Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Could we get a resolution in the Bears' stadium saga this weekend?
29 May 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the current status of the Bears' stadium saga?
Rahimi Harrison-Grody.
I don't want to break time. I want to yell at Marshall. Can we handle more Anthony Heron?
Middays 10 to 2 on 104.3 The Score.
This was my request. Nice. We've got a lot of Iron Maiden talk on our text line. I know this is not Iron Maiden because it's Black Sabbath, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. Somebody's going to call in our meatball machine and try to play Iron Maiden on vinyl for it. I had no idea we had such a big Iron Maiden listening base. Thanks, guys.
It's an old school heavy metal day.
It is on the score. It's also a day where we are trying to see if anything happens. Like, do you think the legislators in the state Senate are like, hey, I know our session ends on Sunday, but like we got a weekend to have. Can we try to get this out of the way today? And by this, I mean the pilot bill.
I told this to you guys during our meeting. I did receive a text message from an official in the western suburbs who I met when I went to that little Arlington Heights rally thing, which felt like a year ago. It was probably, what, three months ago, two months ago?
I would say, yeah. And rallies, it was a public discussion. It was basically like updating people on what was going on.
Right, exactly. And, you know, from the Arlington Heights perspective, but this person... Town hall. Yeah, town hall is a good way to put it. But this person texted me and said, word on the street is that there may be action today. Watch the skies. I don't know what the watch the skies part meant.
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Chapter 2: What actions are legislators considering this weekend regarding the stadium bill?
I know, I thought he'd play basketball, but I guess he was a swimmer. Crazy things happen that way. Wingspan, I guess it makes sense for competitive athletics. Either way, there are things afoot. And the reason why it's not just about the deadline here, it is because people are talking. Maria Pappas, we heard her earlier, the Cook County treasurer, come on with us.
Brandon Johnson has been very vocal. And this bill already passed the state legislature. So now it's going to go to the Senate. It was first in the House. And now that's the second part of this is getting to the Senate. That's just a bill. That's how it works, even when it's not on Capitol Hill.
cam buckner who was part of the state house that made sure it got to the point where it is now was on with mullion hall this morning and talked about the timeline and what happens next before that may 31st deadline in springfield three days can absolutely be a lifetime right i've seen bills come together in the final hours i've seen bills die in the final hours that's just the nature of this place um
The Illinois House has done our work up to this point. We passed the framework. The Senate has it now. People hear the stadium deal, and they think it's just one conversation, and the question is, why can't you get it done quickly? But it's really not one conversation. It's 20 conversations being had at once. You've got the Bears. You've got Oregon State Heights. You've got Chicago.
You've got Cook County. You've got the mayor and the governor. You've got the local taxing districts. You've got labor and business and taxpayers. And you've got legislators from all across the state. for asking legitimate questions. And so, you know, everybody has concerns. Everybody wants answers, which is why this thing takes some time.
And so on the House side, getting our bill through was not easy. There were concerns about the property taxes and incentives and all of those things. And we checked all those things off the list one by one. And I think the Senate will find a way to do the same thing. So am I optimistic? Yes. Am I guaranteeing anything? No.
But I think people should understand that we are moving in the right direction here.
How about that? Kim Buckner saying that three days is a long time for them.
And he said for the hundredth time, things are moving in the right direction. We've been hearing that for three years, I think.
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Chapter 3: What insights do local officials provide about the stadium negotiations?
They just they were working with a different framework in place from the very beginning so they could be more efficient. There are two different things. The bears are depending on a bill that was already existing to be helping them out as well. So then it becomes part of the discussion in this larger piece.
And that litany of mouths that need to be fed and those injecting their opinions and using their influence. It's like that, just hearing that when he listed off all the people kind of gave me a headache because, and just generally speaking, because of the way Illinois and Chicago politics work. And it's right. It does have to go throughout.
All those voices are necessary, but it's part of what has held this thing up for three years.
I mean, it is, but at the same time, the Bears are what held it up for three years. They bought the land. They told everybody Arlington Heights was their sole focus. They could have gotten this across sooner. They could have.
They bought the land. Honestly, Layla, I've never had a problem with them saying, oh, maybe we could do better, and then doing what they did around the holiday, and that is bringing Indiana into it. However, in the last couple months, I've backed off because it's bogus. If you're really going to do the Indiana thing, go do it. Go do it instead of wading through all the mud of what's going on.
And they're not, and they won't.
Well, and that's because they already bought this land. I mean, and I agree. You know, the whole the whole concept is, hey, we're going to buy this. Are we going to have X, Y and Z? But the idea that they were just going to have property tax certainty when residents here don't have that. And you and I don't have that. And people listening don't have that. That's where it starts to get hairy.
But, you know, that's when you have leverage and you gave it away when you decided to buy another piece of property. So that's why I'm like, yeah, okay, Illinois is working on this bill, but at the same time, you did this. You put yourselves on this timeline.
And you know, Layla, I said it was a great move by the Bears to get that commitment from Indiana, but now they're just not following through on it, and I don't think they ever were. And I'll say it again, they won't.
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Chapter 4: How many parties are involved in the Bears' stadium discussions?
It's right here. Layla shovels in the ground day, 8 to 9 a.m., along with my friend's birthdays.
Aw.
Yeah, people are born on the Ides of March, wouldn't you know?
Who would have thunk it?
You want to do more bears?
Every day I do.
Fish on Friday. Kevin Fishbane. It's a Friday. More Bears talk because there's action at Hallis Hall. We'll do it next.
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