A 30-year old Bend man who was involved in a head-on crash in April, 2007 that resulted in the death of a Gates man was arrested yesterday for reckless driving.  Witnesses in Tuesday’s incident told police that John Eric Young crossed the centerline and was nearly collided head-on collision with a commercial truck.  Investigation officers also learned that Young was involved in a crash earlier in the morning.   John Eric Young - MCSO photo According to ... [full story]

DALLAS - Scattered rainfall plagued soggy southeastern Texas on Wednesday amid reports a teenage boy had been swept away and drowned in a raging creek. The boy was playing with a friend when he fell into the creek Tuesday night in Garland, northeast of Dallas, The Dallas Morning News reported. Fire spokesman Merrill Balanciere said rescuers threw the boy a rope but he couldn't grasp it and vanished. His body was found downstream two hours ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Three freshmen Democratic members of the U.S. Congress said they plan to return campaign donations made by an indicted lawyer. The offices of Reps. Michael Arcuri, D-N.Y., and Tim Mahoney, D-Fla., and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., announced Tuesday the lawmakers will return contributions from David Bershad, who was named in an indictment of his law firm for allegedly giving kickbacks to plaintiffs in class-action lawsuits, The Hill reported Wednesday. Federal Election Commission reports ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration criticized a New Jersey tire distributor for being slow to recall Chinese tires blamed in two deaths. The distributor, Foreign Tire Sales, claimed it couldn't afford to recall the tires, which reportedly have the potential to come apart on the road, USA Today reported Wednesday. "They can't wash their hands of it. That's not an option," NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason said. Some federal lawmakers said the recall ... [full story]

LONDON - The Central African Republic is collapsing in chaos as the world looks the other way, Amnesty International reported Tuesday. Godfrey Byaruhanga, a researcher for the British-based organization, said rebels have been killing civilians who do not join them, while the government kills civilians suspected of sympathy with the opposition. Government troops and armed opposition militants from Chad also have been infiltrating the Central African Republic. "The northern areas in particular have become a ... [full story]

TEHRAN - Gasoline rationing was introduced in Iran on Wednesday despite the country's status as the second highest OPEC crude oil producer. Iran has a huge crude reserve but minimal refining capacity and therefore imports about 40 percent of its refined gasoline, Alalam Satellite TV reported from Tehran. Gasoline is heavily subsidized in Iran and even after Tehran imposed a 25 percent price hike, the price was raised to 11 cents a liter -- roughly ... [full story]

BRUSSELS - In an ongoing dispute, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Germany has declined politically to where it was before World War II. The two countries have been at odds in Brussels since last week over population-based EU voting rights. Poland claims Germany killed 6 millions Poles in World War I, and alleges Germany is trying to dominate the union, the EU Observer reported. "Something bad is happening in Germany. As in historic days ... [full story]

GWADAR, Pakistan - Clean-up and damage assessment were under way Wednesday in southern Pakistan, a day after Cyclone Yemyin killed at least 14 people. Dr. Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry, director general of the Meteorological Department, said the storm packed 80 mph winds as it went ashore from the Arabian Sea, Pakistan's Daily Times reported. The storm made landfall about 45 miles from Karachi. Various regional officials reported apart from the deaths, some 200 fishermen had been ... [full story]

GAZA -Muslim groups are reportedly threatening Gaza's small Christian community. The danger to the 2,000 Christians in Gaza comes not from Hamas, but from more fanatic groups that want to enforce Muslim law on everyone there, Christian leaders told The Washington Times. "They are small groups that are very militant and want to enforce Shariah law, and want the Christians to abide with it," the Rev. Hanna Massad, pastor of the Gaza Baptist Church, told ... [full story]

LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said farewell to Parliament Wednesday, ending a decade in office and ushering in Gordon Brown as Labor's new leader. In the House of Commons, Blair praised the bravery of British troops fighting in Iraq and of those who had been killed. Opposition Conservative leader David Cameron paid tribute to Blair as Blair's wife and children watched from the gallery, the BBC reported. Formally, Blair has to submit his ... [full story]