Latest news with #ChevySuburbans
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Joe Biden's son Hunter spotted parking rental car in South Africa after losing security detail
Joe Biden's son Hunter spotted parking rental car in South Africa (Image credit: Fox News) Former US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, was spotted in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, enjoying a low-key outing with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and their young son, Beau Biden Jr. The family was seen driving a modest rented Toyota sedan, a stark contrast to the black Chevy Suburbans that once accompanied him during his father's presidency. Hunter, now without Secret Service protection, was photographed strolling along Sea Point Main Road, a popular and affluent area in Cape Town. The family paid for street parking and made a stop at a local butcher, with no visible security in tow. This marks Hunter Biden's first public sighting since Biden, now 82, revealed his cancer diagnosis. It also follows Donald Trump's controversial move in March to revoke Hunter's extended Secret Service protection, a benefit his father had granted him during his time in office. Usually, children of former presidents only have such protection till they turn 16, Fox News reported. Trump's decision came during Hunter's previous visit to South Africa. His absence of security detail this time suggests the order has since been enforced. Meanwhile, back in Washington, Republicans are intensifying efforts to investigate what they claim is a deliberate cover-up of Joe Biden's alleged cognitive decline. Senators Eric Schmitt and John Cornyn announced a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing set for 18 June. The panel will explore claims that Biden's aides and media allies hid his deteriorating mental state during his presidency. Witnesses for the hearing are still being finalised, but it is expected to be the first full congressional session dedicated to the issue.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Good PBAU campus parking worth an 11-story 'monstrosity' in downtown West Palm
I look forward to the day when the skyline of West Palm Beach will be noted for an 11-story parking garage along Dixie Highway. I know that Mayor Keith James has already called the planned parking facility at Palm Beach Atlantic University a 'monstrosity.' But one of the advantages of being a mayor is you always get good parking, so he's probably not the proper judge for these kinds of amenities. It's like asking a vegan what he thinks of pork chops. So, let's not shortchange the value of good parking. I would put good parking as one of the top 'goods', right up there with good home fries, good WiFi, and good arch support. West Palm mayor hates it: PBA gets OK to build 25-story tower, city's largest garage It would take a lot for me to come out against good parking. The 11-story garage will be a complement to a proposed 25-story tower that will serve as a new dormitory for nearly a thousand PBAU students in some 275 dorm rooms. These skyscraper-sized developments are part of a general growth plan for the small private Christian university as it plans to expand from 3,000 to 5,000 students. Luring them with good parking is a great idea. If I were the PBAU recruiters, I'd make the great parking central to the pitch to prospective students. It might go something like this: 'Sure, we may not be as selective as some other schools, but hop in my golf cart and allow me to drive you up a few ramps at our new parking garage.' Opinion: Florida's future shouldn't be at the expense of wildlife. New bill honors both. Just the sight of all that fresh asphalt in a sea of empty lined parking spaces would be enough to trigger an early-admission question. Especially if there's no 'reserved for compact car' spaces. That whole idea is a failure, which is why most of them are filled with Cadillac Escalades, Chevy Suburbans and Ford F-350 pickup trucks. But I digress. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Not many colleges and universities can say their student parking options include an 11-story garage with a capacity to park nearly a thousand cars. 'Taking higher learning to new heights!' would be how I'd market it. Maybe even change the school mascot from the sailfish to a condor, or some other bird noted for its high-altitude flight. Opinion: Hope Florida scandal puts obstacle in Casey DeSantis' pathway to governor Even the University of Florida, the flagship university in the state system, a university with about 60,000 students, can't compare to PBAU in the all-important tallest parking garage category. The tallest parking garage at UF is only seven stories. Disappointing. Mayor James doesn't get it. And he seems more worked up about the towering parking garage than the 25-story building next to it. 'It is a monstrosity. It is not appealing. We have been moving more toward a pedestrian-friendly urban corridor,' James said. I guess he's worried that tourists will come from far and wide, clogging the downtown streets just to get a look at the giant parking garage. It's right up there in size with the 12-floor Palm Beach County Jail on Gun Club Road, and much higher than the seven-level parking garage at Palm Beach International Airport. So, yes. It will probably attract some parking garage tourists, people who aren't fit enough to climb Mount Everest, but still thirst for a high-altitude fix. PBAU can take things to the next level, so to speak, by constructing a giant water flume down the side of the garage, one that empties students on ground level next to the academic buildings. This will double as both a recreational attraction and a way for students not to be late for class during those times when the elevators in the garage aren't working. The giant parking garage will also keep PBAU in the public eye as Vanderbilt University partners with the city of West Palm Beach to build a downtown graduate campus for the Nashville, Tenn.