Chad Charlie, an Ahousaht writer, actor and film maker born and raised in Seattle WA., has taken the leap from stand-up comedy to the television screen.

The 32-year-old is now acting and writing for the critically acclaimed Indigenous comedy drama Reservation Dogs.

Reservation Dogs is an Indigenous American television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions. It is the first television series that features all Indigenous writers and directors, along with an almost entirely Indigenous North American cast and production team.

Green Coast Dispensary spent August 6 celebrating a key date in the history of their business. The date saw the business’s ownership and management throw a free barbecue event for the public to celebrate the anniversary of moving to their River Road location.

Green Coast manager Graham Sayers says the event felt like a great way to thank the community and give back.

A portion of Port Alberni’s unhoused population will soon have access to a temporary overnight shelter located at the Bread of Life on Third Avenue, but not all of the soup kitchen’s neighbours are thrilled about it.

City council voted in favour of a temporary use permit (TUP) for the low-barrier shelter at a regular meeting of council on July 11. The 25-bed shelter will be operated by the local Salvation Army at the Bread of Life’s drop-in centre and funded annually by BC Housing.

The Fun in the Park event was put on by Child and Youth Services, with participation from Usma and other departments from the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. The gathering drew approximately 150 people during the midday hours to Port Alberni's Roger Creek Park on Aug. 23. Fun in the Park was open to Nuu-chah-nulth people and the greater community as well. 

Prior to the introduction of metal, Nuu-chah-nulth people relied on sharpened rocks and shells to cut the fish and game they harvested. Today, they use typical kitchen knives. But just a few decades ago the old-timers made ulu-style knives for fileting fish because they were so much easier to use than a standard kitchen knife.

Tony Titian, 28, of Ahousaht, recalls seeing ten or more of these handmade knives at his grandparents Carl and Lena Jumbo’s place. But since they passed away the knives that Carl made are all gone.

Dianne Ignace saw something remarkable when she returned home to Hesquiaht Harbour in mid January. Nearly two feet of herring eggs lay on the beach at the remote village site where Ignace has lived with her family for the last 47 years, resembling snow drifts on the Pacific shore.

“It was incredible. That was the longest spawn I’ve seen here in 30 years,” said Ignace, noting that when the tide went out a foot of herring roe was revealed. “On the ocean floor when the tide was out you can see how deep it is.”

The Port Alberni RCMP are reaching out to the public for information that could solve the murder of 33-year-old Terrance Mack.

According to their media release, dated Aug. 19, RCMP officers and Serious Crimes Investigators arrived at an apartment on the 3200 block of Third Avenue following reports of a deceased man in one of the units. The decomposing remains were discovered May 4, 2021.

It was determined that Mack had been murdered approximately two weeks earlier. A positive identification was made on May 8 and the family was notified of his death on May 9, 2021.

Nuu-chah-nulth survivors of residential and day schools who have gone through the class action lawsuit process are raising concerns about the difficulty of submitting claims.

A small group of residential and day school survivors met with Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Vice-President Mariah Charleson in early August to talk about their concerns.