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NANAIMO - An unassuming central Nanaimo home business is arguably the worldwide king of producing Elvis Presley costumes.Elvis Pro Jumpsuits owner Elle von Boetticher said she sells roughly 400 custom...
Maria Doty May 31, 2019 Elle von Boetticher's company Pro Elvis Jumpsuits produces 400 custom garments annually out of her Nanaimo home. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)
LANTZVILLE - Buried in a recently approved bylaw for the community of Lantzville is a decision which had become a flashpoint for the community. "No open air fires are permitted on any beach within the...
Maria Doty May 31, 2019 Camp fires on Sebastian Beach, a popular area activity, are no longer allowed after lengthy discussions. (Submitted)
NANAIMO - While VIU's head librarian is adamant they'll always have a place for rows of books, he said enhancing the library's common space best serves the needs of their many users.VIU is scaling bac...
Maria Doty May 30, 2019 VIU Librarian Ben Hyman said their outreach to faculty and students is clear - a reduction in their physical collection in favour of common space is the way to go. He said a strategic plan for the VIU Library was adopted last year.  (Submitted/VIU)
NANAIMO - Four documentaries currently seeking online votes in a funding competition hope to tell stories of our personal connections to each other and the area. Each documentary is applying for $50,0...
Maria Doty May 30, 2019 Screenshots from Humans of the Harbour City, Our Trees Story and Lifers: Working Song Title. (Storyhive)
QUALICUM BEACH - Significant new funding means getting around Qualicum Beach without a vehicle will be safer. The ministry of transportation and infrastructure announced Wednesday the Town of Qualicum...
Maria Doty May 29, 2019 The red line follows the school connector route, which links schools at both ends of  Qualicum Beach.
NANAIMO - The woman responsible for the officially recognized Nanaimo Bar recipe can't believe the attention the beloved dessert is getting these days. Nanaimo's Joyce Hardcastle said interest in the ...
Maria Doty May 25, 2019 The result of Joyce Hardcastle's own Nanaimo Bar. She aims for an aesthetically pleasing bar with a smooth top. She said the tasty dessert freezes exceptionally well. (Submitted)
PARKSVILLE - A formal fundraising campaign aims to help add the latest jewel to the crown of Parksville's waterfront.The Parksville Beach Festival Society launched a capital campaign to raise $1.2 mil...
Maria Doty May 23, 2019 Rendering of an outdoor performance arts stage at the Community Park in Parksville. (Parksville Beach Festival Society)
Parksville councillors are making significant changes to a nearly $7-million, 52-unit supportive housing complex only a month before it opens. The City of Parksville announced Tuesday it repaid a $492...
Maria Doty May 23, 2019 Orca Place on Corfield Rd. S., pictured under construction here, will have the space for a cold weather shelter but won't be able to use it. (Mara Kat/Facebook)
PARKSVILLE - Important landscaping in an under-development Parksville subdivision is no more after a destructive case of vandalism. The City of Parksville, along with Oceanside RCMP, said 30 trees pla...
Maria Doty May 21, 2019 More than $30,000 in damage was done to trees in the Cedar Ridge area. (City of Parksville)
NANAIMO - Emerging voices from Nanaimo's art scene now have wind in their creative sails.Several local writers won or earned honourable mentions at the Islands Short Fiction Contest, presented in late...
Maria Doty May 20, 2019 Several Nanaimo-area writers have more confidence in their writing after several big wins.