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Charlotte Helston
REPORTER
Charlotte Helston grew up in Armstrong and after four years studying writing at the University of Victoria, she came back to do what she loves most: Connect with the community and bringing its stories to life.
Covering Vernon for iNFOnews.ca has reinforced her belief in community. The people and the stories she encounters every day—at the courthouse, City Hall or on the street—show the big tales in a small town.
If you have an opinion to share or a story you'd like covered, contact Charlotte at Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230.
Charlotte Helston's Stories
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Splatsin band members formally ask chief and council to cancel referendum, protect ancestral grave site
ENDERBY – First Nations elders in a North Okanagan community have served their band’s chief…
Elementary school students from Vernon convince city to stop mowing down pollinator plants
VERNON – They may be little, but a group of passionate Grade 4 students from…
Silver Star unveils new summer tubing ride
VERNON – Tubing at Silver Star Mountain isn’t just a winter activity anymore. While many…
Fewer than 300 spawning salmon counted on Shuswap River
NORTH OKANAGAN – Only 286 chinook salmon were counted spawning on the mid-Shuswap River in…
HELSTON: We’re killing wildlife with kindness
Remember that adorable video from a few years ago of a deer nuzzling a boy…
Definitely not a fragrance spray: Man mistakenly discharges can of bear repellant in Salmon Arm store
SALMON ARM – Up to 10 people inside a Salmon Arm store were affected when…
Splash mob on Kal Lake to raise awareness about invasive mussels
VERNON – A group of people trying to keep invasive mussels out of local lakes…
Okanagan College pulls the plug on new Salmon Arm campus
SALMON ARM – Plans for a new Okanagan College campus located in downtown Salmon Arm…
Family credits helmet with saving Vernon ATV rider’s life
VERNON – A Vernon man airlifted to hospital after a gruesome accident in the North…
Urban deer attacks on the rise with burgeoning population
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Deer attacks are becoming more common in the region, and people are mostly…
Still think it’s cute to feed deer? These photos might change your mind
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – You might think it's cute to feed deer, or that…
Vernon installs special meters to help with aggressive panhandling concerns
VERNON – The City of Vernon has taken a unique approach to tackling aggressive panhandling…
Okanagan ‘Maple Man’ taps into beloved Canadian tradition
OKANAGAN – Few things are more Canadian than drowning pancakes in maple syrup, or simply…
HELSTON: Privacy investigation into contaminated well water has wider implications
Nine months, a freedom of information request, a letter from the local mayor, media inquiries…
Extremely low return of salmon leads to restrictions on the Shuswap River and Mabel Lake
NORTH OKANAGAN – More restrictions are being placed on salmon fishing in the North Okanagan.…
Senior’s advocate makes recommendations to curb violence in care homes
OKANAGAN – More than 400 seniors were harmed by fellow patients in care homes last…
Provincial government ordered to release withheld Hullcar water documents
SPALLUMCHEEN – B.C.’s privacy commissioner has ordered the provincial government to immediately release documents relating…
Kamloops firefighters to begin administering drug overdose antidote
KAMLOOPS – Kamloops firefighters are being handed a life-saving tool at a time when overdose…
Anonymous rail trail supporter pledges to match donations for Canada Day
OKANAGAN – A patriotic donor is celebrating Canada, and its beautiful outdoors, by offering to…
Booze, drugs, speed led to deadly highway crash in Vernon: Coroner
VERNON – Speed, drugs and alcohol were factors in a car crash that claimed the…
Off the streets, the drugs and the alcohol, Vernon men give each other strength and hope
“I REALIZED I WAS GOING TO DIE SO I CAME BACK” VERNON – The meeting…
Unmarked and relatively unknown internment camp on Highway 6 getting recognized
VERNON – Most who stop at the nondescript pullout 12 kilometres from the Gold Panner…
HELSTON: My own journey to appreciating the salmon run
OPINION I was just a kid when my parents took me to watch the salmon…
People throwing rocks at salmon, exceeding quotas reason for Shuswap River fishing ban
ENDERBY – A seasonal fishing ban on part of the Shuswap River near Enderby was…