(The Center Square) – Government-imposed restrictions on traveling and fear for health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic hit Oklahoma City's hospitality and tourism industry hard.

Pre-pandemic numbers show that tourism is Oklahoma’s third-largest industry and directly impacts Oklahoma City by generating 7.5 million annual visitors, who spend $2.3 billion to boost our local economy. Tourism directly employs more than 22,200 people in Oklahoma City and generates $355 million in tax receipts.

Hotel occupancy, air travel and car rentals have fallen greatly in the past year in Oklahoma City, as they have across the country.

But all is not gloom and doom. As the greater economy begins to recover, many are optimistic that Oklahoma City's hospitality and tourism industry will pick up as more people feel safe getting out and about.

"Oklahoma City is resilient and has shown this repeatedly," Zac Craig, president of the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, told The Center Square.

"Compared to many of our peer cities, we’re poised for continued growth thanks to the newly opened OKC Convention Center, a strong sporting and equine events business, as well as robust interest from leisure visitors to experience our growing list of distinct and exciting attractions."

While hovering around 50%, hotel occupancy is better than it was one year ago, and that is a hopeful sign. According to The Oklahoman, business leaders are expecting business travel to resume in July, and spring break travel numbers were better than expected.

Though it may be slow, the outlook for the recovery of this industry is positive.

"Different sectors of the hospitality industry will recover at different paces, but our mix positions us well," Craig said. "Looking forward in 2021, national hotel occupancy is projected to increase to near 55% and we expect Oklahoma City to continue mirroring U.S. occupancy trends."

(The Center Square) – Security guards and school police officers may not be the only individuals armed in schools if a proposed bill gets through the Oklahoma Senate. If passed, House Bill 2588 would let local school boards decide if they wanted their school staff to be armed.

The bill has already passed in the Oklahoma House.

"My experience in the past is that this legislation is not being requested by teachers, board of education or school administration," Dr. David Pennington of United Suburban Schools Association, told The Center Square. "That does not mean that there is not an individual teacher, board member or administrator who is not supportive of this idea, but they are the outlier."

While on the House floor, the bill was amended to require those armed to hold licenses and participate in hours of training. Consideration will also be given to how far away schools are from law enforcement.

"We recognize that one size does not fit all," Alicia Priest, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, told The Center Square. "Schools in large metro areas have more options when it comes to hiring security personnel, and response times from local law enforcement can be quicker. Meanwhile, rural school staffs may feel isolated and need a different option. We trust local school boards to use good judgment."

Not every Oklahoma school board is comfortable with allowing teachers to be armed. The bill would not require the state to provide training for individual teachers. Any costs would be covered by the individual. The school district could pay for the training, but wouldn’t be required to.

"First and foremost, our teachers want their students to be safe at all times and they’ll do anything to protect them," Priest said. "But they were hired to teach English and math and science. Only trained security and law enforcement professionals who are CLEET certified, and have had training in active shooter situations, should be armed in our schools. This bill greatly lowers the standards of existing law."

Some teachers feel the Legislature should instead be focused on staffing and funding schools appropriately, responding to issues that directly need to be addressed, not making external attempts at a show of increased school safety.

"My personal opinion is that this law does not increase school safety," Pennington said. "Over the last 20 years, we have taken many steps to allow individuals greater access to firearms in public spaces. What we haven’t done as a state or a nation is invest in programs to address the mental health needs of our students or our communities."

(The Center Square) – The pandemic saw alcohol sales increase across the nation, and Oklahoma's beer industry has been no exception to this trend, a recent survey shows.

The state's beer industry continues to spur economic growth and support local communities.

"The Oklahoma beer industry supports more than 18,900 jobs, provides more than $817,563,400 in wages and benefits and pushes more than $2.9 billion back in the Oklahoma economy, according to the most recent Beer Serves America survey," Lisette Barnes, president of the Oklahoma Beer Alliance, told The Center Square. "Throughout 2020, beer sales continued to grow by more than 20% across the state."

Craft breweries, like most other retail organizations, met challenges at the beginning of the pandemic.

"The pandemic has affected our breweries just like most other businesses, closing their doors for a period of time made them switch models for getting their beer in consumers' hands," Tabbi Burwell, executive director of Oklahoma Craft Beer Association, told The Center Square. "There is a trend in business gaining traction as COVID vaccinations are becoming more readily available though, which is good for Oklahoma’s brewing industry."

The pandemic also pushed retailers to ensure consumers could purchase alcohol either through curbside sales or have it delivered. The Oklahoma Legislature adjusted alcohol purchasing laws to be more flexible for businesses so they could create a safe and comfortable experience for consumers.

