Expected to be completed in the fall of 2007, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is building a Forensic Science Center across the street from UCO. This building’s purpose is to train students and continuing education of specialists in the fields of drug identification, latent prints, Forensic Biology, shoe and tire impressions, Toxicology, trace evidence, firearms and tool marks, and last but not least crime scene investigation. This center is expecting to have 100 full-time salaries within the first 10 years of being built, with 67 full-time salaries in its first year alone. With 72,000 sq. feet of classroom, office, and laboratory space, this four-story complex will be a great addition to the ever-growing Edmond area.

In recent media, there have been speculations about the Real Estate business beginning to slow down. Many believe that homes are increasingly rising in sales price, which is causing many potential buyers to shy away from the housing market. According to an article printed in the Washington Post, houses in the areas surrounding Northern Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia showed a 24 percent increase in sales price in the last year.

Because of the large number of new construction homes on the market, some areas across the U.S. are facing a decline in Real Estate. These regions are mostly in the coastal states, especially California. However, since we are in the central part of the United States, this “drought” is not affecting us as much. States such as Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas are not showing a dramatic turn in the declining housing market.