MATR Newsletter – October 5, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

Senator Jon Tester Continues Push to Bring Rural Tech Hub to Montana During Senate Hearing with Secretary of Commerce

Bozeman development board recommends limiting future Airbnb permits

Montana’s Tech Hub Effort

• Senator Jon Tester Continues Push to Bring Rural Tech Hub to Montana During Senate Hearing with Secretary of Commerce

  I have faith in this country, and I have faith in our ability to emerge from a time when we’ve outsourced our jobs to a time when we can bring the jobs back here again”;

  “I am blown away by the effort that Montanans have put forth on this opportunity”

Come Home Montana

• 10 new Montana nonprofit jobs including Executive Director Clark Fork Coalition

  Montana Nonprofit Association’s mission is to provide leadership for Montana’s nonprofit sector and partner with charitable nonprofits to promote a sustainable, networked, and influential sector.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• Severe Crash Is Coming for US Office Properties, Investors Say

  About two-thirds of the 919 respondents surveyed by Bloomberg believe that the US office market will only rebound after a severe collapse. An even greater majority says that US commercial real estate prices won’t hit bottom until the second half of 2024 or later.

• COVID in Missoula wastewater rising ‘exponentially’

  Cindy Farr, the health promotion division director at Missoula Public Health, says the amount of COVID detected in the wastewater is increasing “exponentially,” now at about three times what was seen in April.

• Can Missoula solve homelessness? Communities across the country suggest paths forward

  “People were very angry at first,” she recalled. “Communities need to feel you’re providing a service. We all have a role to play in ending homelessness.”

• State Economic Development Agencies Adapt to Cleaner Energy

  It’s not just car manufacturing heavyweights like Michigan and other parts of the upper Midwest, but Southern states as well, which have spent several decades developing a strategy to grow auto manufacturing and its supply chain.

• Technology will lead to a 3.5-day workweek, banking exec says

  Live to 100, don’t get cancer, work three-and-a-half days a week — that’s the life Jamie Dimon is predicting for the next generation.

Big Sky Commerce

• Big Sky Commerce offers superior solutions for businesses using in-store, online, and mobile processing.

  Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a growing business, we have a solution that’s right for you. We offer competitive rates and fees, and our team is always available to help you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• GFDA – Upcoming Trainings: Indian Equity Fund Grant training, Boots to Business, MMEC Trainings, and more!

  Whether you’re just getting started, looking for new customers, wanting to grow sales through e-commerce, or focusing on workforce.
  We’re here to help.

Montana World Trade Center

• Navigating Regulated Exports & Strategies – 11/9 – Bozeman

  Take a deep dive with Montana World Trade Center TechEx Team member Sarah Massie about the dos and don’ts of export licensing and compliance.

Montana Business

• The number one reason so many startups fail, according to entrepreneurs from Harvard Business School

  For their new book, Catalina Daniels and James Sherman interviewed 18 entrepreneurs who graduated from Harvard Business School.

• Bozeman development board recommends limiting future Airbnb permits

  The board’s recommendation came as they were considering a proposed ordinance that, as written, would ban all type three short-term rentals, which are units not occupied by an owner. Those types of short-term rentals — which are units advertised on websites like Airbnb or VRBO — account for a quarter of the 306 registered short-term rentals in the city.

• Grizzly disposal accuses Republic Services of ‘monopolization, predatory pricing’

  The July 31 complaint claims Republic Services reduced its rates. The letter says Republic dropped its standard quarterly rates from $120 to $65 for the popular 95-gallon garbage cart. This is compared to Grizzly Disposal’s $95 quarterly rate, the complaint says.

• Montana Rural Explorer – October 2023

  Welcome to the MONTANA RURAL EXPLORER, USDA Rural Development in Montana’s monthly newsletter with information about our business, community facilities, energy, electric, housing, telecommunication, and water and environmental programs. Thanks for checking us out. Let us know how we can serve you better.

Montana Businesses Seeking Investment or For Sale

• While Your Business May Be Valuable, Is It Sellable? Tuesday, October 24, 1-2PM Location: MWED Conference Room, 44 2nd Ave W, Kalispell

  There’s one question you need to ask before making the decision: Is my business sellable?

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

• Montana appeals landmark climate change ruling in case brought by young advocates

  A coalition of youth climate activists sued the state over a 2023 statute that exempted fossil fuel permitting from consideration of greenhouse gas output. Plaintiffs argued — and Seeley agreed — this violated their right under the Montana constitution to a “clean and healthful environment.”

Housing

• The Apartment Market Is Hitting a Construction Lull

  The number of new apartments starting development has fallen dramatically this year, a consequence of higher interest rates, declining rents and what in some places looks like overbuilding.

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

• Students Across the U.S. Launch Green New Deal for Schools – What is your school doing?

  “The Green New Deal for Schools will transform public schools in America to face the climate crisis and ensure all students receive safe and high-quality education – no matter their zip code or the color of their skin,” said 17-year-old Adah Crandall, one of the heads of the campaign, as reported by The Hill. “Our generation is on the front lines of this fight and it’s time for our school districts to take real action.”

• President’s Lecture Series Brings Slate of Experts to Speak at UM

  The President’s Lecture Series invites experts across a variety of fields to UM to discuss ideas and issues that animate public conversation. Each lecture is free and open to the community.

2023 Montana Legislature and Politics

• About 3/4 of eligible homeowners apply for Montana property tax rebates

  The Montana Department of Revenue said it had received 226,600 rebate applications. It previously estimated 292,200 households were eligible.

Government News & Events

• The 15-Minute City Conspiracy Theory Goes Mainstream

  The fringe idea that cities built for biking and walking are part of a government plot has been picked up by … the UK government.

Energy and Climate Change

• French restaurants add €5 to bill if you do not eat all your meal

  The move aims to raise awareness of the rising cost of food – and the growing issue of food waste

TED and TEDX Talks

• The truth about human population decline

  Before you panic about the end of life as we know it, political demographer Jennifer D. Sciubba has a thoughtful playbook for managing the new normal – including ideas on the future of work and migration – and a reminder that a resilient future relies on present-day action.

Privacy, Hacking and Virus Alerts

• Russian cyber-attack compromised Great Falls Clinic Hospital patients’ confidential info

  Hundreds of patients of the Great Falls Clinic Hospital may have had their personal information stolen by Russian cyber-criminals during an attack on companies, corporations and government agencies that occurred last May.

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