As of Monday, January 31, 2022. Montana reports 242,180 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 3,426 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since Friday: 623 new cases in Cascade County, 500 new cases in Missoula County, 496 new cases in Yellowstone County, 422 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 50 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 18,607. All 56 of Montana’s counties report active cases. Currently, 310 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 3,000 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Seven more people’s deaths have been reported since Friday. Nationwide, more than 883,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 74,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The Korean car maker Kia is recalling more than 410,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix a problem that can stop air bags from inflating in a crash. The recall covers certain Kia Forte small cars from the 2017 and 2018 model years, as well as Kia Sedona minivans and Kia Soul small SUVs from 2017 through 2019. The electric Soul also is included.

The copper mugs traditionally used to serve Moscow Mules may deliver too much copper. Carroll College students and faculty in Helena, Montana, conducted research and published in a national journal their findings in the January/February edition of Environmental Health magazine.

Wildlife officials voted on Friday to suspend wolf hunting and trapping for the season in southwest Montana’s Region 3 once the threshold is reached of 82 wolves killed. This winter season, 78 wolves have been trapped or shot in the region. At a meeting on Friday, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to shut down wolf hunting and trapping in Region 3 once four more wolves are killed there.