Editor’s Notes: This article has been updated since its publication to clarify that state archival records are imperial and not the division within the Secretary of State office.
On record: At the recent Louisiana Historical Association conference in Shreveport, historians sounded the alarm about the condition of the state archives, saying the historical records are in a state of emergency, The Shreveport Times reports. The historians say both manmade and natural threats—such as inconvenient archival facilities, weather, lack of financial resources, minimal staffing and inadequate storage—are putting the documents in peril. Laura McLemore, the associate curator and archivist of LSU’s Noel Memorial Library, also notes that many of the state’s historical documents are housed in public universities or institutions. She says that leaves them vulnerable to damage from severe weather events, including the LSU Archives, whose roof experienced significant leaking in 2016. Read the full story.
In short supply: Americans retreated from buying homes in February, a pullback after sales in January had surged to the fastest pace in a decade, The Associated Press reports. Sales of existing homes fell 3.7% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.48 million, according to figures from the National Association of Realtors. But over the past year, sales have risen 5.4%. Despite the resilient demand, buyers have fewer choices. The supply of homes on the market has fallen 6.4% over the past year to 1.75 million properties, a figure only slightly higher than in January when listings were at an all-time low. The median sales prices has risen 7.7% from a year ago to $228,400, more than double the pace of average wage gains. Read the full story.
On shaky ground: Sears Holdings, once the largest U.S. retailer, warned on Tuesday about its ability to continue as a going concern after years of losses and declining sales. CNBC reports shares of Sears, which recently closed 150 stores—including its location at Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge—were down 12% in premarket trading this morning. The company says an inability to generate additional liquidity might limit its access to new merchandise or its ability to procure services. Continued operating losses also could restrict access to new funds under its domestic credit agreement. The warning comes less than six weeks after the company announced what it called the “next phase of its strategic transformation,” to reduce debt. Sears still has a Baton Rouge location at the Mall of Louisiana. Read the full story.
