JUDGE'S SON SURVIVES KIDNAPPING

By Kathy Romita

Pete Ross, the teenaged son of Lowell County Judge Abigail Ross and her husband, Bill, was kidnapped two days ago and managed to escape unharmed yesterday. Ross was abducted on the outskirts of the Jonathan and Martha Kent farm. Several hours later, Judge Ross received a phone call from a man threatening to kill her son if she didn't follow his instructions. She was ordered not to contact law enforcement officials and instructed to grant a motion to dismiss charges against Walt Masterson.

Walt Masterson was apprehended at the Smallville Jewelers after a botched armed robbery attempt a few days ago. Masterson entered the Main Street shop brandishing a gun. A loud shrieking noise, which injured several customers, immediately followed; however, the source of the sound was never identified. For some unknown reason, Masterson dropped his weapon, providing the perfect opportunity for shop owner Buster Breyfogle to grab his own shotgun hidden under the counter and nab Masterson. Many shop patrons were then treated for hearing injuries at the Smallville Medical Center. No one suffered permanent damage due to the incident.

Initially, authorities believed Masterson was the lone robber, but Ross' kidnapping has provided another suspect. Most of the customers in the jewelry store recognized the kidnapper, 18-year-old Nathan Dean, as being present during the robbery. Besides Masterson, who was wearing earplugs when arrested, Dean was the only person in the shop who was unaffected by the loud noise.

Dean was found unconscious in a heap of cars at an auto junkyard located approximately one mile from the airport. After kidnapping Ross and waiting for the judge to release Masterson, Dean planned to kill the Smallville High student. How Ross managed to free himself from the trunk of a car that was about to be crushed remains a mystery. After disabling the car compactor, he then called authorities who found Dean at the scene. Sheriff Nancy Adams said, "This cat [Ross] just used up one his nine lives. What a remarkable kid. Quite a hero. He caught his own kidnapper and one of the jewelry store robbers too. I'm tickled pink he's alive."

LUTHOR AXES LONGTIME
PLANT LEADER

By Frank Moore

Fresh off his stay at Belle Reve Sanitarium, Lex Luthor signaled his return to work this week with a bold and surprising move: firing Gabe Sullivan, veteran plant manager at LuthorCorp Fertilizer Plant No. 3 in Smallville.
"Without going into detail, Sullivan's performance as of late has been seriously lacking," said Mitchell Taylor, spokesman for LuthorCorp. He continued, "It was time for a change." According to inside sources, the move was fully authorized by Luthor's father, CEO Lionel Luthor.

Since Lex began treatment for stress and exhaustion over a month ago, there had been whispers around LuthorCorp Plaza that the young executive had lost some of the razor-sharp business acumen that had helped transform Fertilizer Plant No. 3 from a shoddy facility into a flourishing enterprise, producing impressive sales figures and attracting heavy investors.

Other observers in Smallville, meanwhile, had floated rumors that Lex Luthor would settle into his cushy Metropolis office and do little more than sharpen pencils while collecting fat paychecks from his father. Needless to say, those naysayers have been proven wrong.

Now plant workers are said to be holding their breath, waiting to see who gets a pink slip next. "This plant employs 2,500 people and is a cornerstone of LuthorCorp's holdings in the area," Taylor said. "Both Lionel and his son expect it to be a model of efficiency," he added.

Sullivan is said to be in shock over his unexpected termination, leaving many of his former colleagues to question why the popular manager was let go. They point to his years of loyal service and upstanding personal character, noting that he is a devoted father to a teenage daughter and often took the time to conduct tours of the plant for visiting students.
Citing LuthorCorp's privacy policy, Taylor declined to reveal specific reasons behind the firing or address Sullivan's defenders. "Let's just say you can't believe everything you hear," he said.

THE RELUCTANT PROPHET
Voices From The Future
By Christopher James Beppo

As part of the Ledger's commitment to keeping the public informed of the ongoing investigation into the cryptic writings of Ezra Small, the founder of Smallville, here is another fragment from Small's journal. The sheaf that contained this page was dated late 1839.

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WHEN THE MIGHTY FALL

By Max Taylor
Special to The Daily Planet

Ever wonder how it happens? A titan sits atop his throne. He is seemingly impenetrable, unflappable and unmovable. And then, from the depths and bowels of the unforeseen and the unimaginable comes the David to slay the Goliath.

Metropolis has seen its own versions of the famous parable played out. And, historically, the mighty never see it coming--because the little man rarely shows up on the big dude's radars.

Such was the case this past week when former Nu-Corp executive Donovan Jamison was arrested for his part in the illegal trading of sensitive technological secrets to a "faction unfriendly to interests of national security."

Jamison was at the top of his game back in 2001 when he throttled Nu-Corp to the apex of Wall Street. With sales north of $10 billion, Nu-Corp and Jamison became darlings of the industry.
A scientist himself, Jamison estimated his net worth to be well above $100 million.

Jamison was nailed because someone on the inside blew the whistle on him--his own assistant. Rebecca Jones had carried a vendetta against Jamison ever since he cursed her out for "making a bad cup of tea."
Ms. Jones made it her mission in life to find something on Jamison, and on a golden day in May, it came. Ms. Jones gathered all information on the proposed sale of a highly sensitive, nonintrusive mineral detection technology to a "yet-to-be identified faction." FBI officials will not release the identity of the "faction."

Max Taylor--The Daily Planet

Jamison was arraigned yesterday. He is awaiting trial and, if convicted, could face a life sentence. Nu-Corp's board of directors promptly asked for Jamison's immediate resignation.