WELCOME HOME: The release of helicopter pilot...

WELCOME HOME: The release of helicopter pilot Bobby Hall (A1) was especially good news to Sheldon Empol of Newbury Park. Empol, 74, was a POW for 44 months in World War II and now heads the Valley chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War: “It’s a very traumatic thing, no matter how long the guy was there,” Empol noted. “It’s like walking into a dark tunnel and you don’t know what’s there.”

BAD NEWS: What story caused the most anxiety in 1994? According to the New Jersey-based National Anxiety Center’s annual awards for dubious news, the Mexican-food cholesterol scare takes the cake. . . . Irwin Steinberg, of the Tortilla Industry Assn. in Encino, also got heartburn: “They might as well have said, ‘Don’t eat cornflakes with sour cream and guacamole.’ ”

PARADE BOUND: Woodland Hills brothers Andrew and Joshua Kaye, above, found an unusual way to hitch a ride on a Rose Parade float. . . . They raised $7,000 for earthquake victims by selling bracelets made from pipe cleaners. The Automobile Club of Southern California promptly invited them to ride on their float. Several schools helped, but “all 10,000 kids couldn’t be on it,” says Joshua, 8. “So they picked me and Andrew.”

YEAR IN SPORTS: What do Mother Nature and ex-CSUN women’s softball coach Gary Torgeson have in common? Both are among 1994’s five most influential people in Valley sports (C12 and C14). . . . Mother Nature’s earthquake stunt forced both Alemany High School basketball teams to play only road games. . . . Torgeson coached his team to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

BEST FLIRT: Keep smiling and don’t flap your gums. Those are just a few of the lessons learned Friday at a one-day flirting convention in Glendale, believed to be the first ever held in Southern California (B4). . . . Some participants also vied for the title of Mr. and Ms. Southern California Flirt.