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Flau’jae Johnson on a Mission: LSU Star Teams Up with Experian to Relieve Debt for Louisianans

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Experian’s latest initiative will relieve $5 million in consumer debt for 5,000 families in Louisiana, one of the states with the highest percentage of poverty in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Published

1 year ago

March 14, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

Flau’jae Johnson is no stranger to pressure. As a standout junior guard for LSU’s women’s basketball team, she has learned how to manage the intensity of big games, the demands of academics, and the responsibility of being a high-profile athlete in the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Now, she’s adding another role to her résumé—helping relieve consumer debt for thousands of African American families in Louisiana. “I’ve been working with Experian for quite some time now,” Johnson said during an appearance on the Black Press of America’s Let It Be Known News. “We did a lot of things just for helping students learn about financial literacy. So, when this opportunity came about, I was ecstatic. I was like, wow, this is really going to help change lives because debt can really hold people back. They’re just fighting to survive instead of learning how to build more finances.”

Experian’s latest initiative will relieve $5 million in consumer debt for 5,000 families in Louisiana, one of the states with the highest percentage of poverty in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The credit organization noted that 50 percent of African Americans over 18 are “very/fairly worried” about getting out of debt, and the state has one of the highest unbanked rates in America at 8.1 percent. Further, 52 percent of African American adults indicated they are working to rebuild their credit, and about 1 in 4 have their mortgage applications denied. The initiative, which was carried out in partnership with ForgiveCo, a public benefit corporation (PBC), aims to ease the financial burden of those struggling with debt. To further incentivize success, Experian will add $100,000 in additional debt relief for every game LSU wins in the upcoming college basketball tournament, up to $500,000. “Helping it aligns with the tournament, the more games we win, that’ll be 100K more that we’re adding into the pot,” Johnson said. “Coming to the Louisiana community and trying to help is what I want to do because they poured into me, and they kind of adopted me since I came here.”

The initiative isn’t just about canceling debts. It’s also about giving people the tools to manage their financial future. Beneficiaries will receive a free one-year premium Experian membership, which offers access to credit reports, FICO Scores, credit monitoring, and other financial resources. Johnson understands firsthand how valuable those tools can be, especially for young people navigating newfound financial independence. “I didn’t know a lot going into college,” she said. “I came into college with NIL, and we get paid all these dollars. Thankfully, I had a mom that was into her finances, but everybody doesn’t have that. So, it’s just kind of taking that initiative to do it yourself and learn. A lot of people don’t know about credit, don’t know about finances. You can’t grow that way.” Johnson has balanced basketball, NIL deals, music, and school while ensuring she stays on top of her finances. Time management, she said, is key. “I got to get school out the way before I do anything,” she said. “Top of the week, so I’m not stressing on due dates. If I have to study for an exam, that will take more days. If I have different assignments, I use one day to get everything done. It’s all about scheduling and time management.”

For Johnson, this partnership is about more than just this moment—it’s about helping create long-term financial knowledge that can benefit families and young people alike. “I’m the type of person who says, put your money where your mouth is,” she said. “If you really want to help, do that. And that’s what they’re doing. Five million dollars is a lot of money, and 5,000 families, that’s a lot of people. This is just the start.” Johnson hopes this partnership and her platform will encourage more young people to take financial literacy seriously. “Learn how to use credit,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know how to use credit. There are so many ways to use credit for what you need, your business, and your future. There are so many entrepreneurs in my generation now. If they know how to use credit to be financially successful, that would be one of my tips.”

Johnson has big plans, both on and off the court. As LSU gears up for March Madness, she knows that every victory means more relief for Louisiana families. “No matter what, when we win, we help more people, more families,” she said. “We got six games—first round, second round, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and the championship. That could be $600,000 extra.” She’s also keeping her music career going. “I just dropped a song today,” she said. “It’s called ‘What It Takes.’ It’s about the trophy, the tournament, everything like that.” Even with so many pursuits, Johnson never loses sight of the importance of financial stability, a lesson she’s learned from her mother and her own experiences.

“I think it’s important to have a team, especially when you have so many different streams of income,” she said. “LSU does a really good job of bringing in people to help us understand finances, credit, and taxes. That’s why when I’m talking to the Experian people, they think I’m so cool because they’re like, ‘How do you know this?’ I really study. I pay attention.” For Johnson, financial literacy isn’t just about making money, it’s about sustaining it. “Money isn’t everything, but it keeps the world going around,” she said. “You want to protect that, build that, grow that. I see these athletes signing multimillion-dollar deals, and then they go bankrupt. And I’m like, what was the disconnect? Because I don’t want to go that route. I really pay attention to everything.”

More information about Experian’s debt relief initiative can be found at experian.com/relief.

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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.

Published

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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