All articles tagged with #hammond
Chicago remains determined to keep the Bears, with the team narrowing its stadium options to Arlington Heights, IL and Hammond, IN amid political pushback in Illinois and a looming May 31 deadline; lawmakers debate a potential lakefront site while Chicago leadership and state officials negotiate the team’s future.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the Bears will choose between two viable indoor stadium sites—Arlington Heights, Illinois, or Hammond, Indiana—putting Chicago’s long-time home in jeopardy and signaling a near-term decision.
Governor JB Pritzker pressed for a fast-track deal on the Chicago Bears’ stadium as the team updated the NFL on two viable sites—Arlington Heights, IL and Hammond, IN—deeming them the only viable options and signaling a quick path forward with a Stadium Committee meeting planned within two weeks; the Illinois megaprojects bill could form the framework of an agreement but faces tax-relief and amusement-tax provisions and Senate changes as Indiana has already moved forward on its own Bears project, with the Bears expected to decide by late spring or early summer.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 27 to establish the financial framework for a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond, including roughly $1 billion in state-bond financing repaid by revenues from Hammond’s 12% admissions tax and a stadium development district, plus proposed local taxes and a renegotiated toll-road lease. The Bears would invest over $2 billion; Illinois lawmakers are weighing incentives to keep the team, but no deal yet as competing measures and local concerns unfold.
An opinion piece argues the Bears may relocate from Soldier Field to Hammond, Indiana, aided by a state stadium authority and private funding, finding a cheaper, controllable home and potentially revitalizing a Rust Belt area; Arlington Heights plans are costlier and stalled by public financing and political wrangling, and while Illinois officials resist, the article suggests the move could keep the team connected to Chicago's metro even from across the state line.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says the Chicago Bears’ public suggestion they might relocate to Indiana wasn’t a confirmed move, noting privately the team signaled no final decision; Indiana has pushed SB 27 to create a stadium authority capable of financing up to $2 billion for a new Bears stadium near Hammond, prompting Bears to say they’ll continue due diligence and clarify their intentions.
Indiana Senate Bill 27 cleared a 27-0 committee vote, advancing a plan to build a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond near Wolf Lake and signaling momentum over Illinois, where related hearings were canceled. The Bears say due diligence continues and no deal is done yet, while Illinois leaders push for regional unity and timing remains tight as the competition for a site continues.
Indiana lawmakers advanced a funding package for a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond, potentially unlocking about $1 billion in public money from new county restaurant and hotel taxes and a 12% admissions tax, plus a 1% food-and-beverage tax and hotel-tax tweaks; the Bears would invest roughly $2 billion, but a final deal isn’t done as site due diligence proceeds and Illinois negotiations continue.
The Chicago Bears are pushing forward with a plan to relocate to Indiana, backed by Senate Bill 27 for a state-owned stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond. Governor Braun says the state is moving quickly to negotiate a final deal within a public-private framework, including site due diligence, signaling a major step forward that could contrast with Illinois’ reluctance to fund a Bears stadium.
Heavy rains in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana have caused flash flooding in areas including Hammond, Ponchatoula, and Natalbany. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning and advised that between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain have already fallen, with the potential for an additional 1 to 2 inches. The heaviest rainfall is impacting parts of the interstate system, specifically Interstate 55 and Interstate 12.