CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker indicated on Friday that he is optimistic that lawmakers will pass the so-called mega projects bill that could keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.

But they are racing against a rapidly approaching deadline. The session ends on May 31, just nine days from Friday, and one Chicago lawmaker is casting doubt on whether there is enough support.

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The Illinois Senate has adjourned for the holiday weekend, and members will not return until Monday afternoon. At this point, the legislation that would give the Bears what they need to make a move to Arlington Heights is still in the works.

The Bears head into the home stretch of this legislative session without seeing a clear game plan from the Illinois Senate for how a mega projects bill will pass.

Senators are still hashing out details of the bill that would give the Bears long-term property tax breaks for a stadium that the team would pay for in Arlington Heights. The only other option that the Bears are considering is a site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. The team made clear again on Thursday that there is no viable option in Chicago.

“There really are only two choices: Do we want them in the state of Illinois, or do we want them to move to the state of Indiana? I don’t know about all of you. I would like them to stay in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.

But some members of the Chicago delegation still are not buying the Bears’ stance, believing that the industrial site in Hammond is not a serious option.

“But honestly, this looks like the bluff of the century to me, and the idea that the NFL is going to have two teams in Indiana and not one in Chicago… I think it’s an insult to folks’ intelligence,” said Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago and southwest suburbs.

Preston, who chairs the Senate Black Caucus, says opposition to the mega projects bill is not just from Chicago lawmakers who do not want to see the Bears leave the lakefront. Many others have reservations, too.

“They’re very concerned about the mega projects bill that would use resources to support a private business while so many people in the state of Illinois, property taxpayers, are struggling and hurt,” Preston said.

Pritzker remains optimistic that lawmakers will pass a bill that allows for the handoff to Arlington Heights, but so far, he has not started calling holdouts into his office for conversations.

“I don’t think any of the legislators are, you know, are unclear about what my position is. I want a business in the state of Illinois to stay in the state of Illinois and not move to another state,” Pritzker said.

The clock runs out on the legislative session on Sunday, May 31, and with many other big-ticket items still on the agenda, including the budget, lawmakers will need to move quickly while the Bears and the NFL wait on the sidelines.

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (WGN) — A police officer was shot Friday morning at a hospital in Michigan City, Indiana.

According to Indiana State Police, the officer was shot at around 7 a.m. at Franciscan Health Michigan City, located in the 3500 block of Franciscan Way.

The officer has been identified as Jon Samuelson, 33, a 12-year veteran of the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Indiana State Police, Samuelson, a K9 officer, was on his way to a training session when he spotted a disabled vehicle on State Road 2 near 900 West in LaPorte County.

The suspect, a 22-year-old man from of Chicago, asked the deputy to be taken to the hospital.

Samuelson dropped him at the emergency room at Franciscan Health. Around five minutes later, Samuelson returned to the hospital after learning that the man was allegedly involved in “criminal activity at a different location,” according to Indiana State Police.

Law enforcement sources told Nexstar’s WGN News the 22-year-old suspect was involved in a domestic-related carjacking in Chicago earlier, and, at around 6:05 a.m., FLOCK cameras saw the vehicle enter Indiana.

Chicago police said a 40-year-old woman was in verbal dispute when she was carjacked at her home just after 4:30 a.m.

While attempting to speak with, or arrest the suspect inside of the emergency room, Samuelson was shot three times, according to Indiana State Police. He was airlifted to a hospital in South Bend in critical condition.

Samuelson comes from a line of police officers. His father, a retired Michigan City officer, was employed as a security guard at the hospital and was there at the time, according to ISP.

His grandfather was the former chief of police of LaPorte.

Samuelson is married and has no children.

The suspect was booked into the Porter County Jail, according to Indiana State Police.

Formal charges have not been announced at this time.

Franciscan Health sent the following statement.

“The health and safety of our patients and staff is always our top priority. There is no active threat to patients, staff or the community at this time. The emergency department remains on ambulance bypass, but walk-in patients are being accepted through the main entrance to the hospital. Franciscan Physician Network medical offices on site are closed at this time. All other services and departments remain open as normal.”

An Iowa high school graduate who rose through the ranks of undrafted player to Super Bowl winning quarterback and eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer, will add another honor to his legacy.

Kurt Warner will be part of the University of Northern Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the school announced.

Warner, a graduate of Cedar Rapids Regis High School (which would later be renamed Cedar Rapids Xavier), was a multi-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball.

He enrolled at Northern Iowa after and earned the opportunity to start for the Panthers at quarterback as a senior, earning Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-league honors.

Warner, though, would go undrafted, receiving an invitation to try out with the Green Bay Packers. After being cut, he returned to Cedar Falls, stocking shelves at a local grocery store before finding a home with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League.

From Stocking Grocery Shelves To Throwing Super Bowl Touchdowns

In 1998, Warner played in NFL Europe, leading the league in touchdowns and passing yards. He earned a spot with the St. Louis Rams later that year in the NFL, taking over as the starter after Trent Green suffered a season-ending injury.

The rest was history, as Warner led the Rams to a win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV and won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. He threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns, earning him the Super Bowl MVP, as well.

Warner twice on the MVP award for the season, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, twice named to the all-pro first team and set three NFL all-time records. He finished his career with 32,344 yards passing and 208 touchdowns.

Several Other Former Iowans Set To Be Enshrined

Joining Warner in the Class of 2026 will be Des Moines Hoover High School graduate and swimmer, Mark Crouch, Fort Dodge native and wrestler, Jim Sanford, West Delaware High School grad and volleyball standout Ashten Stelken, State Center native and multi-sport star Kay (Whitaker) Wieck and Cedar Falls native Hannah Bermel, who will be honored with the Merlin Taylor Academic Award.

Gary Rima, the voice of the Panthers and a native of Strawberry Point, will be presented with the Dr. Jitu Kothari Meritorious Service Award with Bob Justis.

“We are thrilled to announce a Hall of Fame class worthy of the honor as the university marks its 150th anniversary,” Northern Iowa Director of Athletics Megan Franklin said in a press release from the school. “The inductees represent program defining players, voices that brought iconic moments to life and lifts up the celebration of scholarship definidng the student-athlete experience.

“Needless to say, in this sesquicentennial year, the Hall of Fame committee put together a very special class highlighting the very best in UNI athletics history.”

The induction ceremony is set for Friday, September 11 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the class being recognized the following day during Northern Iowa’s home opener inside the UNI-Dome vs. Drake.