-based university. The Vanderbilt campus is supposed to be a $300 million investment where students will study everything from business, to data science to artificial intelligence at an eye-catching campus that will feature a tourist-drawing arboretum. 'The tropical arboretum will showcase a diverse array of indigenous South Florida species,' Vanderbilt announced. 'Visitors might expect to see slash pines reaching for the sky, vibrant Cherokee Beans adding splashes of color and the iconic sabal palm standing proud. 'Other local flora like sea grape, gumbo limbo and buttonbush will further enhance the connection to the South Florida environment.' Without the 11-story parking garage 'standing proud' at PBAU, the small local private school would be hopelessly outgunned by Vanderbilt's gaudy arboretum. So, let's celebrate the future addition of a sun-blocking, 11-story 'monstrosity' on Dixie Highway where good parking spots will flourish. Frank Cerabino is a news columnist with The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network-Florida. He can be reached at fcerabino@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Where to park at Palm Beach Atlantic University? Stay tuned | Opinion
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Heavy Duty Cadillac Escalade Will Be Next Secret Service Ride
Cadillacs have been the go-to marque for US presidential limos since the 80s. Even as they evolved into heavily armored, limo-like bodies bolted to heavy truck chassis like the current creature they call "The Beast", presidential rides still carried the good old Cadillac crest. While the President gets to ride Cadillac style, the praetorian guard Secret Service has long had to make due with workaday armored Chevy Suburbans for its chase vehicles. That seems to be about to change though, because it looks like the Secret Service is going to get some Caddys of its own. According to Reuters, Secret Service director Dan Curran met with General Motors executives at the GM Global Design Center over in Warren, MI, to discuss new rides for both the President and the Secret Service. The Secret Service's official X account had this to say about the meeting: "Countering evolving threats require (sic) us to constantly explore new innovations and improvements to our armored fleet of protective vehicles. Director Sean Curran met with GM executives to discuss advancements that could benefit the next generation of armored SUVs." In that same post, the account shared a picture from the meeting showing an Escalade-badged, armored SUV. Reading the tea leaves, there's a good chance that those will be the next Secret Service chase vehicles. Read more: You Can Buy A 400-HP V-Series Cadillac For Less Than A Honda Accord So, when are we going to see these urban assault Escalades cruising Pennsylvania Ave.? Probably not any time soon. It typically takes years of development before one of these things even sees pavement, let alone goes into production. "We are too far out to speak to any specific costs or dates," a Secret Service spokesperson told Reuters. "Our engineering, protective operations and technical security teams work for years to develop the state-of-the-art framework that is used to produce these highly advanced vehicles." In addition to the new armored Escalades, Reuters mentioned that the US Department of Homeland Security awarded GM a $14.8 million contract to develop a replacement for the current presidential limo back in September of 2024. The current version of The Beast has been in use since 2018, so it's definitely due for a replacement. The new Beast contract could bring in $40.8 million over the five years of its lifetime, no small chunk of change for The General. So, along with everything else, does this mean we might see an Escalade HD on showroom floors sometime soon? You know, for big spenders who want to cosplay federal agents on their way to work in the morning. It's hard to say, but if Cadillac does announce a superluxe HD Escalade in the future, we'll let you know. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Your Modern Car Is Fat: City Widens Parking Spots To Accommodate
Read the full story on The Auto Wire People are laughing after a city announced it's widening parking spaces to accommodate larger modern vehicles. The news has also fueled a debate about whether or not modern vehicles are all that large, why they're growing, and what else it's City Council in the UK says it's widening at least some parking spots so larger modern rides can fit. It's included in an improvement plan for certain areas in the city, reports the BBC, but people seem to be concentrating on the parking stall issue above the rest of the improvements. Some Americans have seized on this news and used it to rail against Chevy Suburbans, pickup trucks in general, or whatever type of vehicle they don't like. What they fail to understand is up until a few years ago, crossovers weren't too common in Europe, including the UK (we know some Brits claim they're not part of Europe). But there's been an explosion in the number of crossovers on the continent, which has put the pinch of things like parking areas, since they tend to be wider than the wagons which used to be so popular. Just like here in North America, ever-stringent safety standards for cars in Europe have helped fatten them up, too. After all, designs to keep drivers and passengers safe in a side impact means thicker doors, wider frames, etc. It doesn't help that people are getting bigger as well. Everyone can debate how or why that's happening, but car seats have grown in size, making it necessary to expand the width of vehicles. This parking crunch has hit many other places, with some deciding to just repaint the lines so modern vehicles fit without issue. But some people want to put the blame on the size of the current Chevy Silverado, of which there are likely few, if any, in Colchester City. Image via Jan Kopriva/Pexels Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.
