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Ownership of the Chicago Bears presses to get a new stadium for the team. Now there\u2019s competition with Indiana.<\/p>\n
![\"(OurQuadCities.com)\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/25f2dfd3aac1e95441322419c96d01a6.jpeg\"\/)
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(OurQuadCities.com)<\/p>\n
Fans saw the team\u2019s surprisingly strong season end in a heartbreaking loss to the Rams in the playoffs. Questions remain about the Bears\u2019 future.<\/p>\n
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Beyond the team\u2019s performance, the owners are tired of Soldier Field and want a new stadium. They\u2019re focused on property in Arlington Heights that used to be Arlington Park. That\u2019s not in Chicago proper.<\/p>\n
The City of Chicago proposes a domed stadium to replace the parking lot south of Soldier Field. The latest push calls for state lawmakers and the governor to approve a bill for a megaproject and payment in lieu of taxes. That would provide tax breaks to keep the Bears in Illinois.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Indiana, where state lawmakers introduced a bill to create a government agency intended to buy land to build a stadium as a new home for the Bears \u2013 Gary, Indiana the likely location.<\/p>\n
Future tax bills are an issue. An article in the Daily Herald reports the Bears would have to pay between $100 million and $200 million a year in property taxes in Arlington Heights. That raises the cry for tax breaks.<\/p>\n
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Host Jim Niedelman covered those issues with former Iowa Republican party chair Steve Grubbs and former Rock Island mayor Mark Schwiebert, a Democrat.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally, expenditures for large stadiums don\u2019t pay back to the taxpayers what they invest in it,\u201d Schwiebert said. \u201cThis is a private business, and the private business people should bear the expense of it, especially a highly-profitable business like an NFL franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a benefit to the people of Illinois,\u201d Grubbs said. \u201cWhen I look at St, Louis, who lost their NFL team to Los Angeles, and then I look at Kansas City who just made the decision to invest heavily to keep their team, there\u2019s a cultural value to the people of this city. There is an emotional value. There are all these soft values that really matter to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
To hear more, click on the video above.<\/p>\n
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Local 4 News, your local election headquarters, is proud to present\u00a04 The Record<\/a>, a weekly news and public affairs program focused on the issues important to you. \u00a0It\u2019s a program unlike any other here in the Quad Cities. Tune in each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as\u00a0Jim Niedelman<\/a>\u00a0brings you up to speed on what\u2019s happening in the political arena, from Springfield, Des Moines, Washington, D.C. and right here at home.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n