Obama's uncle gets hardship driver's license

BOSTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's uncle has been granted a special hardship driver's license after having his regular license suspended last week in a drunken driving case.

Onyango Obama of Framingham, west of Boston, is the half-brother of the president's late father. He was charged with drunken driving in August after rolling through a stop sign.

Sara Lavoie, spokeswoman for the state Registry of Motor Vehicles, said Obama got the special license at a hearing on Monday, allowing him keep his job as manager of two liquor stores.

Onyango Obama "provided the necessary documentation to receive a hardship license - proof of enrollment in an alcohol treatment program and a letter from his employer," Lavoie said.

Obama still faces a pending immigration case. He was briefly held by the U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement in August on suspicion of violating a 1992 order to return to Kenya.

(Reporting By Ros Krasny; Editing by Bill Trott)