As of Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Montana has set another record high, the third in three days, and reports 233,056 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 3,072 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since Friday: 451 new cases in Yellowstone County, 417 new cases in Missoula County, 310 new cases in Gallatin County, 287 new cases in Flathead County, 264 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 47 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 16,125. Currently, 326 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,990 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nine more people’s deaths have been reported since Friday. Nationwide, more than 871,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 72,200,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will retire, leaving a vacancy for President Biden to appoint a new justice. Breyer has served more than 27 years on the court and at 83, is the court’s oldest member.

President Joe Biden will nominate Anaconda native Jesse Laslovich to be U.S. Attorney for Montana. Laslovich, who is currently regional vice president for SCL Health Montana-Wyoming, has spent most of his adult life in public service.

A Helena judge on Tuesday said supporters of an Montana citizen ballot initiative aimed at capping property taxes can start gathering signatures again. The order from Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Christopher Abbott reverses a previous decision from Judge Michael McMahon blocking signature gathering for Constitutional Initiative 121.