NANAIMO - Following public outcry and Council direction to review its booking practices, the Port Theatre will not host a controversial entertainer later this month. The scheduled March 21 Ben Bankas performance at the downtown Nanaimo venue was officially cancelled on Thursday, March 5, following what the Theatre said...

NANAIMO - It appears a series of poor decisions led to a preventable and damaging single-vehicle crash in the city's north end. It happened on Wednesday, March 4 at about 9:15 p.m. as the driver of a Ford Mustang was proceeding north on Hammond Bay Rd. up a hill past Fillinger Cres. Nanaimo RCMP Reserve Cst. Gary O'Bri...

NANAIMO - Mounties have one person in custody following a stabbing at local motel. The situation unfolded around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4 inside a ground-level room at Bluebird Motel in the 900 block of Terminal Ave., involving a man being attacked by someone known to them. Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O'Brien said ...

NANAIMO - Tax time can be stressful; however, two Nanaimo community-minded organizations are making life easier for thousands of people. Volunteer Nanaimo is one of two local organizations assisting low income-earners with completing current and past income tax returns. Volunteer Nanaimo is now scheduling complementary...

LADYSMITH - Restrictions are coming to a popular wooded area south of Ladysmith, which the Town and Province say is being done to protect local watersheds from human-caused problems. Starting on May 19, the access gate to the Banon Creek Forest Service Rd., located at the end of South Watts Rd. south of Ladsymith will ...

LADYSMITH - Despite initially forwarding charge recommendation to Crown Counsel, B.C.'s police watchdog now says no further action is needed against three RCMP officers in Ladysmith. An attempted traffic stop in April 2021 turned into a high-speed chase involving three officers on Hwy. 1 in Ladysmith, when a white Pont...

NANAIMO - A local woman's extended fraud scheme against her former employer resulted in a guilty plea and potential jail time. Jayvee Abad Salayon, 32, pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 on Tuesday, March 3 at Nanaimo Law Courts for illegally obtaining funds from a local physiotherapy clinic. Crown Counsel's Jordan H...

NANAIMO - An emerging Middle Eastern conflict, coupled with seasonal changes in supply and capacity, are forcing prices to go higher at the gas pump. While they have yet to adjust locally, experts who study gasoline prices widely expect increases to start showing soon due to the United States' strikes on Iran and retal...

NANAIMO - A large swath of environmentally valued land is now officially in the hands of the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN).The purchase of the forested area west of Qualicum Beach known as Hamilton Marsh was officially completed on Wednesday, Feb. 25, putting the 360 hectare wildlife-rich property under RDN contro...

VICTORIA - B.C.'s chief coroner has ordered a full inquest into one of the deadliest school shootings in Canadian history. Nine people, including the shooter, were killed on Feb. 10 in Tumbler Ridge, prompting widespread calls for an investigation into how the incident unfolded and the contributing factors which led to...

NANAIMO - This winter was one of the warmest on record in the region, keeping pace with weather experts' predictions we'll see some of the hottest years on record between now and 2030. With a mean temperature of 4.9 degrees Celcius, the months of December, January, and February were about 0.7 degrees above normal, maki...

PARKSVILLE - Longtime owners of an expansive and largely forested south-end property are returning with a new vision of housing.Waterfront Properties Corp. are looking for Council and public support for the rezoning of 1465 Greig Rd., a roughly 145 acre property, to eventually allow for just over 400 residential housin...

PORT ALBERNI - Known to the offender for several years, an employee at Port Alberni's overdose prevention site (OPS) temporarily lost vision in their eye after a man ignited a homemade bomb outside. John Mathew Thomsen of Port Alberni was recently sentenced to five years in jail for the late-night March 22, 2024, incid...

VICTORIA - B.C. is planning to adopt daylight savings time year-round, effective Sunday. After decades of campaigning against the twice-annual adjustment of the clocks, Premier David Eby announced Monday, March 2 the yearly 'spring forward' which will take place on Sunday, March 8 will be the final adjustment of the cl...

