The Nowata County Commissioners accepted a $5,000 donation from the Cherokee Nation. The donation was on behalf of Nowata County Emergency management. Director Laurie Summers says this donation is twice the amount of their previous year’s operating budget.

Summers says NCEM must hit certain benchmarks before it can qualify for Emergency Management Performance Grants from the state. She says it’s a goal to build an emergency operations center for the county, but for now the funds could help improve communications.  The funds will be allocated to the emergency management donations account. There was also an identical donation to Washington County Emergency Management.