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For the first time since 2022, average US long-term mortgage rate dips below 6%
Feb 26, 2026 3:57 pm - The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate slipped this week below 6% for the first time since late 2022, good news for home shoppers as the spring home-buying season gets rolling. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 5.98% from 6.01% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.76%.
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Instagram says it will notify parents if teens ‘repeatedly’ search for terms related to suicide
Feb 26, 2026 3:56 pm - Instagram said Thursday it will start alerting parents if their kids repeatedly search for terms clearly associated with suicide or self-harm. The alerts will only go to parents who are enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program.
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Elgin City Council moves to ban single-use plastic bags at large retailersFeb 26, 2026 2:48 pm - The Elgin City Council gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a ban on single-use plastic checkout bags at larger retailers. If approved, Elgin would be one of the only municipalities in the state with such an ordinance.
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Illinois legislators introduce bills to regulate pricing based on personal data
Feb 26, 2026 2:46 pm - Two bills introduced in the House would require companies to tell consumers when their personal data is used in price setting. Known as algorithmic pricing, the practice has come under fire recently for anticompetitive tactics.
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‘We’ve got limited time’: Bears legislation advances in Springfield as Indiana governor signs billFeb 26, 2026 1:34 pm - An Illinois House committee Thursday advanced legislation that could give the Bears a big property tax break and clear the way to a new stadium in Arlington Heights, despite questions over the bill’s prospects in the legislature as a whole.
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What to know about the boat shooting in Cuban waters that killed 4
Feb 26, 2026 11:07 am - A speedboat carrying 10 people approached Cuba’s north shore and opened fire on Cuban soldiers when they confronted the vessel, according to the Caribbean island's government.
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Barrington Square Town Center in Hoffman Estates sold for $9 millionFeb 26, 2026 7:14 am - Barrington Square Town Center on Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates has been sold for $9 million, marking the shopping center’s first change of ownership since 1979.
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Elgin Community College secures $2M in federal funding for new Manufacturing and Technology CenterFeb 25, 2026 8:32 pm - Elgin Community College is expected to receive $2 million in federal funding that will be used to expand hands-on educational opportunities for students when the school opens its new Manufacturing and Technology Center this fall.
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Church’s move into Rolling Meadows office building approved despite neighbors’ traffic complaintsFeb 25, 2026 6:32 pm - Rolling Meadows City Council members have approved a church’s request to move into a portion of an office building, despite objections from some neighbors who fear the plan could exacerbate traffic problems in the area.
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Why school districts are taking Mundelein to courtFeb 25, 2026 6:11 pm - The continuing dispute between Mundelein-area schools and the amount of impact fees charged by the village for residential developments now has landed in court.