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]

  Natural weight transfer can be difficult to accomplish through the swing because many times the focus is more on mechanics. To get an accurate feel for proper weight transfer, take the mechanics out of the equation. Professional golf tips.   [full story]

Q: Should I tighten up on the money bubble or should I get aggressive if I am medium stacked? - Rex, New York City   A respected tournament player and 1995 World Series Main Event champion, Huck Seed answers readers' questions this month. When the 6-foot-7 Vegas resident isn't making his crazy prop bets, you can find him playing tournament poker both live and online at Full Tilt. Huck was an engineering student at Caltech when ... [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]

Q: Unfortunately, our family will be moving in about six weeks to a new home about 1,000 miles from where we live now. It is a great understatement to say that this move is causing a lot of anxiety within our family. One of our biggest concerns now is how to handle our three dogs during and after the move. What can we do to prepare them for the move? None of our dogs have ... [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]

For the passionate professional chef, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo., is the World Series and Super Bowl rolled into one. Being invited to this Rocky Mountain culinary spectacle can be a ticket to fame and fortune - perhaps joining event stars such as Jacques Pepin, Thomas Keller, Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali.   BRADFORD THOMPSON - Bradford Thompson, named by Food & Wine magazine as one of 10 Best New Chefs in 2004, ... [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]