Five things you need to know today, March 10

Take a look at the news in and around Odessa on Friday, March 10. Find complete local news coverage in the Odessa American every day, online at oaoa.com and our daily E-Edition at myoaoa.com.
1. Economist Ray Perryman estimated about 7,000 jobs lost in the Odessa area since the peak employment of 2014. But the jobs lost this time amounted to about 20 percent of the losses during the doldrums of the 1980s, Perryman found.


2. Ector County Commissioners during a Thursday meeting approved moving forward with a preliminary engineering study for the expansion of the Ector County Law Enforcement Center.


3. Odessa College’s Vice President for Instruction Valerie Jones will receive the 2017 Distinguished College Administrator Award, presented by Phi Theta Kappa during the PTK Catalyst, the society’s annual convention April 6 through April 8 in Nashville, Tenn.


4. An Odessa man suspected of starting several dumpster fires and small grass fires this week was arrested early Thursday on a warrant accusing him of arson.


5. IN SPORTS: The No. 17 Odessa College men’s basketball team used a strong push in the second half to pull away from Collin County Community College 85-76 on Thursday inside the Tiger Pit at Frenship High School.