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Haymarket’s Brew Day with Jay West and Sam Ross A Conversation about Industry’s Lack of Diversity, a New Ale and a special Brew in honor of the Chicago Defender.

THE CHICAGO DEFENDER — Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale will be available at Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Haymarket offers a variety of innovative house ales and lagers, including an award-winning stout, to honor the historic African American publication, the Chicago Defender newspaper. “We named the beer to pay homage to this long-standing circular,” says Haymarket Head Brewer Pete Crowley. “Most of our beer names are of historical significance to Chicago…” Stay tuned for more details about the release of Sam Ross’s and Jay West’s Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale. Haymarket Pub and Brewery is located at 737 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, 60661.

Published

6 years ago

March 12, 2020

Oakland Post

By Kelly Washington, The Chicago Defender

The Defender Beer 2014 Award.jpg

Chicago and the country have experienced an enormous craft beer boom in recent years. Although craft brewing is a booming industry, with diverse offerings in classic lagers and ales, there is a stunning lack of diversity as it pertains to African-Americans in the brewing industry. The Brewers Association put out a benchmarking survey in 2018 on brewery owners and employee diversity. This survey showed that only 1% of independent breweries in the U.S. were owned by Blacks or African Americans. In addition, less than 1% of brewers in the U.S. were Black or African American. Jay West and Sam Ross approached Haymarket Pub & Brewery to create a beer that would help to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in the brewing industry and begin a conversation about diversity in the craft beer community.

Kelly Washington (KW) – Tell me more about your project.

Jay West (JW) – When I was approached with this project, I knew Sam Ross was the one to join me in this journey. It is a shared dream that we did not realize was a shared dream at the time. We wanted this beer to be very Chicago. We also knew how much African Americans consumed beer, however, from the manufacturing to the selling; we are not represented in this industry.

Sam Ross (SR) – The style of beer that we are making is not very common. I wanted us to stand out. We wanted this to be a solid beer for solid beer drinkers of all kinds. We wanted our brand to be unapologetically Midwest and unapologetically urban.

KW: You said you want your beer to be “very Chicago.” Tell me more about your ale, and where the ingredients are being sourced from.

SR: It is going to be a honey ale! Not many Chicago breweries are working with honey. Working with that ingredient is another whole process. We wanted locally sourced honey. We reached out to Sweet Beginnings, a company in North Lawndale, which produces a line of all natural, raw honey products. Sweet Beginnings is a company that has turned an undevelopable plot of land near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport into a thriving business by employing many former convicts, a segment of the population that often faces significant barriers to employment.

JW: We want to keep our beer local and, at the same time, give back to the community and help those that are ignored and underserved. We also want to educate them on this industry.

KW: The Brewer’s Association benchmarking survey suggests that African Americans own less than 1% of independent breweries. What do you see as the issue, and what can companies do to increase the visibility of more African American workers in this industry?

SR: This industry blew up in 2015! No one was prepared to start training brewers. Assistant brewers became brewers, and brewers became brew owners. Breweries are hiring like crazy, but 80% of those jobs are rarely posted due to nepotism. This industry is heavy on that practice. It also takes a lot of money to learn how to brew, so that is another barrier for African Americans. The guys at Haymarket taking time to show us this process means everything. The industry needs to take chances. Take a calculated risk.

KW: How do you two plan to use your new roles to improve the industry?

JW: I will use my platform to reach out to other people of color and educate them on this industry, and bring them on this journey. Some people took chances on me, and I want to pay that forward. This is the first time Sam is hearing this, but the education he bestowed upon me is profound. I am a better person, a better brewer, and a better conveyor of what this game can bring to the community.

SR: The best way for me is to use my role is by utilizing social media. That is how I will get our message across. I have a blog called “The Brother at the Bar.” I want us to connect through our love and knowledge of beer. Social media is an excellent vessel for that. I am in love with the craft beer world, and I want people who look like me to love it and have a great experience as well.

KW: Drumroll!!! What is the name of your ale?

JW: The name of the beer is Harold’s ’83 Honey. The name itself is paying homage to the first Black mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington. We are also tipping our hats to another Chicago institution, Harold’s Chicken. That is what we mean when we say we want our brand to be unapologetically Chicago and urban. Clearly, we want to highlight the lack of diversity, the best way to do that is to get someone’s attention, and that is what the name does. It says Chicago. It says Black Chicago.

SR: The number ‘83 is the year he (Harold Washington) became mayor. Harold’s Chicken is in Atlanta now, and that is another one of the ways we can expand our reach. We want our consumers to drink Harold’s ‘83 Honey Ale with their order of chicken, with mild sauce!

KW: That sounds like a delicious pairing!

JW: It is also an attention grabber. We want you to open a dialogue on why there is a steep lack of diversity in this game. We want you to have a beer, but we want you to have a conversation. The more that we have conversations like this, the more we can progress together.

KW: Where will you be marketing and selling Harold’s ‘83 Honey Ale?

JW: There are nine African American owned places with liquor licenses in this vast city. That is another issue within itself. I doubt that any of them will refuse this beer because it is going to be amazing! We will enlist them to help us get the word out about our ale and awareness about the lack of diversity in the brewing industry.

SR: Just being able to have our beer at an established place such as Haymarket is great. People travel from all over to come and see this place. People will come from all over to have a good beer.

Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale will be available at Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Haymarket offers a variety of innovative house ales and lagers, including an award-winning stout, to honor the historic African American publication, the Chicago Defender newspaper. “We named the beer to pay homage to this long-standing circular,” says Haymarket Head Brewer Pete Crowley. “Most of our beer names are of historical significance to Chicago…” Stay tuned for more details about the release of Sam Ross’s and Jay West’s Harold’s ’83 Honey Ale. Haymarket Pub and Brewery is located at 737 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, 60661.

The post Haymarket’s Brew Day with Jay West and Sam Ross A Conversation about Industry’s Lack of Diversity, a New Ale and a special Brew in honor of the Chicago Defender. appeared first on Chicago 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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