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Speaker 1: You must telling me.

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Speaker 2: Ten out of the top twenty five trending stories this

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Speaker 2: morning were about the Chicago Bears and their potential move

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Speaker 2: to him in Indiana And for reference, he was an

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Speaker 2: anchor on Our TV six from nineteen ninety nine to

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Speaker 2: two thousand and eight. Then he was an anchor at

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Speaker 2: Fox fifty nine from twenty nine to twenty twenty, and

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Speaker 2: now he is living in Chicago. Land Ray quarter Pass.

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Speaker 2: He joins us on the WYBC hotline. Good morning, Ray,

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Speaker 2: and thank you for being here.

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Speaker 3: Good morning guys.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, great to be back on the airwaves in Indianapolis.

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Speaker 3: Nice to be with you.

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Speaker 2: Oh, thank you. Okay, So we've got a lot of questions,

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Speaker 2: and I guess we need to start with the first one.

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Speaker 2: What has the reaction been from Chicago residents about the

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Speaker 2: possibility of the Bears leaving? Has it been frustration, disbelief,

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Speaker 2: or something else?

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Speaker 3: I would say this belief.

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Speaker 4: I mean, it has been a week of whiplash here.

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Speaker 4: You know, Bears fans Chicago has you know, been accustomed

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Speaker 4: to the idea of the team leaving Soldier Fields. It's

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Speaker 4: had limitations. It's the smallest, oldest stadium in the NFL.

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Speaker 4: Even after renovations that happened twenty five years ago, but

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Speaker 4: for many fans, just the idea, even though Hammond is

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Speaker 4: definitely in the Chicago market, the idea of the team

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Speaker 4: crossing state lines is a bridge that's too fared across

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Speaker 4: for many fans.

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Speaker 3: But you know, it made in Indiana. It seems like

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Speaker 3: I mean, I.

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Speaker 4: Was watching the headlines there and reading how Indiana has

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Speaker 4: processed that news, and it just seems.

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Speaker 3: Like a great deal, a great situation.

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Speaker 4: But it just seems you know, we've been dealing with

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Speaker 4: this since for many years. Back in twenty one is

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Speaker 4: when it first came to light that the Bears were

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Speaker 4: looking at other opportunities outside of downtown Chicago.

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Speaker 3: So this has been something.

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Speaker 4: That's been ongoing here for quite some time. This was

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Speaker 4: just the latest curve in the journey Ray.

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Speaker 1: Most of what we're seeing, as far as the average

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Speaker 1: person and the average Bears fan, most of what we're

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Speaker 1: getting is their reactions via social media, and as you

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Speaker 1: can imagine, our perception is they're pretty darn upset, and

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Speaker 1: rightly so, I get it. But did you get a

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Speaker 1: sense that Bears fans are they upset at Mayor Johnson?

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Speaker 1: Is it Governor Pritzker, Is it the Illinois lawmakers? Are

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Speaker 1: they mad at the Chicago Bears ownership? Like where is

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Speaker 1: it being directed most these days?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, there's a lot of anger and dismay, and it's

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Speaker 4: directed at the people who control the levers of power.

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Speaker 4: I think a lot of Bears fans are upset with

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Speaker 4: the team because this seemed to be something that sort

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Speaker 4: of came out.

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Speaker 3: Of the blue.

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Speaker 4: Governor Pritzker and Illinois leaders had been meeting with Bears

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Speaker 4: team leaders and members of the McCaskey family, you know,

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Speaker 4: for three hours just yesterday, and the Governor came out

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Speaker 4: and said that he was really dismayed by this because

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Speaker 4: he felt like the Bears were moving in a direction

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Speaker 4: of good faith and now that has been brought into

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Speaker 4: question here, and a lot of Bears fans are wondering

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Speaker 4: if this and maybe hoping that this was just a

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Speaker 4: ploy to create leverage that will ultimately see the team

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Speaker 4: resettle in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

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Speaker 3: Arlington Heights has been in play.

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Speaker 4: In fact, the team owns property three hundred plus acres

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Speaker 4: the old Arlington Arlington Heights race course. So Bears fans

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Speaker 4: are upset, Yes, they think perhaps the governor leadership in

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Speaker 4: Illinois maybe has dragged their feet. Certainly that's the frustration

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Speaker 4: that we get.

