Moving dirt: The Southern University Foundation will break ground for the Valdry Center for Philanthropy at 618 Harding Blvd. at noon on Friday. The $4.5 million academic research center will focus on philanthropic studies and nonprofit management. It seeks to educate students, volunteers and practitioners in the emerging field of philanthropic studies. Construction should take about 10 to 11 months.
Dollars and cents: Americans will wager more than $10 billion on the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, according to a new estimate from the American Gaming Association. And of that $10 billion, only about $300 million—or 3%—will be wagered legally through Nevada sports books. Americans annually spend some $150 billion on illegal sports betting through websites and pools, the association says.
Going down: U.S. consumers spent less at auto dealers, gas stations and department stores in February, causing overall retail sales to slip 0.1%. It was the third consecutive month of declining retail sales, the Commerce Department says, though they’re still 4% higher from a year ago. Shoppers have opened 2018 with a cold spell after robust spending gains in the months leading up to the holidays. Read more.
