Midwest
Former Illinois governor slams Pritzker for ‘malpractice’ as Bears look to flee to red state
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich argued Gov. JB Pritzker got “outplayed and outflanked” as the Chicago Bears look to leave the state for Indiana.
On Thursday, an Indiana House panel approved legislation to help finance a potential new NFL stadium for the team. The facility could be constructed near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana, just across the state border.
“The Indiana legislature did what it did, and it caught our governor asleep,” Blagojevich said Saturday on “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
A general view inside Soldier Field during the national anthem prior to the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Illinois, on Dec. 26, 2024. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“Governor Pritzker really is guilty of gubernatorial malpractice, and this isn’t the first time a major business is about to leave Illinois,” he added.
ILLINOIS FATHER SAYS PRITZKER SHOWS ‘INDIFFERENCE’ TO HIS DAUGHTER BEING KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Blagojevich blamed the blue state’s high taxes as a reason the team may be considering the move, noting other major companies like Boeing and Tyson Foods that have already left.
“He [Pritzker] spent $3 billion on illegal immigrants, migrants, and apparently doesn’t have the money or has paid the attention to try to keep the Bears in Illinois,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Pritzker but did not immediately hear back.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson push back on Trump’s plan to send National Guard and boost ICE enforcement in Chicago on Sept. 2, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images; Scott Olson)
“He’s been outplayed and outflanked by this Indiana governor because his priorities are all about defending sanctuary for illegal immigrants,” Blagojevich said.
DUFFY GIVES ILLINOIS 30-DAY ULTIMATUM AFTER AUDIT FINDS 1 IN 5 NONCITIZEN TRUCK LICENSES ISSUED ILLEGALLY
The Bears released a statement on the development plans, calling them the “most meaningful step forward” in their quest for a new stadium.
Chicago leaders, however, aren’t giving up hope. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said during a news conference that the Bears “belong” in Chicago, adding that the door is open for conversations with the team about remaining in its namesake city.
PRITZKER URGES ‘UNIFIED RESPONSE’ FROM DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS AFTER CPB FATALLY SHOOTS MAN
“[Pritzker] turned his back on a working-class fan base of the Chicago Bears,” Blagojevich said.
“This would be a disgrace if Pritzker allows the Bears to leave and allows the governor of Indiana to intercept our Bears.”
Chicago Bears helmets before the start of the game against Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sept. 28, 2025, in Paradise, Nevada. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
Pritzker told reporters he was “very disappointed” and caught off guard by the Bears’ latest announcement, saying his staff spoke to the franchise for more than three hours on Wednesday.
While Illinois leaders expressed shock at the news, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun revealed the Bears approached his state five months ago after being “rebuffed” by its own government.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“This is dereliction because they’ve been trying to work with the state, with the city, for three years,” Braun said Saturday on “Fox News Live.”
The Indiana governor confirmed he has no intention of changing the team’s title, noting that “Chicago Bears” remains an “iconic name” regardless of the zip code. He said he’s looking to give the franchise a “better home” in a state where the “dollar goes a lot farther.”
Read the full article from Here
Dan Gilbert paid for an army of Cleveland Cavaliers fans to take over Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena for Game 2 of the NBA playoffs against the rival Detroit Pistons.
Gilbert, the longtime Cavs owner who has founded several Detroit-based companies and owns much of the real estate in downtown Detroit, sent seven bus loads of Cavs season ticket holders up I-75 North on Thursday, May 7, to wear maroon and gold shirts that read “BEAT DETROIT!”
Coworkers Rick Amador, 46, of Lorain, Ohio, and Eric Karr, 24, of Strongsville, Ohio, said they were thankful their trip to the playoffs in Detroit was fully paid for.
“Dan Gilbert fully paid for all of our tickets, paid for the shirts that you see here today,” Amador said. “He paid for the swag and he brought us here, fed us. We had a party at The Beacon [in Detroit, owned by Gilbert]. DJ, food, it was phenomenal.”
[ Pistons vs Cavaliers score updates, Game 2 highlights, commentary ]
Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State and a law degree from Wayne State in downtown Detroit.
