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  "path": "/wbez-newsletter/2026/06/05/the-rundown-chicago-bears-take-major-step-toward-indiana",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-05T20:45:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wbez.org",
  "textContent": "<p><i>Good afternoon! It’s Friday, and amid the many festivals happening this weekend, I’m most excited for Pokemon Go and Writers Fest. But you can’t go wrong with any of these </i><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/06/04/26-things-to-do-in-chicago-this-weekend-greek-fest-art-fairs-and-summer-kickoff/\" target=\"_blank\" ><i><u>other options</u></i></a><i>. Here’s what you need to know today.</i></p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/sports/2026/06/05/bears-hammond-indiana-board-directors-vote-stadium-arlington-heights-nfl\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>1. It’s Indiana: The Chicago Bears board of directors voted to push the stadium to Hammond</u></b></a></p><p>The exhausting, five-year search appears to be over. As Patrick Finley reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, yesterday’s move positions the team to play its home games out of state for the first time in its 106-year history.</p><p>In a statement today, board chairman George McCaskey said the stadium site in Hammond is “to be selected.” The Bears’ announcement tips the scales significantly toward Hammond but short of a final decision.</p><p>The team has been studying land near Wolf Lake, lured by a sweetheart deal approved by Indiana three months ago, when lawmakers authorized a stadium authority backed by taxes on admissions, hotels, restaurants and tolls. The Bears have committed $2 billion to their stadium project. They will keep all revenue generated by the stadium and have the option to buy it back in 40 years, when Indiana taxpayers have paid off the bonds.</p><p>“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting northwest Indiana and the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across the neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” McCaskey said in the written statement.</p><p>Inside their home state, the Bears pushed for PILOT legislation, which would have allowed them to negotiate payments in lieu of taxes with Arlington Heights and save them hundreds of millions of dollars over 40 years. That legislation died Saturday night, forcing Illinois lawmakers to try to fashion a last-minute option: allowing any Cook County municipality with at least 70,000 residents to create their own financing authority for a proposed stadium. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/sports/2026/06/05/bears-hammond-indiana-board-directors-vote-stadium-arlington-heights-nfl\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p>Meanwhile, the blame game has begun among Illinoisans trying to decide who is at fault for the Bears’ decision. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears-stadium/2026/06/05/chicago-bears-stadium-illinois-indiana-arlington-heights-hammond-blame\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/transportation/2026/06/05/scooter-teen-crash-death-lane-tech-high-school-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>2. For Chicago teens, e-scooters are fun and convenient — but sometimes dangerous</u></b></a></p><p>Though Lime and Divvy require riders to be 18 or older — or at least 16 with parental consent — e-scooters have become a part of daily life for some Chicago teenagers. Users say they offer a faster, more flexible alternative to buses and trains, WBEZ’s Anna Savchenko reports.</p><p>But their popularity is growing as the city sees a rise in scooter-related crashes, raising safety concerns among doctors and city officials. Two teens have died in Chicago this year while riding e-scooters.</p><p>A Lane Tech junior said he was hit by a car while riding but still scoots home sometimes.</p><p>“My backpack flew everywhere,” he said, but “nothing really happened to me. I mean, the scooter locked, so it didn’t let me get anywhere. I just didn’t go to school that day.”</p><p>Caroline Chivily, a pediatrics resident at Lurie Children’s Hospital, said a lot of injuries stem from distracted riding, such as having multiple riders on one scooter and riders wearing headphones. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/transportation/2026/06/05/scooter-teen-crash-death-lane-tech-high-school-chicago\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p>Meanwhile, state lawmakers passed legislation this week requiring owners of electric bikes, e-scooters and other battery-powered devices going more than 28 miles per hour to have a driver’s license, carry insurance and register their vehicle with the state. They would not be allowed on bike paths or lanes. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/transportation/2026/06/04/e-bike-moto-regulation-illinois-pritzker-giannoulias\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/housing/2026/06/05/barack-obama-airbnb-presidential-center-chicago-affordable-housing\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>3. As Airbnbs explode around the Obama Center, housing advocates say affordable units are disappearing</u></b></a></p><p>While licenses for short-term rentals have declined citywide since 2019, they have increased by 46% in the 20th Ward, which includes most of the Woodlawn community just west of the Obama Presidential Center.</p><p>As my colleagues Esther Yoon-Ji Kang and Cam Rodriguez report for WBEZ, Chicago as a whole has seen a 38% decrease in shared housing licenses. But the 20th Ward has seen a 46% increase during the same span.</p><p>As hosts open rooms and apartments to tourists coming to check out the Obama Presidential Center, some see a real opportunity. But others worry that things are changing in historically affordable neighborhoods. Researchers say short-term rentals can deplete a neighborhood’s housing stock, pushing up prices and rents.</p><p>Housing advocates and renters seeking to live in these neighborhoods say they are being priced out. Some advocates and lawmakers also say the city isn’t doing enough to enforce the laws meant to protect the housing supply. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/housing/2026/06/05/barack-obama-airbnb-presidential-center-chicago-affordable-housing\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>WBEZ</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/06/05/michelada-fest-chicago-2026-summer-canceled-ticket-events-cost\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>4. Michelada Fest was canceled for a second year, this time citing production costs</u></b></a></p><p>Instead of a three-day music event slated for June 26-28, the annual gathering is moving back to Pilsen in September as a free street festival, organizers announced today.