By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

METHUEN – There is one thing that Mary Jo Coady wants to make clear to anyone who hears about her, reads about her, or tries to dismiss her – she is not trying to convince anyone that the bottom of her steam iron truly carries the face of Jesus Christ.

But the image, which bears a striking likeness to popular depictions of Jesus Christ, has had a profound affect on Coady. After a challenging past two years in which her faith waned, Coady, who was raised Catholic, said she feels spiritually uplifted by the startling depiction.

“I’m not telling people they have to see what I see, or believe what I believe,’’ Coady told the Globe today. “They are entitled to their opinion. There’s nothing wrong with that.’’

She added, “but I also know that there are people out there like me that believe and have faith. And this is a good thing.’’

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Tina Cavanaugh (Family photo via Gloucester Police)

By Michaela Stanelun and Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondents

A Gloucester woman missing for more than 24 hours was found near her home today after spending a night in the woods, police said.

“All I can say is that she’s been located and she’s being treated medically,” said Gloucester police officer John Foote.

Tina Cavanaugh, 42, left her home at 4 p.m. yesterday after a small dispute following Thanksgiving dinner, police said. She was found in West Gloucester today at about 4:30 p.m., Foote said.

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By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Peace activists and Boston area law enforcement officials today launched the third annual Season of Peace, the winter campaign that calls on gangs in the city to put down their guns and agree to a "ceasefire" between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

For the next five weeks, police, ministers, and any young people they can recruit to help will be handing out cards promoting the campaign in schools, in barber shops, beauty salons and convenience stores.

The MBTA has agreed to set up posters advertising the campaign on the backs of 200 city buses.

"It's important to send this message to the street level because that's where the violence occurs," said the Rev. Jeffrey Brown, executive director of the Boston TenPoint Coalition, which is organizing the campaign.

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By Brian Benson, Globe Correspondent

An Arlington Catholic High School football player who allegedly head-butted an opponent in a game pled not guilty at his arraignment today in Cambridge District Court.

James LaShoto, 17, faces an assault and battery charge stemming from the Sept. 19 incident in which LaShoto allegedly hit Abington High School player Daniel Curtin after Curtin’s helmet was knocked off.

The hit occurred after Curtin was tackled in the backfield, according to a video shot for Abington’s public access station.

Curtin could not play football for 10 days due to concussion concerns. He has played in two games since the incident, said his mother, Paula Curtin.

“We just don’t want this to happen again,” Paula Curtin said in a telephone interview today. “We hope [the legal process] is going to show someone else that if they decide to take a player’s helmet off and hit them in the head, they will be held accountable.”

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By Globe Staff

For those shoppers heading to outdoor malls, the National Weather Service has a suggestion: Dress for strong winds and steady rain.

“Rain and wind is the story of the day,’’ Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, said today.

The rainfall that has already been dumped on greater Boston has not lead to concerns about flooding, Buttrick said. “It’s just a light and steady rain,’’ she said.

This afternoon and overnight, winds will steadily increase in speed, topping out at about 30 miles an hour in some spots, leading the NWS to issue a wind advisory.

Regardless of the kind of store Black Friday shoppers find themselves at, Buttrick said that as winds increase, anyone on the roads today may suddenly find themselves being nudged by a wind gust.

“Keep both hands on the wheel,’’ she urged drivers.

Buttrick also said that the wind gusts may bring down smaller branches, especially from trees still with leaves.

A spokesman for Mayor Menino said City Hall has not gotten any calls reporting flooding or significant wind damage in Boston this morning.

By Michael Corcoran, Globe Correspondent

BRAINTREE -- The lines of tents, space heaters, blankets, and beach chairs stretching down the rain-speckled sidewalk early today gave the gathering the air of an orderly, out-of-season camping trip.

The most anticipated shopping day of the year, Black Friday, does not technically begin at the Best Buy in Braintree until 5 a.m. But by 1 a.m., about 100 dedicated shoppers had already been waiting outside for hours, braving a light drizzle -- and the clock -- to get the season’s best deals.

Linda Rorie, from Weymouth, arrived at 6:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. More than six hours later, there she stood, firmly grasping a big umbrella near a tarp that covered several chairs and other personal items. She was 30th in line.

"This is the first time I have ever come out overnight for Black Friday,'' she said, with a hint of pride. "I am looking at the computer deals. They are really good this year.''

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Globe photo by George Rizer

Megan Lopes (center) and other burned-out residents talk with a Brockton fire official last night.

By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

A fire that tore through two Brockton triple-deckers Thursday night, driving 33 residents out of their homes, was started by children jumping on a bed, fire officials said today.

“They were bouncing up and down on two mattresses and a box spring that were up against a wall where a plug was,” said Brockton Fire Lieutenant Edward Williams.

