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Mortgage rates up slightly: The 1 average long-term U.S. mortgage rate ticked up this week after four weeks of declines, a possible sign of stability that could draw in home shoppers with spring buying season weeks away. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported the average on the benchmark 30year rate inched up to 6.12% this week from 6.09% last week.

2 Train derailment area OK:

Evacuated residents can return to East Palestine, where crews burned toxic chemicals after a train derailed five days ago. Monitors now show no dangerous chemical levels in the air, authorities said. Residents were ordered to evacuate when authorities decided Monday to release and burn five tankers filled with vinyl chloride, sending hydrogen chloride and the toxic gas phosgene into the air.

Senator hospitalized:

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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who had a stroke last year, is hospitalized after feeling lightheaded, his office said. Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke, Fetterman’s communications director said.

Applications for jobless aid up:

4 More Americans filed for jobless benefits last week, but layoffs remain historically low. Applications for jobless aid in the U.S. for the week ending Feb. 4 rose by 13,000 last week to 196,000, from 183,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. It’s the fourth straight week claims were under 200,000.

Mexico says official stole up to $745M:

5 Mexican authorities said former top security official Genaro Garcia Luna embezzled as much as $745.9 million from government contracts. He is on trial in New York, accused of accepting millions to let a cartel traffic cocaine to the U.S. A Mexican government lawsuit against him in is separate from the criminal trial.