Loading Dock

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The blaze that killed nine firefighters in a furniture store started on a loading dock, federal investigators confirmed yesterday , a day after the victims were mourned in a joint ceremony. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said investigators have completed their probe at the scene and will continue examining evidence for the cause of the blaze, which caused the heaviest loss of firefighters since the Sept. 11 attacks. The loading dock was a covered space between the showroom and the warehouse of the Sofa Super Store, which burned Monday night.

Australian officials wanted to get rid of some commemorative mugs that misspelled President Barack Obama's name. And boy, did they ever. A Parliament House official told senators on Monday that 198 mugs were smashed and buried under wet concrete at a loading dock behind the building. Sen. John Faulkner called it a "mafia-style execution" for the mugs, which had an extra "r" printed in Obama's first name. The government made 200 of the mugs to commemorate the president's planned visit to Australia in 2010, which was later canceled.

The Museum of Fine Arts ended a more than two-decade-old dispute with Turkey Thursday by returning the top half of its "Weary Herakles" statue to Turkish officials. The 1,800-year-old Roman sculpture has been at the MFA since 1982. But after years of negotiations, the MFA acknowledged in July that the statue, which experts believe was probably looted from an excavation in Turkey, should be sent back to that country. Turkish officials met with MFA leaders for less than an hour on Thursday to sign an agreement transferring ownership of the sculpture to the Turkish government.

The largest classical statue in the United States has made its way to the Museum of Fine Arts. The goddess "Juno" is headless at the moment and still in a box, but she was lowered into the MFA on Tuesday and will soon be on display for all of us to see. Juno was first inventoried in Rome in the 1600s, although she's probably much older than that. She traveled from there to Boston in the late 1890s when Charles Franklin Sprague and his wife, Mary Pratt Sprague, bought her and moved her to their property in Brookline, now known as the Brandegee Estate.

The largest classical statue in the United States has made its way to the Museum of Fine Arts. The goddess "Juno" is headless at the moment and still in a box, but she was lowered into the MFA on Tuesday and will soon be on display for all of us to see. Juno was first inventoried in Rome in the 1600s, although she's probably much older than that. She traveled from there to Boston in the late 1890s when Charles Franklin Sprague and his wife, Mary Pratt Sprague, bought her and moved her to their property in Brookline, now known as the Brandegee Estate.

ATLANTA -- The Portland Trail Blazers traded volatile forward Rasheed Wallace and reserve Wesley Person to the Atlanta Hawks late last night for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and two other players. In Wallace, Atlanta gets an often-troubled player who's averaging 17 points a game. He drew the ire of NBA commissioner David Stern earlier this season when he told The Oregonian newspaper that the league's white establishment is exploiting young black athletes to enrich itself. Wallace later issued an apology.

CRANSTON, R.I. -- Police yesterday charged a 33-year-old Providence man in connection with a shooting at a food-processing plant that left another man hospitalized. Mynor Juarez allegedly shot Eastland Food Products employee Tereso Morente in the back. Morente was in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Polly Stiness. Juarez was arraigned at a Cranston police station on charges of felony assault, possession of a firearm by an alien, carrying a pistol without a license, and firing a weapon in a compact area.

Australian officials wanted to get rid of some commemorative mugs that misspelled President Barack Obama's name. And boy, did they ever. A Parliament House official told senators on Monday that 198 mugs were smashed and buried under wet concrete at a loading dock behind the building. Sen. John Faulkner called it a "mafia-style execution" for the mugs, which had an extra "r" printed in Obama's first name. The government made 200 of the mugs to commemorate the president's planned visit to Australia in 2010, which was later canceled.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- For all his popularity among the players and the fans, Portland Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks ultimately didn't have the wins. Cheeks, 48, was fired yesterday after the Blazers had lost seven of their last nine and tumbled to 22-33. "It's a sad day for me because I've got guys on my team that I really . . .," said Cheeks, his voice trailing off in disappointment during an emotional news conference a few hours after he was let go. "I didn't do as well a job as I could have, as I did in previous years," he concluded.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- With a mix of youthful abandon and an old-school workmanlike discipline, Zach Randolph has emerged as the future of the Portland Trail Blazers. Plucked from Michigan State after his freshman year, the 6-foot-9-inch forward is a starter in just his third season with the Blazers. The team made room up front for the 22-year-old after his breakthrough in last season's playoffs and his offseason dedication. And Randolph responded by averaging double figures in points and rebounds each game, ranking him among the NBA's leaders.

