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Microenterprise Networks NARFI's's Timlynn and Jim are featured in a front page story in the Havre Daily News! Tim Leeds writes about the new twist on medieval craft guilds, Richard Florida's creative class and rural entrepreneurism in his excellent article announcing the founding of Big Sky Chandlers, a microenterprise network being formed along the northcentral Montana Hi-Line as a 'hub' of the Chandler Guild microenterprise network.

Rural Entrepreneurism NARFI forms Rural Entrepreneurism Community of Practice and announces its applied research/mentoring project, Big Sky Chandlers, a Montana microenterprise network of soy wax candlemakers. [ Read press release ]

Rural Communities Iowa's Department of Cultural Affairs reports that small towns are positioned to thrive in the Creative Economy! And they put their program dollars behind a bold vision to support solo and family-based creative entrepreneurs and microbusiness development in rural and distressed urban communities.

Rural Communities Montana's U.S. Senator Max Baucus asked the North American Rural Futures Institute and Sohodojo about our thoughts on the problem of rural depopulation. As you might expect, we see this 'problem' in the context of the creative opportunity for local economic and community development within the evolution of the Network Society. [ Read NARFI Overview and Talking Points (PDF) ]

NARFI News Timlynn Babitsky and Jim Salmons, founders of Sohodojo, accept North American Rural Futures Institute appointments at Montana State University Northern. Timlynn and Jim join NARFI to launch the institute's education, outreach and applied research programs. These appointments strengthen the NARFI and Sohodojo applied research and education partnership.

NARFI News Montana's Senator Max Baucus and Senator Conrad Burns were instrumental in getting a $250,000 Federal education appropriation to further develop the North American Rural Futures Institute.