Allison Payne, the longtime TV news reporter anchor for Chicago’s WGN, died on September 1 at age 57, WGN reported 

MLB Hall of Famer Andre Dawson wants people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Dawson — who now works as a mortician — has been putting in long hours at his funeral home in Miami to deal with rising COVID deaths in Florida, according to WGN Chicago. Dawson — who runs the funeral home with his wife, Vanessa — said his business has been full due to COVID-19, and it has reached a point where he fears having to turn away families.

 Britain's Queen Elizabeth said on Saturday September 11, 2021  that her prayers remained with victims and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and paid tribute to the communities that joined together to rebuild after the devastation.  My thoughts and prayers — and those of my family and the entire nation — remain with the victims, survivors and families affected, as well as the first responders and rescue workers called to duty," she said in a message to U.S. President Joe Biden. 

Lana Del Rey says she's deleting all of her social media accounts because she needs 'privacy and transparency'. The musician said she wants to seek more privacy and focus on other interests.  "I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow we are going to be deactivating my social media accounts, and that is simply because I have so many other interests and other jobs I'm doing that require privacy and transparency," Del Rey said 

Actress Kathryn Prescott, known for her work on the British TV show Skins, MTV's Finding Carter, 24: Legacy and more, is recovering after being hit by a cement truck  while crossing a road in New York City  on the 7th September.   "After fighting through complex surgery some of Kathryn's injuries include: broken pelvis in two places, both of her legs, her foot and her left hand. She is incredibly lucky to be alive.  

A GoFundMe account is in place to help flood victims in Gibson City.  The Ford County community of 3,300 people was left reeling from 11 inches of rainfall last Thursday.  Many residents were left homeless after flood waters overwhelmed their homes and businesses.  As many people in the community have learned, most renters, home owners, & businesses insurance will not cover the damages.  Illinois statute requires over $19 million in assessed damages to provide any relief aid to the town. 

Donations are being encouraged to help raise money for the community. Any amount donated toward the relief effort would be most-welcome for those affected.  All the proceeds from this Go Fund Me will be used to help the families, churches, and businesses of Gibson City, IL who were affected by the flood.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/youtube-star-helping-flood-victims-in-gibson-city?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

GETTR Chief Executive Officer Jason Miller today issued the following statement:“This afternoon my traveling party was questioned for three hours at the airport in Brasilia, after having attended this weekend’s CPAC Brasil Conference. We were not accused of any wrongdoing, and told only that they ‘wanted to talk.’ We informed them that we had nothing to say and were eventually released to fly back to the United States. Our goal of sharing free speech around the world continues!”

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort was scheduled to fight boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday, but De La Hoya was forced out of the bout after testing positive to COVID-19. 

 Detectives are looking for the gunman who shot a 15-year-old boy and a cab driver during an incident in Harlem over the weekend. Law enforcement sources said the shooting happened at about 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 4 near the corner of West 131st Street and 8th Avenue.  

The rapper,  Ludacris, who turned 44 on Saturday, has been sharing photos all week of himself on a luxurious tropical getaway at an undisclosed location in honor of another trip around the sun.  On his birthday, Ludacris shared a photo on Instagram of himself in front of an enormous lion statue along the shoreline, which he captioned, "The Strongest Hearts Have The Most Scars 👑." 

The collapse of the Afghan government, a surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant, devastating weather events, a disappointing jobs report. What next? After a torrent of crises, President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page on an unrelenting summer and refocus his presidency this fall around his core economic agenda.

The 31-year-old actress is expecting her first child with husband Cooke Maroney, her spokesperson confirmed to People on Thursday. On Wednesday, a paparazzo captured photos of Lawrence walking around NYC in floral overalls that hugged her pregnancy belly, setting off the rumor mill.  

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, announced plans Friday to hold a news conference bringing together people who claim to have had adverse reactions to the vaccine, including the wife of a former Green Bay Packer player.  Johnson, who has also advocated for alternative and unproven treatments for COVID-19, said the Monday event in Milwaukee will allow people from across the country to tell their stories and concerns he said have been “repeatedly ignored” by the medical community.  Johnson, who has no medical training or expertise, hasn’t been vaccinated, saying he doesn’t think he has to because he had the virus last year and formed natural antibodies. He has said he’s “just asking questions” and isn’t against vaccines, but doctors and other critics have blasted him for spreading misinformation. 