The Museum of Fine Arts ended a more than two-decade-old dispute with Turkey Thursday by returning the top half of its "Weary Herakles" statue to Turkish officials. The 1,800-year-old Roman sculpture has been at the MFA since 1982. But after years of negotiations, the MFA acknowledged in July that the statue, which experts believe was probably looted from an excavation in Turkey, should be sent back to that country. Turkish officials met with MFA leaders for less than an hour on Thursday to sign an agreement transferring ownership of the sculpture to the Turkish government.

Dwight Howard returned from suspension to score 19 points, grab 13 rebounds, and lead the Orlando Magic to a 95-85 win over the 76ers last night in Philadelphia. Howard served an NBA suspension Sunday after picking up his 18th technical foul. He wasn’t bothered by the refs — or the Sixers — in his return. Howard dominated the boards with no one in the undersized Sixers lineup able to stop his one-handed jams and alley-oops. Ryan Anderson had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson scored 19 points for the Magic, who had a 23-rebound edge at one point in the second...

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The blaze that killed nine firefighters in a furniture store started on a loading dock, federal investigators confirmed yesterday , a day after the victims were mourned in a joint ceremony. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said investigators have completed their probe at the scene and will continue examining evidence for the cause of the blaze, which caused the heaviest loss of firefighters since the Sept. 11 attacks. The loading dock was a covered space between the showroom and the warehouse of the Sofa Super Store, which burned...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- For all his popularity among the players and the fans, Portland Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks ultimately didn't have the wins. Cheeks, 48, was fired yesterday after the Blazers had lost seven of their last nine and tumbled to 22-33. "It's a sad day for me because I've got guys on my team that I really . . .," said Cheeks, his voice trailing off in disappointment during an emotional news conference a few hours after he was let go. "I didn't do as well a job as I could have, as I did in previous years," he concluded.

ATLANTA -- The Portland Trail Blazers traded volatile forward Rasheed Wallace and reserve Wesley Person to the Atlanta Hawks late last night for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and two other players. In Wallace, Atlanta gets an often-troubled player who's averaging 17 points a game. He drew the ire of NBA commissioner David Stern earlier this season when he told The Oregonian newspaper that the league's white establishment is exploiting young black athletes to enrich itself. Wallace later issued an apology.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- With a mix of youthful abandon and an old-school workmanlike discipline, Zach Randolph has emerged as the future of the Portland Trail Blazers. Plucked from Michigan State after his freshman year, the 6-foot-9-inch forward is a starter in just his third season with the Blazers. The team made room up front for the 22-year-old after his breakthrough in last season's playoffs and his offseason dedication. And Randolph responded by averaging double figures in points and rebounds each game, ranking him among the NBA's leaders.

Dwight Howard returned from suspension to score 19 points, grab 13 rebounds, and lead the Orlando Magic to a 95-85 win over the 76ers last night in Philadelphia. Howard served an NBA suspension Sunday after picking up his 18th technical foul. He wasn’t bothered by the refs — or the Sixers — in his return. Howard dominated the boards with no one in the undersized Sixers lineup able to stop his one-handed jams and alley-oops. Ryan Anderson had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Jameer Nelson scored 19 points for the Magic, who had a 23-rebound edge at one point in the second quarter and used a 16-2 run...

GRANVILLE — They are still managing to keep time at Noble & Cooley, a Civil War-era drum company in Western Massachusetts. After decades as one of the country’s biggest suppliers of toy drums, Noble & Cooley in the 1980s branched out to make state-of-the-art drum kits, with customers that included Phil Collins and Paul McCartney. But the bleak holiday shopping season that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks nearly led to the company’s demise. As during other trying times in its history, Noble & Cooley somehow persevered, even as it got smaller.

CRANSTON, R.I. -- Police yesterday charged a 33-year-old Providence man in connection with a shooting at a food-processing plant that left another man hospitalized. Mynor Juarez allegedly shot Eastland Food Products employee Tereso Morente in the back. Morente was in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Polly Stiness. Juarez was arraigned at a Cranston police station on charges of felony assault, possession of a firearm by an alien, carrying a pistol without a license, and firing a weapon in a compact area.