"Senate Bill 1928 and House Bill 1349 allowed curbside sales, delivery and buying options of alcoholic beverages in a sealed, original container for grocery and convenience stores as well as wineries, liquor stores, restaurants and bars," Barnes said. "These laws have made it possible for retailers to do business in new ways, and they have helped many stay in business."

As the pandemic wears on, members of the Oklahoma Beer Alliance continue to donate to nonprofits and charities in the community and pledge to continue promoting common-sense laws that allow consumers to make responsible decisions.

There are nearly 2,400 people worldwide whose individual net worth exceeds $1 billion -- and more than one-quarter of them live in the United States. All told, there are over 250 cities and towns across the country that at least one of the world's ultra wealthy calls home.

Using data from Forbes' Real Time Billionaires list, 24/7 Wall St. identified the city in every state with the most billionaires. The combined net worth of the billionaires in some U.S. cities exceeds the entire annual GDP of many states.

The U.S. cities that are home to the most billionaires are often closely tied to the sources of their wealthiest residents' net worth. For example, many of the wealthiest people in the country have made their fortune through some association a successful company -- and these people often live in close proximity to these companies. As a result, many of the cities on this list have high concentrations of companies in well-paying industries like finance, tech, and oil.

In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City is home to more billionaires than any other city. A total of three billionaires live in Oklahoma City with a combined net worth of $23.2 billion. Of Oklahoma City residents with a minimum 10-figure net worth, Tom & Judy Love is the wealthiest, worth an estimated $8.2 billion.

Tulsa is the city with the second most billionaires with the highest combined net worth in Oklahoma. There are a total of two billionaires in the city who are worth a combined $9 billion.

To determine the city in every state with the most billionaires, 24/7 Wall St. compiled data from Forbes' Real Time Billionaires list. Data on residency and net worth came from the list, which is updated every five minutes to reflect changes in stock prices and private company valuations. In cases where the number of billionaires in two cities within the same state was a tie, the city with the highest total billionaire net worth was given preference. Data is current as of March 29, 2021. This is the city in every state with the most billionaires.

City with the most billionaires:Number of billionaires:Total billionaire net worth:Top billionaire:Alabama: None0N/AN/AAlaska: None0N/AN/AArizona: Phoenix7$24.9 billionErnest Garcia IIIArkansas: Bentonville2$124.6 billionJim WaltonCalifornia: San Francisco41$173.8 billionDustin MoskovitzColorado: Denver4$23.5 billionPhilip AnschutzConnecticut: Greenwich11$47.2 billionRay DalioDelaware: None0N/AN/AFlorida: Palm Beach11$61.6 billionThomas PeterffyGeorgia: Atlanta12$55.1 billionJim KennedyHawaii: Honolulu1$23.8 billionPierre OmidyarIdaho: Idaho Falls1$3.5 billionFrank VanderSlootIllinois: Chicago11$49.5 billionKen GriffinIndiana: Bloomington1$10.5 billionCarl CookIowa: Adel1$5.4 billionHarry StineKansas: Wichita1$44.9 billionCharles KochKentucky: Lexington2$8.5 billionTamara GustavsonLouisiana: New Orleans1$3.3 billionGayle BensonMaine: Scarborough1$2 billionSusan AlfondMaryland: Potomac2$9 billionMitchell RalesMassachusetts: Boston10$33.9 billionEdward Johnson IIIMichigan: Franklin1$49.7 billionDaniel GilbertMinnesota: Mankato1$2.5 billionGlen TaylorMississippi: Hattiesburg2$2.8 billionJames and Thomas DuffMissouri: St. Louis5$18.5 billionPauline MacMillan KeinathMontana: Missoula2$8.3 billionDennis WashingtonNebraska: Omaha3$101 billionWarren BuffettNevada: Las Vegas6$14.3 billionSteve WynnNew Hampshire: None0N/AN/ANew Jersey: Saddle River1$7.2 billionRocco CommissoNew Mexico: None0N/AN/ANew York: New York86$446 billionMichael BloombergNorth Carolina: Cary3$15 billionJames GoodnightNorth Dakota: None0N/AN/AOhio: Cleveland3$3.3 billionNorma LernerOklahoma: Oklahoma City3$23.2 billionTom & Judy LoveOregon: Hillsboro1$51.6 billionPhil Knight & familyPennsylvania: Philadelphia3$10.6 billionVictoria MarsRhode Island: Providence1$2 billionJonathan NelsonSouth Carolina: Charleston1$1.9 billionAnita ZuckerSouth Dakota: Sioux Falls1$1.6 billionT. Denny SanfordTennessee: Nashville3$20.7 billionThomas Frist Jr & familyTexas: Dallas18$57.9 billionJerry JonesUtah: Provo3$3.5 billionRyan SmithVermont: None0N/AN/AVirginia: McLean2$4.7 billionWilliam Conway JrWashington: Seattle8$252.2 billionJeff BezosWest Virginia: Lewisburg1$1.2 billionJim Justice IIWisconsin: Racine3$11.7 billionS. Curtis JohnsonWyoming: Jackson3$52.1 billionJohn Mars

A special election is being held on April 6 for District 22 of the Oklahoma State Senate. Molly Ooten (D) and Jake Merrick (R) are running in the general election.

