Pennsylvania
Missing Pennsylvania woman may have fallen into sinkhole: authorities
The disappearance of a 64-year-old Pennsylvania woman is being investigated by state authorities, who said on Tuesday they fear she may have fallen into a sinkhole.
What Happened?
Elizabeth Pollard went missing on Monday evening after heading out to find her missing cat, Pepper, in the village of Marguerite, located about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. The family of Pollard then called police at about 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday to say she had not been seen going out.
Pennsylvania State Police soon discovered her vehicle parked near Union Restaurant with her 5-year-old granddaughter inside, unharmed but alone.
According to trooper Steve Limani, Pollard lives in a small neighborhood across the street from where her car and granddaughter were located.
However, a sinkhole had recently opened up as emergency crews worked through the frigid night, using advanced equipment to probe the manhole-sized sinkhole.
A pole camera outfitted with a sensitive listening device revealed no signs of life, though a second inspection hinted at the presence of what may be a shoe about 30 feet below the surface.
Pennsylvania State Police/AP
Authorities suspect the sinkhole, likely caused by subsidence from historic coal mining in the region, opened suddenly beneath Pollard as the opening had not been seen by hunters and restaurant workers who were in the area in the hours before Pollard’s disappearance.
“It almost feels like it opened up with her standing on top of it,” Limani said.
Rescue efforts have since been intensified, with heavy machinery brought in to excavate the area.
“We’re pretty confident we are in the right place,” John Bacha, chief of the Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company told Triblive. “We’re hoping there is still a void she could be in.”
How Did the Sinkhole Appear?
The sinkhole is believed to be linked to the long-abandoned Marguerite Mine, which operated until 1952 by the H.C. Frick Coke Company, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The Pittsburgh coal seam is about 20 feet below the surface in that area.
Police said sinkholes are not uncommon because of subsidence from coal mining activity in the area.
However, this incident highlights the lingering dangers of Pennsylvania’s coal mining legacy, with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection on-site to assess the area.
After the search concludes, experts from the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will determine if mine subsidence definitively caused the sinkhole, Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Neil Shader said.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
Pennsylvania
Shirley Ann Dailey
Shirley Ann Dailey, 89, of Daytona Beach, Florida (formerly of Montoursville, Pennsylvania), passed away peacefully on February 23, 2026, surrounded by her family at AdventHealth Hospital in Daytona Beach.
Born December 14, 1936, in Sayre, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late John and Laura (Reinbold) White. She met the love of her life, Gordon Ell Dailey whom she shared over 60 years of marriage until his passing in 2023.
Shirley grew up in Buffalo, New York, and Dushore, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Turnpike High School in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, and continued her education with two years of college. She went on to have a distinguished career spanning more than 40 years. Her professional journey included roles with the Social Security Administration, General Motors, Pennsylvania Department of General Services, and most notably, 30 years of dedicated service with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). She served as an Administrative Assistant to the District Executive for PennDOT Engineering District 3-0. Shirley took great pride in her work and spoke fondly of her time at PennDOT throughout her retirement.
In her personal life, Shirley enjoyed collecting artwork, caring for her home, taking walks, bicycling, and vacationing with her family.
Surviving is a son, David (Crista) Dailey of Daytona Beach, Fla.; a grandson, Garrett Dailey, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; sisters, Regina (Drew) Bagley of Shunk, Pa., and Deborah (Ray) Thall of Mechanicsburg, Pa. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, Shirley was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Pier, and a brother, William White.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at McCarty-Thomas Funeral Home, 733 Broad Street, Montoursville, Pennsylvania, with Pastor David Smith officiating. Burial will follow in Twin Hills Memorial Park, Muncy. Friends may call from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at mccarthythomas.com.
Pennsylvania
First-of-its-kind legislative funding approved for gambling support in Pennsylvania
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The digital-first gambling support model aims to strengthen the PA online casino industry’s overall infrastructure, including the integration of care coordination and self-help tools.
