Chicago Bears Warm to Indiana Stadium Plan, Pushing Illinois

Indiana is marching ahead with a plan to offer a new home to the Chicago Bears, a move that could infuse new economic life into the state’s northwest corner – and snatch an iconic sports franchise from its neighbor.

The Indiana House is expected to vote on the stadium proposal by Tuesday, after a legislative committee last week unanimously passed a bill to set up a stadium authority that could enable borrowing for construction of a new facility for the Bears and build out the surrounding area. The site, in the city of Hammond, is roughly 20 miles from downtown Chicago’s Soldier Field, the Bears’ current home and the oldest stadium in the National Football League.