The creators of “Olli,” an autonomous bus, have submitted a bid to the Minnesota Department of Transportation to test in Minnesota, according to a story in the StarTribune.
According to the story, self-driving cars are creeping into discussions about the future of transportation in the Twin Cities. Researchers say the technology could be required in new cars by 2030.
This technology could lead to parking ramps becoming repurposed for office or living space, roads can be narrower because driverless cars can follow more closely and people with disabilities could have more independence, according to the story.
The self-driving bus will be tested later this year on snowy Minnesota roads and possibly during Super Bowl festivities in February.
Iowa City teachers go back to school
Junior high and high school math and science teachers are asking for more training to boost computer science lessons, according to a story this week in the Iowa City Press Citizen.
According to the story, a new Iowa law that took effect July 1 encourages teachers to increase computer science lessons in elementary, middle and high schools and comes with a professional development fund to help prepare teachers. The fund will launch in July of 2018.
A computer science professional development workshop was held last week—part of a Google Computer Science for High School initiative—gave 18 teachers a chance to prepare for a pilot project starting this fall that will incorporate computer science lessons into existing junior high math and science curriculum.
Teachers will meet monthly to discuss their progress, according to the story.
Chicago named top startup city
Chicago, Ill. was named the top startup city in the Midwest on Tuesday by crunchbase.
Minneapolis, Minn; Detroit, Mich; St. Louis, Mo. and Cincinnati, Ohio rounded out the top five; Des Moines was the only Iowa city to be in the top 15.
To see the complete list and grading rubric can be found here.
What else happened…
Colorado
Bitcoin teller machines in Boulder led customers jump into the market – The Denver Post
Marijuana legalization fuels black market in other states – USA Today
Popular Colorado company sold Texas engineering giant – The Denver Post
Illinois
Library toys teach coding, without a computer – Chicago Tribune
Cook County residents not happy with soda tax – Chicago Sun Times
Iowa
Why drones are becoming important to Iowa farmers – The Des Moines Register
Iowans gear up for tax-free weekend – The Des Moines Register
Missouri
Pretzel makers to open third store – St. Louis Post Dispatch
Rack performance beefs up with seed investment – Startlandnews.com
LaunchCode instructor appeals to inspiring techies – Startlandnews.com
Lambert endorses $3 pickup/dropoff fees – St. Louis Post Dispatch
Minnesota
Target steps up its game for the college crowd – StarTribune
Branch Messenger Inc—a Minneapolis-based—employee self-service platform for hourly workforces, raised more than $10 million in funding. March Capital Partners led the round and was joined by investors including CrossCut Ventures, and Techstars Ventures, Matchstick Ventures.
Wisconsin
Foxconn’s Wisconsin payroll could reach $800 million annually – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Farmers provide food for the state fair – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel