supermarket checkout.

The 36-year-old victim confronted a man who was looking in her bag at the Hamilton MarketPlace when he spat in her face.

The store manager called Police but the culprit ran off just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

FUNERAL TRAFFIC DELAY OBT TFC Funeral traffic delay Traffic Police are warning commuters in and out of Somerset to expect long delays tonight because of the funeral of road death victim Racquel Basden.

The family of 13-year-old Racquel have arranged the funeral for 2 p.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Beacon Hill.

But there will also be a procession to St. James Place between 3.30 and 4.30 p.m. and traffic could be diverted on Somerset Road between Sound View Road and Scott's Hill Road.

Racquel died at the weekend, following a 48-hour fight for life since her accident on Thursday.

She was the passenger on a scooter which was overtaking a truck near Somerset Bridge and had to cut inside to avoid an oncoming car.

Racquel, a student at Sandys Middle School, was thrown from the bike and suffered extensive injuries. She died on Saturday morning in King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

OCCUPPANT DISTURBED CRM Occupant disturbed A burglar was chased out of a Pembroke house when he disturbed the occupant at 2.45 a.m. yesterday.

The resident, a 38-year-old, chased the intruder through the Happy Valley area but lost sight of him.

Police said he was alerted when he heard his front door screeching.

OFFICE BREAK-IN PROBED CRM Office break-in probed Detectives are investigating a break-in at Colonial Insurance on Reid Street, Hamilton, late on Tuesday night.

Witnesses told Police they saw a man rummaging through a desk just after 11 p.m.

CELL PHONES IMPROVE BUC Cell phones improve Mobile phone users in the Bailey's Bay, Hamilton Parish area will notice a "marked improvement'' in voice quality, the Bermuda Telephone Company announced yesterday.

A spokeswoman said a network upgrade performed on December 15 will also provide extended coverage.

And the improvement was part of an ongoing project involving BTC's cellular network which will continue into the New Year, the spokeswoman added.

NEWSPAPER FACES WRIT CTS NJ Newspaper faces writ The battle between a top lawyer and the Mid-Ocean News heated up yesterday with the filing of a writ against the paper.

Lynda Milligan-Whyte was angered more than a week ago with the publication by the Mid-Ocean News on December 4 of a story connected to a Court of Appeals judgment concerning Mrs. Milligan-Whyte and the then-owners of Cablevision Ltd.

The writ was filed yesterday afternoon and names the Royal Gazette Ltd., Mid-Ocean News editor Tim Hodgson, and news editor Rebecca Zuill.

Mr. Hodgson last night refused to comment, saying: "The matter is in the hands of our legal representatives and I cannot comment.'' RESTAURANT EXPANSION PLN EAT Restaurant expansion The Development Application Board has received a planning application for the Swizzle Inn to extend their patio and enlarge the parking lot.

Government wanted to extend a sidewalk through Swizzle Inn's roadside seating area.

But Swizzle Inn proposed an alternative patio adjacent to the existing area to preserve the popular seating area.

The parking area would also be enlarged, partly by removing a portion of the bank adjacent to the building.

The application proposes that a new fence and hedge would be included in the parking area as a road screen.