The back-and-forth motion of the mattresses abraded a transformer for a cell phone charger, Williams said. “I believe they broke the plastic apart, and that caused a short circuit that either heated up enough, or caused sparks, to catch the mattress on fire.”

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Globe staff photo by Yoon S. Byun.

Hsiang Ting Huang of Taiwan (center) and Shuai Wang of China examine the turkey at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted in the South Boston home of Tim Dwinal (left) and his wife, Sarah Weatherbee.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

Sarah Weatherbee spent much of the day cooking traditional fare -- turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, broccoli, squash, cranberry sauce, cheesecake -- for a nontraditional guest: Someone she had never met before.

A student at the University of Massachusetts Boston who is from an Asian country whose name begins with T -- Weatherbee couldn't initially remember which one -- had answered an e-mail and asked to be matched with a local host for Thanksgiving dinner.

Weatherbee, art director and senior graphic designer at UMass Boston, had answered an e-mail herself volunteering to host a student. Her guest, it turned out, was from Taiwan, a 26-year-old graduate student named Hsiang Ting Huang, who said it was the first time she had shared a traditional Thanksgiving with an American family.

"Wow, it's so pretty," Huang exclaimed when she saw the appetizers Weatherbee had set out in her South Boston kitchen. It took a few more moments before Huang ventured to taste them, but she was soon returning for a second celery stick with cream cheese and paprika.

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By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A fire in North Reading destroyed two unoccupied homes on Swan Pond Road this morning, North Reading fire officials said. No one was injured.

North Reading Fire Captain Barry Galvin said that when they reached 255 Swan Pond Road shortly after 6:30 a.m., the buildings were fully involved. The two buildings were an older "camp-style" house closer to Swan Pond, and a new house under construction.

"Both structures were a total loss," Galvin said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state fire marshall's office.

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff

This may not be the season for snow, if Bob Pannuto predicted right again.

The retired National Weather Service meteorologist has studied Boston's autumn temperatures dating back to the 1870s and correlated them with seasonal snowfall averages.

Mild temperatures in October or November often usher in a winter with less-than-average snowfall, according to Pannuto.

Though October was chilly this year, temperatures this month have been about 3 degrees above normal, he said today. Taking both months into consideration, Pannuto's snowfall study predicts a 64 percent probability of below-normal snowfall for Boston this winter -- or less than the average 42 inches.

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By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

Police filed four additional charges today against a teen driver who allegedly hit a 12-year-old boy in a Lowell crosswalk last week and then rushed off to a hair appointment.

Lowell police said they charged Michelle P. Medeiros, 17, of Methuen with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a criminal misdemeanor that carries a maximum two-year sentence in a house of corrections. They also filed three motor vehicle infractions against her, which carry a total of at least $335 in fines. No arraignment has been set.

Last week Medeiros, whose license has been revoked, was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, also a criminal misdemeanor that carries a maximum two-year sentence.

Police alleged that she sped through a busy intersection on VFW Highway on Nov. 18 and struck Kelvin Savanhmixay of Lowell, throwing him more than 20 feet.

Savanhmixay, who underwent facial reconstruction surgery that placed three metal plates under his skin, returned home last night after a week stay in the hospital, family said. But unable to eat solid food, the seventh-grader will refrain from Thanksgiving dinner.

"He’s alright. He’s a kid; he doesn’t know what to think of it all," said his stepfather, Danny Savanhmixay. "He’s just happy to be home with family and friends."

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By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

An explosion caused an early morning fire in Sandwich that destroyed a two-story home and left a male resident badly burned, Sandwich fire officials said.

Sandwich Fire Lt. Peter Pozerski said an explosion at 8 Chaucer St. was reported shortly after 4 this morning.

"When firefighters arrived, they found a two-story home fully involved, with the resident located outside with burns from the fire," Pozerski said.

Cathy Kuzava told the Cape Cod Times that her brother Joseph Kuzava suffered second-degree burns to his upper torso and was flown by medical helicopter to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She said her brother was put on a respirator because of the heavy medication doctors administered but he is expected to survive.

Sandwich fire Capt. Timothy McMahon said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but investigators are "looking at" the water heater.

By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

A State Police cruiser was hit head-on by another vehicle last night in Marshfield, sending a state trooper to the hospital, police said.

About 10:15 p.m., a vehicle carrying two people crossed the median line on Route 139 and struck the police cruiser head-on, police said. The state trooper was taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth with non-life threatening injuries. The driver and passenger of the other vehicle were taken to Jordan Hospital in Plymouth with minor injuries.

A third vehicle was also involved, but it was unclear how, police said.

