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Voters To Decide Today Between Travis Hendrix, Sylvia Swayne in Hotly Contested Jeffco Runoff Election

The Birmingham Times The two Democratic candidates in today’s Oct. 24 runoff in House District 55 have had their say. Now voters in the district which encompasses parts of Birmingham, including UAB/Southside, the West End, and Fairfield will have theirs. The polls open at 7 a.m. Travis Hendrix, a 40-year-old Birmingham police sergeant, received 670 […]
The post Voters To Decide Today Between Travis Hendrix, Sylvia Swayne in Hotly Contested Jeffco Runoff Election first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2 years ago

December 5, 2023

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Travis Hendrix, left, and Sylvia Swayne and candidates for the Jefferson County House District 55 seat.

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The Birmingham Times

The two Democratic candidates in today’s Oct. 24 runoff in House District 55 have had their say. Now voters in the district which encompasses parts of Birmingham, including UAB/Southside, the West End, and Fairfield will have theirs.

The polls open at 7 a.m.

Travis Hendrix, a 40-year-old Birmingham police sergeant, received 670 votes, or 27.91 percent, in the special election last month. Sylvia Swayne, a 26-year-old customer service manager, received 515 votes, or 21.45 percent.

Turnout in the general election was dismal with just about 3,140 of the 25,000 registered voters participating.

“A lot of people just don’t understand how important our local elections are because these are the elections that affect our daily lives,” Hendrix said as he canvassed a neighborhood in Fairfield. “It’s my job to remind people to engage in these local elections.”

Sylvia Swayne, 26, a quality assurance manager, said her interest in social justice took off in high school in the wake of the Ferguson protests in 2014.

Swayne, if elected, would be the first transgender representative elected to the Alabama House.

At the University of Alabama, she co-chaired the Students for Fair Labor’s Collective Liberation Caucus, participated in sit-ins to object to Milo Yiannopoulos, who was invited to speak at the university, and to demand the expulsion of Ryan Parrish, a UA student who was arrested after a racially charged threat on Facebook.

“At the end of the day, I’ve done a lot of work in terms of civic engagement, community service and social justice,” Swayne said. “That’s what ultimately led to me wanting to run for office — just seeing so many bills being introduced that distract us from the issues that face the everyday Alabamian.”

With no Republican opponent in the general election in January, the winner of the runoff will most likely become the representative-elect for the district, which includes parts of Birmingham and Fairfield.

Talk of race and gender identity exploded on Birmingham talk radio in recent days has exploded as callers and hosts debate and make cases for their preferred candidates.

District 55 has a 70 percent Black majority, and a victory for Swayne would change the area’s racial representation for the first time in decades.

Still, both candidates said they preferred to have conversations on issues affecting the district, rather than gender or race.

“I’m for all people. It doesn’t matter what you look like, what status you are, or what gender you are,” Hendrix said.

He renounced personal attacks against Swayne, including a flier that attacked her gender identity.

“I don’t care about anything but making sure that District 55 has the representation that it needs so we can all be successful, and we can all have a better quality of life,” Hendrix said. “Quality of life is on the ballot.”

Swayne in recent days also took to the airwaves to present her platform and answer questions regarding her commitment to serving what is a largely Black constituency.

“I’m one person just like any candidate in the election. I can’t represent every single person in the district, but I can work alongside folks in the district and make sure that the people are prioritized over all else,” Swayne said. “My identity is only a distraction from the issues that face District 55 and I’m ready to talk about the issues and face the issues.”

The two candidates broadly agree on issues, with both seeing a need for infrastructure investments in the district.

Medicaid Expansion

Medicaid expansion would be a top issue for both.

Hendrix said that as a police officer, he’s seen many Alabamians without health insurance. Hendrix also said he has seen people with gunshot or knife wounds at emergency departments who rack up thousands of dollars in hospital bills. Those bills are a big setback for those individuals, who may not be able to pay. When those bills go unpaid, hospitals absorb the costs.

“That’s why I say expanding healthcare and making it affordable to people — like different plans — kind of make it affordable to different ages so that they can be able to afford health care,” Hendrix said.

Swayne said that Alabama needed to expand Medicaid “yesterday,” but she said she would take a more behind-the-scenes approach by being a conversation starter. Medicaid expansion is a partisan issue, she said, but it doesn’t have to be when 70 percent of Alabamians support Medicaid expansion, according to an Alabama Arise poll.

“When we talk about Medicaid expansion, we can’t convince a Republican to get on board with that — because we believe that health care is a right. That’s not the language,” she said. “You talk about the economic benefits. You talk about the ways that if 200 to 300,000 more Alabamians have access to health care, think about the amount of people who can go to work.”

Education

On education, Swayne said legislators could have used the record-breaking surplus in the Education Trust Fund (ETF) to reinvest in struggling public schools, but instead, she pointed to SB202, filed by Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, a bill — passed out of committee but did not come to a floor vote — that would have diverted $864 million from the ETF towards private or home schooling.

“I do not believe that public funds — taxpayer dollars — should be going to private institutions,” she said. “I am not opposed to the existence of private schools, but they are private for a reason. They have to be self-funded. You cannot use public money on private schools.”

Charter schools, being public schools, should be more accessible to low-income communities, she said. Those schools may lack buses, for example, and transportation could be a challenge for needy families.

“If we’re going to invest in charter schools, we have to make sure the charter schools are actually accessible for students,” she said.

Hendrix said that if it’s a public school, he supports it.

“I know parents have the right and the choice to decide where they want to send their kid to school. I think as long as they get their education and continue to be productive citizens throughout the state of Alabama. So, that’s it, and that’s what I care about,” Hendrix said.

Infrastructure

Hendrix also supports more infrastructure projects. He said it’s hard to attract businesses, and most places just need some lifting up, he said. Other places need more immediate help with things like street signs. He said that could be the difference that allows an emergency service to get to a house on time.

“Some street signs are knocked down, so you have to look on the house or on your phone and see what street that you’re on,” he said.

Swayne said that the state needs to invest in public transportation in the district. She said that she does not have a bus stop in her neighborhood, but that’s not the city of Birmingham’s fault.

“That’s because we don’t invest in public transportation at the state level. We have a 1952 constitutional amendment that prohibits us from using revenue from gas taxes on anything but roads and bridges. We’ve had a public transportation trust fund since 2018, and we don’t put money into it,” she said. “We need to come up with solutions that serve the people of the district and the people of the state.”

Hendrix raised $40,310 and spent $35,153 as of Sept. 30. Hendrix has accepted $25,496 in from seven PACs, with Alabama Works PAC being the largest donor at $9,254.

Swayne has raised $81,175 and spent $49,987 as of Oct. 13. Sylvia accepted money from LPAC only, a political action committee supporting LBGTQ+ candidates.

Tuesday’s special election will fill the seat left vacant when former Rep. Fred Plump resigned in May after pleading guilty to charges in a federal corruption case.

Plump was a freshman representative who served less than a year before a kickback scandal ended his political career.

The Alabama Reflector and AL.com contributed to this post

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

The post Voters To Decide Today Between Travis Hendrix, Sylvia Swayne in Hotly Contested Jeffco Runoff Election first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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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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May 3, 2026

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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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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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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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