| Road Test Suzuki XL-7 Crossover Expands on GM Model
Over the past few years, Suzuki Motor Corp. has been putting its name on a host of vehicles that are manufactured by other auto makers. Three of the seven models the Japanese auto maker sells in the U.S. are rebadged versions of vehicles made by Korea's GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., a General Motors Corp. unit. At the recent Chicago Auto Show, Suzuki unveiled a rebranded version of Nissan's Frontier pickup it plans to sell called the Equator that will be built at Nissan's Tennessee plant and reach the market late this year. The 2008 XL-7, which is the largest and most expensive model the company sells in the U.S., is a re-engineered version of the Chevrolet Equinox. But, Suzuki did more than just add a handsomely restyled front end. The XL-7 is nearly 10 inches longer than its American cousin, and has an available third row.
Reining in of beggars gets OK
A Center City Commission committee Wednesday approved hiring a private security force to patrol the high-traffic areas of Downtown in an effort to curb aggressive panhandling. The CCC's safety and security committee approved hiring Memphis-based CDA Inc. to patrol Main Street and other areas Downtown for a three-month period beginning April 30, the start of the busy tourism season. .
Mexico's consul general in St. Paul being reassigned
Nathan Wolf, Mexico's consul general in Minnesota, will be leaving in the coming weeks, a Consulate of Mexico official said today. Wolf, who has been consul general since the consulate opened in St. Paul in June 2005, is being reassigned to the secretary of foreign relations in Mexico City. Wolf, 39, has worked for the Mexican Foreign Service since 1992 and has held many positions abroad including Mexican embassies in Uruguay and Washington, D.C. The consulate in Minnesota is one of about four dozen that Mexico maintains in the United States. The consulate at 797 E. 7th St. in St. Paul, serves Minnesota, South and North Dakota, as well as parts of northern Wisconsin. It issues passports and a vital identification card called a matricula consular.
Music: Petty vacant
With: To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie, Gay Witch Abortion, Mouthful of Bees, M.anifest, Gospel Gossip, Black Audience, A Night in the Box. When: 7:30 p.m. today. Where: First Avenue, 701 1st Av. N., Mpls. Tickets: $7. 612-338-8388. Soundbites: Hear sample tracks from TKAPB at startribune.com/music. .
Bulldogs a rare breed
Many elements have come together this season to create the magical story of the Drake basketball team. Start with a downtrodden bunch of players, picked for a ninth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference. But they've overachieved beyond any of their wildest dreams. So far, it's resulted in a 23-2 record, a national ranking as high as 14th and the program's first MVC championship (clinched Saturday at Northern Iowa) since a tri-title in 1970-71. Continue with a rookie head coach, 35-year-old Keno Davis, who arrived in Des Moines, Iowa, five years ago as an assistant for his renowned coaching father, Dr. Tom Davis, and had the foresight to tweak the system to best showcase the seemingly limited talent he had on hand. And finally, hats off to the team's longtime supporters who have, since that championship season 37 years ago, endured 31 second-division finishes, including 11 seasons ending in last place.
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