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CTA Expands Workforce and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Efforts

CHICAGO DEFENDER — The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has launched a series of innovative new outreach programs that will help create and expand opportunities for minority-owned companies and further diversify the workforce on large CTA construction projects. During the last two years, CTA has introduced several new programs and initiatives to promote inclusion and provide opportunities previously unavailable to contractors and workers.

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Agency continues to set benchmark for how agencies should build workforce and work with disadvantaged businesses during major projects (Photo by: chicagodefender.com)

By The Chicago Defender

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has launched a series of innovative new outreach programs that will help create and expand opportunities for minority-owned companies and further diversify the workforce on large CTA construction projects.

During the last two years, CTA has introduced several new programs and initiatives to promote inclusion and provide opportunities previously unavailable to contractors and workers.

“Investment in transit is about more than just building new stations and fixing deteriorated infrastructure,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “It’s about making sure we invest in communities and the people who live and work there.”

The newer CTA programs and initiatives have focused on promoting opportunities for business that are certified as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and Small Business Enterprises (SBEs). These designations allow small businesses to participate in CTA programs that seek to help level the playing field in transportation contracting.

Over the last several years, CTA’s Diversity Programs Department has successfully expanded CTA’s training and curriculum for DBEs. The programs seek to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in CTA contracting opportunities through outreach and events throughout the year. Perhaps the best example of these types of new programs is CTA’s educational series, which features instruction from CTA prime contractors who provide their insight in areas like procuring business opportunities, managing projects, risk management, payroll, and successfully closing out projects. Among the programs have been:

  • The Green Line Small Business Initiative (2017), a program focused on providing training and assistance to SBEs and DBEs so they could compete for work related to improvements being made at four Green Line stations — 51st Street, Halsted, Cottage Grove and Kedzie. Twenty-four businesses graduated from the Green Line series, with five companies successfully procuring contracts.
  • The Blue Line Small Business Initiative (2018), which provided instruction for SBEs and DBEs interested in working on CTA’s Your New Blue project. Eleven graduates completed the program and one is currently contracted with CTA. The other graduates remain eligible for more opportunities as they become available.
  • The RPM Small Business Educational Series (2019), which will provide information and training for businesses seeking to work on the Red Purple Modernization (RPM) Program, the largest construction project in CTA’s history.
  • “Driving Small Business” workshops: CTA offers quarterly, three-class workshops that have proven very worthwhile for smaller businesses. They are a great way to get to know CTA and how we do business.

“I believe DBE goals are a floor, not a ceiling, and that they express the diverse population we want to see in each of our projects,” Carter said. “Whether the contract is large or small, we are always reviewing contracts to identify opportunities for small businesses and when we cannot find them, we do all we can to create them.”

CTA’s efforts are the outgrowth of the successful model CTA created for the 2013 Red Line South Reconstruction Project, which created a blueprint of how local government agencies should engage the communities they serve for both job and contracting opportunities.

For the past several years, CTA has expanded the number of programs it offers to help DBEs and SBEs. They include:

  • Mid-Level Construction Program: For firms that wish to partner with potential prime contractors, CTA’s Diversity Programs team and project prime contractors host outreach events in order for prime contractors to add DBE partners to their teams.
  • Construction Management Services Program (“CMS”): CTA’s CMS Program was created to help DBEs compete for construction management opportunities. The program includes a selected pool of consultants that work with CTA frequently, guaranteeing an experienced pool of potential vendors who will compete for the work.
  • Mentor-Protégé Program: CTA asks prime contractors, who serve as mentors to potential subcontractors, to choose three categories where the prime will assist DBEs with capacity and capability.
  • One-on-One Consultations: CTA provides individual consultations for firms that are interested in doing business on a CTA project and are seeking to be certified as a DBE.

CTA has also created other standards and practices that are meant to assist DBEs and SBEs increase opportunity and participation, including:

  • Construction contracts now include a workforce component that requires bidders to disclose, up-front, how they will develop a diverse professional services workforce within their teams—including interns, partnering with schools and other innovative ways they will look to create diversity within their professional services.
  • For large design-build contracts, CTA now splits its DBE goals into two parts: one for design and one for construction. This began in 2017 and had never been done before at CTA. By splitting the DBE goal into two parts instead of only one, CTA creates more opportunity for DBEs to find work.
  • CTA regularly reviews and assesses DBE goals on each individual construction project task order in order to maximize DBE participation.
  • CTA has established a DBE Advisory Committee to provide feedback and ideas on ways to strengthen its DBE program and outreach.

CTA has created an RFP diversity scoring system for large contracts to encourage prime contractors to find new and innovative ways of reaching out to the DBE community, and also as a way to keep them accountable for their DBE commitments. This new system has led to improved contractor outreach.

CTA has also focused on creating opportunities for SBEs through a new program that allows CTA to set aside contracts for small business participation. In 2018, CTA awarded 11 small business contracts totaling over $6.2 million. We are always reviewing contracts for opportunities for small businesses and, occasionally, when we cannot find them, we create them.

For more information about DBE programs and certification, visit https://www.transitchicago.com/dbe/. To learn more about how SBEs can work with CTA, visit https://www.transitchicago.com/sbe/.

This article originally appeared in the 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.

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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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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)

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)

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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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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