As of Wednesday, March 9, 2022, Montana reports 271,464 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 137 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 26 new cases in Gallatin County, 24 new cases in Cascade County, 16 new cases in Missoula County, 14 new cases in Yellowstone County, and more new cases in 23 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 956. Currently, 79 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 3,211 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 961,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 79,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Martha Williams, the former director of Montana’s state wildlife agency, was formally sworn in Tuesday as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Williams had served as principal deputy director for more than a year when she was nominated last year to the service’s top post by President Joe Biden.

The Gallatin County Commission unanimously approved adding a pair of ballot questions to ask voters to increase the sales taxes on both medical and recreational marijuana by 3%. Voters will decide on adding the local-option tax to marijuana sales on the primary ballot June 7. Should either pass, the
taxes would become effective on Oct. 1.

Yellowstone National Park staff reported the park’s first grizzly bear sighting of 2022. A pilot doing wildlife research in the park saw the grizzly bear from the air on Monday. The adult bear was seen walking in a meadow in the west-central part of the park.