Photo: Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Chicago Blackhawks players will not don their planned Pride-themed warmup jerseys this weekend to protect Russian players from anti-LGBTQ+ laws in their home country, per reports.According to theAssociated Press, the decision was made after the team spoke to security officials both in and outside of the organization.Russian President Vladimir Putinrecently expanded restrictions on promoting LGBTQ+ issues, and because the Blackhawks have Russian players on its roster, the team did not want to jeopardize their safety in the country, the outlet said....

Sam Lay.Photo: James Fraher/Redferns Sam Lay, a blues drummer who once played with Paul Butterfield, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan, has died at 86. His record label, Alligator Recordsconfirmed his death in a statement, writing that Lay died in a nursing facility near his Chicago home from natural causes on Jan. 29. “Beloved for his talent, his buoyant and outgoing personality, as well as for his sense of style (he was known for his cape and walking stick), Lay was among the most historically significant and musically innovative drummers in both the early blues and rock ‘n’ roll scenes,” the statement read....

Photo: GoFundMe A teenage boy has been formally charged with the tragic Halloween night shooting of a 7-year-girl in Chicago, PEOPLE confirms. The boy, who is 15, was charged early Saturday as a juvenile with first-degree attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery. According to a statement from Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, the young victim —identified in a GoFundMe campaign as Gisele Zamago— remains in critical condition after Thursday’s shooting....

Photo: Chicago Bulls/InstagramChicago Bulls' Derrick Jones Jr. is engaged!The 25-year-old NBA player proposed to his longtime love Sherry during the team’s trip to Paris for the 2023 NBA Paris Game on Thursday.The Bulls shared a video of the special moment on Instagram on Tuesday, with the caption, “Engaged in Paris ❤️💍🇫🇷 Congrats to@therea1djones& his fiancée, Sherry, on their engagement!“Chicago Bulls/InstagramThe sweet video shows Jones walking towards Sherry, with a microphone in hand, during a group dinner with his teammates and coaches....

Luis Suarez and Norma Franco. A Chicago couple, who had been together for years and were excitedly planning theirwedding, tragically never got to see their big day. The longtime couple was also expecting to getthe COVID vaccineahead of their nuptials so that it’d be safe to interact with family members, the outlet reported. “It feels like a Romeo and Juliet story, it really does,” the couple’s stepdaughter, Imelda Gambia, told the outlet....

Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images The game, which took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, came to an abrupt halt during the fourth inning as the child was rushed to medical attention. Fans were also left visibly upset as the little girl’s father was seen running out of the stands with the distraught toddler in his arms. The Cubs did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Albert Almora Jr....

Photo: Kelley Gandurski/AP/Shutterstock After nearly a week on the run, the 5-foot-long alligatorcausing havocin Chicago’s Humboldt Park has finally been found, according to authorities. “Chance the Snapper,” as the gator was affectionately named, was caught overnight, Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmiconfirmedto CNN on Tuesday. On Sunday, city officials brought in Frank Robb, an alligator expert from St. Augustine, Florida, to aid in capturing the alligator, which measured just over five feet in length, state reptile specialists said....

The cast of ‘Law and Order: SVU’.Photo: Virginia Sherwood/NBC Fans ofDick Wolffranchises are nearing closer to new episodes thanks to thewriters' strikecoming to an end. Showrunners and writers are returning this week to several of his television shows, includingLaw & Order: SVUandChicago’s franchise ofFire,Med, andP.D.on NBC, according toThe Hollywood Reporter. FBI: Most WantedandInternational, which air on CBS, will also have their writing teams returning. However, one of Wolf’s creations, theLaw & Orderspinoff,Organized Crime, will not be among the first to come back on NBC as the series reportedly searches for a new showrunner to fill the role....

Photo:George Burns Jr/NBC George Burns Jr/NBC Fans of theOne Chicagofamily will get to see their friends on the small screen again very soon! PEOPLE confirms that production on all three shows —Chicago Fire,Chicago MedandChicago P.D.— will resume the week of Nov. 27, though premiere dates have not yet been announced. Jessy Schram, who joined the NBC drama Chicago Med as Dr. Hannah Asher in 2019, tells PEOPLE exclusively about the cast’s exciting return to set....

One Chicago actors Torrey DeVitto, Joe Minoso and Marina Squerciati.Photo:getty (3) getty (3) It may be the middle of a strike, but theOne Chicagofamily is still a family. Stars from the Dick Wolf-created franchise reunited under one roof on Thursday evening to raise awareness for an important cause. DeVitto, 39, who played Dr. Natalie Manningfrom 2015 to 2021, posted several photos from Thursday evening’s group exploration of the exhibit on Instagram....

Andrew “Drew” Pice.Photo:Chicago Fire Media/ X Chicago Fire Media/ X A Chicago firefighter died Monday while battling a fire at a building in the city’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, according to reports. The deadly incident happened Monday morning when Price was on the roof, opening up holes for ventilation and fell, landing on the basement floor, Chicago Fire Department (CFD) Commissioner Nance-Holt told theSun-Times. Chicago Fire Department personnel mourn outside Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center after a firefighter passed after battling an early morning blaze in Chicago, Monday, Nov....

A Chicago firefighter’s 7-year-old son has died after a fire broke out at the family’s home, also injuring the boy’s mother and two siblings, according to authorities. Online records show that hedied at 6:25 p.m. on Wednesday. Afterwards, a 34-year-old woman, two girls, 2 and 7, as well as the 7-year-old boy, who all “suffered smoke inhalation” were “transported to various hospitals in critical condition,” police said. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to human interest stories...

The second member of a Chicago firefighter’s family has died after a fire broke out at their Montclare home on Tuesday night. The firefighter’s wife, identified as 36-year-old Summer Day-Stewart, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, died on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., PEOPLE confirms. Although no updates have been provided on the couple’s other two children, 2 and 7, Chicago fire officials said on Thursday they remained in “extremely critical condition” and had been unconscious since the fire, reported theChicago Sun-Times....