Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'driver'

U.N. Official In Gaza Discusses Aid Suspension

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:48:00 EST

The U.N. Relief And Works Agency has suspended operations in the Gaza Strip after one of its drivers was killed by Israeli fire. John Ging, UNRWA's director of operations in Gaza, says the suspension of aid is "a disaster" for the people of Gaza. He says Israel had approved the movement of the aid convoy.

U.N. Agency Suspends Work In Gaza

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

A U.N. aid agency working to provide aid to Gaza has suspended operations after one of its truck drivers was killed by Israeli fire. Earlier, Israel declared another brief lull to allow in humanitarian supplies. Meanwhile, three rockets launched from Lebanon landed in Israel.

Economic Downturn Hurts Trash Haulers

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:05:00 EST

Allied Waste Management, a garbage collector in St. George, Utah, says its clients aren't throwing out as much as they used to. The company says trash tonnage is down 10 percent to 15 percent. St. George has seen an increase in new homes, but many of them are empty. The garbage truck drivers are paid per house and by tonnage, so less trash means drivers are taking home $25 to $50 less each week.

Dump Trucks Used to Pick Up Spilled Eggs

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:05:00 EST

Police near Detroit say a truck driver fell asleep, crashed and spilled his payload of eggs. Hundreds of cartons of eggs were bounced across a 300 foot stretch of I-94. Single-digit temperatures made for a frozen mess. Cleanup crews used front-end loaders to scrape up the eggy hazard and then hauled it away in dump trucks.

$15 Billion Bailout Puts Car Czar In The Driver's Seat

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

Congress has sent the White House a short-term rescue plan for the auto industry. The idea is to make sure the car companies survive into next year, when they could get longer-term help. GM and Chrysler say they need billions of dollars to make it to the end of the year. The White House has been negotiating with congressional Democrats.

Thanksgiving Travelers Brave Holiday 'Traffic'

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:21:00 EST

When you hit the road this Thanksgiving, take a look at the driver who honks at you: Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic, has a theory that men honk more than women, and expensive cars honk more at less expensive cars.

Bin Laden's Ex-Driver To Return To Yemen

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST

The Bush administration has decided to allow Salim Ahmed Hamdan, convicted of aiding al-Qaida, to serve out the remainder of his sentence in his native Yemen. Tried before a military commission at Guantanamo Bay in August, Hamdan was sentenced to five and a half years, but with time served, had only four months to go.

Osama Bin Laden's Ex-Driver To Return To Yemen

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

The Bush administration is expected to send Osama bin Laden's driver home to Yemen. In August, Salim Hamdan was convicted of helping al-Qaida. He will complete his sentence next month with credit for time served. Hamdan is held at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and there was speculation that the U.S. would try to keep him there indefinitely.

Jim White's Tiny Desk Concert

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:22:00 EST

Jim White is a storyteller first and a musician second. It's a kind of storytelling rooted in his own unusual history: He grew up in Florida in a deeply Pentecostal community and fell in love with the white gospel music he heard. But from there, White took a surprising path to becoming a full-time musician. He was a professional surfer, a boxer, a fashion model in Milan and a cab driver in New York City. White's travels recently took him to Washington, D.C., where he stopped by the offices of NPR Music for this live performance.

Welsh Email Translation, Problem For Road Sign

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

Road signs in Wales are bilingual. But somebody making those signs apparently does not speak Welsh. The person needed the Welsh translation. And emailed a request to an interpreter. Some kind of message bounced back. And without further checking, that message was applied to the road sign. Which explains how Welsh drivers looked up to see a road sign that reads: "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated."

On The Mississippi, Two Views Of The Candidates

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:07:00 EDT

In Missouri, polls show presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama are neck in neck. Two voters — a deckhand on a small passenger ferry and a fuel truck driver who takes the ferry — have vastly different takes on the election.

Multitasking In The Car: Just Like Drunken Driving

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:23:00 EDT

Drivers may feel comfortable chatting on their cell phones while navigating the streets. But brain researchers find it's a dangerous combination, even with a hands-free device.