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Speaker 3: From team leaders.

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Speaker 4: But fans, I think they just want to however it happens.

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Speaker 4: I think they'd like to see the team stay in Illinois.

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Speaker 4: I think we've gotten past the fact that Soldierfield will

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Speaker 4: no longer be a home for the Bears, But to

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Speaker 4: go to Indiana just seems like beyond the realm of expectation.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's next level for him. Ray corner Passi is

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Speaker 2: joining us beloved news anchor for many decades here in

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Speaker 2: central Indiana, now doing the job up in Chicago Land.

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Speaker 2: So I want to ask you about the difference in

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Speaker 2: the news reporting in the different regions, because just this

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Speaker 2: morning on WIBC with Tony Katz, the governor of Indiana

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Speaker 2: Mike Brawn said, all that's left really is to crop

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Speaker 2: the t's and dot the eyes. Is that the same

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Speaker 2: sentiment or reporting that is happening in Chicago. Do Chicagoans

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Speaker 2: feel like that's all that's left?

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Speaker 3: I don't think so.

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Speaker 4: I think I think here Bears fans of you know,

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Speaker 4: one of the strongest fan bases throughout the NFL, and

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Speaker 4: It's been built over a century of love for this

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Speaker 4: team here, and you know, as I indicated before, this

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Speaker 4: is not the first time the city of Chicago has

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Speaker 4: had come to terms with the idea of the team leaving.

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Speaker 4: Wherever they go, they're going to stay the Chicago Bears.

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Speaker 4: So I think, you know, that is sort of the

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Speaker 4: base ideology.

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Speaker 3: But it's not a done deal. I think, I think

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Speaker 3: here in Chicago that is the realization.

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Speaker 4: But if you just listen to what's reported in Indiana

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Speaker 4: in fact, on social media, I've seen the phrase done

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Speaker 4: deal used, and I think we realize that it is

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Speaker 4: not a done deal. It is still up in the air.

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Speaker 4: But it does seem like for the moment, you know,

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Speaker 4: based on the Bear statement, not that they are agreeing

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Speaker 4: to set up shop in a new state and take

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Speaker 4: it from there. You know, it's a step forward, but

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Speaker 4: definitely not a done deal now.

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Speaker 1: Ray at its point in time, it looks like the

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Speaker 1: state of Indiana has probably put its best foot forward

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Speaker 1: at this point in time, because our legislative session is

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Speaker 1: going to wrap up here in a week or two,

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Speaker 1: and we know that there was this legislative committee meeting

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Speaker 1: in Illinois yesterday that got canceled at the last minute.

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Speaker 1: So the ball is back in the court of the

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Speaker 1: Illinois lawmakers. What are you hearing about that are their

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Speaker 1: next steps? Have they talked about rescheduling that meeting? What

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Speaker 1: are the lawmakers from Illinois do from here?

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Speaker 4: Well, the governor said, you know, the ball is in

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Speaker 4: the Bear's court right now, the change of sports metaphor.

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Speaker 4: But I think the governor remains committed to the idea

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Speaker 4: that you know, the state does not want to provide

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Speaker 4: tax incentives that would leave the state in an exposed

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Speaker 4: position that would hurt the taxpayers of Illinois. And I

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Speaker 4: think you know they're they're in a difficult position because

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Speaker 4: Governor Pritsker does not want to be known as the

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Speaker 4: governor who lost the Chicago Bears. But at the same time, uh,

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Speaker 4: you know, it does not want to prop up a

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Speaker 4: billionaire owner that would that would be harmful to the

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Speaker 4: state of Illinois. And so that is where the governor

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Speaker 4: is right now. You know, the McCaskey family ultimately will

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Speaker 4: make that decision and they.

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Speaker 3: Are going to be looking for the best deal possible.

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Speaker 3: We just don't know for sure what that is yet.

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Speaker 1: So Ray, you mentioned taxes in there, because because from

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Speaker 1: our perspective here in Indiana, what we're hearing from Illinois

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Speaker 1: is it seems like the state and the Bears have

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Speaker 1: agreed to the point where the Bears will fund most

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Speaker 1: of the construction. Illinois has agreed to do the infrastructure.

