Robert Channick

Robert Channick is a business reporter for the Tribune. A former broadcast consultant and radio station manager, he began freelancing for the Chicago Tribune in 2002, joining the Tribune staff as a business reporter in 2011. He has a bachelor's degree in English from Kenyon College and a master's in journalism from Northwestern University.

Ben Mulgrew pours beer while working behind the bar at the Half Acre taproom and kitchen at the Balmoral Avenue production brewery, Dec. 3, 2019, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago craft brewers Half Acre and Maplewood announce merger

March 11, 2026 at 12:49 p.m.

Operating under the principle that two heads are better than one, pioneering Chicago craft breweries Half Acre and Maplewood are joining forces under one corporate umbrella.

Andres Rodriquez walks through a lounge at Verano’s headquarters on Feb. 17, 2026, in Chicago. Verano is a publicly traded multistate cannabis company. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

From startup seedling to cannabis powerhouse, Verano has navigated the industry’s ups and downs

March 9, 2026 at 10:51 a.m.

The cannabis firm ranks third in retail sales nationally. But like many companies, Verano is facing pricing pressure, declining revenue and a falling stock price.

The custom 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum gifted to Pope Leo XIV by Ford CEO Jim Farley. (Ford Motor Co.)

Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant builds custom ‘popemobile’ Explorer SUV for Pope Leo XIV

March 6, 2026 at 6:12 p.m.

The black hybrid, custom 2026 Ford Explorer Platinum was built at the Chicago Assembly Plant just five miles from the pope’s childhood home in south suburban Dolton.

The entrance to Building 1 at the headquarters for the newly merged Capital One and Discover Financial Services campus on Oct. 21, 2025, in Riverwoods. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Capital One laying off another 1,100-plus employees at former Discover headquarters in Riverwoods

March 5, 2026 at 2:42 p.m.

Capital One is laying off another 1,139 employees at the former Discover headquarters in Riverwoods, a second wave of downsizing following the credit card giants’ megamerger last year.

Fireworks and flames go off as Chicago officials and Chicago Fire representatives hold groundbreaking ceremony on March 3, 2026, at the site of what will be the team's new home, a 22,000-seat, open-air soccer stadium at the north end of the area called The 78 near Roosevelt Road in Chicago's South Loop. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Fire break ground on $750 million South Loop soccer stadium, transforming the sports landscape

March 4, 2026 at 3:38 p.m.

The Chicago Fire hosted a groundbreaking event for their privately funded $750 million soccer stadium on a vacant former rail yard in the South Loop, staking their turf in the...

Lucia Fitzgerald, left, and her sisters Isabel, center, and Vivian walk through St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Chicago’s Riverdale neighborhood on May 8, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Most endangered Chicago buildings list includes Pope Leo’s childhood church and Art Institute trading room

March 4, 2026 at 5:22 p.m.

Pope Leo XIV’s childhood church and the Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room at the Art Institute made Preservation Chicago’s annual ranking of the city’s most endangered buildings.

In an image from video, federal immigration agents detain Debbie Brockman in the 2400 block of West Foster Avenue on Oct. 10, 2025. Brockman worked as a producer for WGN-TV since 2011. (Josh Thomas)

New round of WGN-TV layoffs includes producer whose rough ICE detention went viral

February 26, 2026 at 4:22 p.m.

A second round of layoffs hit WGN-Ch. 9 this week, with three employees getting the ax Wednesday, including Debbie Brockman, the producer whose aggressive detainment by ICE agents in October...

Traffic crawls on DuSable Lake Shore Drive just south of Lawrence Avenue, during a light snow and rain, as vehicles make their way in toward downtown Chicago on Dec. 10, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

State Farm to issue $5 billion in auto insurance dividends — or about $100 per car

February 26, 2026 at 3:16 p.m.

Home insurance rates may be going through the roof, but State Farm has some good news for its auto insurance customers.

A ComEd smart meter is installed on a home in North Riverside in 2013. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune)

Proposed legislation would slash $40M in ‘hidden expenses’ from Illinois utility bills

February 26, 2026 at 4:06 p.m.

With utility rates rising across Illinois, consumer groups are backing proposed legislation to wring $40 million per year in hidden expenses out of customer bills.

The Chicago Fire recently unveiled a replica suite from their upcoming South Loop stadium.

Chicago Fire open up marketing center to sell suites and seats at new $750M soccer stadium

February 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

As the Bears waffle between potential destinations for their new planned stadium, including potentially moving across state lines to Indiana, the Chicago Fire is ready to break ground next month...

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