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Prolific stadium builder Bob Dunn, advising the Lightfoot administration on how to fix Soldier Field to keep the Bears in Chicago, released detailed plans Sunday for transforming the isolated stadium into a year-round commercial and entertainment hub, served by a transit station that would underpin his goal of residential expansion on the Near South Side.

Dunn estimated that his proposal to dome Soldier Field, working within its existing footprint, would save the Bears at least $1 billion over the cost of building from the ground up in Arlington Heights, where the team has a contract to purchase land.

Dunn, president of Landmark Development, said the proposed new Soldier Field and surrounding activity would fatten city tax coffers while giving the Bears and the team’s fans a facility that would be among the tops for NFL teams.

His credentials include involvement in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and every stadium for the Bears’ rivals in the NFC North Division.

In an interview, he offered images that promise that Soldier Field’s design, which has been likened to a crashed spaceship, could become something thrilling.

“Having built a number of NFL stadiums, having built other sports venues … having built Lambeau Field, which is consistently ranked as one of the top buildings in all of sports by fans, taking that building and then transforming it to become what it’s become, there is not an opportunity in the sports industry in the United States, I would argue, that matches the opportunity here,” Dunn said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot brought in Dunn last July to help in her effort to keep the Bears in Chicago. He said he’s unpaid for the role, that he has developed the plans at Landmark Development’s expense. He timed the release of his plan to the Bears’ final game of the season.

He spells out his vision with a website, reimaginesoldierfield.com, that includes a video narrated by former TV news anchor Bill Kurtis.

Dunn said he hasn’t reviewed the plan with the Bears.

Team officials have they they are sticking to a contractual obligation and talking only with Arlington Heights officials about what they can build on the former site of Arlington Park racetrack. The Bears have a contract to buy the 326 acres for $197.2 million but could back out of the deal.

The Lightfoot administration has estimated that a Soldier Field redevelopment, dome and all, could cost $2.2 billion.

Dunn’s plan includes a glassy north wall he said could be opened depending on the weather. Stadium capacity could be in the “high-60s,” he said, compared with the current 61,500 seats.

City officials promised a feasibility study of public financing options last year but have provided no updates.

Funding would surely be controversial because of the likely hit on taxpayers and the amount still unpaid on debt from Soldier Field’s 2003 renovation. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which handles the debt, said the amount owed is $631.5 million on notes due by 2032.

Dunn said the city’s $2.2 billion cost estimate was reasonable but that inflation and rising interest rates inevitably would affect the project. He wouldn’t discuss taxpayer funding.

He predicted that Arlington Heights would cost far more and deliver less for the team and taxpayers.

Soldier Field draws from a central area that gets 50 million visitors a year, with 100 million vehicles a year zipping by on Du Sable Lake Shore Drive.

“Those are Disney-like numbers,” Dunn said.

Arlington Heights, he said, might draw eight to 12 million annual visitors.

Dunn said the city and the Bears could strike new revenue-sharing deals covering parking, concessions, corporate sponsorships and other income sources.

“You have to have a different revenue mix,” he said. “It can be solved. It’s been solved in a lot of markets across the country.”

The Lightfoot administration responded to questions about Dunn’s plan with a written statement that offered no new details of public funding options.

“Mayor Lightfoot has been vocal about the need to reimagine the experience at Soldier Field,” the statement said. “The city still believes that Soldier Field is the best home for the Chicago Bears and continues to . . . explore the future of the stadium.”

With less than two months before the mayoral election, Dunn’s expanded presentation could be seen as a move to boost Lightfoot’s chances by showcasing her commitment to the lakefront asset. Dunn said his concern is planning, not politics.

“We have to have a vision here for the future of Soldier Field” whether the Bears move or not, he said. “I think any administration would look at this very favorably.”

Scott Hagel, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Bears, stuck with the tenor of the club’s recent statements about stadium matters, saying, “The only proposal we are exploring is in Arlington Heights.”

In Dunn’s outline, Soldier Field would keep its name and its tradition of honoring veterans, with a memorial to armed forces within the building. Its colonnades would stay in place, but the space around them would become active with shops and maybe a food hall.

His plan calls for a concert stage north of the arena near the Field Museum.

The dome would be supported by four columns added near the end zones, prime opportunities for corporate sponsors, Dunn said. Building into what’s now dead space around the stands, he said, would put an end to the current cramped concourses.

The project could take three to four years to complete, he said.

The proposal has two main assumptions.

