The Chicago Bears will build their next stadium in Hammond, Indiana — maybe. The team made the announcement Friday after years of negotiations with Illinois state lawmakers over a deal to build a stadium in either Arlington Heights or on the Chicago lakefront.

The battle for the Bears may be headed to the fourth quarter. As the team looks to move on from its home at Soldier Field, a suitor has emerged across the state line: Hammond, Indiana.

The bill would give local governments power to negotiate with the Chicago Bears — and other “megadevelopments” — over property tax payments.

An Indiana House committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 27, which would create a public stadium authority with the power to acquire land, issue long-term bonds and finance the construction of a stadium and related facilities.

The renewed urgency comes as Indiana advances competing legislation backed by Gov. Mike Braun to lure the team across state lines, raising the stakes in Springfield.

The blitz is on as Indiana pushes to become the new home of the Chicago Bears. State lawmakers there are considering Senate Bill 27, which would allow a government authority to buy land and finance the construction of a new NFL stadium.

The Chicago Bears’ season officially ended Sunday in an overtime thriller against the Los Angeles Rams, but the saga of the team’s future home is still playing out.

In a letter addressed to Chicago Bears fans, Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren wrote that the search for a new stadium site will now include “opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana.”

The president has urged GOP-led states to gerrymander their U.S. house districts ahead of the midterms to create more winnable seats for Republicans. It’s an unusual move, since the district boundaries are usually adjusted based on the census every 10 year.

The legislation was designed to favor GOP candidates in the next year’s midterms. Republicans control the state Senate, but many have been hesitant or openly opposed to the idea of mid-decade redistricting.

Republicans who control the House have said there’s no doubt that redistricting will pass that chamber. But the fate of any proposal remains uncertain in the Indiana Senate.

President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Republican governors to draw new maps that give the party an easier path to maintain control of the House in the midterms.

An Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000 was executed Tuesday by lethal injection in the state’s second execution in 15 years.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, has been on death row for more than 20 years after being convicted in the fatal shooting of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a foot chase. Unless there’s last-minute court action, Ritchie is scheduled to be executed “before the hour of sunrise” at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to state officials.

Indiana’s Legislature this week gave final approval to a bill that would create the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission to recommend whether to change the border between the two states. The move comes as residents of some Illinois counties are seeking to separate from the Chicago area.

In the last five years, voters in 33 Illinois counties have been asked if they want to consider separating from Chicago’s Cook County to form a new state. Each time, a majority said yes. Some politicians in neighboring Indiana seem up for the idea.