Around the Nation

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele talk Ax vs. Ask with NPR's Shereen Marisol Meraji.

National

Why Chaucer Said 'Ax' Instead Of 'Ask,' And Why Some Still Do

6:39pm December 03, 2013

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

People often question why some pronounce the word "ask" as "ax." We axed several linguists, and it turns out that "ax" has long been an accepted form of the word, used by English speakers for more than a thousand years.

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As Rent Soars, Longtime San Francisco Tenants Fight To Stay

6:02pm December 03, 2013

by Richard Gonzales

Another tech boom has brought an influx of money and new residents to San Francisco, and people who have long called the city home are being evicted from their apartments. Tenants and community organizers are demanding that the city do something to stop residents from being pushed out.

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Economy

More Employees Agree To Fragmented Hours To Get Work

6:02pm December 03, 2013

by Ilya Marritz

The economy adds a decent number of jobs every month but there are big questions about the quality of some of those jobs. Many people getting hired these days do not have anything resembling a regular schedule and work fragmented and unpredictable hours.

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Independent Bookstores Offer 'Cider Monday'

6:02pm December 03, 2013

They invited customers to step away from their computers and stop by for a free cup of apple cider. The celebration was first proposed by The Toadstool Bookshops in New Hampshire. They promised their "servers" wouldn't be overloaded.

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Colleen Frainey, 16, of Tualatin, Ore., cut back on advanced placement classes in her junior year because the stress was making her physically ill.

School Stress Takes A Toll On Health, Teens And Parents Say

5:35pm December 03, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

Teenagers say their parents often don't realize how overwhelmed they feel about school. Psychologists say parents can help children manage their expectations and live a more balanced life, even if it means not racking up as high a GPA as their friends.

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*PROMO IMAGE *Cristina Sevin attempts to wake up her 16-year-old daughter Lily. It usually takes three rounds of this before she is up and out of bed.

Parents Of Sleep-Deprived Teens Push For Later School Start Times

5:32pm December 03, 2013

by Allison Aubrey

Scientists agree that teenagers naturally go to bed late and sleep late, too. But high school start times are traditionally very early. Proponents of later start times say they're finally getting traction. The result, they say, will be happier kids who do better in school.

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Workers process applications for Oregon's health exchange program. The state paid tech giant Oracle to build its online exchange, but with the site still not functional, people shopping for insurance have been forced to apply on paper.

Could A Tech Giant Build A Better Health Exchange? Maybe Not

8:48pm December 02, 2013

by Steve Henn

Since the rollout of HealthCare.gov, many have wondered whether a private company could have avoided the federal site's many pitfalls. Oregon took that route, hiring Silicon Valley titan Oracle to create its state insurance exchange. But two months after its scheduled launch, the website is still not working.

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Archbishop Joseph William Tobin of Indianapolis prays at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual fall meeting in Baltimore on Nov. 12.

ACLU Sues, Claiming Catholic Hospitals Put Women At Risk

7:50pm December 02, 2013

by Julie Rovner

A woman in Michigan says that a Catholic hospital failed to give her adequate health care when she came to the hospital after her water broke when she was 18 weeks pregnant. That has sparked a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.

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Willie Johns holds a photo of Polly Parker, his great-grandmother.

National

Florida Tribe Re-Creates Daring Escape From The Trail Of Tears

7:12pm December 02, 2013

by Greg Allen

More than 150 years ago, Polly Parker, a Seminole Indian, organized and led an escape from federal troops who were deporting Indians to the West. Parker traveled through hundreds of miles of wilderness to get back to tribal lands. The tribe is marking the event by following that dangerous journey.

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The wreckage of a Metro-North commuter train, which derailed Sunday just north of the Spuyten Duyvil station in Bronx, N.Y., lies on its side. The train was heading to Grand Central Terminal along the Hudson River.

National

Deadly Derailment Is Latest Accident For N.Y. Commuter Train Line

3:30pm December 02, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

At least four people are dead after a Metro-North Railroad train derailed in New York on Sunday morning. This past summer, a freight train carrying trash derailed on the other side of the curve. And in May, two Metro-North trains collided in Connecticut, injuring more than 70 people.

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