MATR Newsletter – September 22, 2023
The state with the best education wins!

Best Internet Providers in Montana – What has been your experience? Add your comments below.

Montana has no great reputation for fast, reliable and affordable internet. Ookla’s Speedtest data ranks it way down in 49th place among the states (and Washington DC), with only Wyoming and Alaska coming in behind Montana. However, most city dwellers can still access decent broadband speeds.

MATR is heading for the hills for a short while. We’ll be back soon.

Today’s MATR Newsletter is sponsored by:

Come Home Montana

MATR is heading for the hills for a short while. We’ll be back soon.
This Montana college town ranks No. 1 as the most fun city for young people—what it’s like to live there
Tucked away in western Montana is America’s most fun city for young adults. At least, that’s according to an analysis from SmartAsset, the personal finance website, which crunched U.S. Census and MIT data to find the top metro areas for the class of 2023.

Next Generation Broadband in Montana

Best Internet Providers in Montana – What has been your experience? Add your comments below.

Bear Paw Development

Bear Paw Development Corporation has Loans for New Businesses.
Bear Paw Development Corporation announced they currently have loan funds available for business owners and entrepreneurs in northern Montana interested in starting a new business or expanding an existing enterprise.

MEDA -Montana Economic Developers Association

City officials: Property taxes at “breaking point” under Montana state system
With limited time to make such points and a new tax calculator that breaks down the statewide shift in taxes away from corporations and industry to homeowners, members of the City Council this week continued to voice the frustration of homeowners facing a sharp increase in property taxes.

Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative

Montana Bioscience Cluster Survey & Upcoming Events
The Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative (comprised of the following partners: Montana Bioscience Alliance, Montana World Trade Center, Montana Technology Enterprise Center, the University of Montana, Missoula Economic Partnership, and Swan Valley Medical) is the regional SBA RIC cluster for bioscience in Montana.

Montana Business

How artificial intelligence plus local expertise can promote ‘good fire’ in Montana
An emerging risk-based framework called PODs aims to improve firefighter safety, support fire-adapted communities, and get more of the right fire in the right place at the right time. Will it take hold in Montana?

Housing

Home sales plunge 21 percent over year, new housing data shows
That’s on top of an 18 percent annual decline the year before, indicating the housing market has continued to slow down amid rising interest rates. Meanwhile, prices continued to rise, with the median sales price climbing 3.9 percent from a year ago to reach $407,100.

Funding and Building your Business

While at Google Campus, I Was Taught a Crucial Lesson That Many Learn the Hard Way – Startup success boils down to avoiding three common mistakes.
It wasn’t that you needed an incredibly disruptive idea, a massive amount of capital, a big network, or a fancy degree to build a successful startup. Sure, all of these would help, but there was something else founders needed.

Idaho News & Events

LAUNCH grants open next month in Idaho
The grant provides high school seniors a one-time opportunity to have 80% of their tuition paid for — up to $8,000. Students must enroll in apprenticeships, job training, community college, and university programs that lead to “in-demand” careers.

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

Scientists Just Found a Way to Help Your Brain Work Like It’s 30 Years Younger – Use It Or Lose It…
New research suggests a simple way just about all of us can turn back the clock on our brains.

Government News & Events

‘The juice is worth the squeeze’: Mansfield Center lecturer hopes to wring out depolarization in the U.S.
“Our current predicament should serve as a stark reminder that constitutional democracy does not run on autopilot. Maintaining healthy democracy requires constant work,” Robert Saldin, director of the Mansfield Center’s Ethics and Public Affairs Program and professor of political science at UM said. “The juice is worth the squeeze.”

City Club Missoula

City Club Missoula – Missoula’s Mayoral Debate Tuesday, October 10, 2023 – Doubletree
Join City Club Missoula on a SPECIAL 2-hour Tuesday, October 10 for a town hall-style forum featuring Missoula mayoral candidates Mike Nugent and Andrea Davis.
Laurel Staples, NBC Montana achor, will moderate the forum which will feature candidate remarks, Table Talk, and audience questions.