Latest news with #Western-wear
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Phoenix light rail extension to open soon. Here's when
The long-awaited light rail extension connecting south Phoenix to downtown and other parts of the Valley will open June 7, Mayor Kate Gallego announced. The 5.5-mile South Central Extension has been under construction since 2019. It extends along Central Avenue from Baseline Road in the south to the new downtown hub, which has four platforms on Washington and Jefferson streets and Central and First avenues where riders can transfer trains on different lines. Gallego said the extension "also brings with it new and improved public infrastructure — from great bike lanes and additional shade structures to beautiful artwork along the corridor." "The extension ... is expected to add more than 8,000 daily riders to the light rail system, which currently serves approximately 35,000 boardings per day," Valley Metro said in a statement. The new line includes: 18 public art installations 8 new stations 14 new trains 110-space park-and-ride facility at Baseline Road and Central Avenue Enhanced bike lanes and pedestrian pathways Over 550 new trees and desert-adapted landscaping for shade 30 miles of underground utility upgrades The extension was supposed to be finished in 2023, but unforeseen challenges from the pandemic — including supply chain issues and workforce shortages — caused delays, said Jessica Mefford-Miller, CEO of Valley Metro, the regional transit agency. Those delays were criticized by south Phoenix residents, including several business owners along Central Avenue who said their revenues nosedived as customers fled the area. A 15-year owner of a Western-wear shop along the extension announced in January he would be forced to close his doors. But for all its burdens, the light rail has also been celebrated by residents in the area. It connects a historically underinvested part of the city, where people of color were once segregated, to downtown, the former Metrocenter Mall and Mesa. Eventually, it will connect to the state Capitol area and into west Phoenix. At an event in January to celebrate construction progress of the South Central Extension, area resident Becky Ruiz said, "Our favorite saying in our family is, I love you through the good, the bad, and the ugly. So in this process, I love you through the good, the bad and the ugly." Taylor Seely covers Phoenix and Scottsdale for The Arizona Republic / Reach her at tseely@ or by phone at 480-476-6116. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: South Phoenix light rail expansion will open in June
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kid Rock's wild Oval Office suit cost more than $20,000
The red, white and blue suit Kid Rock wore in the Oval Office on Monday cost more than $20,000, according to his designer. Ofelia Vasquez and her husband, Western-wear designer Manuel Cuevas, created the bedazzled suit for the singer after he called and asked for an outfit to celebrate America's 250th birthday. The musician wore it in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump signed an executive order to curb concert ticket scalping. But Kid Rock gave them less than a month's notice, Vasquez told Rolling Stone. 'It was an urgent order, and we only had three weeks to make it,' Vasquez said. 'So, we went to Kid Rock's house to measure him. He called out what he wanted, and then we came back to the studio and got to work on that project.' The suit features hundreds of rhinestones and a shining '250' on the jacket. The American flag flies across the bottom of the jacket, which also features stars and music notes on the sleeves. 'Manuel was designing everything,' Vasquez told Rolling Stone. 'He asked me what I'd think about this, what do you think about the flag, and then he gave me the embroidery. It's a very special suit.' 'I don't even remember how much it cost, because we were working on some other pieces for him, like a black suit,' she added. 'But it was more than $20,000.' Social media users were quick to mock the outfit, recalling when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was chastised by a reporter for wearing a military-style uniform in solidarity with soldiers fighting against Russia during the now-infamous Oval Office meeting with Trump and JD Vance. 'Remember when MAGA complained about President Zelensky not wearing a suit in the Oval Office? This was what Kid Rock wore earlier and suddenly, MAGA is silent,'one user wrote. Another user simply wrote: 'This is not real.' Peter Doocy, Fox News's senior white house correspondent, even took a jab at the outfit during an exchange with Trump. "Did Biden do news conferences like this, Peter?' Trump asked Doocy. 'I don't think so!" 'No, he's never stood next to someone who looks like they were about to get shot out of a cannon,' Doocy responded. Kid Rock is a fervent Republican and MAGA supporter, even performing at a Trump victory rally on the night before the inauguration. 'He's been a good friend for a long time,' Trump said of the music star.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Giddyup! Cavender's kicks up expansion with second Albuquerque store
Mar. 10—What's better than a pair of cowboy boots? A pair of Cavender's stores. Cavender's, a Western-wear retailer based in Texas, is expanding its footprint, or boot print rather, in Albuquerque with a second location on the city's West Side. Patrons can find cowboy hats, cowboy boots, Western-style shirts, jeans, dresses, leather belts and other accessories at Cavender's stores throughout the country. Entrepreneurs and married couple James and Patricia "Pat" Cavender founded the store in Pittsburg, Texas, in 1965. The retailer first opened a store in Albuquerque at 1431-A Mercantile NE in 2014. The second location will be on the corner of Coors and Ellison, in a space formerly occupied by a CVS that closed in 2021. "We have been impressed by the growth of the Mercantile Ave store, year over year," said Cavender's spokesperson Jennifer Green in a statement to the Journal. "Albuquerque has been a great market for us, (and) we are excited to open another location for our customers." The 14,375-square-foot West Side store at 3821 Ellison NW will carry about 8,500 pairs of boots and offer personalized services, including boot fitting, hat shaping and boot stretching, Green said. Green told the Journal the location is expected to open in April, with a grand opening taking place later this spring. Cavender's venture started with a single store selling only three styles of Tony Lama boots. In 1977, the business got its big break when James bought 7,500 boots from another big boot store that went out of business. James opened a store in Tyler, Texas — now the Cavender's headquarters — to support the inventory. Today, Cavender's is in its 60th year of business and is selling brands such as Tony Lama, Lucchese, Laredo, Rocky Mountain and Wrangler in over 100 stores across more than 15 states. James and Pat, who died in 2018 and 2019, respectively, passed the business on to their sons, who still own and operate it. "Cavender's success is rooted in our 60-year commitment to providing our customers with the best products and services at affordable prices," Joe Cavender, president of Cavender's, told the Journal in a statement. "We're excited to grow and offer customers an authentic Western experience." Roughly 20 people are expected to be hired for full- and part-time positions, said Lynne Haire, a district manager with Cavender's. Green said the company isn't planning any further New Mexico expansions "at this time."