Players at Pennsylvania online casinos may soon find more responsible gaming resources thanks to a new, first-of-its kind rollout of a digital platform for gambling support known as Almond Digital Health. Approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, it represents the first legislative-led and funded program in the United States that aims to bolster the state’s overall gambling support infrastructure. If you’re in Pennsylvania, sign up for DraftKings Casino and get 1,000 Flex Spins:
Legislators take digital-first approach to responsible gambling
Another example of lawmakers looking to modernize responsible gambling resources among legal sportsbooks and PA online casinos, the program will offer anonymous, multilingual access to responsible gambling educational materials as well as self-help tools and connections to treatment services.
Officials called it the first legislative-backed, digital-first gambling support program of its kind in the nation, with the goal of filling gaps in access to care. That certainly created some urgency for legislators as the real money online casino and licensed sports betting industries in Pennsylvania continue to expand and grow.
The Almond Digital Health platform will be integrated into mobile casino apps, along with in-person casinos and through partnerships with universities and sports betting operators.
Ultimately, officials look to create earlier intervention opportunities to address potential gambling addictions and provide more readily available responsible gambling tools and resources. Get started at BetMGM Casino now here:
New responsible gambling initiative will complement existing resources
While the program is expected to be rolled out over the next several weeks, it is not designed to replace all of the existing tools and resources offered throughout the state and via PA online casinos. Rather, the Almond platform will act more as a complement to help fill gaps in access as the legal gambling industry continues to grow.
Kath Middleton, chief product officer of Almond Digital Health, emphasized that the platform is about “scale and access,” noting that Pennsylvania is “building an approach that works both within and outside traditional care settings.”
According to a press release, online casino gaming, sports betting, in-person gambling and the lottery has generated tens of billions of dollars in annual wagering. With that growth, officials wanted to ensure that Pennsylvanians had “practical, accessible and multilingual ways” to engage early with and understand all the available options for responsible gaming.
In rolling out the Almond program, Rep. Joe McAndrew highlighted that more and more people betting on sports or playing casino games online will be exposed to responsible gambling habits and how to prevent addiction through education – in fact, earlier than traditional resources.
It’s a practical approach, Rep. Joe Prokopiak echoed, that will provide “instant impact” for individuals struggling with addiction or at risk of developing one. “It’s an evolved issue,” Prokopiak said, which the state can now address “with an evolved solution.”
Pennsylvania
Jewish Pennsylvania judge leaves Democratic Party over antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post
An elected Supreme Court justice in Pennsylvania announced Monday night that he has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent, citing concerns about antisemitism.
In a statement, David Wecht, who is Jewish and served as Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party chair from 1998 to 2001, said he believed antisemitism has moved from the fringe of the Democratic Party to the mainstream.
“Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, and other hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions are minimized, ignored, and even coddled,” he wrote. “Acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders, and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party.”
Wecht wrote that he had long understood that antisemitism “always festered on the fringe” of the right, a fact that hit home in 2018 when a far-right shooter killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, where he and his wife were married in 1998.
“In the years that have followed, that same hatred has grown on the left,” he said in his statement. “It is the duty of all good people to fight this virus, and to do so before it is too late.”
Wecht previously made national headlines for his 2020 ruling against an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania.
Through a spokesperson, Wecht declined to be interviewed about his exit from the Democratic Party.
Wecht’s comments come as Democrats wrestle with a range of internal tensions over antisemitism.
The ascent of Graham Platner, an oyster farmer who recently covered up a Nazi Totenkopf skull-and-crossbones tattoo, to become Maine’s Democratic candidate for Senate, and the increasing coziness between some progressive politicians and Hasan Piker, the leftist streamer who has said he favors Hamas over Israel, have particularly alarmed some members of the Jewish community.
Wecht is the son of renowned forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, who was involved in investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Wecht’s mother, translator Sigrid Ronsdal, spent the first six years of her life living under Nazi occupation in Norway.
“I know David and his legendary father, Cyril,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has clashed with his Party over Israel, tweeted following Wecht’s announcement. “As I’ve affirmed, I’m not changing my Party – but I fully understand David’s personal choice. The Democratic Party must confront its own rising antisemitism problem.”
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