As of Monday, January 18, 2021, Montana reports 89,576 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 178 new cases reported in the last day: 49 in Flathead County, 28 in Gallatin County, 18 in Lewis & Clark County, 13 in Missoula County, 11 in Powell County, and more new cases in 17 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 4,956. Statewide, 3,974 people have been hospitalized. Currently, 169 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Gallatin, Lewis & Clark, Flathead, and Cascade Counties. 1,093 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Five more deaths have been reported in the last two days. Nationwide, more than 399,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 24,100,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Washington state has tapped Starbucks for help on the state’s COVID vaccine rollout. The coffee giant has committed a team to work full time on expediting its home state’s vaccine distribution. Aiming to boost the slow pace of administering COVID-19 vaccines, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state has turned to Starbucks for help streamlining logistics and setting a new goal to dole out 45,000 doses a day.

A Texas man who stormed the US Capitol last week is accused of threatening to shoot his children if they turned him in. Court documents recounted the man’s telling his children that he would consider them “traitors” if they contacted authorities. Guy Reffitt, was charged with obstruction of justice and knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority. In an affidavit, an FBI agent described Reffitt as an apparent militia member who traveled from suburban Dallas to Washington with a Smith & Wesson pistol to help “protect his country.”

Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. The special will be broadcast live on major networks beginning at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Jan. 20. It will also be streamed live on several web sites. The inauguration will look different from other presidential inaugurations because of last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Security will be extremely tight around the area. The event was already going to be pared down because of COVID-19; Biden had asked supporters to say home and watch from afar. In keeping with crowd size restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, traditional activities like the parade and the inaugural balls will be virtual.

A California man who told police that the coronavirus pandemic left him afraid to fly has been arrested on charges that he hid in a secured area at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for three months. Aditya Singh, 36, is charged with felony criminal trespass to a restricted area of an airport and misdemeanor theft after he was arrested Saturday. At a court hearing on Sunday, a judge ruled that the Orange, California, man could be released if he paid $1,000, but said that Singh was prohibited from setting foot in the airport. Singh was “scared to go home due to Covid,” Hagerty said, and told authorities that he’d found the badge and that other passengers at the airport had given him food. Before she granted Singh bail, Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz was clearly troubled that someone could remain in a secured area for so long at the airport without anyone noticing.