Montana
Texas man from Montana says community coming together during flood recovery and search
A former Montana couple is back in the flood damaged community of Kerville, Texas.
The Johnsons had been visiting relatives in Montana, where they lived for about 40 years, when the floods came through that area.
“There’s trees, debris. I have not seen any vehicles or anything yet,” John Johnson said about the devastation. “I’ve seen mattresses, tents. We have a concert on the river. The concert platform was on G Street, about a half mile down.”
Watch story about Kerville recovery and search here:
Kerville, Texas man from Montana says community coming together during flood recovery and search
Johnson and his wife have lived in Kerville for six years.
He willingly spoke with MTN News but wants the attention to be on the recovery and the efforts of the search crews.
“There’s over 2,000 first responders down here,” Johnson said. “Plus local people, local fire departments and all the different communities and stuff have been mobilized. My understanding is most of these guys have been going since the 4th, trying to help and find bodies and everything else. The community has stepped up big time.”
Many have put up crosses and flowers as memorials to the people lost in the flood.
And Gov. Greg Abbott has also seen those memorials.
“Governor Abbott did a really good job getting people down,” Johnson said. “Everybody I talked to said the state of Texas mobilized immediately. As soon as he found out, the helicopters are down here immediately.”
The governor and his wife visited Kerrville with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Friday.
“The first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation,” said the president.
“As we rebuild, we must also comfort the families of those who have suffered a loss,” Abbott said in a news release.
Johnson has helped at the Catholic Church and worked with a tree cutter in nearby Hunt and Ingram, but the roads are too jammed for him to get to Camp Mystic, which is about 19 miles from Kerrville.
The search has been long and meticulous.
“It’s going take months,” Johnson said. “It’s going to take a long time.”
“Our nation, we mourn for every single life that was swept away in the flood, and we pray for the families that are left behind,” said Trump. “It’s amazing the, the incredible spirit from those families.”
Governor’s Office
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana ranks in the top ten states with the highest year-over-year job growth rates.
“Montana continues to rank as one of the best states to start or grow a business, earn a competitive wage, and secure a good-paying job,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As we continue to reform our regulatory environment to support job creators and cut taxes to give money back to the hardworking Montanans who earned it, we see the results of conservative policies at work as the Treasure State ranks in the top ten states with the strongest job growth.”
According to a report by Stat Ranker, which compared all 50 states based on year-over-year growth in total nonfarm payroll employment between February 2025 and February 2026, Montana ranked ninth in the nation for both jobs added and overall job growth adding more than 2,100 jobs over the year, representing a 0.4 percent job growth rate.
Last week, the governor attended the groundbreaking for Janicki Industries in Great Falls to celebrate the aerospace manufacturers’ investment expected to create more than 2,000 jobs over the next ten years and the ribbon cutting for Amazon’s sixth delivery station in Montana that brings the company’s total employment in the state to over 800.
Last month, the governor announced Montana was ranked in the top five states with the fastest-growing economies since 2021. The report from Visual Capitalist found that between 2021 and 2025, Montana’s GDP grew 16.1 percent while the national average in the same time period was 10.8 percent. When it comes to wage growth, Montana ranks third in the nation for fastest wage growth and is only one of two states in the nation where wage growth has outpaced inflation since 2020. The average wage earned by Montana workers reached $60,037 in 2024.
Earlier this year, Gov. Gianforte also announced Montana’s fiscal health surged into the top ten states nationally under his leadership, rising from 22nd in 2021 to 8th in 2025. Since taking office, the governor has paid off the state’s general obligation debt, making Montana debt-free in 2023 and saving Montanans $40 million over a period of two years.
Montana also consistently ranks in the top fifteen states with the lowest unemployment rates. Last month, the governor announced Montana’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4 percent in May, lower than the national unemployment rate which remained at 4.3 percent.
The full Stat Ranker report can be read here.
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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 14, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 14 drawing
02-04-10-48-56, Mega Ball: 22
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 14 drawing
15-20-26-27, Bonus: 02
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 14 drawing
12-13-15-16-41, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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