As of Thursday, June 3, 2021, Montana reports 112,002 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 168 new cases reported in the last day: 24 new cases in Cascade County, 18 new cases in Yellowstone County, 14 new cases in Ravalli County, 13 new cases in Flathead County, 11 new cases in Big Horn County, and more new cases in 18 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 685. Currently, 59 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Cascade, Yellowstone, and Flathead Counties. 1,627 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Fourteen more deaths have been reported in the last two days. Nationwide, more than 595,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 33,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Federal regulators have approved a natural gas pipeline in western North Dakota, a move state officials believe will help curb the wasteful flaring of excess gas and increase state tax revenues by millions of dollars annually by allowing more oil drilling in the area. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission officials this week approved the permit for Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline’s North Bakken Expansion project.

A logging project just north of the Bridger Bowl Ski Area is starting this week, beginning with road work. Road maintenance, temporary road construction and logging operations for the North Bridgers Forest Health Project are scheduled to begin soon, the Custer Gallatin National Forest’s Bozeman Ranger District said.

West Yellowstone smokejumper and wildland firefighter Tim Hart has died from injuries sustained on May 24 while fighting a fire in New Mexico. Hart worked for the Bureau of Land Management on the Ruby Mountain Hotshot Crew.

Two Montanans died over Memorial Day weekend in separate car wrecks that put three others in the hospital. Two more deaths this week brought the number of fatal crashes on Montana’s roads this year to 86.