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Economic summit projects ‘new start’ in Orange Mound

NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — After earlier serving notice that property values in the Orange Mound Community had declined by up to 30 percent over the last 10 years, Shelby County Tax Assessor Melvin Burgess held his first Economic Empowerment Summit at the Teaching & Learning Center on Tuesday. Hundreds of homeowners, entrepreneurs, legislators and investors turned out for the summit. They heard Burgess set the stage for inclusion and difficult conversations with one goal in mind – community restoration.

Published

7 years ago

October 15, 2019

Oakland Post

By Dana S. Owens

After earlier serving notice that property values in the Orange Mound Community had declined by up to 30 percent over the last 10 years, Shelby County Tax Assessor Melvin Burgess held his first Economic Empowerment Summit at the Teaching & Learning Center on Tuesday.

Hundreds of homeowners, entrepreneurs, legislators and investors turned out for the summit. They heard Burgess set the stage for inclusion and difficult conversations with one goal in mind – community restoration.

Audience comments indicated a strong commitment to return Orange Mound it to its beginnings 130 years ago when African-American small businesses thrived and homeowners exuded pride, unity and ambition. (Orange Mound was developed for African Americans 25 years after slavery was abolished.)

The summit was designed as the start of an initiative to make minority neighborhoods vibrant and safe. Goals include: (1) developing a dedicated task force (2) creating a comprehensive plan and (3) avoiding gentrification. A panel of policy makers, real estate experts and housing agencies was heavily engaged.

Defusing racism – “the elephant in the room” – was on the mind of participants since funding for disenfranchised minority communities can be challenging.

“If we plan to do something, we’ve got to change the culture and the thinking,” said Anthony Elmore, entrepreneur, activist and former five-time World Karate/Kickboxing Champion, who has long resided in Orange Mound. Elmore asserted that because of race and power, business models he proposed to past city administrations were never supported.

“Racism is strong in Memphis,” said Roshun Austin, summit panelist and president/CEO of The Works, Inc. community development agency.

“We need investment in minority communities to replace roofs and plumbing like there’s investment in the suburbs. Memphis can seem like it’s still on the plantation of a William Faulkner novel.”

Summit panelist Dr. Mark Sunderman, a Real Estate professor at the University of Memphis, asked, “Are we obsessed with moving forward, or is this just another meeting? …

“Will the city, county and state work together? Are we really committed to understanding the issues of blight? If we are, then the second and third generation of young adults will have homes they can devote to their children.”

“We got the best up here to provide ideas,” said Burgess, “so when we plan with good thinking, people will be in place in my office to take calls directly on this initiative.”

Bobby Rich, a married 32-year-old Orange Mound resident, said his “green thumb” has turned into a business growing vegetables. He started growing his own food two years ago and gets excited seeing vacant lots in the area because he wants to use the land for urban farming and small scale agriculture.

“Seeing people go to McDonald’s (for food) is sad,” said Rich. “Seeing my veggies leave the table is encouraging.”

Partnering public officials include: Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Mayor Jim Strickland, Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray, State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, State Sen. Katrina Robinson, Trustee Regina Morrison, Shelby County Commission Chairman Mark Billingsley, County Commissioner Reginald Milton and Memphis City Council members Martavius Jones and Jamita Swearengen.

“Demolishing properties isn’t the answer,” said Hardaway. “There’s more to transformation than that … we need to recapture repairable properties and put them back into service.”

“The root cause of crime is lack,” said Robinson, referencing an uptick in criminal activity in Orange Mound and media focus on crime. She committed to securing capital investment as residents indicated strong desires to remain in the community.

Several homeowners said they willingly cut yards of nearby vacant properties that may only need small repairs – larger repairs require loans or grants when insurance won’t pay.

Austin referenced assistance provided by United Housing and other agencies, but stressed that “funds run out and more is needed.” She said the National Fair Housing Alliance is investigating insurers unwilling to cover roof replacements in the area.

Orange Mound Community Development Corporation Director Tiana Pyles, who has been on the job two years, urged residents to continue helping to mow nearby, abandoned lots as new strategies for maintaining properties develop. Pyles has lived in Orange Mound for 15 years.

As a vital contribution for the future of Orange Mound, SCS Supt. Ray committed to providing financial literacy education to district students at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Next steps

In the next two weeks, Hardaway and Billingsley will work to identify prospective partner agencies for the Orange Mound Task Force.

The task force will map out steps for a formal plan – Hardaway recommends the name, Renaissance 2020: A New Vision for Orange Mound. Preliminary ideas include restoring one block to start and working with agencies such as Habitat for Humanity to erect or repair housing.

With Orange Mound hampered by a “food dessert” (an urban area lacking access to affordable, high-quality fresh food), the task force will review options for creating a community garden with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Melrose High School principal Taurin Hardy expressed interest in being on the task force with Latonia Blankenship, the school’s family engagement specialist, to encourage millennial families to purchase area homes.

Orange Mound is included in Tennessee Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) funding, a plan in initial stages to transform vacant land at the former Mid-South Fairgrounds site and surrounding area, including the old Melrose High School.

TDZ funding aims to attract visitors and families through development of a hotel, youth sports center, retail stores and possibly housing at the site. Approval passed at the state level and is now being reviewed at the local level.

(For more information, contact Yvonne Parron, public relations specialist at Shelby County Assessor’s Office: parrony@assessor.shelby.tn.us.)

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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