Mequon-based Big League Distributing has announced that it will distribute Illinois-made Alexander James Whiskey expressions – a brand created by former Division I college athlete Jesse Steward Jr. – in Wisconsin.

Steward – who was a sprinter and jumper at Purdue University and Lewis University (as well as being an operations supervisor at O’Hare International Airport, which is probably a challenging sport of its own!) – has a bourbon and a rye so far.

Each is distilled by Two Eagles Distillery in Mount Prospect, Illinois, aged four years in charred American white oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof.

“Big League Distributing and Alexander James are a great match,” says Steward, who launched his whiskey brand on his 30th birthday in October 2021. “The BLD team understands that behind every high-quality product is a meaningful story. And those stories are key ingredients.

“Alexander James was born of my family’s rich history passed down to me from my father, his father and so on, each story told over a glass of whiskey. BLD also made history in its founding. Wisconsin is a state of discerning diners and drinkers, and we are confident that Alexander James will resonate.”

The deal is the first to distribute Steward’s whiskeys outside Illinois.

But, I admit I’ve buried the lead here, because Big League Distributing (BLD), founded in March by former professional baseball player Larry Hisle Jr. and journalist James H. Burnett III, appears to be Wisconsin’s first-ever Black-owned alcohol distributor.

“BLD, to the best of our knowledge and that of alcohol industry veterans we consulted, is the first Black-founded, minority-owned alcohol distributorship in Wisconsin,” Hisle says, noting that four years of planning went into the 2024 launch.

“Black-founded because two African American men created the company before bringing in our third partner, an Indian American man (Krishan Mehta), whose father was a successful first-generation immigrant from India.”

In addition to Steward’s bourbon and rye, BLD distributes more than a dozen wine varietals from two different California-based wineries and a New York-Jersey Metro-area importer. Among them are Baker Family Wines, which is co-owned by former LMB star Dusty Baker, and Robert Randolph Prosecco, a label created by Grammy-nominated guitarist Robert Randolph.

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“We had a great tequila brand on board as well, but a catastrophic production issue iced that arrangement,” Hisle says. “It has been a roller coaster ride – but thankfully far more ups than downs – as we’ve grown our business over the past five years.

“We’ve learned a great deal, including the solution to the chicken-or-egg question of which to put the most energy into at first/up front: scoring more ‘carriers’ or building up a variety of product offerings and inventory to ensure stability and lower the risk of supply line interruptions.”

What they learned? Focus on the latter and the former will come.

“Now that we’ve got a healthy variety, we’re making an aggressive push to get into more venues,” he says. “We hear from restaurant and tavern owners every week requesting meetings to either taste or coordinate the purchase of our products. This game is a marathon and not a sprint. And we’re in a good place, a great place.”

To help further expand its business, BLD will host an industry tasting event later this month for owners, managers and buyers at local restaurants, taverns, retail outlets and entertainment venues that sell alcoholic beverages.

Of course, the Alexander James Whiskey bourbon and rye will be featured.

“We’re especially excited to work with Jesse Steward, founder of Alexander James, for several reasons,” Hisle says. “His distillery produces quality whiskeys. To date, his products are the closest to Wisconsin that we carry, geographically. So, the logistics will be easier.

“And there’s a personal element. We want people to work with us because we offer great products and service. But we recognize that we’ve made history with our entree into the wholesale alcohol business. To be executives on the distribution side of this industry is extremely rare for people of color, especially Black Americans. It’s less rare but still something of a novelty to see ‘us’ on the production side. So we feel a bond with Jesse as both his operation and ours push to rise and thrive in this industry.”

By MELISSA KOENIG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: 05:41 GMT, 6 January 2025 | Updated: 08:36 GMT, 6 January 2025

The babyface California man accused of helping a Wisconsin teenager plan a school shooting that took the lives of a student and a teacher has broken his silence.

Alexander Paffendorf appeared by video in a collared shirt and tie in court on Friday to face the consequences of his actions, without detailing his role in the Abundant Life Christian School shooting on December 16.

He said he was ready for a hearing on whether a restraining order confiscating his guns and ammunition should remain in place, and expressed remorse for his actions.

Police have said Paffendorf admitted to federal agents that he had been messaging school shooter 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives while she carried out the attack at the small Christian school.

Shortly afterwards, neighbors told CBS 8 they saw more than a dozen police cars enter the apartment complex where Paffendorf lives on Tuesday night and saw officers coming out of the building carrying what was described as a ‘black gun box.’

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Paffendorf has not been charged with any wrongdoing, but an attorney for the city of Carlsbad told Judge Devon Lomayesva that he was under criminal investigation.

A detective also told the judge the FBI is expected to conclude its investigation within two to three months – prompting Lomayesva to delay consideration on the restraining order.

He explained that it was in Paffendorf’s best interest to delay the hearing, as he is under criminal investigation but did not have an attorney present.

Alexander Paffendorf appeared by video in a collared shirt and tie in court on Friday to face the consequences of his actions

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He allegedly admitted to agents that he had been messaging 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow (pictured) about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives

The ruling keeps the order to confiscate Paffendorf’s weapons in effect through April 4, as police continue their investigation into the school shooting and Paffendorf’s role.

Authorities have previously said Rupnow entered Abundant Life Christian School with two handguns – but only used one to carry out the attack, which took the lives of 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin Michelle West. 

Police then received a call at 10.57am, and officers arrived just seconds later.

By 11.05, officers found Rupnow wounded as they recovered her weapon. 

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She was later pronounced dead on the way to the hospital as fire department workers cared for at least six other victims, whose injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening.

A motive for the shooting still remains unclear, with police saying they do not know whether anyone was specifically targeted in the attack as some have suggested.

Police, along with the FBI, are now scouring online records and other resources, as well as speaking with the shooter’s parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting.

Authorities were also seen raiding the Rupnows’ Wisconsin home following the tragedy.

Rupnow shot and killed 14-year-old student Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old teacher Erin Michelle West before turning the gun on herself on December 16

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A motive for the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School (pictured) remains unclear

Investigators are trying to determine whether Rupnow’s parents, Jeff and Melissa, had any involvement or contributed to Natalie’s actions.

Online court records show no criminal cases against her father, Jeffrey Rupnow, or her mother, Mellissa Rupnow. 

They are divorced and shared custody of their daughter, but she primarily lived with her father, according to court documents. Divorce records indicate that Rupnow was in therapy in 2022, but don’t say why.