest city in Alaska is about to undertake an experiment that feels both inevitable and impossibly futuristic in an era of pervasive mistrust toward elections: allowing all voters to cast ballots from their smartphones.

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

• Smaller firms take on debt for AI-driven data center

  They warn that if projected AI revenues fail to materialize, the debt from these projects could exceed $1 trillion by 2028, echoing past financial bubbles in the tech sector.

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