“I’m just ready to bring a dub home to Cleveland,” Karr said. “It’s been a long time coming. We got lucky with LeBron [James] always coming here and now it’s time for us to build our own future and win our own championship. All of them. Yes, Donovan [Mitchell] has to have his legacy game.”
The Pistons on Tuesday night won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, 111-101, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Games 3-4 will be in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and Monday night.
As for a prediction for the rest of the series?
“Five games, Cavs win it,” Karr said without hesitation.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is accused of shooting and killing a 32-year-old after a hit-and-run on the city’s north side in April.
In court:
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged 25-year-old Daniel Evans with first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of felony bail jumping. He’s being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Court filings said Evans was out on bond for two different felony cases at the time of the shooting. He’d previously been convicted of misdemeanors in two other cases.
Milwaukee County prosecutors also charged 22-year-old Joshua Evans with harboring/aiding a felon in the case. He’s being held in jail on $15,000 cash bond.
Daniel Evans, Joshua Evans
20th and Burleigh
The backstory:
The shooting happened on April 23. The victim, who the medical examiner’s office identified as 32-year-old Terry Brown-Maben, died at the scene near 20th and Burleigh. A criminal complaint said police found nine bullet casings there.
What they’re saying:
A witness told detectives that he and Brown-Maben had just left a liquor store when an SUV rear-ended them at 20th and Hopkins, according to the complaint. He said the crash snapped his car’s axle, and he was upset but told the people in the SUV to “just pull over” because he did not want to make a big deal of it. At the same time as the witness was talking to a passenger in the SUV, he said Brown-Maben was talking to the driver.
Scene near 20th and Burleigh (April 23, 2026)
Court filings said the SUV drove away, and the witness and Brown-Maben began to walk because their car was left inoperable after the hit-and-run crash. A short time later, the witness said the SUV came back, and the passenger started to shoot at them.
The complaint said the witness told detectives that he took Brown-Maben’s gun and hid it after the shooting, adding he did not see Brown-Maben with the weapon before the shooting. The witness was also “adamant” that there had been no confrontation between them and the people in the SUV after the crash.
Shooting investigation
Dig deeper:
Court filings said detectives watched surveillance video that showed an SUV turn near 20th and Burleigh, after which there appeared to be a muzzle flash from the passenger side of the vehicle. Video from the liquor store and a nearby gas station showed the SUV with front-end damage, and showed Joshua Evans getting out of the driver’s door.
Detectives showed the witness photo lineups in an attempt to identify the driver and passenger in the SUV. Court filings said he identified Daniel Evans as the passenger and shooter, but he did not identify Joshua Evans as the driver.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Police ran the SUV’s license plates, and determined Joshua Evans was the registered owner. When detectives interviewed him, he said he thought he might have been at work or “with a female” that night but identified himself and Daniel Evans in surveillance video from the liquor store.
Another person told police that she spoke to Daniel Evans. According to the complaint, that person said Daniel Evans told her “Josh” hit someone’s car and there was a “shoot out.” When police showed her pictures of the SUV from the liquor store surveillance, she said she “thought it was Josh’s.”
Five days after the homicide, police interviewed someone who was arrested on unrelated charges. Court filings said he told police he’d bought his gun from “the Evans brothers” for $200. Ballistics tests of that gun determined it matched the casings recovered at the homicide scene near 20th and Burleigh.
The Source: FOX6 News went to the shooting scene after it happened. Information in this story is from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
Local romance authors Evi James and Alice Daniels will be at Yellowbird Coffee Bar NE on Friday, May 8th to meet the readers, sign books and bedazzle book covers. DabbleKit will be bringing all the supplies for bedazzling. The event is 18+ and you do need to reserve a spot to attend. There will be more bedazzling events throughout the summer.
-
New York8 minutes agoCornell Is Investigating Confrontation Between President and Students
-
Detroit, MI38 minutes agoDan Gilbert paid for army of Cavs fans to take over Pistons playoff game
-
San Francisco, CA50 minutes agoMissing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years
-
Dallas, TX56 minutes agoDallas deck park set to reconnect Oak Cliff after decades of division
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoFuture of Miami historic landmark continues in limbo after redevelopment plan rejected by zoning board
-
Boston, MA1 hour agoCaleb Lomu’s wife predicted his path to the Patriots, then his uncle flew him there
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoCould the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoWho will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers