John Schmeltzer

Interest rate hike nudges China toward market-focused economy

August 19, 2021 at 6:34 p.m.

China's surprise decision to raise interest rates may represent a dramatic shift in how the government tries to manage its surging economy, but several experts said it poses little threat...

Altria preparing for breakup

January 30, 2019 at 3:20 p.m.

Kraft Foods Inc., which was acquired 16 years ago in a hostile takeover by cigarette giant Philip Morris Cos., soon may be an independent company again. The chief executive of...

Kerry leading in early returns

August 19, 2021 at 10:53 p.m.

Despite a weekend blitz of television ads by President Bush, Minnesota voters were favoring Sen. John Kerry in early returns. With about a quarter of the vote counted late Tuesday,...

Insurers’ influence strengthens

August 19, 2021 at 8:22 p.m.

State Sen. Lawrence Walsh believes insurance companies doing business in Illinois wield an enormous amount of political clout. First elected seven years ago, the Will County farmer tried to stop...

State prevents insurers from dropping customers

August 18, 2019 at 8:41 p.m.

Florida's insurance regulators barred insurers Thursday from canceling policies held by residents of the 12 counties hit by Hurricane Charley. Citing the disruption of mail service and the inability of...

Profit to jump at McDonald’s

March 30, 2019 at 4:38 a.m.

Shares in McDonald's Corp. surged Wednesday, after the fast-food giant said it would easily surpass Wall Street's second-quarter profit forecast. The Oak Brook-based company said second-quarter sales rose 7.8 percent...

A new restaurant opening this month on the Northwest Side will combine a McDonald's and a Boston Market.

Market test for McDonald’s

March 30, 2019 at 7:59 a.m.

Five years after acquiring the once high-flying Boston Market for its real estate, McDonald's Corp. now says it wants to try operating its namesake hamburger emporium alongside the rotisserie chicken...

Art conservation leader, Daley to be honored

August 19, 2021 at 3:16 p.m.

Heather Becker, chief executive of the Chicago Conservation Center Inc., is to be honored on Tuesday as the Small Business Person of the Year by Mayor Richard Daley and the...

Jewel-Osco workers to vote on pact

August 19, 2021 at 8:33 p.m.

Jewel-Osco has given the union representing the chain's 4,100 meat cutters and delicatessen workers 10 days to approve the company's "last, best and final proposal." The disputed offer, which will...

McDonald’s CEO’s cancer has spread

March 30, 2019 at 4:29 a.m.

McDonald's Corp. Chief Executive Charlie Bell said Friday that he will undergo chemotheraphy because new tests show his colorectal cancer has spread. But Bell, 43, said his prognosis for a...

All Stories