As of Thursday, October 14, 2021, Montana reports 163,527 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,300 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 220 new cases in Yellowstone County, 159 new cases in Gallatin County, 124 new cases in Missoula County, 114 new cases in Lake County, 109 new cases in Flathead County, 104 new cases in Cascade County, and more new cases in 35 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 12,602. Every one of Montana’s 56 counties reports active cases. Currently, 479 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,121 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Twelve more people have died of COVID-19 in Montana since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 720,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 44,700,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Montana broke its own record for the most people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, with more Montanans hospitalized with coronavirus infection than at any point previously in the pandemic. There were 510 Montanans hospitalized Wednesday, topping the previous high of 506 last November, before a vaccine was available.

The Blackfeet Indian Tribe’s Chief, Earl Old Person, has died at 92 after a long battle with cancer. Old Person was elected to the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council in 1952 and served for over 60 years while serving as chair for more than 50 years.

September was yet another record-setting month for Yellowstone National Park visitation, with almost 873,000 visits, a 4% increase from last September and a 26% jump from September 2019. This is first time the park has hosted more than 4 million visitors at such an early date in the year.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters has blocked the state of Montana from overriding portions of the private contract governing Colstrip Power Plant. Watters issued an order Wednesday stopping a new Montana law empowering the state attorney general to order power plant repairs and imposing fines of $100,000 a day against noncompliant Colstrip owners. The judge said the law is likely unconstitutional, which she will rule on at a later date.