As of Friday, June 25, 2021, Montana reported 113,529 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 58 new cases reported in the last day: 12 new cases in Yellowstone County, 10 new cases in Cascade County, 5 new cases in Gallatin County, and more new cases in 15 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 461. Currently, 55 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Cascade, Flathead, and Missoula Counties. 1,662 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Five more deaths have been reported in the last two days. Nationwide, more than 603,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 33,600,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Nearly the entire states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho were under excessive heat watches and warnings on Friday as 22 million people are forecast to be threatened by extreme heat. Highs will be 15-20 degrees above average Friday but will soar to 25-35 degrees above average over the weekend and into early next week.

The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that hundreds of millions of dollars in coronavirus relief money tied up in court should benefit Alaska Natives rather than be spread more broadly among Native American tribes around the U.S. The justices ruled 6-3 in the case that the massive pandemic relief package of a total $2.2 trillion had earmarked $8 billion for “Tribal governments” to cover expenses related to the pandemic. The question for the court was whether Alaska Native corporations, which are for-profit companies that provide benefits and social services to more than 100,000 Alaska Natives, count as “Indian tribes.” The high court found that they are.

Gallatin County Commissioners voted to increase their own pay and the pay for other elected officials with an increase of 7%, a bump in base pay for most elected officials to $79,599 a year.

Less than a month into what officials call the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer,” at least 100 people have now died on Montana’s roads this year, in data from the Montana Highway Patrol. The 100 Deadliest Days of Summer mark the most dangerous time for traffic fatalities between Memorial Day at the end of May through the summer months to Labor Day at the start of September.