One is that costs could be held down by using 70% of the existing stadium structure, including the seating bowls, which Dunn said provide an intimate view of games.

The other assumption is that he can change how fans get to Soldier Field. Most drive now, but Dunn said that, with a transit connection next to the stadium, 40% of the crowd could arrive by rail, comparing the game-day commuting patterns to Wrigley Field.

The transit hub is a clue to Dunn’s vested interest in helping Soldier Field. It’s a principal part of his plan for a megadevelopment of up to nine highrises built over Metra’s tracks west of the stadium. The plan is called One Central and, as previously sketched out, could cost $20 billion and include more than 9,000 residences.

One Central needs that transit station — seen as a junction for the CTA, Metra and Amtrak — to get people to the future buildings. But its cost is estimated at $6.5 billion. Dunn has promised to fund the construction, provided the state repays him from sales taxes resulting from the development.

Critics have called the public obligation risky. The state has ordered a feasibility study of the transit hub but reserved any decision for giving Dunn a go-ahead.

He still needs city zoning approval to build One Central, and his original plan has drawn fire from nearby residents and some politicians. Much of the opposition centers on density and access to the site.

Dunn said the plan could be downsized.

“I think it’s fair to say we’ve learned a lot, and I think we’ll be able to demonstrate that in what we learned, we made some very significant improvements in the plan.”

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It looked like the Bulls were set to take 10 steps back against the Jazz after taking two steps forward against two of the East’s elite teams.

It has been the story of their season, so it wouldn’t have shocked anyone.

But late-game sparks from Patrick Williams and Coby White were enough for the Bulls to retake the lead and secure a 126-118 victory against the Jazz.

“The thing I love about Coby when something negative happens where he knows he can be better, he always responds,” coach Billy Donovan said. “I appreciate him not getting off to a great offensive start and sticking with it. The same thing for Patrick. That’s the thing you need to do.”

After two impressive performances from Williams, including a season-high 22 points Wednesday against the Nets, he was held to one point through the first 39 minutes by Utah.

But with nine minutes left and the Bulls trailing by four, he and White, who was scoreless until that point, exchanged buckets. They combined for 11 points in less than two minutes to put the Bulls back on top and force a Jazz timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan went to work. They combined for 27 points in the fourth quarter.

LaVine had some residual three-point magic from his 41-point game against the 76ers sprinkled over him Saturday night. He had 11 points in the first quarter and 17 by the half, going 2-for-4 from three-point range. He opened the third quarter with another three and had 36 points for the game. He shot 6-for-12 from long range. Donovan said he wants to see 10 to 15 threes from LaVine every game.

LaVine’s response was concise: “I’ll try if I can.”

DeRozan scored 35, and Nikola Vucevic had 15 points and 16 rebounds.

“We’re finding a rhythm, sharing the ball and understanding our spots,” DeRozan said. “But mainly understanding when we get stops, get out in transition to get easy possessions and easy shots. We’ve been doing that more times than not. It’s been good for us.”

The Bulls and Jazz appeared sluggish at the start. It took nearly two minutes for either to draw first blood.

After Vucevic made a five-foot hook shot, the game got going, sort of. Through much of the first quarter, only Vucevic and LaVine were able to muster much offense.

Sloppy passing was compounded by poor shot selection in the first half. Let’s just chalk up the slow start to the aftereffects of being on the back end of a back-to-back.

The Jazz outscored the Bulls 68-40 in the paint behind a dominant performance by ex-Bull Lauri Markkanen, who finished with 28 points. The Bulls also struggled to contain Jordan Clarkson, who had 18 points. Late in the third quarter, Markkanen put Vucevic on a poster, finishing with force at the rim and topping it off with a stare-down.

The Bulls are 8-3 since giving up 150 points to the Timberwolves last month and could be 10-1 if NBA officiating hadn’t blown late calls in each of their losses to the Cavaliers last week. But let’s not dredge up the past.

LaVine didn’t acknowledge that Minnesota loss as a turning point. Instead, he mentioned some advice from his dad.

“Sometimes you need a little bit of [a butt-kicking] to get you back in the right place,” LaVine said.

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For Jeremy Fears Jr. and Joliet West, this was the one that didn’t get away.

Fears hit a shot in the lane with 3.0 seconds left Saturday night to lift the No. 8 Tigers past Cam Christie and No. 5 Rolling Meadows 62-60 in the Steve Pappas Shootout at DePaul Prep.

