CORPORATE PLAZA CONSTRUCTION HALTED

Luthors Duking It Out Again

By Jim "Slim" Bradlee

The scene that played out this week at the controversial LuthorCorp construction site didn't quite have the historic impact of the lone revolutionary facing down four giant military tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989, but for Smallville, it was a potent image. A courageous high school student named Clark Kent joined the growing protest against the corporate plaza that has enraged local Native Americans who claim that it is being built on sacred ground. Standing proudly in the way of LuthorCorp's bulldozers--and Lionel Luthor's Cadillac--Kent forced the mighty corporation to a grinding halt, bringing to fruition the efforts of Kawatche activist Joseph Willowbrook and others.

Members of the Kawatche tribe have long claimed that the site possesses singular significance to them, supposedly involving some ancient caves once inhabited by the indigenous people. This week, thanks to the Kawatches' petition drive--and an 11th-hour cease-and-desist order obtained by the formerly reclusive attorney Henry Small, Smallville's answer to Alan Dershowitz--the state of Kansas has exercised the Historic Artifacts Amendment. Lionel Luthor has been forced to sell his interest in the site for pennies on the dollar. And, perhaps not surprisingly, given their increasingly public feuding, it was announced that his son, Lex, has picked up the contract on behalf of the newly formed LexCorp, which will now be responsible for the preservation of the entire area.

"Any culture that's left a legacy to endure for centuries has earned my respect," stated Lex Luthor. Still, analysts are left to wonder about the true motivation for Lex's sudden archaeological altruism. It's hard to resist the notion that Lex is flexing his corporate muscles in anticipation of even bigger confrontations in the future with his former employer, LuthorCorp.

DEADLY EXPLOSION
AT LUTHORCORP CONSTRUCTION SITE

By Angie Perez

Yellow police tape cordons off the scene of a horrific explosion that Sheriff Ethan intially believed claimed the life of construction foreman Dan Hammond. As a Crime Scene Investigation team sifted through the debris, Sheriff Ethan described the event: "Apparently Hammond fired a flare gun that ignited the gas in his SUV and caused the explosion. The trailer was also destroyed in the blast. Why he was discharging a flare gun--we don't know. But at this stage we are not ruling out the possibility of sabotage."

Construction had been halted in the wooded area not far from Miller's Bend--the site was being developed by LuthorCorp for a new office plaza. Proponents of the project claimed that Smallville would benefit from hundreds of new jobs, while opponents argued that the Kawatche tribe would lose a critical piece of its history. This fact recently came to light when drawings were discovered in caves beneath the construction site. (See accompanying article "Hidden Treasure Found In Smallville")
Native-American archaeologist Joseph Willowbrook, an outspoken leader of the Kawatche tribe and arguably one of Lionel Luthor's biggest detractors, was arrested by Sheriff Ethan Miller for the murder of Hammond. The law man questioned his first theory when a towel was found in Willowbrook's trash with blood that matched the victim's. Willowbrook denied any involvement in Hammond's death and claimed he was being framed by someone in the Luthor camp. Lex Luthor posted bail and secured Willowbrook's release.

Local attorney Henry Small was set to represent Willowbrook when new evidence from the coroner's office concluded that the blaze did not kill Hammond; his death is being attributed to a mauling by a wolf. Sheriff Ethan has dropped the charges against Willowbrook and confirmed that Smallville resident Martha Kent asserted that a wolf also confronted her. This latest development only poses more questions, however, as the Canis Lupus had not been seen in Kansas for nearly 90 years.

HIDDEN TREASURE
FOUND IN SMALLVILLE

By George "The Streak" Talmer

A series of cryptic cave paintings thought to be over 500 years old have been discovered underneath the former site of the proposed LuthorCorp Corporate Plaza. The paintings are thought to have been drawn by the Kawatche tribe, among the earliest settlers of the Smallville area.

Professor Joseph Willowbrook of the University of Kansas Center for Indigenous Nations Studies--a full-blooded Kawatche--was instrumental in saving the caves from destruction. Willowbrook, who had been searching for this particular set of drawings for "[his] entire life," explained that "These paintings tell the most important Kawatche legend of all, the legend of Naman."

According to Willowbrook, Naman was to come to earth on the wings of an eagle and have the strength of 10 men. "He's about 500 years late," conceded the professor/activist. "But that is not the point. These caves are a link to my ancestors. Our history around these parts precedes Ezra Small's settlement by centuries. Kawatches were here way before that fur trapper. Of course, there is no statue of the first Kawatche in front of Smallville's City Hall."

LexCorp has secured the contract for the preservation of the caves. Willowbrook stated, "These caves must be studied. There is a Kawatche alphabet that needs to be deciphered down there. This cave will unlock many secrets to our past...and perhaps our future." When asked if he knows what all the drawings stand for, Willowbrook commented, "Kawatche cave paintings are mostly basic imagery, but some things down there should be analyzed to derive their meaning. There is a picture of a swan that I am very interested in. The swan is the most important animal in Kawatche lore. It is the deliverer. And I am very curious as to what the paintings say the swan is supposed to deliver to Naman."

WHITNEY FORDMAN MIA

By Gena McGuiness

The United States Marine Corps delivered heartbreaking news yesterday, informing Betty Fordman that her son, Private Whitney Fordman, was missing in action.

"Fordman's a tough kid. Strong character," said Wayne Quigly, Smallville High's football coach, "He took some tough hits on and off the field with his dad passing and all. But he kept going. They'll find him. He'll be back home soon."

SHS's former quarterback joined the military after graduation last summer, boarding the bus that fateful day the tornado ripped through town. Fordman's regiment shipped out to Central Asia a month ago when rebel forces began to advance against the area's regime.

"They said his squad was pinned down in the crossfire and overrun by enemy forces," commented Lana Lang, Fordman's high school sweetheart. Betty Fordman tearfully recalled, "Jack and I were always so proud of our son. I was afraid when he left, but now... I just have to believe he's okay and pray that he comes home."

Pass by the Fordman home, and you'll see its tree in the front yard now wrapped with yellow ribbon--a testament to a mother's undying hope.