President Joe Biden on Friday announced his intention to nominate Rahm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan and Nicholas Burns as ambassador to China.  The two top diplomatic positions have been in the works for months but made official only in a late-afternoon announcement by the White House during the middle of the biggest foreign policy crisis of the administration so far -- the US withdrawal from Afghanistan amid a Taliban takeover. 

USA track and field athlete Allyson Felix has been having an eventful journey to Tokyo 2020. With four Games under her belt -- and having just qualified for her fifth Olympics at the US trials on June 20 -- Felix is an Olympic veteran used to pristine training conditions. The last year has been very different; she's been training on empty soccer fields and beaches. "It has been quite the experience, a lot of things I could never have predicted, a lot of challenges in the way," six-time Olympic champion Felix tells CNN Sport's Coy Wire. "Really just having a solid place to train in, that's been the biggest challenge," she says. "I never would have imagined that that would be the case leading towards Tokyo." 

John Travolta has opened up about the emotional conversation on dying he had with his 10-year-old son following the death of his wife Kelly Preston. Married to Travolta since 1991, Preston died of breast cancer in July of 2020 at the age of 57.

Award-winning actor Tom Hanks has urged filmmakers to tackle racism more often, suggesting that Black history and the societal impact of racism is underrepresented in the entertainment industry and the American education system. Hanks wrote that history is "mostly written by white people about white people like me, while the history of Black people -- including the horrors of Tulsa -- was too often left out." He said that "historically based fiction entertainment must portray the burden of racism in our nation for the sake of the art form's claims to verisimilitude and authenticity." 

 Scott Disick is no longer dating a teenager, and he celebrated GF Amelia Hamlin's 20th birthday soiree by showering her with gold and diamonds. Amelia and Scott partied in Miami. They hit up Papi Steak restaurant Saturday night where Scott rolled out a massive five-tier cake. 

Melissa Joan Hart revealed to fans that she has contracted COVID-19 despite receiving both of her vaccinates. The “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star shared a rare personal video to Instagram on Wednesday, saying “I am vacciniated and I got COVID, and it’s bad.”

  Caitlyn Jenner has a take on trans athletes you might not expect -- namely, if you're born as a biological boy, you shouldn't be allowed to compete in girls' sports ... at least while you're still in school, anyway.  We got the California gubernatorial hopeful Saturday in Malibu, and she weighed in on her first big political issue as she takes center stage in her run for Gavin Newsom's job -- telling TMZ she doesn't support trans girls born as boys participating in all-female school sports. https://www.tmz.com/2021/05/01/caitlyn-jenner-trans-girls-ban-sports-biological-boys/ 

Russian tennis player Yana Sizikova was arrested in Paris on Thursday evening for sports corruption and fraud in an organized group, two French law enforcement sources have told CNN. She was arrested and taken into custody on Thursday for "sports corruption and fraud in an organized group, concerning acts that may have been committed in September 2020," according to the Paris prosecutor's office. The 26-year-old is suspected of match-fixing in 2020 when she is alleged to have deliberately lost a doubles match in last year's Roland Garros tournament, according to the source. 

 Lisa Banes was almost killed by someone who mowed her down with a scooter and fled the scene out in New York City ... TMZ has confirmed. Law enforcement sources tell us ... the "Cocktail'' actress was struck late Friday evening on the Upper West Side near the Lincoln Center -- where she was reportedly on her way to meet up with her wife and some friends for dinner ... and was passing through a cross-walk.We're told she had the right of way ... when someone on an electric scooter of some sort blew past a red light and slammed into her -- and then made an escape without stopping to help or call the police. Per reports, the scooter is described as red and black.Our sources say 911 was called and EMS arrived on the scene to find Lisa on the ground with severe head trauma. She was transported to Mount Sinai Saint Luke's Hospital shortly thereafter, where we're told she remains in critical condition. Word is she's in the ICU. No information has surfaced about the suspect's description -- but we're told cops are on the case now and are trying to hunt down the culprit. An investigation is underway.Banes is 65 years old, BTW. Her family is asking for prayers, and for any help to track down the party responsibl