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State Week: The Chicago Bears stadium saga continues

State Week 23 logo (capitol dome)
Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois

As the NFL season prepares to kick off, a big question for Chicago Bears' fans is about the team's future. Specifically, where will the Bears play in coming years. The team wants a new stadium after more than a half-century at Soldier Field.

The Bears have apparently narrowed their focus to sites in Arlington Heights, which it owns, and Hammond, Indiana. Team officials have pushed for a property tax deal to stay in Illinois. Indiana lawmakers have given the go-ahead for incentives to lure the Bears.

But after years of discussion and negotiation, the matter is unresolved. On this episode, we try to provide some clarity.

We also discuss a major power outages in northwest Indiana that stemmed from an August storm. it left thousands without electricity for a long period.

We also learn about a Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ report that examined arrest records related to Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.

Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and WBEZ reporter and anchor Michael Puente.

The former director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Michael covers news and issues primarily in Northwest Indiana, Chicago’s Southeast side and South Suburbs.
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