As of Thursday, February 24, 2022, Montana reports 265,177 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 617 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 188 new cases in Cascade County, 185 new cases in Flathead County, 41 new cases in Gallatin County, 30 new cases in Missoula County, and more new cases in 34 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 2,402. Of Montana’s 56 counties, 53 report active cases. Currently, 142 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 3,162 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Eight more people’s deaths have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 941,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 78,700,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Under a court order, Republican Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, Montana’s top election official, submitted to a panel of federal judges a map correcting the unconstitutional imbalance of the Montana’s five Public Service Commission districts. It’s been nearly 20 years since the Montana Legislature brought the populations of the five Public Service Commission districts into balance, during which time the disparity between the most- and least-populated districts grew to 53,000 people. The court-ordered map brings the least populated district within 5.5% of the ideal population, which is a tighter population deviation than the 10% found acceptable in previous cases by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Despite a recent interpretation of Montana state law that aerial hunting of wolves is not prohibited, federal law says shooting wolves from the air is prohibited. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks argued in state District Court recently that state law does not prohibit aerial hunting of wolves. But the federal Airborne Hunting Act of 1972 “prohibits shooting or attempting to shoot or harassing any bird, fish or other animal from aircraft except for certain specified reasons, including protection of wildlife, livestock and human life as authorized by a federal or state-issued license or permit.”