Ohio Ordered To Set Up Centralized Voter System

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EDT

A federal appeals court has ordered Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to set up a centralized system for checking voter registrations with driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers. The full court is telling Brunner she must set up a system by Friday to let county boards of elections know when voter registrations cannot be matched.

18th Century Viola Returned By Taxi Driver

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:46:00 EDT

Here's a reminder for the next time you travel for business: don't forget your taxi receipt. A musician with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra got out of a cab, in Manhattan, and forgot her viola. The 18th century instrument was worth about $40,000. Taxi regulators used her receipt and GPS technology to figure out which cab she had been in. The instrument was returned safely.

California Going To The Dogs

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:00:00 EDT

It's harder to get away with driving while talking on your cell phone. But at least in California, you can still keep in touch with your pets. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a proposal to fine drivers with animals on their laps. Lapdogs are legal. The governor says he only wants to sign the highest-priority bills. And this isn't one of them — though one lawmaker says he spotted a woman driving with three dogs on her lap.

The Human Computer And The Cat Chauffeur

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:31:00 EDT

Andrew Vollo is a New York City cab driver who has made it his mission to interview as many other cabbies as he can, recording their memories for the StoryCorps oral history project. Recently, Vollo spoke with Oleg Roitman and Jerry Tierstein about their experiences driving passengers around New York.

Storm-Related Gas Shortages Irk Drivers In South

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:05:00 EDT

With refineries hobbled by Hurricane Ike, gas shortages are popping up across the South. Drivers in Atlanta, Nashville and other places are devising strategies to find gas. One approach: follow a fuel truck to see what station it is filling up.

Luke Doucet's 'Long Haul Driver' Gets It Right

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:13:00 EDT

Nothing is more conspicuous, yet more invisible, than a big truck. Luke Doucet spends so much time on the road as a touring musician that he began to imagine what it would be like to live the life of a trucker. "Long Haul Driver" gets it just right on his seventh album, Blood's Too Rich.

Cyclists And Drivers Vie For Space On The Road

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:25:00 EDT

High gas prices and heightened environmental awareness have led more bicyclists to take to already-congested streets. Road rage has escalated quickly — drivers complain that cyclists ignore traffic laws and cyclists contend that drivers deliberately try to run them down.

Powered By Grease, Drivers Race to Greece

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT

In the Grease to Greece road rally kicked off in London Saturday. Teams are heading for Athens in vehicles powered by used cooking oil. The object isn't necessarily who can get to Athens first, rather it's who can get there the greenest. Andy Pag speaks with Robert Smith.

Aid Group Rethinks Afghanistan Efforts After Killings

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:22:00 EDT

The security situation in Afghanistan appears to be worsening. Three aid workers from the International Rescue Committee and their driver were killed there this week. Renee Montagne talks with Michael Kocher of the IRC about the situation in Afghanistan.

Juror: Hamdan Didn't Seem Like Al-Qaida Warrior

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:32:00 EDT

The Guantanamo trial of Osama bin Laden's drivers ended last week in a startling defeat for the prosecution. Salim Hamdan was acquitted of conspiring with al-Qaida to attack the United States. One of the jury members says the prosecution failed to convince the jury that Hamdan was a hardened al-Qaida warrior.

Bin Laden Driver Sentenced To 66 Months

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's driver, was sentenced to 66 months in prison, minus time served.

U.S. Could Continue Holding Bin Laden Driver

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The man who served as a driver for Osama bin Laden was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison, but with credit for time served, he may be eligible for release by the end of the year. NPR's John McChesney tells Steve Inskeep that despite the sentence given to Salim Hamdan by a U.S. military jury in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the government could go right on holding him. But defense lawyers are hoping that international pressure might compel Hamdan's release

Bin Laden's Driver Gets 5 1/2 Years In Prison

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:48:00 EDT

A military jury in Guantanamo Bay has sentenced Osama bin Laden's driver to 5 1/2 years in prison, making Salim Hamdan eligible for release in just six months. Hamdan was found guilty of supporting terrorism on Wednesday.