A major step towards the NFL Chicago Bears relocating to Indiana has been taken, with the team's board of directors voting to advance a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana.
The move comes after Illinois lawmakers failed to approve local stadium authorities for Chicago and Arlington Heights, allowing the Bears to avoid paying property taxes on a new stadium.
Bears chairman George H. McCaskey and president and chief executive Kevin Warren said in a statement that a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region and bring Chicagoland together.
However, talks continue with Cook County officials to explore a path that keeps the Bears in Illinois, with President Toni Preckwinkle committed to solutions that protect taxpayer dollars.
The Bears were founded in 1920 and have been based in Chicago for nearly a century, playing at Wrigley Field for 50 years before moving to Soldier Field.
