Illinois lawmakers seek Bears stadium deal after Arlington Heights setback

A source cautioned that Friday's announcement didn't eliminate Arlington Heights from consideration, were the state to find a way to give the Bears property tax certainty on the 326-acre plot they own.

In late March, the Bears made their position clear regarding a new stadium — Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana.

The Bears supposedly have narrowed their focus for the site of a new stadium to Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana.

The Bears supposedly have narrowed their focus for the site of a new stadium to Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana.

The Chicago Bears are sticking with their current timeline for selecting a site for a new stadium amid an uncertain future for a proposal in the Illinois state legislature that would provide incentives for the NFL team to build its new home in the state. The Illinois Senate passed a bill early Monday morning that would have cleared the way for Arlington Heights and Chicago to create local stadium authorities, creating a pathway for the Bears to avoid paying property taxes on a new stadium in Illinois. The Bears said they are finalizing their evaluation of possible stadium sites in Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, and they “remain on the late spring/early summer timeline.”

SPRINGFIELD — Faced with the collapse of a yearslong tax relief plan aimed at encouraging a Chicago Bears move to Arlington Heights, state lawmakers spent Sunday, the last scheduled day of their spring session, scrambling for a Hail Mary plan that could get the votes to coerce the team to stay in Illinois. For all of the Sundays that the Bears, one of the National Football League’s charter ...