Marcus Leshock

NEW BEARS STADIUM …. what now?!

After the Illinois legislature did not pass a bill giving the Bears incentives to build in Arlington Heights, many are wondering what will happen next.

The team says they are doing their due diligence on both the Arlington Heights property and the proposal in Hammond, Indiana, with the timeline of making a decision in late spring / early summer.

I spent the day yesterday watching and listening to so many takes on this issue. Many politicians are releasing statements about who is to blame or if there’s still any hope of the Bears staying in Illinois.

All of this is happening as other teams in other cities are getting their stadiums built. Here locally, WGN’s Ben Bradley made a good comparison with the United Center project that is moving forward with a dramatic reimagining of the area around the west side stadium. Somehow the owners of the Bulls and Blackhawks were able to get that done. And Northwestern is opening their new Ryan Field this year.

Why can’t the Bears get this over the finish line? If they could go back, would they handle the negotiations differently? Will we go into another season with this project STILL up in the air?

How are you feeling about this situation?

GOOD MORNING! It’s 4:58am on TUESDAY and I am back on the anchor desk 4-6am before heading out to an Around Town segment today.

Lauren Jiggetts is either very excited I'm here or counting the minutes until I leave the building.

Who’s up with us?!

WHAT A WEEKEND at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana!

We were able to check out their Holiwood Nights event for the first time. The park stays open after closing for coaster enthusiasts to have exclusive ride time on their roller coasters.

But the highlight is their wooden roller coaster VOYAGE. The park turns off the trim brakes on the ride … which makes it fly even FASTER through the layout. It’s one of the wildest experiences you will ever have on a roller coaster. And at night? You can’t see ANYTHING. I’ll have some video to share soon of these rides and our entire experience.

I’ve been coming to this family run park for over a decade now and it’s one of my favorite places. They do all of the little things right and they have one of the best water parks anywhere in the country. Oh, and you can’t forget the free drinks and free sunscreen!

It was awesome to give Jonna and Ruby their first HW experience. Everyone had a great time.

OH! And they’re adding something major for next year. They gave me an exclusive teaser that I will be showing you in the next few days! I still have no idea what this attraction will be, but maybe you can help me figure it out. 🧐🎢🙌