{"id":39502,"date":"2026-06-01T08:30:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=39502"},"modified":"2026-06-01T08:30:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:30:43","slug":"illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image_print\"Print<\/span><\/a><\/div>

(CUNNINGHAM)<\/p>\n

Senate approves bill aimed at addressing concerns, but House punts the issue\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

By BRENDEN MOORE<\/span>
\n<\/span>& BEN SZALINSKI<\/span>
\n<\/span>Capitol News Illinois\u00a0 <\/span>
\n<\/span>news@capitolnewsillinois.com\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SPRINGFIELD \u2014 Despite a Hail Mary heave from the Illinois Senate in the final hours of the spring legislative session, state lawmakers ultimately failed to reach the end zone on a bill incentivizing the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Illinois.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Senate voted to approve the amended measure 37-17 with bipartisan support around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning after working through the night. Acknowledging the late hour, Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, the bill\u2019s sponsor, said just before the vote that \u201csome of the best, most memorable victories have been in double or triple overtime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But across the rotunda nearly an hour later, the House adjourned without taking up the Senate proposal. House Speaker Emanuel \u201cChris\u201d Welch, D-Hillside, told members that \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of work still ahead of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ll continue discussions on a number of issues, including our approach to the Bears stadium question, this summer,\u201d Welch said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a brief interview with Capitol News Illinois after the House adjourned, Welch said he believes the legislature will tackle the stadium question \u201csooner than later,\u201d but not in a special session. He also defended the decision not to move forward with a vote on the hastily crafted bill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think our caucus is used to processes,\u201d Welch said. \u201cOur caucus is used to taking our time and doing it right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But in a statement released minutes later, the Bears said they have no plans to adjust their timeline for deciding on a future home. The team has a standing offer from Indiana to move across the state line to Hammond.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring\/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated,\u201d the team said in a statement. \u201cWe will provide an update when we have a decision to share.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Senate\u2019s game plan<\/b><\/p>\n

A day removed from <\/span>delivering the bombshell<\/span><\/a> that a megaprojects bill designed to keep the Bears in Illinois was dead, Cunningham relayed \u201cessentially an offer\u201d of tax certainty to the team but utilizing a different method than the payment in lieu of taxes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s a pretty good one,\u201d the Chicago Democrat told reporters late Sunday night as lawmakers barreled towards the end of their spring legislative session. \u201cI think it aligns with their goals. And they may not take it \u2014 but that’s up to them.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of a negotiated PILOT on a private development, the plan called for allowing municipalities to set up stadium authorities that could own and finance professional sports stadiums. Since the facility would be owned by the public authority, the Bears would escape paying property taxes altogether.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think what we’ve done here with this bill today is establish a framework that would enable the Bears to build a stadium in the state of Illinois,\u201d Cunningham said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill would enable Cook County municipalities with populations greater than 70,000 to create local stadium authorities that could own and finance professional sports stadiums. While not Bears-specific, the legislation would likely have set the team up to make a stadium deal with either Chicago or Arlington Heights \u2014 a level playing field city lawmakers sought.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the municipal stadium authority would have the power to issue revenue bonds to fund stadium construction that can be funded through local tax revenue and local, state and federal financial assistance along with private contributions.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the land surrounding the stadium, expected to be part of a mixed-use stadium district, would not be subject to the property tax exemption. But it would be eligible for a STAR bond district designation. This would allow stadium district project costs to be reimbursed using bond proceeds backed by future state sales tax revenue generated by the development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears have said they are only focused on a privately-owned stadium in Arlington Heights or a publicly owned stadium site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And after months of Illinois lawmakers touting the megaprojects approach versus stadium deals of the past, Cunningham acknowledged that the bill \u201cis the exact same mechanic set up in Northwest Indiana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Tax certainty\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

The Bears have long said they need \u201ctax certainty\u201d to move forward with a stadium project in Illinois. For the past three years, the team pushed for a megaprojects bill that would have allowed them to negotiate a lower property tax payment for up to 40 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The megaprojects tool, which would have been available for large developments across the state, had Pritzker\u2019s backing and passed the House last month. But it did not have enough support in the Senate with legislators expressing concerns about the impact of local property tax revenue and wary of incentivizing the Bears\u2019 exit from the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let me put it this way: I had a senator say to me that that approach further breaks an already broken property tax system, and I think that senator expressed a notion that many senators held,\u201d Cunningham said. \u201cThe public ownership structure here provides a clear public benefit, and I think that’s why senators are more likely to support this than the other approach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The team\u2019s decision\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The deal in Indiana calls for more than $1 billion in public subsidies to build a publicly owned stadium. The Bears would keep all revenue generated by the building and have the option to buy it for $1 once bonds are paid off.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears have committed $2 billion to stadium construction in Arlington Heights and Hammond but have pledged to finance an Illinois project privately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pritzker and state lawmakers have long ruled out direct public subsidies for stadium construction. But in the Senate\u2019s bill, Cunningham acknowledged that \u201cif they choose to, they can use that authority to raise taxes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would just point out that, given what the Bears have told us, that shouldn’t be necessary here,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Bears have said they will finance the stadium, so if an authority does decide to do this, I would imagine they would take the Bears up on that offer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But without action from state lawmakers, the Bears now move forward toward a decision without the property tax certainty they sought in Illinois.<\/span><\/p>\n

Capitol News Illinois<\/span><\/i><\/a> is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(CUNNINGHAM) Senate approves bill aimed at addressing concerns, but House punts the issue\u00a0 By BRENDEN MOORE & BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois\u00a0 news@capitolnewsillinois.com\u00a0\u00a0 SPRINGFIELD \u2014 Despite a Hail Mary heave […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIllinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-01T13:30:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Greg Sapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Greg Sapp\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Greg Sapp\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1\"},\"headline\":\"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T13:30:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1101,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/\",\"name\":\"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-01T13:30:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg\",\"width\":1140,\"height\":707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/local-news\\\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/premier-logo-v1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/premier-logo-v1.png\",\"width\":272,\"height\":69,\"caption\":\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1\",\"name\":\"Greg Sapp\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.thexradio.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/greg_sapp\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","description":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","og_description":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader","og_url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/","og_site_name":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","article_published_time":"2026-06-01T13:30:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1140,"height":707,"url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Greg Sapp","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Greg Sapp","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/"},"author":{"name":"Greg Sapp","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1"},"headline":"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push","datePublished":"2026-06-01T13:30:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/"},"wordCount":1101,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/","name":"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-01T13:30:43+00:00","description":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/230719-CUNNINGHAM-AA.jpg","width":1140,"height":707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/39502-illinois-lawmakers-fail-to-pass-bears-bill-despite-goal-line-push\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Illinois Lawmakers Fail to Pass Bears Bill Despite Goal Line Push"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/","name":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/premier-logo-v1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/premier-logo-v1.png","width":272,"height":69,"caption":"Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ea4a7a4f3418a551e6319888ef00a8f1","name":"Greg Sapp","url":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/author\/greg_sapp\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Greg Sapp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39503,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39502\/revisions\/39503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}