Fears finished with a game-high 24 points in a back-and-forth showdown that featured 26 lead changes — 11 in the second quarter alone.

It was the kind of game, with high stakes and against another elite player, that the Michigan State-bound Fears came back to his hometown from La Lumiere (Ind.) to play. There have been others this season. The Tigers (15-4) beat St. Rita early, but couldn’t close the deal against Kenwood, Benet or Curie.

“We took two tough losses to end Pontiac [Benet and Curie] and we knew we had another opportunity to play a great team and just come back and get it,” Fears said. “Everybody was locked in and that’s what we did.”

The Tigers did it by playing what coach Jeremy Kreiger considers a throwback style.

“I get caught up speaking to them about Joliet basketball: the Roger Powell days, the Gary Bell days, the Michael Mines days,” Kreiger said. “Joliet was known as a hard-working city that was tough and physical.

“In recent years, we’ve been ultra-skilled and we’ve worked super hard. But I just wanted them to step on the floor and bring a level of physicality that might almost shock or stun the opponent from the beginning of the game.”

Christie was on the receiving end of some of that physical approach, including one moment in the second quarter.

“I was going up for a layup and I got clocked in the nose,” he said.

Then late in the fourth quarter, the Minnesota-bound Christie drove to the basket, was upended and landed hard, staying down for a few seconds. He got up and hit one of two free throws to tie the score at 58 with 1:40 left. Baskets by Joliet West’s Justus McNair and Rolling Meadows’ Tsvet Sotirov set the stage for Fears’ game-winner.

The Mustangs had a final shot from half-court, but it was off the mark and Joliet West had the signature win that had been so elusive. Despite those near-misses, Fears had no doubt this one would go the Tigers’ way.

“I had ultra confidence in myself,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of shots go in and I knew this was my one opportunity, my one chance to make a big-time play for my team. And that’s what I was able to do.”

Fears’ brother Jeremiah added 14 points, while McNair and Drew King both scored seven.

Christie led Rolling Meadows with 19 points and seven rebounds, while 6-7 Mark Nikolich-Wilson did a little of everything with 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Sotirov had 10 points.

Nikolich-Wilson, who shot a tourney-record 77.1% as the Mustangs won the Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament, continues to provide a potent offensive alternative to Christie.

“Teams can’t just stay out on me the whole time because he’s a really good post player,” Christie said. “Once he starts scoring, it causes them to sink the defense so I’ll be open for kick-outs.”

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A newly narrowed crowd of mayoral candidates sat together for the first time Saturday afternoon for a conversation on issues affecting the city’s disabled community.

The seven candidates — community activist Ja’Mal Green; Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson; State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago); former CEO of Chicago Public Schools Paul Vallas; Ald. Sophia King (4th); U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill); and incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot — were seated in a row at a long table for the mostly cordial debate at the Access Living forum in River North.

Garcia said he was “running on fumes,” having flown to Chicago following days of voting that resulted in U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calf.) election as speaker of the House early Friday.

Missing from the forum were two candidates: Businessman Willie Wilson and Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) had both failed to fill out a required questionnaire to participate.

Lightfoot bore the brunt of criticism at the forum and faced it almost immediately.

“We need someone who can lead with communication and not altercation,” King said in a barb aimed at Lightfoot in her opening statement.

Responding to questions about how the city serves residents with mental health conditions, Vallas and Green both attacked Lightfoot for not reopening mental health clinics on the South and West Sides that were shuttered during Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s term in office.

Lightfoot, who as a candidate had promised to reopen the clinics, stood by her team’s strategy of providing “culturally relevant” mental healthcare, which she said her administration has made available across Chicago. Lightfoot said she had also increased funding for mental healthcare in the city’s budget, much of which was set aside for grants to local clinics.

“When I heard from the experts, and what I heard from patients, was that they didn’t want the clinician care that our clinics offer,” Lightfoot said. “What they wanted was culturally relevant mental health services in their neighborhood.”

Garcia suggested the city work with the county to combine their efforts on mental health to bring more resources to local clinics.

“We cannot continue to work in silence,” Garcia said.

Criminal justice reform proved to be a hot button issue and saw the candidates finding ways to differential themselves.

Lightfoot said there were “no resources” for formerly incarcerated people when she took office, but argued that a Reentry Council she created had made strides.

“Simply hiring someone to lead an office is not going to change [things],” Vallas shot back at Lightfoot. The former schools chief said the city needed more education and job training opportunities for people leaving prison.

