Every Friday we feature Valley history taken from our back issues.
Five years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:
A Courtenay man was implicated in a massive international child porn ring uncovered by undercover police.
The man, not identified because charges had yet to be laid, was among 27 people arrested for alleged involvement in what U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales called the "worst imaginable forms of child pornography."
The investigation uncovered a private Internet chat room used in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Britain and Holland.
A Prince George man and individuals from other parts of Canada were also arrested.
Ten years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:
A number of local steelhead streams, including the Puntledge River, were listed on the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC's most endangered rivers list of 2001.
The list, which represented views of river enthusiasts and the council's 120,000 members, states many steelhead stocks on the central east coast of the Island were dangerously below average.
"Our steelhead stocks are at 30-year lows," council chair Mark Angelo said.
Poor ocean conditions and deteriorating conditions of fresh water habitats have influenced the decline.
Fifteen years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:
"The election will be called very, very soon," Premier Glen Clark told NDP faithful at the opening of local candidate Evelyn Gillespie's campaign office. "We have made some tough cuts to some programs to protect education and health care in the face of federal cuts, but when we've outlined our campaign we'll announce our programs...and then we'll call the election."
Asked how upcoming decisions would affect the Valley, Clark would only say most issues are similar throughout B.C. However, he said the government is softening its stance on amalgamation of school boards.
Area schools had been on a list of 37 districts slated for amalgamation, but Clark said government had hoped to amalgamate about 20 of them. He declined to comment on whether the local district would be spared, though the Valley was high on the priority list for new school buildings.
Clark said the NDP is B.C.'s best hope to preserve the health-care system. Liberal leader Gordon Campbell had promised to retain health care, but Clark said that would be impossible if he goes ahead with a $3 billion budget cut proposed by the Liberals.
Twenty years ago this week in the Comox Valley Record:
The Queen of Sidney's overnight berth, and the 112 B.C. Ferries jobs that go with her, will move from Little River to Powell River in 18 months, Highways Minister Rita Johnston announced.
The news took local politicians and ferry workers by surprise. But Comox MLA Stan Hagen, in a reversal of his previous stance, hailed the move as an economic boon that will bring shoppers and tourists to the Valley. Early morning sailings from Powell River will enable people to spend the whole day here, he said. But most politicians said the spinoffs are too slight to warrant disrupting lives of crew members who must choose between their jobs and their Valley roots.
Ferry workers had planned a protest rally at Hagen's constituency office.
The union said the local economy stood to lose about $5.2 million a year in payroll and supply purchases.