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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.
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Vernon man handed jail term for child porn offence
VERNON - A Vernon man has been sent to prison after getting caught possessing child pornography. A Vernon provincial court judge sentenced Karl David Lawrence to nine months in jail for the offence, longer than the four to six months requested by Crown counsel during sentencing. Police began investigating Lawrence in March 2014 when suspected...
Feds shell out $11 million over Vernon property possibly hiding explosives
VERNON - The federal government paid out an $11-million settlement to a B.C. developer who sued after discovering a property purchased in Vernon could be littered with an unknown quantity of unexploded bombs, mortar shells and grenades. Vancouver-based K&L Land Partnership sued the government in 2013 over the 1,349 acre property overlooking Kalamalka Lake. Its...
Local politician launches petition to give RCMP auxiliary officers a tax break
VERNON - A Vernon city councillor is petitioning the federal government to get a tax credit for auxiliary police officers. The petition is posted on the Parliament of Canada website, and calls upon the government to extend the same credit to auxiliary constables — unarmed, unpaid, uniformed RCMP volunteers — as it does to certain...
Shuswap firefighters miss Christmas dinner to fight fire
SHUSWAP - While most were sitting down to dinner on Christmas Day, 29 firefighters left their loved ones to battle a devastating house fire in the Shuswap. The call came in just after 6 p.m. Dec. 25, and saw firefighters from four different departments rush to the scene, regional fire chief Kenn Mount says. On...
HELSTON: Why we’re waiting around at the courthouse
Reporters, lawyers, and no doubt court staff were on the edge of their seats earlier this week in Vernon awaiting not a landmark ruling from the judge, but a verdict on whether there was even enough time to hold the sentence hearing at all. It was already the third time the case was up for...
Shuswap Lake property one of many phoney real estate scams that landed this man behind bars
SHUSWAP - Two people trying to buy a cottage on Shuswap Lake last year thought they were getting a great deal when the owner offered to drop his price in half if they could pay in cash and quickly. They delivered and while they waited and grew increasingly suspicious, they searched the owner's name through...
Vernon RCMP on the lookout for wanted man
VERNON - Police are asking you to keep an eye out for a wanted man. A warrant for theft of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen property relating to a Dec. 17 incident in Vernon was issued Dec. 18 for Dale Christopher Babiy, 22. Babiy is described as Caucasian, and 5’4” tall, 150 lbs,...
Vernon RCMP seek rightful owner of professional photography equipment
VERNON - A box of photography equipment is the latest in a string of items the Vernon RCMP is hoping to reunite with its rightful owner. Vernon RCMP recovered a black plastic box of professional style photography equipment on Jan. 5, 2016, Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy said. The equipment is believed to have been stolen. ...
Vernon RCMP want to know if you can identify this man
VERNON - Police in Vernon want to know if you recognize a man caught on video surveillance. On Dec. 18, a trailer and Polaris ATV were stolen from the 5300 block of 27th Avenue in Vernon, Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says in a release. They were later recovered in the 5500 block of Willow Place in Vernon....
Robbery at Vernon dispensary nothing unusual — for any business: Pot activist
VERNON - Medical marijuana dispensaries in Vernon were warned about police raids, but an armed robbery got one of them first. Police said three men robbed Black Crow Herbal Dispensary on 48 Avenue at gunpoint the evening of Dec. 30, making off with cash and marijuana products. The robbery comes on the heels of an...
Vernon man claiming ‘addiction’ to child porn facing jail for possession
VERNON - A Vernon man will be handed a mandatory minimum of three months in jail, and possibly more, after getting caught with child pornography. Police began investigating Karl David Lawrence after an RCMP monitoring tool picked up suspected child pornography activity on his IP address in March 2014, Crown counsel Cristina Cabulea said during...
Salmon Arm RCMP warn of bad driving conditions
SALMON ARM – Several close calls on slippery roads have prompted a warning for the…
Why your condo neighbours might not be allowed to smoke on their own balconies
SALMON ARM - There are strict rules in today’s world about where you can smoke and where you can’t, but as a Salmon Arm man found out through a lengthy legal battle with his strata council, there are some grey areas. Walter Peter Andrushko moved into a Salmon Arm condo for residents aged 55 and...
Report of person falling into Swan Lake turns out to not be a person at all
VERNON - There was some commotion on Swan Lake Tuesday afternoon after reports that someone may have fallen through the ice. As it turns out, it was probably just a wild animal. Leigh Pearson with Vernon Search and Rescue says they found the hole in the ice and discovered animal tracks, but no human footprints....
Vernon mom says break-in happened while daughters were home alone
VERNON – A local mother says her daughers were home alone when someone broke into…
Vernon RCMP issue road warning after numerous accidents
VERNON - Drivers are being warned to take it slow on local roads today. Persistent snowfall today, Jan. 4, is creating slippery conditions on Vernon roads and highways. The slick conditions have prompted a police warning to take extra precautions to avoid a crash. “There have been numerous accidents on Highway 97 from the Crystal...
Woman jumps from moving vehicle in attempt to evade Vernon police officer
VERNON - A woman with several outstanding warrants made a dramatic, yet unsuccessful, attempt to flee from police in Vernon. An officer patrolling the area of 30 Avenue noticed a white Chevrolet truck speeding around 3 a.m. Dec. 31 and attempted to pull over the driver. Instead of stopping, the driver fled south on 35...
2015 TOP STORIES: Cute, fuzzy, and far out animal stories from around the Southern Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – From the cute, to the sad, to the downright weird, 2015 definitely had…
2015 TOP STORIES: Deaths, and near-drownings, on local waterways
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – It was a deadly year on the region’s waterways, from houseboat-related deaths to…
The Associated Press names ‘Star Wars’ top entertainer of 2015, beating Amy Schumer and Adele
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – "Star Wars" isn't just strong. It's unstoppable.
Blockbuster films propel US, Canadian box office to a record $11B in 2015
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – It's been a record-breaking, $11 billion year at the movies.
Travel in 2016: Rio, 500 years of pure German beer, 100th Indy 500 and Christo’s walk on water
Rio and Cuba. The Pope's Year of Mercy and artist Christo's walk on water. Philadelphia, Cleveland and the next U.S. president. Super Bowl in California and the Indy 500 at 100. A centennial for America's National Park Service, 400 years since Shakespeare died and 500 years of pure German beer.
Submerged, frozen and, yes, probably covered by insurance
VERNON - It’s been cool and snowy in the Okanagan lately, but not cold enough to stop a truck from plunging through the ice on Swan Lake in Vernon. The lake is a popular ice-fishing destination, and it’s not uncommon to see vehicles out on the ice during the winter. But as one driver found...
Vernon man trying to reunite mysterious keepsake box with rightful owners over the holidays
VERNON - Finding an old box of postcards, pictures and other keepsakes in the basement of a Vernon business years ago was like a blast from the past, says Jack Elliman. But not a blast from his own past; from someone named Lorna Rothwell Thompson’s past. Elliman doesn’t know who she is, but he’s trying...