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Speaker 1: Is this really down to all about the taxes associated

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Speaker 1: with that property?

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Speaker 3: It seems that way this point.

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Speaker 4: I mean, the Bears, for their part, they would love

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Speaker 4: to have the control that would be available to them

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Speaker 4: in a new location, whether it's the northwest suburbs of

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Speaker 4: Chicago or it seems like, you know, the state of

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Speaker 4: Indiana is rolling out the red carpet that would give

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Speaker 4: them lots of opportunities to really capitalize on the revenue stream.

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Speaker 3: I think that is what it comes down.

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Speaker 4: To for the Bears, and it's just it's not clear

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Speaker 4: yet how that's going to play out long term.

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Speaker 3: I mean, thirty five.

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Speaker 4: Year lease, where would that leave the Bears at the end?

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Speaker 3: You know, it's not totally clear yet.

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Speaker 2: Great Quarter Pass he's joining us. Has there been any

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Speaker 2: word from any like corporate sponsors or partners that are

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Speaker 2: based in Chicago, Have they met any statements about the

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Speaker 2: possibility of the Bears moving.

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Speaker 3: Well, Cook County leaders.

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Speaker 4: You know, they put out a formal statement to the

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Speaker 4: Bears to make the pitch that they should stay in Illinois.

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Speaker 3: I'll give you a.

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Speaker 4: Little statement here. It says the Bears are not merely

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Speaker 4: a football team. They're woven into the cultural and civic

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Speaker 4: identity of our region. The Bears are one of the

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Speaker 4: charter franchises of the NFL, with a legacy that includes

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Speaker 4: nine championships, legendary figures such as George Hallis and Walter Payton,

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Speaker 4: and generations of families who have built traditions around Sunday football.

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Speaker 4: So they are part of a network of civic and

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Speaker 4: corporate entities that have a vested interest in maintaining the

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Speaker 4: connection with the Bears in Chicago, and they'll be working

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Speaker 4: hard behind the scenes to make sure that the Bears

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Speaker 4: stay here in Illinois.

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Speaker 2: Ray, we appreciate you joining us. I have one last

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Speaker 2: question for you before we let you go. Has there

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Speaker 2: been what is the most underreported angle in Chicago news

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Speaker 2: coverage so far? I mean we're hearing it from the

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Speaker 2: Indiana Central Indiana aspect. In your mind, what's been the

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Speaker 2: most the reported angle?

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Speaker 4: I think from your perspective, probably the twists and turns

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Speaker 4: that have played out over the years. I mean, Arlington

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Speaker 4: is where we thought the team would end up. We've

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Speaker 4: been getting used to that idea since twenty twenty one.

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Speaker 4: But you know again, property taxes created a stalemate there

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Speaker 4: for the Bears President Kevin Warren, mayor Brandon Johnson in Chicago,

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Speaker 4: they felt like, you know, it could still end up

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Speaker 4: in downtown Chicago. I mean moving to a location just

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Speaker 4: south of Soldier Field.

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Speaker 3: You know, there's all kinds of problems that.

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Speaker 4: Are presented to try to get to a Bears game

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Speaker 4: for many fans. They've sort of identified an opportunity to

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Speaker 4: make it better fan experience if the team could move

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Speaker 4: to a location just south of Soldier Field along the

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Speaker 4: Chicago Lakefront. That became sort of a non starter, and

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Speaker 4: so Arlington Heights then picked up steam in the Northwest suburbs.

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Speaker 4: And so this is a saga that it may seem

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Speaker 4: on the Indiana side of the border that it's almost

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Speaker 4: ready to wrap up. I feel like it's still got

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Speaker 4: a ways to go before it crosses the.

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Speaker 3: End zone.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you guys have been talking about this for a while. Well,

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Speaker 2: we appreciate your time. Rate quorder Passy, good conversation and

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Speaker 2: thank you so much for the insight.

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Speaker 3: Kakesy Jen, great to be with you.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks ight. You're listening to ninety three WIBC. Good morning,