Halas Intrigue podcast: Are the Bears going to Hammond? Or are they bluffing?

Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sun-Times

Vehicles race on Calumet Avenue near the Wolf Lake Memorial Park which is a potential site of a new Bears stadium.https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0c19467/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F20%2F27%2F7aca280a489887bf855fe469ea19%2Fwolf-lake.jpg" />


Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser break down the Bears' latest stadium declaration — what it means and, more importantly, what it doesn't mean.





New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on https://chicago.suntimes.com/halas-intrigue" target="_blank" >the podcast’s hub page.

You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/halas-intrigue/id1478052803" target="_blank" >Apple Podcasts, https://open.spotify.com/show/5ldHWQoV9IJt7GeOWPj8mp?si=lzcG5vlRTzG30aPzdPwH7w" target="_blank" >Spotify and https://a.co/d/hS0oP2x" target="_blank" >Amazon Music.



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https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/06/05/bears-hammond-indiana-board-directors-vote-stadium-arlington-heights-nfl" >











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Chicago Bears owners Brian McCaskey, left, George McCaskey, second from right, Patrick McCaskey, right, and Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren, second from left, listen to general manager Ryan Poles at a news conference in Lake Forest, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) ORG XMIT: ILNH109 data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a96a3a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4813x3222+19+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc6%2Fab%2Fd21ef27743cdbcf08a3e050dc450%2Fbears-football.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
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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.






















https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadium/2026/06/05/bears-fans-in-chicago-react-angrily-to-teams-renewed-focus-on-stadium-site-in-hammond-indiana" >











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Terrance Weems of Gary, Indiana outside Wrigley Field on Friday data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b5d401a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6980x4672+14+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F26%2F15%2F79c22fd045c7ab6477b7cca56995%2Fdsc01095.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
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https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadium/2026/06/05/bears-fans-in-chicago-react-angrily-to-teams-renewed-focus-on-stadium-site-in-hammond-indiana" >Bears fans in Chicago react angrily to team's renewed focus on stadium site in Hammond, Indiana





Bears fans who gathered Friday around the football team’s original Chicago home — Wrigley Field — had mixed feelings about the potential move.

Those who live in Chicago fumed, while fans from Indiana celebrated the team’s announcement.





















https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadium/2026/06/05/chicago-bears-stadium-illinois-indiana-arlington-heights-hammond-blame" >











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BEARS-STADIUM-RENDERING-03.jpg data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fc8e62c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1613x1080+107+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fef%2F76%2Fbbe2d10340e8bb56fab9e850eb92%2Fbears-stadium-rendering-03.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
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https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadium/2026/06/05/chicago-bears-stadium-illinois-indiana-arlington-heights-hammond-blame" >With Bears saying they’re leaving for Indiana, blame game in Illinois spreads far and wide





Springfield’s inaction on incentives to keep the team in-state has been just the latest in a long-running political comedy of errors.
























Read full article at Chicago Sun-Times →