Charges have not been filed and the crash is under investigation.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Stephen Pagliuca released the most pointed television ad yet of the Senate race today, calling out rivals Martha Coakley and Michael Capuano as potential obstacles to the passage of health insurance legislation.

Coakley and Capuano immediately denounced the ad, which highlights the only major policy difference among the four Democrats vying to succeed the late Edward M. Kennedy.

The ad, the first from any campaign to critique opponents by name, says Capuano and Coakley have "failed to make their commitment to pass health care reform clear," quoting a Globe editorial. In contrast, the narrator says, "We can count on Steve Pagliuca to vote for health care reform."

"This is the biggest and most important difference among the candidates, on probably the most important issue -- along with job creation -- in this campaign,'' said Will Keyser, a spokesman for Pagliuca. "And the ad couldn't be more fact-based or rooted in reality than it is."

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Bristol District Attorney's Office

The bags of marijuana looked like large pillows.

By Globe Staff

Police seized 200 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of $180,000, in Dartmouth, and two men were arrested, Bristol County prosecutors said today.

The marijuana was found in the cab of a tractor-trailer Tuesday, the Bristol district attorney's office said. The location of the tractor-trailer was not released.

Ricardo Zamora, 61, and Joseph Zamora, 42, both of Wilder, Idaho, were charged with marijuana trafficking and conspiracy to violate the drug laws, prosecutors said in a statement. They were ordered held on $50,000 cash bail after being arraigned today in New Bedford District Court.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A young man from Danvers is being hailed as a hero after pulling a woman from a burning car that had crashed in front of his home early this morning.

Danvers police said a 23-year-old Danvers woman was driving her Ford Focus on Strawberry Hill Lane at 12:30 a.m. when she crashed into a telephone pole. The car immediately burst into flames.

Michael Scalia, 24, a resident of 4 Strawberry Hill Lane, ran outside after hearing the crash, went into the burning car, and pulled the unconscious woman to safety, police said.

Scalia said the accident happened just 50 feet from his bedroom and he could see the car was on fire. He ran out the door barefoot.

"I knew the driver had to get out of the car," he said in a telephone interview.

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Video by John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Cambridge mom Mary Doyle talks about daughter, Grace, who weighed just one pound and eight ounces when born and is now going home for the first time on Thanksgiving. Doyle shared a hug with Franciscan Hospital for Children staffer Marybeth Rosa. Hospital spokeswoman Deanna Dwyer talks about the kind of care Grace received.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A Cambridge mother is bringing her daughter home for the first time today – 141 days after she was born, weighing just one pound and eight ounces, at a Boston hospital.

And Grace Danielle’s homeward journey begins after she – and her mother – have spent the last 36 days at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, where the infant learned how to breathe on her own with her mother by her side.

As she prepared to leave today, Mary Doyle collected a stuffed bear and a hug from hospital staffer Marybeth Rosa.

“Look, it’s her size!’’ Doyle joked, while holding her now-thriving daughter in the crook of her left arm.

Rosa told Doyle, “It’s something to remember us by. We’re going to miss you guys.’’

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Globe File Photo/George Rizer

Hundreds of people gathered at Castle Island to welcome the gigantic carrier during her 2007 visit.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A Boston city councilor says he would like the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy to be brought to Massachusetts and made into a museum.

"I still think Boston should be the home port," Boston City Councilor Stephen Murphy said.

On Monday, the US Navy announced that it was offering the the carrier, which is 1,052 feet long and weighs 164 million pounds, for free to any state, municipality, or non-profit that wants to use it as a museum or memorial.

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By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Traffic is clogging the Massachusetts Turnpike westbound this afternoon as thousands of people head out of state for the holiday weekend to see their relatives and sit down for a Thanksgiving feast.

Traffic is rolling slowly from Route 128 to past the Interstate 290 interchange in Worcester.

"That's 40 miles of slow-moving traffic," said Jeff Larson, general manager of SmartRoute Systems, the traffic information service.

His advice for drivers starting out? "At this point, wait till rush hour is over. From here on out, it's going to be pretty busy."

Lieutenant David Wilson, a State Police spokesman, said a contributing factor in the delays may have been two accidents earlier on the Pike, one at 10:25 a.m. in Oxford and another at 11:05 a.m. in Millbury.

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By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

It is not what nature intended: eating three birds at once.

Nevertheless, the turducken, a Louisiana delicacy created by stuffing a boneless chicken inside a boneless duck inside a semi-boneless turkey, appears to be carving out a growing Thanksgiving niche in the area, local butchers say.

“Oh God, yeah, yesterday alone we sold eight,” said Mark Giosi, meat manager at Roche Bros. in Quincy, which is expecting another shipment of pre-made turduckens today. “They’ve been buying them like crazy for the past few days. I’m watching them go out the door.”

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