BRITISH COLUMBIA
Cause of Rock Creek wildfire may be known A video is said to be circulating showing a cigarette butt being flicked, causing a wildfire. A7
NANAIMO REGION
Earning her card
Mulcair visits city, talks emergency funds
Seventeen-year-old Canadian anadian gets an exemption to play as ur a pro on the LPGA Tour
Federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair took his campaign to Nanaimo to promise funds for emergency services. A3
Sports, B5
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Wednesday, August 19, 2015 CRIME
City woman victimized by thieves Box of treasured memorabilia from deceased husband stolen during daytime break-in JULIE CHADWICK DAILY NEWS
A Nanaimo woman has asked for the community’s support in locating a box of memorabilia of her deceased husband that was stolen from her home over the weekend. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon when Betty Shaw went to open a window above her kitchen sink, that she noticed something was amiss. The window’s screen was gone and a blurry handprint
was smudged across the glass. Later, she discovered that the jewelry boxes in her bedroom had seemed jumbled. She checked around the house and soon realized the gray SentrySafe fireproof lockbox she had placed on a table in her storage room was missing. “It was not for anything of value, it was for holding papers that were memorabilia from my deceased husband. I realize now I should never have locked it.” said
Shaw, who thinks that whoever stole it may have thought it contained something valuable. The only person it had value for was Shaw and her two children, who are now grown but were only five and seven years old when their father, Blaine, died in a helicopter accident in 1982. “There were photo albums, and letters. He was a pilot, so they would send him letters thanking him for the wonderful trip,”said Shaw. “It was Queen Charlotte
helicopters. He worked for Frank Beban logging. He was a fixedwing pilot for many years and then he decided he wanted to be a helicopter pilot.” Shaw hopes the thief or anyone who might find the box will return it to the RCMP so she can have the photos, cards, letters and writings back. The theft marks a trend of break-andenters that have been high all month but has spiked in the last week, say police.
“There’s been all sorts of breakand-enters this week, it’s been crazy,” said Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong of the Nanaimo RCMP. “We’re telling people to keep their doors and windows locked and if they have alarms, to keep them activated.” Police believe it may be the same two or three groups responsible for the break-ins. Julie.Chadwick@nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4238
SPECIAL FEATURE: PART 2 OF 5
Council to consider other uses for downtown site
TAKE
The land that was planned to be the location of a luxury 21-storey conference centre hotel is back in the city’s hands and council will need to make a decision on its future. » Nanaimo Region, A6
THE
PLUNGE
Part 2 of our look at summer day trips you can take in your own backyard Page A3
An Island creation to enjoy shaken, not stirred
Craft distillers are using home-spun products to make their spirits due to changes in B.C. liquor laws, and Islandmade spirits are becoming high in demand. » Food, B1
Stilwell sets sights on Rio Paralympic Games Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell, fresh off her gold medal at Toronto’s Parapan Am Games, now has her eyes on using her spare time to try to qualify for the Paralympics. » Sports, B2
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