As of Saturday, May 1, 2021, Montana reports 108,985 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 156 new cases reported in the last day: 37 in Gallatin County, 24 in Cascade County, 24 in Yellowstone County, 21 in Flathead County, 17 in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 17 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,087. Currently, 53 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Gallatin, Yellowstone, Flathead, and Cascade Counties. 1,574 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Three more deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 576,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 32,400,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

A bill in the Montana legislature allowing hunting black bears with hounds has been signed into law. House Bill 468 from Rep. Paul Fielder, Republican, Thompson Falls, opens a spring black bear hound hunting season followed by a training season until June 15.

In the Montana Legislature in the last days of the regular session this past week, Republicans passed an attempt to steer redistricting. House Bill 506, which previously tweaked laws about when newly eligible voters can receive ballots, received a major addition in a free conference committee Tuesday, with Republican lawmakers adding language specifying how the state’s independent redistricting commission goes about dividing the state into two districts for U.S. House elections starting in 2022.

Also in the last days of the regular Montana legislative session, Republicans passed a law giving outfitter clients a leg up in non-resident hunting license lotteries. House Bill 637 was initially presented as a clean-up bill addressing minor Fish, Wildlife and Parks rules like how the agency handles abandoned vehicles and manages the hunter apprentice program. By the time it passed the Legislature Wednesday, however, Republicans had repurposed it as a home for a set of controversial provisions benefiting commercial outfitters.