While many economists anticipate dropping interest rates to continue into 2025 and local Realtors are hopeful for a good start to the new year, Kane County real estate professionals don’t believe the Fed’s influence is as strong as other factors and expect current market trends to continue unless new construction picks up drastically.<!--check this --> <br> Cathy and Tom Koch are the new owners of The Spice & Tea Exchange of Crystal Lake. They will host a grand opening celebration Jan. 31 at 57 N. Williams St. in downtown.<!--check this --> <br> Nearly three out of 10 U.S. drugstores that were open during the previous decade had closed by 2021, new research shows. Black and Latino neighborhoods were most vulnerab... <br> From the days of selling coal for heating homes to innovations in the building industry like laminated veneer lumber, the Heller family has seen quite a bit over the course of a century in business. And with the distinction of being the oldest business in the same location in Arlington Heights, the fourth-generation company doesn’t plan to go anywhere anytime soon.<!--check this --> <br> The Elgin Hispanic Network hosted their annual Thanksgiving luncheon for a record crowd at Villa Olivia in Bartlett on Wednesday, Nov. 20.<!--check this --> <br> Mickey Finn’s Brewery has a new head chef. AJ McCloud brings more than 20 years of culinary experience, from top-tier restaurants to event dining on the Hollywood scene, according to a news release.<!--check this --> <br> Crystal Lake resident Kendall Nolan always wanted to open her own yarn store since tagging along as a child at the shop where her mother worked in Chicago. Now, after retiring from a long career as a credit director of a multinational engineering firm in California and Nevada, she’s back in Illinois with the grand opening of her store, Colorways Yarn Shoppe.<!--check this --> <br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiTkFVX3lxTFBZRkxfQ3dIbTVxb2ZfdjB6QkZlSlhsa0liRUk3YW9KbFBUUTBEQ0VKdXZ1QkFfdVVDeGRJaE5ZMlVrRVZ4NFNfMlZJWEp1dw?oc=5">source</a>