Carbon County officials want to educate agencies on what barriers are found in the county court system.

On Friday, April 17, the annual Human Services Priority Brunch, formerly known as the Legislative Brunch, sponsored by the Carbon County Interagency and Family Collaborative Board, will bring to light to issues the criminal justice system currently faces, as well as strategies and solutions that may help resolve some problems.The event, which is open to all county agencies; as well as the public, will be held at the Whispering Pines, Penn Forest Volunteer Fire Company 1, 1387 State Route 903, Jim Thorpe. Brunch begins at 9 a.m., and the roundtable discussion program with Carbon County Judges Roger Nanovic, Joseph Matika and Steven Serfass will start at 9:30.Pennsylvania Secretary of the Budget Randy Albright will also be a special guest speaker, and will talk about Gov. Tom Wolf's current budget announcement and what it means for counties.Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said the goal of the brunch is to bring attention to problems faced on the county justice levels.Many of the court cases, the groups noted, focus on drugs, alcohol, mental health or behavioral health issues.The brunch committee strongly encourages agencies and the public to attend to educate themselves and help with finding solutions. The cost for the brunch is $15, which will benefit an annual grant given by the IFCB at the brunch to one agency that works to benefit the community.To register for the brunch, make checks payable to Interagency Council of Carbon County and send it to Carbon County Interagency and Family Collaborative Board c/o Mindy Graver, Penn State Extension Office, 529 Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229-0060 or PO Box 284, Lehighton, PA 18235. Deadline for registration is March 27.For more information, contact Graver at 570-325-2788 ext. 2 or email

mjg26@psu.edu.