CIBH (Parksville, BC)

3 weeks ago | 885thebeach.com | Ian Holmes

NANAIMO — Yard maintenance work went awry when flames applied to weeds unknowingly spread inside an old stucco building along Nanaimo’s Newcastle Ave. It took Nanaimo Fire Rescue (NFR) crews several hours to extinguish flames last week inside a former single-family home used as storage by the neighbouring Sands Funeral Chapel on Newcastle Ave.

3 weeks ago | 885thebeach.com | Alex Rawnsley

NANAIMO — A local man is facing a number of firearm-related charges after he allegedly pointed a handgun at a total stranger in the city’s south end. James Newstead, 51, is facing six charges, including pointing a firearm, possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes, and possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted weapon, after an incident on the evening of Friday, May 2. Nanaimo RCMP Cst.

3 weeks ago | 885thebeach.com | Daryl Major

NANAIMO — Constantly bursting at the seams, Nanaimo’s provincial courthouse is leading in several unenviable categories. Results of a new semi-annual report by the Provincial Court of B.C. showed Nanaimo experiences the longest delays for cases to proceed to trial for adult criminal, family and small claims cases. Nanaimo had the longest trial wait times in 11 of 12 categories in the adult criminal, family and small claims divisions between Oct. 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.

3 weeks ago | 885thebeach.com | Daryl Major

NANAIMO — A disturbing case of violence and humiliation at a Nanaimo shopping centre resulted in a Youth Criminal Justice Act conviction. The 13-year-old unnamed offender and an accomplice directed the youth victim to the ground and made him eat cat food after being guided by the duo to Country Club Centre’s entryway on Oct. 3, 2024. Crown Counsel’s Kaitlyn Tourangeau told a recent sentencing hearing in Nanaimo the offender and his accomplice instructed the victim to kiss his feet.

1 month ago | 885thebeach.com | Ian Holmes

NANAIMO — Competing in triathlons across the country won’t be easy, but a Vernon couple has motivation on their side. Mike Pearson, 63, and Donna Bartel, 59, start Trii’ing to End ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) on Sunday, May 11 at Nanaimo’s Westwood Lake Park. The devastating progressive, often fatal neurological disease affects brain and spinal cord nerve cells, leading to increasingly restrictive muscle control. ALS claimed the life of Pearson’s great uncle and Bartel’s mother.