The seat became vacant after Stephanie Bice (R) was elected to represent Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District on Nov. 3, 2020. Bice had represented the district since 2015. She won re-election in 2018 with 68.3% of the vote.

Heading into the special election, Republicans have a 38-9 majority in the Oklahoma Senate with one vacancy. Oklahoma has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

As of March, 33 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 16 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year.

Each of the 50 states has its own unique identity. These identities have been shaped over decades and centuries and are often defined, at least in part, by economic forces.

Whether it is agriculture in California or resource extraction in Texas, certain industries -- and therefore certain jobs -- are far more common in some states than others. Often, these occupations serve as both economic engines and as symbols of local identity.

Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the concentration of jobs in a given state relative to their concentration nationwide, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most iconic job in each state.

Resource extraction has been an economic pillar in Oklahoma for decades. For 22 years in the early 20th century, Oklahoma produced more oil than other regional oil-producing states including Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and even Texas.

Today, Oklahoma produces more crude oil than all but three other states and has more natural gas reserves than every state except for Texas and Pennsylvania. Like in other resource-rich states, extraction workers are relatively concentrated in Oklahoma. Oil and gas rotary drill operators in particular are about 15 times more concentrated in Oklahoma's labor force than they are in the U.S. labor force.

To determine the most iconic job by state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the relative concentration of occupations within all 50 states with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics program. Detailed occupations were ranked based on location quotient -- the concentration of an occupation within a state's labor force relative to the concentration in the national labor force -- as of 2019. Additional data on median annual wage at the state and national levels also came from the BLS. This is the most iconic job in every state.

State:Most iconic job:State workers in job:Concentration relative to US:AlabamaMetal-refining furnace operators1,3906 times greaterAlaskaMisc. mining machine operators46015 times greaterArizonaPlasterers and stucco masons2,3404 times greaterArkansasMisc. food processing workers4,08011 times greaterCaliforniaFarmworkers and laborers201,4406 times greaterColoradoAtmospheric and space scientists9706 times greaterConnecticutActuaries1,3505 times greaterDelawareChemists1,3505 times greaterFloridaShip engineers1,5203 times greaterGeorgiaTextile winding machine operators12,07013 times greaterHawaiiWater vessel captains1,2709 times greaterIdahoNuclear technicians33010 times greaterIllinoisRail car repairers3,1203 times greaterIndianaEngine assemblers7,9908 times greaterIowaWind turbine technicians4808 times greaterKansasAircraft assemblers8,86022 times greaterKentuckyFarm and home management educators1,07010 times greaterLouisianaSailors and marine oilers7,34018 times greaterMaineShoe machine operators39019 times greaterMarylandPhysicists1,8806 times greaterMassachusettsMedical scientists16,8605 times greaterMichiganEngine assemblers9,5807 times greaterMinnesotaWind turbine technicians5004 times greaterMississippiFallers40014 times greaterMissouriLocomotive engineers1,3502 times greaterMontanaForest and conservation technicians86014 times greaterNebraskaMeat cutters and trimmers9,2009 times greaterNevadaGambling dealers22,58024 times greaterNew HampshireLog graders and scalers705 times greaterNew JerseyBiochemists and biophysicists7,2808 times greaterNew MexicoPhysicists1,74019 times greaterNew YorkFashion designers8,4606 times greaterNorth CarolinaTextile machine operators2,0208 times greaterNorth DakotaWellhead pumpers1,11030 times greaterOhioFoundry mold and coremakers3,0005 times greaterOklahomaOil and gas drill operators3,48015 times greaterOregonMisc. logging workers1,21025 times greaterPennsylvaniaMetal pourers and casters1,0803 times greaterRhode IslandJewelers78010 times greaterSouth CarolinaTire builders3,97013 times greaterSouth DakotaSoil and plant scientists58014 times greaterTennesseeMusicians and singers2,1703 times greaterTexasPetroleum engineers18,7207 times greaterUtahMining machine operators1,4009 times greaterVermontFallers505 times greaterVirginiaMarine engineers and naval architects2,5208 times greaterWashingtonAvionics technicians3,1806 times greaterWest VirginiaMining machine operators1,37068 times greaterWisconsinAnimal breeders2608 times greaterWyomingOil and gas service unit operators1,95020 times greater