OTTAWA — Ottawa city commissioners decided Wednesday to increase their contribution to tornado-stricken Reading from $3,000 to $5,000. Commissioner Blake Jorgensen successfully urged other commissioners to be more generous. Because most of the houses in Reading are insured, the small city on the west end of the Melvern Lake doesn‘t qualify for most emergency aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said. Ottawa has often received help from neighboring cities during times of emergency and Jorgensen said he‘d like the city to return the favor by helping Reading as much as possible. The city and Franklin County have dispatched police officers and others to lend a hand to Reading, he said.
Thursday, June 16, 11 p.m.
