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Green Book of Tampa Bay highlights area’s black vendors and businesses

THE WEEKLY CHALLENGER — Describing itself as a “mobile travel guide,” Green Book of Tampa Bay is an online resource that offers its readers information on African American cultural sites, black artists and black-owned businesses in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The site was created by Joshua Bean and Hillary Van Dyke, two educators who met at Azalea Middle School, where Van Dyke was an eighth-grade teacher and Bean was a school social worker.

Published

7 years ago

September 1, 2019

Oakland Post

Green Book of Tampa Bay creators Joshua Bean and Hillary Van Dyke offers an online resource that gives readers information on African American cultural sites, black artists and black-owned businesses in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.

By J.A. Jones

ST. PETERSBURG — Describing itself as a “mobile travel guide,” Green Book of Tampa Bay is an online resource that offers its readers information on African American cultural sites, black artists and black-owned businesses in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The site was created by Joshua Bean and Hillary Van Dyke, two educators who met at Azalea Middle School, where Van Dyke was an eighth-grade teacher and Bean was a school social worker.

The phrase “Green Book” is, of course, a nod to the “Negro Motorist Green Book,” the guidebook listing safe places for African Americans to visit, stay overnight in or buy services from while traveling across the country during the reign of Jim Crow laws (about which the award-winning 2018 movie was made).

Instead, Bean and Van Dyke’s guide offers information to help educate readers about and encourage visitors to spend their dollars with African-American retailers and professionals — to build black economic stability in the region.

Their long-range hope? That their project will be part of a changing tide, resulting in more opportunities for the region’s most valuable asset: our youth.

“The thing that started spurring our conversation about economic vitality was the epidemic of car thefts in our community,” explained Van Dyke, referring to a rash of thefts that resulted in the deaths or imprisonment of several of their students.

The fact that students they knew were dying or being jailed alongside adults for car thefts or theft-related incidents was just too painful for the young educators to accept.

Bean — who also worked for the Department of Juvenile Justice and in foster care before deciding he wanted to work in the school system — gave Killer Mike’s series Trigger Warning’s first episode, “Living Black” credit for “catapulting” the idea into reality.

In the episode, after vowing to only frequent black businesses quickly becomes an “impossible dream,” Killer Mike proves to himself and the audience how difficult it is to find a self-sufficient black community that can provide all of its own needs.

“After that first episode I was looking around, and there was no easy database or directory [for black businesses],” commented Bean, who today works as a social worker in the Pinellas County Schools’ Prevention Office and Student Services Department.

Feeling there needed to be a more consistent and updated resource for those who lived in the city, were visiting or had just relocated, Bean brought the idea of launching the site to Van Dyke.

The two also hoped that by highlighting black businesses and holding “Buy Black Fridays” on Facebook – which encourages people to patronize black businesses and post photos of their visits — they would raise awareness about the power of circulating dollars among black businesses.

Today, Van Dyke is the senior professional development coordinator for equity in the Pinellas County School System, and a self-declared “warrior for racial and educational equity.” She feels more needs to be done to reverse the systemic failure that has left a shortage of jobs for young people and a general lack of employment opportunities for the south St. Petersburg community.

“If you look at downtown, there’s no shortage of restaurants and stores for people to work at, but the second you cross Central Avenue, the more south you go, it’s harder to find [businesses],” stated Van Dyke. “And just the concept of having a job and making your own money – there’s just study after study that proves that when you have that, you’re not out committing crimes with the same frequency,” she added.

She points to Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner’s project Hire Houston Youth as one model of addressing the issue.

Turner has called upon corporations, government agencies and community organizations to participate in the program to “increase access to quality ‘earning and learning’ opportunities for Houston’s youth.”

According to the website, in 2018 more than 10,000 youth ages 16-24 applied for over 7,500 opportunities, earning at least $8 an hour for the summer program, with more than 3,000 youth completing job readiness programs.

While leaders and communities still have a lot of work to do to supply the region’s youths with the necessary skills, jobs and economic and educational equity – opportunity and equity that UNITE Pinellas’ recent report proves is sorely lacking — projects such as Green Book of Tampa Bay offer new ways to combat old issues.

Currently, Green Book of Tampa Bay highlights businesses, vendors, entertainment and events in 15 categories, from real estate and insurance to mental health and wellness to DJs and event planners.

The guide also shares photos of Bean and Van Dyke’s visits to the various vendors on its Instagram and Facebook pages (@greenbooktb) and includes listings from black businesses on both sides of the bay.

Visit Green Book of Tampa Bay at https://greenbooktampabay.home.blog/. For more information or to be included on their site, reach them at Greenbookoftampabay@gmail.com.

To reach J.A. Jones, email jjones@theweeklychallenger.com.

This article originally appeared in The Weekly Challenger.

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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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