LUTHORCORP PLANT
POSTS PROFIT
Lex Luthor's Business Rise
Catches Up To His Personal Growth

By John K. McGuiness

The wait goes on for those expecting LuthorCorp Fertilizer Plant No. 3 to stumble.

Although it is but a small part of the LuthorCorp conglomerate, headed by patriarch Lionel Luthor, the humble factory continues to shine while its competition falters, as evidenced once again by the latest solid sales report released by plant president Lex Luthor. By all measures, this rising star has exceeded what must have been some very large expectations on the part of his father. The younger Luthor was handed a struggling business with poor distribution, a disgruntled workforce and shoddy facilities. In just a few quarters, Luthor has clearly passed the test, turning the plant into a model of efficiency.

And investors have reacted accordingly. LuthorCorp shares are steadily on the rise and appear poised to rocket upwards as soon as Lionel Luthor releases his much-anticipated annual company report on LuthorCorp.net later this spring.

But putting aside purely business matters, a more fascinating angle emerges from examining the fluctuating state of Lex Luthor's personal stock in Smallville. Six months ago, Lex arrived in town looking about as natural as a Porsche among pickups. And while his flamboyant castle was still being transported stone by stone from Scotland, he embarked on a much more daunting construction project: building trust in an earthy farming community that frankly looks askance at outsiders--particularly those with the surname of Luthor.

The headlines about a recent ecoterrorist act perpetrated on the Kent farm serve as reminders that this suspicious mindset continues to exist. Clearly, depositing leaking barrels of waste emblazoned with the LuthorCorp logo was meant more to disrupt and defame Luthor's business than it was to slaughter the unfortunate Kents' cattle.

But Luthor has worked hard to overcome the misgivings of his adopted neighbors. His famous magnetism has won over many of his detractors, helped in no small part by his efforts to improve hiring practices and work conditions at the plant, his well-received patronage of local businesses like The Beanery and most notably his purchase and renovation of the venerable Talon Theater, which recently celebrated a successful reincarnation as a hip coffeehouse/bookstore/art house.

And, of course, there was that little incident out at the factory when Lex went full-on into Arnold Schwarzenegger mode, single-handedly defusing a deadly situation involving a mad gunman and a frightened class of hostage Smallville High teenagers. If these are not the actions of a man trying his best to "fit in," then one has to wonder what it takes to earn de facto citizenship in this leafy hamlet.

Ironically, some pundits are speculating that Luthor's swiftly achieved financial success here might actually lead to his departure from Smallville. Luthor has long indicated a desire to return to the LuthorCorp headquarters in Metropolis, and his father may have been waiting for just this sort of triumph to justify bringing Lex back into the fold. Although Smallville would lose one of its more colorful local personalities, the promotion would represent a big step towards Lex eventually moving into the CEO's office and taking control of the unstoppable LuthorCorp juggernaut.

However, considering the shadow that Lionel Luthor will likely cast for a long time to come, Lex might do well to think twice about going from big fish in a little pond to little fish in the shark tank. As one of Lex's idols, Julius Caesar, once advised, "It is better to be first in a small Iberian village than second in Rome."

SAFECRACKER'S SPREE
PUZZLES POLICE
By Angie Perez

A recent spate of safecracking incidents throughout the tri-countarea has left law enforcement in a quandary. Pawnshops, jewelry stores, office safes and residential strongboxes have been targeted by the light-fingered culprit, who can inexplicably crack the combination on any lock. At this stage of the are no suspects. Officials are hoping that the public will provide further information as to the identity of the slippery safecracker. In an age of high-tech security and surveillance, the authorities may have to resort to old-fashioned sleuthing to catch this thief.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Organic Gardening Makes $ense

By Sandy Maggin

A whole new cottage industry has opened up to a few residents of Smallville's rural community: organic gardening. And judging from the lines at the Smallville Farmers' Market, this new venture appears to be succeeding.

The beginnings of a true organic garden start small--literally--with organic seeds. And any soil, compost, manure and pesticides used in the growth of the plant may not contain synthetics. Special labs test the soil to insure the proper elements.

One of Smallville's popular organic gardeners, Martha Kent, explains, "We go through a certification process and if you pass, then you are allowed to advertise your produce as 'certified organic.' I just think organic fruits and vegetables taste better. Nothing beats a fresh, ripe organic tomato. We also grow organic sweet corn, herbs, beans, eggplant...I've even grown some artichokes. And they were delicious!"

According to Farmers' Market manager Jeff Miller, "People are willing to pay extra for organic produce. And they'll stand in line for it too. I've seen customers go from skeptics to believers--all from a tasty sample." Adds Kent, "I only wish loan officers would come here to shop. Then maybe they'd understand the need to expand our organic business."

STRANGE FLU HITS SMALLVILLE

By Kathy Romita

An unusual flu invaded Smallville and has already claimed its first victim. James Beels, a LuthorCorp employee, died yesterday due to a fever of unknown origin. Coincidentally, Beels was recently involved in a single vehicular crash and was rescued by good Samaritan Jonathan Kent. Before being rushed to the Smallville Medical Center, Beels suffered some scrapes and bruises in the accident but was not seriously injured; however, he started acting "a little strange" around the nurses and then suddenly exhibited a high fever. Beels received treatment for the fever, but he slipped into a coma and eventually succumbed to the illness.

Soon afterwards, Kent was admitted to the Medical Center--also with a mysterious high fever. Two high school students, Lana Lang and Pete Ross, followed with the same symptoms. All three quickly fell into comas. According to attending physician Dr. Kenneth Ruddzehn, "These were such
unusual cases. We just didn't know what we had on our hands. Initially when a patient is brought into the hospital we try to rule out certain conditions in order to form a diagnosis. We ruled out all known bacterial or viral infections. All chem panels were normal. Except for the high fever, which didn't react to any of our usual treatments, I couldn't discern the problem. This proved to be very frustrating."

Dr. Ruddzehn then tried to make some sort of connection among the victims. "We know Kent came in contact with Beels so initially I thought it could have been airborne, but Kent's wife and son didn't contract the illness, and no one on the medical staff who treated the two men became sick either." To add to the conundrum, the fevers immediately broke, and all three patients awoke from their comas. "I'm grateful the three appear to be cured. I only wish Mr. Beels could have been saved."

No one else reportedly has contracted the potentially fatal fever.