</p><p>The festival was built “from nothing,” Miche Fest co-owners Fernando Nieto and Miguel Torres said in a release. “Part of being independent means we can be honest with our community. We carry the same financial risks as major corporations, but without the same capital to absorb those pressures.”</p><p>This is the second time the festival has been canceled. Last year, the festival was cancelled two months before it was set to kick off at Oakwood Beach. Organizers cited problems with international artist visas, as well as the “rapidly changing political climate.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/06/05/michelada-fest-chicago-2026-summer-canceled-ticket-events-cost\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/arts/2026/06/04/walking-with-giants-mac-art-center-sculptures-college-dupage\" target=\"_blank\" ><b><u>5. Giant busts of iconic U.S. artists are taking over the College of DuPage campus</u></b></a></p><p>The College of DuPage is celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary with a towering artistic tribute, my colleague Ambar Colón reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.</p><p>The campus, located about 23 miles west of Chicago in Glen Ellyn, is now hosting a walkable new exhibition that features 10 sculptures depicting influential artists from American history. They include Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Norman Rockwell and more. Each of the plywood creations is 7 to 10 feet tall.</p><p>The gigantic figures, painted by Chicago-area artists Judith Mayer and Rich Lo, will be on display along one of the walking trails adjacent to the McAninch Art Center and the Cleve Carney Museum of Art until Oct. 18.</p><p>CCMA curator Justin Witte wanted to go beyond highlighting different artists from U.S. history: “What if they actually inhabited the landscape of campus as these giant figures?” he said. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/arts/2026/06/04/walking-with-giants-mac-art-center-sculptures-college-dupage\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</p><p><b>Here’s what else is happening</b></p><ul class=\"rte2-style-ul\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;\" id=\"rte-bce02982-6119-11f1-831d-0342fca51873\"><li>A judge blocked the Trump administration’s asylum freeze on 39 countries. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-asylum-citizenship-10591d120e5cb13da736d9eeb06757c8\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>U.S. employers added 172,000 jobs in May, about double what forecasters predicted. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/employment-economy-jobs-layoffs-iran-94068a0f4e441024b05e72eb370b3a15\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>AP</u></a>]</li><li>Gov. JB Pritzker paused data center tax breaks after a legislative effort stalled. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/06/05/pritzker-pause-data-center-tax-breaks-ai\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</li><li>The Seattle grunge scene has roots in south suburban Park Forest, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil wrote in a new memoir. [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/06/05/kim-thayil-new-memoir-screaming-life-into-the-superunknown-with-soundgarden-and-beyond\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Chicago Sun-Times</u></a>]</li></ul><p><b>Oh, and one more thing …</b></p><p>Alzo Slade will be the new judge and scorekeeper for NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me!”</p><p>As Executive Producer Mike Danforth said in his announcement: “Listeners already know Alzo from his frequent appearances as a panelist and occasional guest judge and scorekeeper. On this weekend’s show in Austin, Texas, he officially takes on the role full time, succeeding iconic broadcaster Bill Kurtis, who retired at the end of May. …</p><p>“Slade is only the third judge and scorekeeper in the 29-year history of the show. NPR legend Carl Kasell created the role in 1998 and was succeeded by Kurtis in 2014. Like his predecessors, Slade is an award-winning journalist (a Peabody and three Emmys) but unlike his predecessors, he’s a stand up comic, worked as a concert photographer for Prince, won the Mr. Prairie View A&M pageant, and created Grits and Biscuits, a Southern hip-hop dance party that tours the country. Most importantly, Alzo has a deeply resonant voice that warms up your radio.” [<a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/g-s1-125997/alzo-slade-named-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-judge-and-scorekeeper\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NPR</u></a>]</p><p><b>Tell me something good …</b></p><p>It’s Pride Month, and I’m wondering: What is your favorite book, movie, TV show or other media with a prominent LGBTQ+ storyline?</p><p>Kris writes:</p><p>“Schitt’s Creek was my go-to show during the pandemic and quickly became an overall favorite. David and Patrick’s relationship is so heartwarming! Their chemistry makes me laugh and cry — especially when Patrick serenades David and the often self-centered and sarcastic character melts. ❤️”</p><p>Gina writes:</p><p>“A recent favorite LGBTQ book of mine is ‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The love story happens so organically and surprisingly to our main character, one of the first female astronauts in the NASA program in the 1980s. The language of the romance and of the character’s love for both space and being human is so beautiful and poignant.</p><p>A favorite nonfiction book is ‘As a Woman: What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned’ by Paula Stone Williams. I picked it up after watching her Ted Talk. What I was expecting was a memoir: a way for me to widen my education and empathy by engaging in someone else's story. Someone whom I thought, as a trans woman, would differ in a lot of ways from myself. What I got was not only a deeply personal and vulnerable story, but a real eye-opening perspective on being a woman in the workplace, faith, relationships, and feminism. What I got was a window that I could gaze through and ask the same questions about myself. I can’t recommend it to enough people!”</p><p>And Hannah writes:</p><p>“Witnessing a continued sociopolitical assault on trans people, plus the dispiriting news that national support for gay marriage has declined, I find myself seeking levity amid the pain this Pride Month.</p><p>For those who feel like I do, I can't recommend ‘Yes or No’ (2010) more highly. In this hilarious and sweet Thai rom-com, a sheltered college freshman is assigned a ‘tom’ roommate (from the English word ‘tomboy’). As you can probably guess, her initial disgust and horror lead to something more.</p><p>I’ll always remember this film fondly. I watched it with my then-girlfriend on our first shared Valentine’s Day. Now, we’re married. Roommates for life! I love you, Breck.”</p><p>Thanks for all the responses this week! It was great hearing from everyone.</p>",
  "title": "Chicago Bears take major step toward Indiana: The Rundown",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-05T20:45:01.244Z"
}