“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

— Hunter S. Thompson

Come Home Montana

• Winterland Impact Festival Thu, Sep 26 – 29 – Whitefish, Montana with Donald Glover, Jason Momoa and Rosario Dawson

  4 Days. 36 Films. 5 Bands. 17 Speakers. 6 Venues. A Story Village. 5 Immersive Experiences.

• On the market: 4 downtown commercial properties are for sale in Livingston, Montana

  The buyer for any of these four iconic local properties will change the face of Livingston’s downtown.

• Up-and-coming director proving Montana’s film industry offers more than westerns

  “This project employs a wide range of people. It trickles down into our local businesses,” says Tessla Hastings. Tessla said, “It’s really to create this opportunity in Montana. So that we can stay here, we don’t have to export. We don’t have to go to LA or New York.”

• 2024 Western Montana Career Fair – 9/17 – Missoula

  Please join us for the 2024 Western Montana Career Fair where you can expect to find over 100 employers, training providers, and Veteran Service Providers from Missoula and surrounding areas. Show up dressed to impress and bring your resume. Many employers will be interviewing on the spot.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

• 16 Rural Electric Cooperatives including those in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota will Leverage $7.3 Billion in Federal Funding to Deliver More Affordable, Reliable Electricity to Their Members

  The majority of new electricity sources that will be funded are solar and wind power. These projects will decrease the cost to generate electricity for rural America, increase the resiliency for communities without sacrificing reliability, and lay the foundation for even more ambitious investments to come:

• Planning Your Planning Degree

  In the Northern Hemisphere, many students are starting urban planning degree programs. How can students position themselves for a productive and meaningful education in planning.

• Here’s Exactly What You Should Include in Your VC Pitch Deck, According to Data

  An analysis of 210 pre-seed company pitch decks found startups that included these slides got more funding.

• PNWER ECONOMIC LEADERSHIP FORUM November 12 – 14, 2024 | Anchorage, AK

  The Economic Leadership Forum provides an opportunity for local, provincial, and state leaders in both the public and private sectors to carry out in-depth discussions on key subjects affecting our regional economy. This year’s event will be coordinated in partnership with the Alaska Resources Conference.

Northwestern Energy

• As Northwest homes and businesses get more energy efficient, that’s helping the power grid, report finds. Interested in Installing Renewable Energy?

  Energy efficient upgrades are playing a critical role in keeping the Northwest’s power grid balanced, according to an analysis by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

• Nuclear Energy Takes Center Stage

  According to the Department of Energy (DOE), nearly one-third of existing U.S. coal plants are scheduled to shut down by 2035, as has been mandated by the federal government. At the same time demand for electricity is rising faster than at any time in “the past five or more years.”

• How NorthWestern Energy helps fuel recreation projects along Montana rivers

  NorthWestern Energy’s impact on recreation in the Missouri and Madison river corridors across Montana is undeniable, with contributions to projects ranging from Memorial Island to the River’s Edge Trail, the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, and various boat ramps.

Flathead Valley Community College

• FVCC to host “Night of the Trades” to introduce students to career opportunities – 10/3

  Sessions topics include plumbing, surveying, welding, fabrication, heavy equipment operator, commercial driver’s license, advanced manufacturing: mills, lathes and CNC, HVAC and refrigeration, culinary arts, construction/building trades, electrical, and firearms technologies.

Great Falls Development Alliance

• BHE Montana breaks ground on Glacier Battery System. Will bring in around 70 contracted workers to Cut Bank and the surrounding communities.

  While Montana is one of the windiest states, it ranks only 21st in the nation for wind energy production

• GFDA Top Ten for 9-15-24

  4) NeighborWorks Great Falls and Great Falls Public Schools held the groundbreaking event for the 47th High School House in Great Falls. There are 30 student builders in the class this year. The home will be finished in spring of 2025.

Montana’s Headwaters Tech Hub

• Innovative work of the Headwaters Tech Hub and opportunities across Montana – 10/1 – Online

  On the call participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the Headwaters Tech Hub and beyond from inspiring guest speakers

Montana Business

• The Man Who Saved the Internet with a Sunflower, the Untold Story of Visionary American Entrepreneur Rob Ryan Takes Home Competition Features Audience Award at Dances With Films 2024

  The first in a planned trilogy, the captivating dramedy explores the future of technology and humanity, delving into the untold story of Ryan, an innovative engineer and mentor whose Sunflower Code, a decision-making formula and tool to discover one’s true vocation, revolutionized the Internet and continues to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs.

• Lee Enterprises lays off statewide enterprise editor Rob Chaney, losing decades of experience

  “It has been a fantastic run,” Chaney said in a social media post Friday announcing the layoff. “And I have many miles to go. Hang tough.”

Housing

• How Americans Voted Their Way Into a Housing Crisis

  A new book from Jerusalem Demsas explores how local elections, community meetings and other democratic structures brought on a national shortage of affordable homes.

Funding and Building your Business

• Meet The VCs Who Just Raised $250 Million To Back Women-Led Startups

  Jenny Abramson and Heidi Patel have signed up investors such as Melinda French Gates and UBS for their third Rethink Impact fund, boosting assets under management to more than half a billion.

Non-Profit News

• Missoula’s 2nd Annual Climate Solutions Week is Sept. 28 – October 6, 2024

  Join us for a week full of positive-impact climate events hosted by us and partner organizations and businesses. For full event details, head to our calendar page.

Careers

• An Honest Recruiter Told Me Why Most Job Seekers Don’t Get Hired

  If you want a great job, you need some tough love. Here it is.

Transportation

• Uber & Waymo Expand Partnership to Bring Autonomous Ride-Hailing to Austin & Atlanta

  Technology comes about slowly, it seems, and then boom, it’s here, emerging everywhere.

• ‘Massless’ battery promises a 70% increase in EV range

  Researchers say they’ve built and tested a ‘structural battery’ that packs a device or EV’s chassis with energy, saving a ton of weight. It could unlock smartphones as thin as credit cards, laptops at half the weight and a 70% boost to EV range.

• The Car Stole Our Bliss and Killed For The First Time — And It Started 125 Years Ago Today. The Origin of “J-walking”.

  “The automobile has tasted blood,” wrote the Alton (Illinois) Evening Telegraph, pivoting to prescience: “It is now an engine of death.”

• MythBusters: Four-way stop vs. Roundabout (Video)

  The roundabout won even though the center of roundabout was too large and there were no trucks or towed vehicles and no backup of cars in the 4 way stop which is natural.  And they’re significantly safer. (Thanks to Burt for sharing)

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