Bite Size News

--A massive fire that started in an abandoned nightclub and eventually destroyed 14 buildings in downtown Lawrence broke into the national news. In a miracle given the size of the fire, no one was hurt. However, 30 families were displaced. Authorities think the fire is suspicious. The owner, who was in the process of turning the spot into a restaurant, says he has no insurance and that someone "jealous of his success" started it. [Boston Globe, Boston Herald]

--Here's where you can donate to help the victims of the fire. [Boston Globe]

--The Mayor and the Firefighters' Union have another reason to fight. The fire department's investigation of the deaths of firefighters Paul Cahill and Warren Payne in the Tai Ho Restaurant Fire has been "controlled exclusively" by the union, and they left out any mention that drugs and alcohol were found in the firefighters' bodies. [Boston Globe]

--Why was Brattle Street in Cambridge shut down earlier today? A fire at the Cafe of India. No one got hurt. [Cambridge Chronicle]

--Elsewhere, a 65-year-old woman plowed her car into the Belgian Truffle House, among other things, on Ball Street. Somerville News has the photos. [Somerville News]

--Somerville's date with IKEA is looking more like a longer commitment. IKEA has agreed to give East Somerville residents first crack at jobs in the blue-and-yellow behemoth. [Somerville Journal]

--Awkward transition to the lighter side: Has Bill "Sexy Beast" Belichick reunited with the cougar he wrecked a home to romance? [Track Girls]

--Wonkette, a brilliant source of political snark, seems to be hitting the skids. They canned one of their best writers, Megan Carpentier, last week. You'd think she did something to deserve getting canned, right? No one is sure what happened. Bostonist is irate, puzzled, and bereft. Carpentier's dismissal is only the latest in staff shake-ups in the Gawker empire. Two words: Wonkette boycott. [We're not linking to Wonkette. We're mad at them.]

--Conan O'Brien is moving to the West Coast. The relocation has nothing to do with Father David Ajemian, but it was the first thing Bostonist thought of. [LAist]

All charges alleged until proven under law. Image of the Rose Kennedy "Whiteway" by Greg MacKay from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.