Calls to be taken on weekends

The board discussed holding prisoners here for federal authorities.
MERCER, Pa. -- Those who phone the Mercer County Jail on weekends will now get through to a live person, Warden Jeffrey Gill told the Mercer County Prison Board.
Gill said Monday that formerly callers were routed through the same voice-mail box that is used during the week.
There was an option on that system which eventually would direct a caller to a live person.
But he said many complaints were received about the difficulty of getting through to someone in case of an emergency. The new weekend answering options route the caller directly to a someone at the jail, Gill added.
Also, Sgt. Mark Schau of the Pennsylvania State Police told the board that troopers often pick up large groups of illegal immigrants and have to transport them to the Lawrence County Jail.
The prison board interviewed Schau as part of its effort to get authorization to hold illegal immigrants here for federal officials.
What changed
District Attorney James Epstein, board president, reported that new rules instituted by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court require anyone picked up on bench warrants to be brought before a judge within 72 hours. If the deadline is missed, they must be freed.
Formerly, they could be brought before a judge as soon as reasonably possible. Epstein said that to comply with the new rules, review hearings have been set three times a week so bonds can be set for such arrestees.
Epstein also thanked the Friends of the Shenango Valley Community Library for donating 16 boxes of books to the jail. New or used books are being sought for inmate use.