Robert McCoppin

Robert McCoppin reports on news and trends in Chicago's suburbs, focusing especially on the legalization of marijuana. Having worked at the City News Bureau and Daily Herald before joining the Tribune in 2010, he has covered crime, the courts, flooding, and health, and has won multiple Chicago Headline Club awards.

Fans watch players warm up as it snows before the Chicago Bears play the Green Bay Packers in an NFC wild-card game at Soldier Field on Jan. 10, 2026. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears ask fans what they think about a new northwest Indiana stadium

January 13, 2026 at 5:13 p.m.

The Chicago Bears sent a survey to season ticket holders asking what they think of a potential new enclosed stadium in northwest Indiana.

Bears kicker Cairo Santos speaks to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before the NFC wild-card playoff game against the Packers at Soldier Field on Jan. 10, 2026. (Patrick McDermott/Getty)

NFL commissioner tours potential new Bears stadium sites, including Arlington Heights and northwest Indiana

January 12, 2026 at 5:53 p.m.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joined top Chicago Bears officials Saturday to tour potential new stadium sites before the team’s playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.

Chicago Bears fans Sidney Thompson, from left, Nate Hughes and Clarence Griggs tailgate before the game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Fan fever builds in Chicago ahead of the Bears’ playoff game, from food delivery to foam cheese grater hats

January 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Excitement is high ahead of the Bears-Packers matchup. Foam cheese grater hats are already on backorder, and food deliveries are expected to be “off the charts.”

Horses on the track on April 6, 2024, at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney. (Vincent Alban/Chicago Tribune)

Why Hawthorne racetrack was temporarily shut down over the weekend: ‘This is another embarrassing failure’

January 7, 2026 at 12:45 p.m.

Hawthorne Race Course has been beset by financial troubles, including liens seeking to recover unpaid debts, and its inability to open a proposed new casino.

Melissa Bean, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District, responds to a question during a candidate forum at Elgin Community College on Nov. 13, 2025. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Chicago Tribune)

Former US Rep. Melissa Bean launches streaming ad buy in race for 8th Congressional District

January 6, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.

Former three-term Democratic congresswoman Melissa Bean says in the campaign commercial that Democrats need to “stop whining and start winning again with common sense problem solving.”

A person rolls a joint during the Mile High 420 Festival in Denver on April 20, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/Getty-AFP)

Screaming + vomiting: ‘Scromiting’ is the mysterious cannabis syndrome becoming more common

January 5, 2026 at 4:33 p.m.

The condition is rare but a University of Illinois Chicago found the number of diagnosed cases jumped seven-fold from 2016 to 2022.

People watch sports inside the DraftKings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field on Nov. 17, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Sports betting to go on as sportsbooks drop request to halt implementation of licensing law in Chicago

December 31, 2025 at 4:05 p.m.

Sports betting will continue in Chicago after sportsbooks dropped their request to immediately halt a new licensing law.

A worker defoliates cannabis plants in a greenhouse and flowering room on Aug. 15, 2025, at the Curaleaf cannabis growing facility in Litchfield. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Federal push to relax marijuana classification should help the industry in Illinois. But the effects for consumers may take time.

December 23, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The new proposed federal classification of marijuana would allow more research, and would let cannabis businesses take normal tax deductions.

Traffic moves along I-80/I-94 on Dec. 17, 2025, near the Indiana border in Lansing. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois lawmakers skeptical about Chicago Bears possibly moving to Indiana, while Hoosier leaders tee up the football

December 18, 2025 at 7:10 p.m.

The Chicago Bears announced they will consider moving to Indiana if they can't get the deal they want in Illinois. Illinois lawmakers are skeptical.

The Chicago Skyway Toll Bridge, a common path for Chicagoans to travel to Indiana, shown from South Ewing Avenue in South Chicago, Dec. 17, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Bears say they’re looking into building a new stadium in northwest Indiana

December 17, 2025 at 6:17 p.m.

In 1995, the Chicago Bears threatened to move to northwest Indiana if the team didn't get money for a new stadium. They're doing it again.

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