Replacement statue of Jackie Robinson nearing completion

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LOVELAND, Colo. -- As he coats a mold of Jackie Robinson with wax, metalsmith Alex Haines reflected on the extra importance of a project that will soon give the city of Wichita, Kansas, a replacement bronze statue of the baseball icon after thieves brazenly destroyed the original.

"Many sculptures come through here," said Haines at the Art Castings studio in Loveland, Colorado, where the original statue was cast. "Some are a little bit more important than others. And this is definitely one of them."

It all started in January, when thieves cut the original statue off at its ankles, leaving only Robinson's cleats behind at McAdams Park in Wichita. About 600…