Gov. Linda Lingle has lifted an emergency declaration she issued last week in preparation for Hurricane Flossie.

The declaration gave Lingle emergency powers to suspend certain laws and provide disaster relief. The state's major disaster fund, however, remains active for spending to respond to the hurricane.

Hurricane Flossie passed the Big Island last week, causing gusty winds, high surf and rain. Big Island schools, public libraries, parks and several businesses closed as a precaution, but the storm did not cause major damage.

THREAT TO SCHOOL COUNSELOR ALLEGED

A 44-year-old 'Ewa Beach man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly lifting up a school counselor and threatening to kill him at an 'Ewa Beach school, police said. He remained in police custody yesterday pending investigation.

The man was arrested at his Papipi Drive home at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday and booked for investigation of second-degree assault and first-degree terroristic threatening.

Police said the man was angry that the 40-year-old male counselor advised his son to spend less time with his girlfriend and more time studying at school.

FIRE HELICOPTERS DOUSE HOT SPOTS

The Fire Department helicopter made water drops yesterday to douse hot spots on the Wai'anae mountain range side of Kaukonahua Road scorched recently by a brushfire.

Fire Department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig said smoke was seen on the Wai'anae flank of the mountainside, prompting the water drops at 3:52 p.m.

The smoking ground is in an area that poses no immediate threat to property, Seelig said.

CHICKEN SALE FOR WAIPAHU PROGRAM

The Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse will hold a Koala Moa chicken fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow at 94-091 Waipi'o Point Access Road in Waipahu.

The Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse is a not-for-profit program that provides psychosocial rehabilitation for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses.

CITY COUNCIL ON VIEW ONLINE

Viewers from Peshawar to Peoria can now see the Honolulu City Council in all its glory.

Recordings of council and committee meetings are available on the Internet through a new service launched Wednesday with 'Olelo Community Television.

The service includes a search function that allows viewers to find interesting parts of meetings, or skip any sections they find too tedious.

"I've always been a strong proponent of the public's right to know about the workings of government, and this new service will allow anyone, anywhere in the world, to review council meetings for up to a year," said council chairwoman Barbara Marshall.

To access the service, go to www.honolulu.gov/council, and click on "City Council meeting videos." Future meetings are to be available about 48 hours after they conclude.

HOSTILITY BAD FOR GOOD CHOLESTEROL

Older white men who are better able to cope with stress generally have higher levels of so-called "good cholesterol" than men who are more hostile or socially isolated, according to a study led by Loriena A. Yancura, an associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Science at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Yancura and her research team presented their findings at the American Psychological Association convention in San Francisco on Aug. 18.

According to a UH news release, the study found that the same personality traits had no effect on the subjects' "bad cholesterol" levels.

Yancura and her team gathered data from 716 men who participated in the Normative Aging Study, to look at how hostility, stress and coping processes affect cholesterol levels. The average age in the sample was 65.

Yancura's team included Carolyn M. Aldwin and Michael R. Levenson of Oregon State University and Avron Spiro III of the Boston Healthcare System.

WAIKIKI BEATING SUSPECTS RELEASED

A 24-year-old Kapolei man and a Halawa man, 25, were released by police pending further investigation into the beating of a man early Wednesday in Waikiki.

The victim, 23, suffered a fracture near the left eye after allegedly being punched in the face by the Kapolei man and kicked in the ribs by his companion.

The incident occurred at 4:20 a.m. and the two men were arrested at 5 a.m. on Lewers Street.