NANAIMO - A man with diversabilities is afraid of going for walks alone after being victimized by an apparent unprovoked, senseless attack. On Thursday, April 18 just before 8:30 p.m., the 54-year-old man was walking home on Big Bear Ridge in the Brannen Lake area with his dog after visiting his mother's home nearby. S...

NANAIMO - More houses are on the way for Nanaimo within the next five years.As part of the Housing Supply Act, the B.C. government has identified the next 20 priority municipalities they will work with to meet housing targets, now including Nanaimo, North Cowichan, and North Saanich.Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in...

NANAIMO - Several underused properties are poised for a substantial bump in housing in Nanaimo's south end. City councillors approved the first three of four required readings to a project calling for more than 120 market rental housing units on Nicol at Needham streets, during a Monday, April 22 council meeting. The p...

NANAIMO - With numerous factors stacked against him led by severe cognitive deficits, a Nanaimo man was sentenced to a further two years in jail. Dale John Patterson, 41, previously pleaded guilty to four drug trafficking charges and an impaired driving offence in connection with two incidents in 2021 and was sentenced...

PARKSVILLE - Risking his life to save another resulted in a well-earned bravery medal for the highly regarded president of Arrowsmith Search and Rescue. Arrowsmith SAR's Nick Rivers was awarded the Governor General's Commendation for Bravery medal during a ceremony on Saturday, April 20 in Parksville. Rivers and his SA...

NANAIMO - Furry friends will now have more space to sail on select BC Ferries routes to and from Vancouver Island.Larger, upper deck outdoor pet areas for leashed dogs and cats in carriers have been added to the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Coquitlam, sailing from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo's Departure Bay and Langdale.T...

NANAIMO - A pair of multi-use artificial sports fields in the south end are now serving vastly growing demand. On Saturday, April 20 newly constructed side-by-side all-weather artificial fields surrounded by LED lighting for evening use opened to replace Sherry Fields at Harewood Centennial Park on Seventh St. at Howar...

NANAIMO - With a business plan approved for a new cancer centre in Nanaimo, an effort has begun to acquire a new diagnosis machine.Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF) launched a campaign to raise $160,000 to fund a Mopec 400, a "grossing" instrument to allow for more examinations for early detec...

NANAIMO - Fans of classic vinyl are in for a treat.The Nanaimo Record Show will be back at the Bowen Park Auditorium for it's eighth year Sunday, April 21, running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Jack Tieleman, co-founder of the show, is excited to see what kind of items people will bring."It's sort of like Christmas Day be...

NANAIMO - Several local areas of the central Island region are poised to start stage two water restrictions next month.Beginning May 1, most areas of the Regional District, including the City of Nanaimo and City of Parksville, will move into the enhanced restrictions which include limited watering hours based on house ...

QUALICUM BEACH - A unique community event utilizing the skills of community members is coming to the Oceanside area.On Saturday, April 20, the first edition of the Oceanside Repair Cafe will be taking place at St. Stephens United Church (150 Village Way, Qualicum Beach) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.Organizer Lally Grauer s...

NANAIMO - A local man with an extensive criminal history has avoided additional jail time after being caught with a large amount of drugs and cash.Kerry Wallace Chang, 55, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of simple possession after being initially charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking following a July...

NANAIMO - An accidental flip of a switch is believed responsible for a small oil slick in a local marina. Crews at the Nanaimo Port Authority became aware of a vessel in the marina, between Cameron Island and the waterfront walkway, leaking oil around 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 13. Capt. Satinder Singh, NPA's vice pres...

NANOOSE BAY - An extensive volunteer effort freed an island BC Parks day-use site of damaging invasive plant species recently. Between April 11 and 14, BC Marine Trails (BCMT) volunteers paddled to the 12 hectare Gerald Island to remove English Ivy, according to a news release from the organization. "...originally...

NANAIMO - A proposed development at the gateway of the city's downtown is back to where it was earlier this year, despite continued objections from Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN).Re-zoning of the former Howard Johnson Hotel site across multiple lots on Comox Rd., Mill St., and Terminal Ave. again passed third reading af...

Editor's note: This story contains graphic details which may disturb some readers. Discretion is advised. VANCOUVER - No other options were available to a woman who smashed her estranged boyfriend's head with a hammer as he slept face down and slit his throat, according to her lawyer. Acknowledging his client killed he...

A Nanaimo woman says she is serenading a killer whale calf with her violin, hoping to entice the orca to leave the remote lagoon where she has been trapped alone for almost four weeks. Carol Love says she is watching the tides at the Vancouver Island lagoon and will be playing the violin at every high tide to entice th...

NANAIMO - Local growing and improved food security are key messages behind a new event. Coinciding with Earth Day on Saturday, April 20, a trio of local organizations are combining to create an exhibition of local food production and food security at the Park Avenue Farm. Co-organizer Jennifer Kemp told NanaimoNewsNOW ...

Editor's note: This story contains graphic details which may disturb some readers. Discretion is advised.VANCOUVER - A full day of final submissions are on deck in the murder trial of a Nanaimo woman accused of the high-profile slaying of her former boyfriend.Paris Jayanne Laroche, 28, pleaded not guilty to first degre...

NANAIMO - Despite multiple public awareness campaigns, local residents and contractors are still damaging underground infrastructure. Data from Fortis BC shows Nanaimo recorded 20 gas line strikes from digging activities in 2023, the most by any one city in the region and 15 per cent of all reports on Vancouver Island....

NANAIMO - Spray treatments for an invasive moth species will be happening across eastern Vancouver Island this spring. Attempts to eradicate the invasive spongy moths, also known as Lymantria moths, will occur in Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, Salt Spring Island, Cowichan Bay, North Saanich and the Greater Victoria area from...

PARKSVILLE - The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) have cleared Oceanside RCMP officers of any wrongdoing after a body was discovered near Little Mountain. Mounties were called to an unmarked trail area south of Parksville around 12 p.m. on March 24 after a passing hiker noticed a man lying down in a gras...

NANAIMO - A new educational campaign has been launched at the Nanaimo Airport (YCD), hoping to help shine a brighter light on human trafficking in Canada. The airport's new awareness campaign,#NotInMyCity, calls for collective action to be taken to "prevent, disrupt, and end sexual exploitation and trafficking,&qu...

NANAIMO - A long-awaited project scope and budget is now clear for a pending new cancer centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). Health Minister Adrian Dix announced details of the project during a Tuesday, April 16 news conference at NRGH, confirming an approximate $289 million dollar project will proceed a...

UPDATE - Oceanside RCMP report John Mathers was found, deceased, by search crews on Wednesday, April 17. "The cause of his death is not considered suspicious. The RCMP offers its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased," the detachment said in a statement. EARLIER, PARKSVILLE - A search resumes ...

NANAIMO - A vulnerable man sleeping at a bus stop awoke to a woman stabbing him several times in the head. Kimberly Anne Lewis, 53, pleaded guilty to and was sentenced for aggravated assault for an Aug. 14, 2022 incident at bus stop adjacent to Port Place Shopping Centre. The attack between two Indigenous people known ...

NANAIMO - Funding from the provincial government is increasing the number of complex care facilities for those with mental health or addiction challenges.As part of a 240-unit addition province-wide, Nanaimo will get 20 new spaces. Other beds will be added to existing facilities in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Kamloops, Kelown...

NANAIMO - It was triumphant return to a national television audience for a local singer. Lauren Spencer-Smith returned to American Idol, not as a contestant, but as a guest performer during the Sunday, April 14 episode of the show's 22nd season. Spencer-Smith sang "Fingers Crossed", a single she released in 2...