accommodation has been rejected.

The owner of the Mermaid Beach and Racquet Club on South Road applied to convert the units into residential units, a restaurant and swimming pool in August.

But at a recent meeting of the Department of Planning's Development Application Board the proposal was rejected on the grounds that it would not have the support of the Ministry of Tourism.

THIEVES HIT CARS CRM Thieves hit cars A woman who parked her car on Woodbourne Avenue, Pembroke, returned to find a man trying to remove her mobile phone.

Around 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, the woman approached the offender who apparently handed back the phone before riding away on a bike.

In a separate incident that same evening, a man reported the theft of $50 from his car which was parked on Bermudiana Road, Pembroke.

BREAK-INS INVESTIGATED CRM Break-ins investigated Police are investigating a slew of break-ins which occurred earlier in the week.

The first incident took place on Tuesday at the Westmeath Residential Home in Pembroke.

The 88-year-old victim reported that a necklace, a diamond ring and a watch were stolen from her bedside table sometime overnight.

Then in the early hours of Wednesday morning a guest at the Newstead Hotel, Paget, reported his passport, driver's licence and credit cards were stolen while he slept.

The passport was found outside the premises, but the other items were not recovered.

SONESTA HONOURED AWD Sonesta honoured A South Shore resort has swept up three separate awards from a trio of travel industry publications for its excellent servicing of group clients.

Sonesta Beach Resort received the 1997 Award of Excellence from Corporate and Incentive Travel, the 1997 Gold Key Award from Meetings and Conventions and the 1997 Pinnacle Award from Successful Meetings.

Resort president and managing director Joseph Violi said: "These industry awards reinforce the commitment and hard work demonstrated by our entire staff. We are very proud of our employees and the efforts they put forth on behalf of our guests.'' Sonesta was chosen for these awards by the magazines' subscribers who voted for the resort that best served meeting and incentive travel planners over the past year.

The 400-room hotel in Southampton employs 526 people.

EMPLOYEE CHARGED CTS Employee charged A 26-year-old Devonshire man has denied stealing from his employer.

Dion R. Correia, of South Road, Devonshire, was charged in Magistrates' Court with eight offences, including four counts of alleged fraud and stealing in connection with his former employer, Aston & Gunn retail store.

Corriea is charged with allegedly defrauding and stealing a total of $715 from the company.

He will be tried on February 27, 1998 in Magistrates' Court.

Magistrate Edward King released Correia on $1,000 bail.

MAN FINED $750 CTS Man fined $750 A 24-year-old Devonshire man received a suspended prison sentence after he admitted in Magistrates' Court to possessing cannabis.

Crown counsel Larry Mussenden said narcotics officers approached Yusef D.

Hewey, of Stadium Heights, Devonshire, on August 11 at 9.45 p.m. on St.

Augustine Hill in Pembroke.

Hewey was searched and a plastic bag containing plant-like material was found in front of his underpants.

Hewey was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police Station where the contents of the plastic bag were found to be 6.1 grams of cannabis.

Magistrate Edward King fined Hewey $750 and sentenced him to three months in prison suspended for two years.