Bears’ ‘sole focus’ on Hammond with no site chosen

(The Center Square) – Chicago Bears officials say they are moving forward with stadium development plans in Indiana, but the door is not closed on Illinois or even Chicago.

Bears Chairman George McCaskey and team President and CEO Kevin Warren held a news conference at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Thursday.

Warren did not rule out the possibility of the Bears staying in the state they have called home since 1920.

“But even though we’ve had occasional meetings with the state of Illinois, our sole focus at this point in time is working on a world-class stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond, Indiana,” Warren said.

Earlier on Thursday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and said both chambers of the state legislature passed stadium bills.

“There was no compromise reached between the two bills, but the Bears themselves have to figure out which ones of the parts of those bills they want in a final bill and, of course, to gather support from the legislature...