As of Thursday, October 21, 2021, Montana reports 169,489 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 979 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 151 new cases in Cascade County, 114 new cases in Gallatin County, 93 new cases in Missoula County, 70 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, 67 new cases in Flathead County, and more new cases in 44 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 10,973. Every one of Montana’s 56 counties reports active cases. Currently, 434 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,239 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Fourteen more people have died of COVID-19 in Montana since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 732,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 45,200,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

A salmonella outbreak in onions from Mexico has sickened more than 650 people across the U.S. The CDC said fresh, whole red, white and yellow onions imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, are subject to the alert. ProSource Inc. distributed them to grocery stores and restaurants throughout the U.S.

A federal judge has ruled that the Atlantic Richfield Co., also known as Arco, is partially responsible for millions of dollars in cleanup costs at the former Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant that it sold more than 35 years ago. Arco owned the aluminum smelting plant just north of Columbia Falls from 1978 to 1985 before selling it for $1. The sale took into account $7 million in expected shutdown costs and absolved Arco of any liability after 1990.