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→ NewsRoyals organizational awards name Jensen and Caglianone as headliners
Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone were among the players honored at the Royals' organizational awards in Surprise, Ariz., where the club recognized Minor League players, staff and language-program graduates. The ceremony was held earlier to allow players to depart for the World Baseball Classic.
Rival bills propose different limits on investors to make homebuying more affordable.
Two rival bills would curb institutional purchases of single-family homes: the American Homeownership Act would remove tax breaks for firms owning more than 50 homes, while the Homes for American Families Act would bar investment firms with over $150 million in assets from buying such properties.
Compass and Rocket say their partnership may ease high home prices
Compass and Rocket announced a three-year partnership to place Compass's "Private Exclusives" and "Coming Soon" listings onto Rocket-owned Redfin, and the companies say the move could add up to 500,000 listings to the market.
Rachel Reeves to approve £1bn deal for military helicopters in Yeovil
Reports say Chancellor Rachel Reeves will sign a £1bn contract with Leonardo to build new medium military helicopters in Yeovil, a move reported to protect about 3,000 jobs; the Ministry of Defence says no final procurement decisions have yet been confirmed.
Target will remove artificial dyes from its cereal aisle.
Target said it will only carry cereals made without certified synthetic colors and plans to implement the change by the end of May.
White House marks mortgage rates falling below 6 percent
The White House highlighted that the national 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell below 6 percent this week, and Freddie Mac reported the rate at 5.98 percent on Feb. 26.
Data centers spark U.K. campaigners' national days of action
Campaigners and communities in the U.K. held two days of action on 27–28 February to highlight environmental concerns about the projected growth of data centers; MPs have opened an Environmental Audit Committee inquiry into their energy and water impacts.
Burger King introduces AI assistant that listens to drive-thru orders and coaches staff
Burger King is piloting an AI voice assistant called Patty in 500 restaurants to listen to drive-thru interactions and provide coaching and operational support.
State Farm to send $5 billion in dividends to auto customers.
State Farm will issue about $5 billion in one-time dividends to qualifying auto insurance customers this summer, with average payments around $100; the company also said it has reduced auto rates in many states, estimating about $4.6 billion in annual customer savings.
Kansas Senate approves 3% cap on property valuations.
The Kansas Senate passed SCR 1616 to limit assessed property valuation increases to 3% and sent the measure to the House; if approved by voters it would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Opponents note the cap does not directly change mill levies, which determine final property tax bills.
Chinamaxxing sparks mixed reactions in China and the U.S.
A TikTok trend called "Chinamaxxing" features non-Chinese creators adopting aspects of Chinese lifestyle and aesthetics; users on Chinese platform RedNote have responded with amusement, pride, discomfort, and criticism, and experts say the trend may reflect soft power influence.
Nvidia's forecast points to faster growth as Vera Rubin enters market
Nvidia forecast about 77% year-over-year revenue growth to roughly $78 billion this quarter, and the company says it is ramping production of its new Vera Rubin rack-scale AI system.
Ex-Air Force pilot arrested for alleged training of Chinese military pilots
Federal prosecutors say Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. was arrested in Indiana and charged with providing defense services to Chinese military pilots without State Department authorization.
Sacramento's Black-owned Universoul Cafe expands food recovery and workforce training
Founded in 2019, Sacramento's Black-owned Universoul Cafe recovers surplus food and trains young people in culinary skills; last year it delivered 17,000 meals and recently received a $500,000 grant.
Toyota models that last a long time and some that may not last as long
The article lists six Toyota models frequently cited as especially long-lived — Tacoma, Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Camry, Corolla and Sequoia — and six models with more reported issues including Avalon, certain RAV4 years, Sienna, Venza, FJ Cruiser and early Prius models.
South Florida reacts to U.S. approval of Venezuelan oil sales to Cuban private businesses
Residents in South Florida expressed mixed reactions after the U.S. announced it will allow Venezuelan oil to be sold to Cuba's private businesses; Treasury and Commerce guidance bars sales to Cuba's government or military but officials have not clarified the full scope.
Trump Accounts will launch July 5 as a new child savings program.
The federal government will deposit $1,000 into Trump Accounts for babies born from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2028, and the program is scheduled to begin on July 5, 2026.
Trump's Federal Retirement Account could expand coverage for uncovered workers
President Trump announced an executive action at the State of the Union to create automatic federal retirement accounts for workers without employer plans and to match contributions up to $1,000 per year; the move is designed to pair with the refundable Saver's Match under SECURE 2.0, which takes effect in 2027.
Fanatics helps revive sports card hobby with athlete store visits
Fanatics, which bought Topps in 2022 for $500 million, has promoted a comeback in sports card collecting by staging store events with athletes including Jaxson Dart and Breece Hall and distributing high-value products to fans.
Nvidia may beat Street expectations and guide higher
Traders are citing lofty "whisper" numbers ahead of Nvidia's fiscal fourth-quarter report, including a '2+2' scenario that would lift both quarter revenue and the next-quarter guide; separate data show retail buying into the print has been materially lighter than prior quarters.
US defense secrets sold to Russian-linked buyer for millions in crypto
An Australian manager at a U.S. defense contractor pleaded guilty to selling cybersecurity tools to a buyer with ties to Russia and was sentenced to 87 months in prison. He admitted receiving cryptocurrency payments and was ordered to pay restitution and forfeitures.
Fire-Resistant Home Built as a $3 Million Model for Rebuilding.
Tavangarian completed Versa Villa, a roughly 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom house on the family’s Palisades estate that the article says was built for about $3 million to $3.5 million and is designed to resist an active fire for up to six hours.
Most Britons' energy bills to fall from April, regulator says
Ofgem announced a 7% cut in the energy price cap, lowering it to £1,641 a year from April, a £117 reduction from the previous cap.
Zoopla reports strongest February in a decade for property listings
Zoopla says newly listed homes for sale in the four weeks to Feb 15 were 6% higher than the same period in 2025, the strongest February for new listings in ten years. House prices rose 1.3% in the year to January, with notable regional differences.
Wayve hits $8.6 billion valuation with backing from Nvidia and Microsoft
Wayve, a U.K. autonomous driving software startup founded in 2017, reached an $8.6 billion valuation after a funding round that included Nvidia and Microsoft; the company has partnerships with Nissan and plans robotaxi trials with Uber beginning in London in 2026.
Automotive news digest: February 20–26, 2026.
Lamborghini will rework its planned Lanzador from a full electric into a plug-in hybrid and aims for a PHEV lineup by 2030; Ford announced a recall of more than 412,000 Explorers (2017–2019) over a rear suspension toe link defect.
Morrisville apartment building is a total loss but had no fatalities
A Monday evening fire gutted the Camden Westwood apartment building in Morrisville; officials say the structure is a total loss and no deaths were reported, and investigators have located where the blaze began with an inquiry ongoing.
EU announces plan to protect Ukraine from a new winter energy crisis
The European Commission announced the 'Repair, Rebuild, Restart' plan backed by more than €920 million and an immediate assistance package of over €100 million to help secure Ukraine's power supply for winter 2026–27.
Consumer confidence improved in February
The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index rose to 91.2 in February from an upwardly revised 89 in January, while the expectations index climbed to 72.0; consumers continued to cite prices and inflation as top concerns.
Kenya builds capacity to produce its own vaccines through WHO mRNA transfer
Kenya has joined the WHO-MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Project to develop local mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity, with training and infrastructure upgrades planned for the Kenya BioVax Institute and scientific support from KEMRI.
