The Thorny Circle Floral Shop was vandalized, again, Thursday evening. This marks the fourth such break in the small family run business' seven month tenure. Nothing was actually stolen but heavy damage was inflicted upon the store front when several up and coming heroes mistakenly attempted to thrash a supposed Circle of Thorns hideout.

The attack was brief but thorough. At 6 p.m. a concerted and seemingly well planned siege was attempted. Several magical heroes, now apologetic and embarrassed, blasted the store front with an array of magical energy blasts and several summoned demons. Only when store owner Bruce Gaffney ran screaming from the remains of what was once a door did the heroes in question consider their attack a mistake.

Said Gaffney, "I was potting a lovely hydrangea when my windows shattered and lights flashed everywhere, I was thrown to the floor and the next thing I knew this little grey ghost had swooped down on me shouting to - Move it or lose it, tubby, and tubby? I mean I've gained a few pounds, but... well I've never..."

Continued a slightly less composed Gaffney, "... and, well, quite frankly, I moved it."

And now Mr. Gaffney may lose it. His shop is temporarily shut down as he pays for restoration out of his own pocket. It seems insurance won't pick up the tab until he agrees to alter the name of his store, something he is adamant about keeping.

"My family and I have built a nice business and our name has some brand recognition. I would lose either way."

Until Paragon City's newest heroes can recognize that Thorny Circle Flourists aren't magic wielding fiends, Mr Gaffney's business may be a thorn in his own side.

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An informant known simply as Winnie has been accused of using his position to give heroes missions for his own selfish purposes.

It seems that Winnie singled out a hero known as Tigger. That's Tigger pronounced with a double grrer. Winnie apparently used Tigger and his side kick Roo due to their super leaping abilities.

When the authorities discovered Tigger stuck at the very top of a tree with Roo on his tail, supposedly fighting an evil menace of bees, they looked into how serious the threat might be. The purpose of this was to see if more heroes where needed to combat the villains.

This lead to the discovery that Tigger's and Roo's goal was to retrieve honey from Winnie's so called crime scene. Once the honey was retrieved Tigger was supposed to return the honey to Winnie rather than the authorities. This is when things started to look suspicious.

Winnie was found stuck in a large hole in the side of another tree by a team of heroes called in for this unique mission. Apparently Winnie had attempted to hide after gorging himself on honey Tigger and Roo had gathered before the investigation started.

When I interviewed Tigger before he was taken away by authorities, he stated. "The in-vegetation sure was tough! Tiggers definitely don't like honey retrievin."

Roo quickly added his own two cents. "Don't accept a mission from a Pooh it's much too fake, the best kind of mission is a piece of cake!"

I also managed to question Winnie asking why he did it. He slowly replied. "Oh bother... Tigger said Honey retrieving is what tiggers do best."

Winnie was put into a rehab centre due to his honey addiction. Now he spends his days poking himself in the head saying think, think, think over and over again.

Roo was sent home to his parents after it was clear he had no hero license due to his young age.

Tigger's hero license was revoked on the following multiple accounts - illegal employment of a minor (Roo), poor use of grammar and to stop lying about doing things best and then not liking them the second after he tries.

The hero team that helped for this case did not want to be mentioned by name.

It has been a fixture in Paragon City's skyline for over a four decades, but after next week the distinctive and near-constant 'Statesman Light' will be no more. Although there are several official for the Light's closure, the most obvious is that its time has past.

"I'll be sorry to see it go, not the least because I'm out of a job," said Phil Lacroix, current Lightkeeper and the one responsible for throwing the switch when Statesman is needed. "The light is a symbol of safety - a night light for the city, if you will - because when it comes on you know that something bad is going to be stopped. If you are a bad guy or gal, the light means that Statesman is around and he may just be coming for you."

The Stateman Light was erected in the 1950's, when Paragon City was starting to feel the first major effects of supervillains. Although Statesman and others were doing what they could, it was difficult to coordinate the right hero for the job - Statesman might be stopping a mugger on one side of town at the same time as Seppuku or the Feathered Serpent was running rampage elsewhere. A signal was needed to attract hero attention when it was needed and the Light was the most efficient means at the time.

But times have changed. The number of heroes in Paragon City has increased (up to the Rikti Invasion) and every one seems to respond to the Light. Contacts seem to be on every street corner, already able to tell the appropriate hero what is going down anywhere in the city. A hero with a mobile phone is much more discreet than a giant light in the sky that anyone can respond to.

The Light has also become very expensive to run. Although well protected, it is frequently attacked and has been destroyed dozens of times. The Rikti (and others) have used it to set up ambushes for Paragon's Elite heroes. Although the Light is a potent symbol and stirs the hearts of the Paragonites who see it in the sky, it has become a liability.

Paragon City Hall is currently considering turning the Light into a tourist attraction and are seeking submissions from interested parties.

The Statesman Light in action.