Seats are still available for the annual HumanServices Priority Brunch in Jim Thorpe on April 17.

This week, Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said county agencies that would like to participate in the brunch, which will feature two presentations on drug and alcohol and mental health services in the county and prison system, as well as a roundtable discussion with the three county judges, can still do so until Friday.The event is sponsored by the Carbon County Interagency and Family Collaborative Board and will bring to light issues the criminal justice system currently faces, as well as strategies and solutions that may help resolve some problems.It will be held at the Whispering Pines, Penn Forest Volunteer Fire Company 1, 1387 Route 903, Jim Thorpe. Brunch begins at 9 a.m., and the program will start at 9:30.Cost for the brunch is $15, which helps offset the cost of the meal, as well as provides funding for the $500 grant that is given to one agency chosen by an outside panel of judges.Nothstein stressed that the judges will be there to answer questions regarding the issues they face in the court system and possible solutions, but will not answer questions about any current or recent cases they were involved in.Sponsorship opportunities are also still available, he said.For more information on becoming a sponsor or to sign up for the brunch, contact Mindy Graver at 570-325-2788, ext. 2, or email

mjg26@psu.edu.Checks should be made payable to Interagency Council of Carbon County and sent 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 P.O. Box 284, Lehighton, PA 18235.In other matters, the commissioners received notification from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare that $57,855 will be reallocated and will be used to support startup costs for the Community/ Hospital Integration Projects Program, which helps people discharged from Clarks Summit or Wernersville state hospitals during fiscal year 2013-2014.Commissioner William O'Gurek said Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health/ Developmental Services is starting the program to help integrate these people back into the general population and help them become more independent and able to live a normal life.