Vallas said he would use police resources to combat several citywide issues, including a plan to put mental health centers at police precincts across the city and to drop the private security hired by Lighfoot’s administration to patrol the CTA, saying he’d reallocate those funds to post cops at stations and on trains instead.

Johnson called Vallas’ plan a “failed approach,” given past brutality that he said disabled Chicagoans, and the city’s residents at large, have faced at the hands of police officers.

Johnson and Vallas, along with Green and Buckner, were able to find common ground in a desire to fund a city program to clear sidewalks of snow in the winters, which the city currently calls a “shared community responsibility.” The frozen paths can be treacherous to navigate for residents with physical disabilities.

Lightfoot touted the impact of the Red and Purple Line Modernization and Red Line expansion projects on improving the transit agency’s accessibility, as well as recently securing a federal grant to help pay for more improvements.

Buckner promised to make the CTA “100% accessible” if elected.

“The [Americans with Disabilities Act] has to be our floor, not our ceiling,” Buckner said.

To close the forum, moderator Andr?s Gallagos, the chair of the National Council on Disability, urged the audience to use what was said to help make their decisions in the race next month.

“Get out and vote like your life depends on it,” Gallagos said. “Cause it very well might.”

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Jake McCabe has been the reliable, smart, effective defensive defenseman with a touch of offensive ability this season that the Blackhawks thought they were getting last season.

The ironic part is McCabe has become the right player at the wrong time.

When ex-Hawks general manager Stan Bowman signed McCabe to a four-year contract in 2021, he thought the former Sabre would play a big part in the Hawks’ defensive stabilization. But McCabe — still hampered by the shoulder that had undergone surgery the winter before — struggled mightily out of the gate, along with the rest of the team, and never really found his rhythm.

Now under GM Kyle Davidson, McCabe’s age (29) and term (2.5 years left under contract) no longer fit the organizational timeline, especially with so many prospect defensemen pushing toward the NHL.

But McCabe has nonetheless finally settled into the role Bowman imagined him filling. He has arguably been the Hawks’ best player this season.

And he produced one of his best performances in the Hawks’ 2-0 shutout win Friday over the Coyotes, even beyond his 89 mile-per-hour slapshot goal.

“Watching him in the third period, making street-hockey [style] kick saves in front of the goalie, he’s a warrior,” coach Luke Richardson said. “He’s not afraid to put his body on the line for the team. It was great to see him get rewarded on the offensive side, but [it was] just a real good complete game by him and Seth [Jones]. They were both excellent tonight.”

Putting McCabe with Jones, who may not be quite deserving of his 2023 NHL All-Star selection but is unquestionably a good player, has proven to be a wise move. Both have benefited from getting away from Jack Johnson.

“Me and Seth as of late, as a pair, have been playing pretty solid,” McCabe said. “We played really well [Friday]. We moved pucks quickly, we didn’t spend too much time in our ‘D’-zone and we were just solid throughout the game, with good gaps reading off each other. [We’ve been] getting more comfortable with each other the last couple weeks.”

McCabe mentioned his gap control again in a follow-up question about what has contributed most to his success this season, and he’s absolutely correct about that.

The Hawks are generally atrocious at defending their own blue line, but McCabe’s physicality, strong positioning and awareness of his partner’s positioning make him the lone exception. He’s the only Hawks defenseman who grades out above-average in both total zone entry targets and zone entries allowed leading to scoring chances, per data from All Three Zones.

Meanwhile, his 44.6% expected-goals ratio and 42.8% scoring-chance ratio at five-on-five may not look pretty, but he’s the best Hawks defenseman in both those categories, too. Plus, he also not only leads the Hawks but entered Saturday tied for ninth in the NHL with 83 blocked shots.

“He’s [even] blocking shots when the game is out of reach with a minute to go,” Richardson said. “And he’s doing it either way, if we’re down three goals or we’re up four.”

Offensively, McCabe’s 10 points now rank second among Hawks defensemen, behind only Jones. He’s cautious about pinching, but he typically makes a positive impact when he does. Since the Hawks’ early-December win at the Rangers, a game in which he was very active in the ‘O’-zone, he has been doing that more.

And although plus-minus is a flawed stat, the fact he sports a plus-three rating on a team with a minus-59 goal differential is so absurd that it’s worth noting.

“I try to be the leader on the back end,” he said. “Really, that’s what I’ve been focusing on all year: being steady and confident. Just keep the good things going when they’re going good.”

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