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Former Illinois governor slams Pritzker for ‘malpractice’ as Bears look to flee to red state

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Former Illinois governor slams Pritzker for ‘malpractice’ as Bears look to flee to red state

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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)

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“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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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“[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.

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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.

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“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.”

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Cleveland, OH

TRACKING: Rounds of thunderstorms and downpours

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TRACKING: Rounds of thunderstorms and downpours


CLEVELAND (WJW) – A weakening cluster of thunderstorms will move across the area late tonight. Some small hail and gusty winds are possible in a few thunderstorms. Most of the rain and thunderstorms will move out by 1-2 a.m.

Temperatures will only drop into the lower 60s Monday night, which is warmer than the average high for this time of year.

This stretch of unsettled weather will continue through Thursday. Clusters and complexes of downpours and storms will fire up a slow-moving front across Midwest this week. These clusters will impact Northeast Ohio at times Monday night through Thursday.

One of the wetter and stormier days this week will be Tuesday. A cluster of downpours and storms will drop south across the area around or just after midday. Depending on the rain and cloud coverage in the morning, a few strong storms will be possible Tuesday afternoon/evening. With a line of storms expected, the main threat will be strong to damaging wind gusts. Here’s Tuesday’s Futurecast:

Tuesday will be another unseasonably warm spring day, with high temperatures once again well above 70 degrees. The clouds and rain may impact Tuesday’s highs.

The unseasonably warm spring weather will continue through the start of the upcoming weekend. The next cool down will not come until the end of the weekend.

Here’s the 8 day forecast:

Stay up-to-date by downloading the FOX 8 apps, including the new FOX 8 CLE+ streaming app available for free on Amazon Fire, Roku, and Apple TV.



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Illinois

Illinois departments probing West Suburban hospital’s finances after abrupt closure, state rep. says

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Illinois departments probing West Suburban hospital’s finances after abrupt closure, state rep. says


OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) — A state lawmaker tells the ABC7 I-Team there is an ongoing investigation into the finances of an Oak Park safety-net hospital that abruptly closed last month.

This while the I-Team has learned the current CEO of West Suburban Medical Center was served an eviction notice last week from the property’s owner, citing millions of dollars in debt owed.

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Through a spokesperson, CEO Manoj Prasad told the I-Team the eviction notice, “is without merit,” and that he would “address this matter through the appropriate legal channels.”

While there have been many developments since West Suburban Medical Center announced it was closing March 25, former physicians and staff at the facility say the top priority needs to be reopening the healthcare facility that plays a critical role in the community.

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The Chicago Medical Society and former physicians sent a letter to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Monday, requesting “immediate state intervention” to reopen West Suburban Medical Center.

“We write to you to exercise your emergency authority to intervene in the hospital’s closure and take immediate action to reopen this critical safety-net institution,” the letter reads.

In an interview with the I-Team, Illinois’ 8th District state Rep. La Shawn Ford said several stage agencies are probing the finances of West Suburban Medical Center leading up to its closure.

“The Illinois Department of Public Health, and Department of Human Services, and [Healthcare and Family Services]; they’re all looking into this hospital and checking out the financials,” Ford said. “There’s an ongoing investigation because there’s been millions of dollars that have been provided, taxpayer dollars to this hospital to keep this afloat and it still closed.”

A spokesperson for HFS previously told the I-Team at least $30 million was loaned to the facility since 2023, including a $10 million loan one year ago.

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The I-Team reached out to multiple state departments and the governor’s office for comment about the ongoing financial investigation into West Suburban’s closure but have not heard back.

Ford told the I-Team his constituents and the community is demanding a change in leadership for the beleaguered healthcare facility, and they want Resilience Healthcare CEO Prasad out.

“It closed on his watch… which means that the leadership failed the community,” Ford said. “I’m hearing every day, and this is not an exaggeration, that we need to have new leadership at the hospital.”

Dr. Vishnu Chundi is a former West Suburban Medical Center Physician and co-chair of the West Suburban Hospital Task Force to Reopen and Restore Care.

Chundi signed the letter sent to Governor Pritzker, imploring the state to reopen the facility immediately citing severe healthcare deficient for the West Side after its closure.

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“The governor does have the emergency authority to open a hospital for at-need on an at-need basis,” Chundi said. “This hospital serves poor people. It serves people at the highest risk. And we call on the governor to open this hospital as soon as possible.”

Former West Suburban Nursing Director Sylvia Williams said she’s worked at the facility serving her community for nearly two decades.

“We really want to make sure that the hospital gets open and that the authorities do some investigation about why those monies weren’t appropriated to the hospitals, both Weiss [Memorial] and to West Suburban,” Williams told the I-Team. “Because we don’t see it. We’re there. We live there every day. The things that, you know, the equipment that we need… the monies were not spent on the hospital equipment.”

Among the plans in development to reopen the closed hospital includes efforts by the property owner of West Suburban and Weiss Memorial, Ramco Healthcare Holdings.

The I-Team obtained a copy of an eviction notice served to CEO Prasad and Resilience Healthcare dated April 9, claiming the hospital owes more than $10.2 million for the use of the property.

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A spokesperson for Ramco told the I-Team this was the first step in a plan to remove Prasad and the current management and find another person or institution to run the hospital’s operations.

As the I-Team previously reported, more than a month before the hospital closed, the landowner had met with state officials, warning of the dire situation and need to oust Prasad and appoint a court-ordered receiver to oversee the process of finding a new management company.

State officials said they were not presented with “any viable plan to turn around their fiscal and operational issues.”

Ford hopes state officials and the community can come together to prevent a healthcare desert.

“What this hospital needs now more than ever is stability,” Ford said. “It’s been through so many challenges, and if it’s to open again, it has to open with stability and strong leadership.”

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Indiana

Monday storm blows across northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio

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Monday storm blows across northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio


NORTHEAST INDIANA (WANE) – A storm system passed through northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio on Monday evening, leaving a substantial amount of damage in its wake.

Monday night’s storm warranted thunderstorm warnings throughout the viewing area, including Steuben, DeKalb, and Allen counties in Indiana, along with Defiance, Paulding, and Van Wert counties in Ohio.

The storm itself lasted about an hour, but caused chaos by downing unstable trees and signage from strong winds.

Thousands reported power outages across the Fort Wayne area, with a handful of outages in Ohio’s northwest region.

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Viewers from across the WANE 15 viewing area shared photos documenting the storm as it blew through, with additional weather phenomena:



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