MACHIAS, Maine -- Fishermen moved boats to shelter from a rare burst of tropical weather along Maine's rugged eastern coast yesterday as a weakening Hurricane Kyle spun past on its way to Canada, delivering a glancing blow equivalent to a classic nor'easter that made locals yawn.

As darkness fell, the storm produced winds hard enough to jiggle road signs, cause scattered power outages and rip early-autumn leaves from trees while lashing the Maine coast with a third straight day of heavy rain. Flooding closed roads as the storm sped up the Bay of Fundy, which separates Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick from Nova Scotia.

Kyle made landfall yesterday night in southern Nova Scotia as a marginal Category 1 hurricane and was later downgraded to a tropical storm by the Canadian Hurricane Centre. Some 12,000 power outages were reported in the province.

Maine emergency responders had braced for wind gusts as high as 60 mph and waves up to 20 feet, but as the storm edged eastward it became clear that the state had escaped a direct hit.

"This was a run-of-the-mill storm. It had the potential to be a real problem and it all sort of went away. That shift to the east did wonders for Maine," said Michael Hinerman, director of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency.

At 11 p.m. EDT yesterday, Kyle was centered about 55 miles south of Saint John, New Brunswick, the National Hurricane Center said. It was moving north at about 26 mph and was weakening. Kyle's maximum sustained winds were nearly 70 mph.

MONTECITO, Calif. -- Heather Locklear was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance in the upscale Santa Barbara area, authorities said yesterday.

Ms. Locklear, 47, was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer Saturday afternoon after a resident reported seeing the actress "driving erratically," patrol spokesman Tom Marshall said.

The officer noticed Ms. Locklear's car parked on a state highway and blocking a lane in Montecito, a wealthy community about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles. She was believed to be alone in the car, Mr. Marshall said.

Ms. Locklear was taken to the police station, where she was tested for alcohol and drugs. She was booked at 7 p.m. on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription medication. She was later released from custody.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Hollywood celebrities can continue to drive with animals nestled in their laps.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is vetoing a bill to fine motorists $35 for sharing the driver's seat with lapdogs or other animals.

Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze says the practice is distracting. He introduced the bill after seeing a woman driving with three dogs on her lap.

Mr. Schwarzenegger says he's signing only bills that are "the highest priority for California." And a lapdog ban isn't one of them.

HONOLULU -- A federal judge in Hawaii has dismissed a lawsuit trying to stop the world's largest atom smasher.

U.S. District Judge Helen Gilmor says in a ruling issued Friday that federal courts don't have jurisdiction over the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, near Geneva.

Two Hawaii residents sued because they feared the machine could create black holes or other phenomena that could destroy the planet.

Most physicists say the collider is safe. It started low-power operation Sept. 10 but experienced malfunctions and will be shut down until spring.