Chicago Bears schedule a Wednesday announcement on new stadium near lakefront

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears have scheduled a Wednesday news conference to announce plans for “a state-of-the-art, publicly owned enclosed stadium” on the city’s Museum Campus near Lake Michigan. The announcement Monday said the plans also call for additional green and open space with access to the lakefront. The team said last month it was prepared to provide more than $2 billion in funding toward a publicly owned stadium in the city. That statement signaled a shift in focus away from building a new home in the suburbs. Soldier Field has been the Bears’ home since 1971. The team’s lease there runs through 2033.