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Soul Steppers keep pace with themselves on regular walks

WAVE NEWSPAPERS — When you see a member of the L.A. Soul Steppers stepping through the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza get out of the way. The Soul Steppers are a walking club of about 70-plus members. The free club for senior citizens meets once a month for a two-mile walk around the mall.

Published

7 years ago

September 17, 2019

Oakland Post

L.A. Soul Steppers (Photo by: wavenewspapers.com)

By Kristina Dixon

BALDWIN HILLS — When you see a member of the L.A. Soul Steppers stepping through the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza get out of the way.

The Soul Steppers are a walking club of about 70-plus members. The free club for senior citizens meets once a month for a two-mile walk around the mall.

The group has been in existence for three years now. Members start their meeting by greeting each other, their coach, drinking water, tying their laces tight and stretching in order to prevent injury and ensure an effective workout.

Once all members are ready, founder and owner of Ultimate Transformations Training Coach Erich Nall, better known as “Coach E.” instructs everyone to come together in formation and leads the walk.

Chests held high and 10 toes down, they begin to walk their route. They begin at the upper level of the shopping plaza and make their way down. Some walk for two loops, others three loops. Everyone is encouraged to go at their own pace but to keep going.

Nall is friendly, informative and cares for his team.

“Four years ago, I partnered with AARP to develop a program that gets the community out and focuses on exercise and wellness. I developed and designed a program where we talk flexibility, stretching and proper mechanics for walking. Now we’re doing the second and fourth Tuesday of every month and we average about a 60-70 person turnout every month.

Nall says the group gathers at 6 a.m. The members stretch their muscles and warm up before starting the walk and there is no walking standard.

“Some people come out and walk and are novices and haven’t walked in their entire lives,” he said. “Then we have our experienced walkers. So what we normally do is a six-loop walk, which is approximately two miles. Two and a half loops is approximately one mile.

“What we try to do is to get everyone to do at least two or three loops in order to get the one-mile distance in, but mostly everyone walks the six loops.

“The community loves this,” Nall added. “We moved from one exercise day a month to two and now they are requesting to do more. So hopefully over the time we can expand it to maybe I meet with them once a week to have four workouts a month.

“I am incorporating exercise, strength training, isometrics and weight lifting and showing them how to do it, during this time frame and then they’re doing it on their own while they’re away from me.”

Long-term member Madeline Wilson said, “Getting up early in the morning and getting some exercise is a great way to start the day.”

She keeps coming back because of the exercises and the inspiration that Nall gives her.

“He talks about healthy lifestyles, not just exercising but eating, getting rest and being conscious.”

Maxine Young said: “I love all the tips that Coach E. gives us. I’ve always been a walker but I learn things about diet, ways to warm up and cool down. The whole package is interesting.

“It’s a challenge to me to come out and I can be very competitive anyway,” she added. “So I push myself to do a little bit more than when I just walk around.”

One of the few male participants is Carl Simmons.

“I play basketball but I don’t play as much as I used to,” he said. “So when I come out here and walk it gets my day going, gets my blood going and coach’s information on nutrition is very informative and helpful to me.

“I like coming out and the comradery, the friendships you develop and most of all the exercises you get. I’m trying to lose some weight and it’s working.”

Loretta Walker said, “This club reminds me of what I should be doing and it keeps me on track because I know I have to be there in two weeks.’ So in between time I’m thinking I need to continue to exercise, I need to continue to do what he’s told me to do. So it really encourages me.

“And I also enjoy the people that are here. We find we have so much in common,” she added.

On a recent Tuesday, Rachel Stone and Joyce Howard of AARP hosted a healthy breakfast and workshop on the five pillars of health.

“The Five Pillars of Brain Health was developed by the Global Council on Brain Health which is run by AARP as the national organization,” Stone said. “It brings together scientists and brain researchers who put together this curriculum to give people easy ways to integrate brain healthy behaviors into their everyday life.

“This was really a natural fit with L.A. Soul Steppers,” she added. “I think so many people think of exercise as purely physical but as we saw today, it’s social and great for the brain. Any activity where you’re engaging with your community, getting your heart pumping, circulation going is brain healthy behavior.”

Howard has been volunteer for a year with AARP.

She said, “It’s a family. We get together twice a month. We exercise and we encourage one another to keep moving. As a family, we walk together, we talk together and we socialize. It’s more of a social exercise type of a group and we’re only here for one hour, so it’s perfect. I love the program.”

Members did breathing exercises and asked and answered questions on how many steps they should be walking a day and how many hours of rest they should be getting at night. Members also discuss different health apps they can download to stay on track of their fitness journey.

The club wears a different color t-shirt every year. Past years have included black and aqua. This year’s color is green.

Antoine Cook, California associate state director for AARP, said “Soul Steppers is a very important group for AARP because it really does encourage people to be more active as we get older. We become less active so we encourage people to at least walk.

“This group is important to me because it’s become a strong part of what I do. I get to see people get active and change their lifestyles to become more healthy and also to develop a community around walking and being active.

“It’s really cool for me to check in with people every two weeks, … talk with Coach E. and his wife Yvette and I work with colleagues in Pasadena to do our programming. It’s really a great way to keep involved in the community and to get people involved in things that they should take advantage of everyday, like walking. I’m really excited about the group and where we’re going in the future.”

This article originally appeared in the Wave Newspapers.

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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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