TEEN HURT
IN GAS EXPLOSION

By Christopher James Beppo

Smallville High School student Lana Lang was injured when a gas main exploded while workers were repairing a segment of pipe.

Lang was horseback riding with her boyfriend, Whitney Fordman, near Route 12 when they heard an explosion. Continuing on foot to investigate, the twosome encountered a chaotic scene as gas company workers struggled to contain a 15-foot plume of fire belching from the breach.
Shortly after sheriff's deputies arrived to assist, another pipe erupted, sending Lang and Fordman to the ground violently.

"That girl probably saved my life," claimed one utility employee. "She and her friend saw the second one coming and warned us just in time."
Fordman was unhurt, but Lang was treated at the scene for scalp lacerations and rushed by ambulance to Smallville Medical Center, where doctors admitted her for observation. "Lana suffered a mild concussion," commented attending physician Dr. Kenneth Ruddzehn. "We gave her something to relieve the pain and released her the next day."
Gas officials are investigating the accident site to determine the cause of the leaks. Meanwhile, Lang's family is not expected to press charges.
In addition to her studies, Lang is the assistant manager of The Talon coffeehouse. Fordman is the son of the late Jack Fordman of Fordman's department store.

KIDNAPPING COP
Deputy Watts: Public Servant,
Private Menace
By Chloe Sullivan

I recently visited a friend at the Smallville Medical Center and ended up buried in a coffin. Yes, it was just a typical weekend for yours truly. And, while I'm always the first to theorize that the bizarre happenings in this town are due to the meteor shower, for once, I don't think this incident was caused by that phenomenon.

It's been a freaky year. From being thrown out of a mansion window to being held hostage in a fertilizer plant, I've tried to remain unfazed--simply filing these experiences under "weird" and moving on to the next episode. But when one of Lowell County's finest kidnaps you and buries you six feet under Smallville, it's a little hard to brush off. Lowell County Sheriff's Deputy Gary Watts almost silenced me--almost.

Early last week, I stopped by SMC to see Lana Lang, a victim of the gas explosion out by Route 12. After visiting, I left the medical center and walked to my car. A pair of gloved hands grabbed me. My attacker pressed a chloroform-soaked cloth against my mouth. I was out before I could bite off his fingers. When I woke up, I was blindfolded, bound with duct tape and gagged. I had no idea where I was. I managed to slice through the tape on my wrists and ankles. I was dead set on getting out of there. I found a door and bolted for it.

I thought I was home free until I was grabbed again. My captor threw me in a homemade see-through coffin and transported me to a freshly dug grave out by Chandler's Windmill. Darkness came quickly as the shovels of earth landed on the lid of my coffin. I'm not so sure I'll ever forget that sound. Then I heard no more--just the quick beating of my heart. With every breath, I was certain I was coming closer to death. So many thoughts raced through my mind--my parents, family and friends. And then, mercifully, the lack of oxygen made me lose consciousness.

When I awoke, I was above ground, out of my tiny prison and BREATHING. My rescuer, Clark Kent, was watching over me. The ordeal seemed finished. Or was it? I knew that monster was still out there. Why did he choose me? Was he still after me?

And then he struck again. He knocked out his partner, Deputy Sheriff Birdego, and then abducted Lana Lang. Watts told me the reason he had kidnapped me was to pretend he found me. He wanted to look like a hero in Sheriff Ethan's eyes. Instead, Gary Watts' ambition got the best of him. Surrounded by his own department with nowhere to run, Deputy Watts went down in a gunfight, the ultimate victim of his own scheme.

The irony of this story makes me shake my head in disbelief. After my hospital visit with Lana Lang, I was going to head up to Metropolis--the big, dangerous city. A few years ago, my family and I left Metropolis to escape the negative qualities of a huge city. Now we live in Smallville. Kind of makes one think.

STORMY WEATHER?
NOT IN THESE PARTS
By Angie Perez

Well, Toto, are we still in Kansas? The dearth of tornadoes here in the sunflower state certainly hasn't gone unnoticed. Compared to other states, Kansas normally ranks number 3 for frequency of tornadoes, 8 for number of deaths, 14 for injuries and 3 for cost of damages. But, for some unknown reason, the beginning of tornado season this year has left us untouched by any significant twisters (not that I'm complaining). In the past, we've seen our share of catastrophic damage caused by tornadoes. In fact, we average 48 tornadoes per year around these parts. I don't miss the devastating impact of a twister nor want to be swept away to another location, but like many Smallvillians, I find myself posing the same question: Is it possible that we're going to be tornado-free this year?

Looking back on Smallville's history, we recall the world-famous Hesston Tornado of 1990, a near-cataclysmic event, which was classified as an F-5 and left parts of Smallville completely decimated--leveling homes, businesses and historical buildings. Smallville High School was closed for a week, while the kids all pitched in to restore our town.

Recently, cities from Missouri to Maryland were hit by powerful tornadoes, killing six and injuring several others. In Missouri, a twister with winds exceeding 180 mph cut a swath through a small town, destroying several homes and leaving the town ravaged in its wake. Severe thunderstorms struck states throughout the Tennessee and Ohio valleys. Could Kansas be next?

Kansas State University meteorology professor Thomas Bolide predicts a major tornado could be in Smallville's future. "Right now, we are observing the proverbial 'calm before the storm,'" noted the acclaimed meteorologist. "The weather is unusually mild for this time of year, but don't get caught unprepared," he warned.

ALL FOUR
LUTHORCORP FERTILIZER
PLANTS BRIEFLY
HALT PRODUCTION
Plant No. 3 Manager Gabe Sullivan was unfazed by the shutdowns

By Mark Dee

LuthorCorp Fertilizer Plant Nos. 1 through 4 halted production around noon yesterday, sending employees home for the day. Some workers reported machinery stopping in midprocess and emitting odors beyond comprehension. Plant No. 3 personnel in Smallville reportedly fled the factory in horror.

"The smell was difficult to stomach," commented foreman Louis Birdego. "When those vat shields lose power, it gets nasty!" LuthorCorp officials claim that the shutdown was due to companywide emergency generator tests, but some employees greeted that assertion with skepticism. "Yeah, like we wouldn't get a memo about that? We've never had a test before, and I've been here for 10 years," stated one worker who asked to remain nameless. Another staffer commented, "There's only one reason we'd shut down like that, and that would be a security breach in the Indigo Charlie systems."

LuthorCorp officials vehemently deny that such a violation occurred. LuthorCorp MIS chief Will Soo laughed off the notion of a computer break-in saying, "Impossible. Bottom line. End of story. The shutdown had to do with a new high-capacity generator we were testing companywide. Everything went well. We are all pleased with the results." Plant manager Gabe Sullivan added, "Employees were not informed ahead of time because we wanted this incident to serve the dual purpose of testing the generators and assessing our plant emergency procedures."

All four LuthorCorp plants have been authorized to open for business tomorrow. "Good," said Smallville Plant No. 3 employee Dick Jenkins, "I can't afford to lose a day of work--I got a mortgage to worry about."