NANAIMO - A woman well known to police, as well as the courts over recent months, is wanted by local Mounties.Tamara Leigh Prince, 42, is facing a charge of theft under $5,000 in connection to a December 2025 robbery of around $3,500 worth of merchandise from a north Nanaimo store.Prince is no stranger to officers, as ...

NANAIMO - Sporadically offered seasonally since 2018, much-anticipated direct flights linking Nanaimo and Toronto won't return this year. Air Canada confirms it won't supply the route for a second consecutive year, which Nanaimo Airport president and chief executive officer Dave Devana conceded is disappointing, but no...

NANAIMO - Hundreds came out in force Saturday night to raise vital funds for an area non-profit. The annual Coldest Night of the Year walks in Nanaimo and Oceanside on Saturday, Feb. 28, aimed to raise over $250,000, towards the Island Crisis Care Society. Hundreds gathered at John Barsby Secondary in Nanaimo, as well ...

NANAIMO - A local university student is preparing to compete with some of the best chefs in the country at one of the world's top cooking competitions. Simon Martin, 19, recently completed the Culinary Arts program at Vancouver Island University (VIU) and was chosen for Team Canada at the RAK Porcelain Culinary World C...

NANAIMO - Inspiring the next generation of small business owners and entrepreneurs is the goal of a Victoria-based event's expansion into the mid-Island. After six years of success in Victoria, Kidovate, run by a pair of University of Victoria professors, is making contact with central and north Island budding entrepre...

PARKSVILLE - Well over halfway through an impactful relay run, a Parksville Fire Rescue member broke down in response to a strong outpouring of support. Parksville Fire Rescue's Karen Petraschuk is one of eight Wounded Warriors Canada runners on an 800 kilometre, eight day trek in support Vancouver Island trauma-expos...

NANAIMO - Clear skies are set to afford local stargazers near ideal conditions to spot most of our celestial neighbours. Six planets will be visible above the horizon shortly after sunset on Saturday, Feb. 28, stretching across the sky on a line astronomers call the ecliptic from the lower western sky to the higher eas...

NANAIMO - While fewer people died from toxic drugs in the province last year, there's been a troubling surge of overdose events recently. BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) informed NanaimoNewsNOW paramedics responded to 284 overdoses/drug poisoning events in B.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, representing a new daily recor...

NANAIMO - A local teenager will spend spring break in Mexico floating down lazy rivers and relaxing on warm, tropical beaches.Jonathan Dean, 18, lives with CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic condition which greatly affects his sensory inputs, leaving him visually impaired and profoundly deaf in both ears.But he was all sm...

QUALICUM BAY - Ocean Hyland said the full realization of having her artwork on display in front of around 19,000 Canuck fans at Rogers Arena, as well as a national TV audience, won't sink in until the night of the game. Hyland, who is from the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation in the Lower Mainland but moved to the mid-Islan...

NANAIMO - Gabriola Island RCMP arrested a local man, who was subsequently charged with trafficking methamphetamine. Paul James Dick, 63, has been charged with trafficking in a controlled substance. A BC RCMP news release stated the investigation against Dick began late in 2024 and that he's accused of trafficking metha...

NANAIMO - Another roundabout has been approved in Nanaimo to better control vehicular flow, speeds and improve safety of all road users. Councillors recently approved $350,000 to install a roundabout at the Hammond Bay Rd. and Brickyard Rd. intersection, following multiple discussions by council and residents regarding...

NANAIMO - Local Mounties are seeing a spike in reported cases of counterfeit money. The detachment has received at least 17 separate reports over the last two months, of what police are calling "high-quality counterfeit" notes, in $50 and $100 denominations, being used across the city. Nanaimo RCMP Cst. Alexa...

NANAIMO - Police won't shy away from writing tickets during the month of March. Led by BC Highway Patrol in conjunction with RCMP and municipal police forces across the province, March will see enhanced efforts to clamp down on distracted drivers and those improperly restrained. Cpl. Michael McLaughlin told NanaimoNews...