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Charlotte Helston

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 Twitter Facebook

  • Joined: January 01, 2023
  • Articles: 4097

Community group created to welcome refugees to the North Okanagan

VERNON - A group of community organizations, local residents and faith groups are coming together with a common vision — welcoming refugees and settling them in the North Okanagan. The recently created North Okanagan Refugee Committee is already mobilizing to bring international refugee families to the area. “It is important that refugees are welcomed, supported...

Jann Arden tour includes stops in Kamloops and the Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An award-winning Canadian singer will be making stops in two local cities this coming spring. Jann Arden is bringing her Almost Everything tour to the Vernon Performing Arts Centre on March 19 and the Sagebrush Theatre in Kamloops on March 21. Arden is a Canadian born singer, songwriter, broadcaster and author with eight...

Buying local, without leaving home, a popular choice for Okanagan holiday shoppers

OKANAGAN - It’s already well known that online shopping has taken over a large piece of the Christmas retail pie, but that doesn’t mean people are giving up on buying local to fill the stockings this Christmas. You don’t have to go out to a farmer’s market or holiday craft fair to buy local, you...

Man breaks into Vernon home, helps himself to a snack

VERNON - A local man accused of breaking into a woman’s home not only helped himself to her personal belongings — he also made himself something to eat. A local woman phoned 911 around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 16 after she found a strange man in her house, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. “He had...

A book about a booger by two Vernon women

VERNON - The Doubt Booger is going to make you forget all about those nagging little worries. Written by Beth McCarthy Marks and illustrated by Nadine Wilson, both of Vernon, the newly released children’s book is about the pesky effect of self-doubts. “Remember when you were small; those little worries that gnawed on you? You...

Hot weather, wildfires and changes in agriculture mean less Okanagan honey in the pot

OKANAGAN - An abnormally hot and dry summer appears to have had an unwelcome impact on Okanagan honey production. Helen Kennedy, who runs Arlo’s Honey Farm in Kelowna with her husband Rick Appel, says the season started off with an unusually early honey flow in May, likely due to above average spring temperatures. A productive...

HELSTON: The issue behind the issue of panhandling

The instinct to look straight ahead and avoid eye contact tends to kick in when we approach someone asking for cash on the street corner, but as Vernon tackles the touchy topic of panhandling, we can’t simply look away, and here’s why. Ever since a Vernon food truck vendor spoke out about being harassed by...

Trial postponed for Armstrong man facing animal cruelty charges

VERNON - The trial of a man accused of mistreating a large herd of horses in Armstrong has been postponed. Gary Roberts, 69, was scheduled to begin a three-day trial in Vernon Provincial Court Monday, Nov. 9 on charges of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, failing to provide necessities, and uttering threats...

Man injured in Vernon highway crash ticketed for bad driving

VERNON - A driver involved in an ugly highway accident in Vernon over the weekend was seen speeding and driving erratically leading up to the crash, police say. The 28-year-old Kelowna man was headed northbound on Highway 97 in a Honda Civic when witnesses saw him strike the median, drive through a red light, hit...

Do you know these people? Police recover stolen iPod loaded with thousands of photos

VERNON - Mounties are searching for the owners of an iPod containing one thing that’s irreplaceable in most thefts: photographs. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the iPod was seized during an arrest and is believed to have been stolen from the Greater Vernon area. “RCMP are in possession of the iPod, and would like to...

Vernon RCMP investigating more poppy donation thefts

VERNON - Police in Vernon are looking into new reports of stolen Remembrance Day poppy donations. The Vernon RCMP announced today, Nov. 9, an arrest had been made in connection with a Nov. 2 poppy donation theft at Bosley’s pet store, but Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says police are also investigating two other similar thefts. On Nov....

Vernon poppy donation thief arrested

VERNON - Police have arrested a Vernon man in connection with what they call a ‘despicable’ theft last week. Matthew Stadel, 29, was arrested Nov. 6 and charged with a series of thefts, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. Stadel is accused of stealing a jar of poppy donations from Bosley’s pet store on Nov. 2....

Harassed Vernon food truck vendor says enough is enough

VERNON - Vernon food truck vendor Dave Braybrook had to call the cops three times in one day this week — and now he's speaking out. The friendly Irishman and owner of the Sizzlin’ Shamrock hot dog stand says he’s had problems with transients disrupting business ever since he set up on the sidewalk at...

Happy twist to stolen poppy donations in Vernon

VERNON - Something good has come of an unfortunate crime earlier this week in Vernon. Bosley’s pet store manager Dawn Vipond says after news got out that someone stole a tray of poppy pins and donations from the shop, the community turned the tale around. “We’ve had a bunch of individuals come in just to donate,...

Silver Star in good shape for opening thanks to dump of snow

VERNON - Silver Star will open up trails for nordic skiing, fat biking and snowshoeing in a week thanks to plentiful snowfall on the mountain.  With a 29 centimetre dump of snow last weekend, groomers have been able to prepare a number of trails, the resort said in a media release. With more snowfall in...

Help for Malakwa truck stop workers left jobless after fire

MALAKWA - A fundraising initiative is underway to help support employees of the popular Skyline Truck Stop, which burned to the ground earlier this week in Malakwa. “Not only did we lose a place of employment, the only source of income for some families in a small community that has next to no jobs, but...

First snowflakes fall on Vernon and area

NORTH OKANAGAN - Fall colours are really popping against a contrast of white this morning around parts of the North Okanagan. There are reports that the first snow has fallen around areas of Vernon, Lumby and Cherryville today, Nov. 5. The Kamloops area is also getting its first taste of winter this morning. Environment Canada...

Devastating fire leaves big hole in Malakwa community

MALAKWA - Those who visited the Skyline Truck Stop in Malakwa always left with a full tank, and a full belly. The popular roadside gas station, machine shop and restaurant was a fixture in the rural Shuswap community for decades, and while a devastating fire wiped out the building earlier this week, it hasn’t erased...

Poppy donations stolen from one Vernon business, tip jar from a second

VERNON - Two local businesses are asking the public to keep an eye out after a man in a blue hoodie made off with poppy pin donations and a tip jar Monday evening. Bosley’s pet store manager Dawn Vipond noticed right away the poppy tray and donation jar was missing Tuesday when she came in...

Vernon father and son killed in tragic plane crash loved to soar

VERNON - A father and son from Vernon died doing something they both loved: going ‘wheels up’. Brad Chapman, 56, learned to fly in his 40s and passed that passion onto his oldest son, Florian, 26, who got his pilot’s license as a teenager. As key principals in the Chapman Group of Companies, flying offered...

Do you know the difference between color and colour? What about your kids?

VERNON - Raise your hand if you pronounce the last letter of the alphabet ‘zed’ instead of ‘zee.’ What about colour versus color — do you spell it the first way or the second? Do you refer to the road less travelled, with two l’s or the road less traveled with one? Do you recognize...

Employers in Kelowna, Sorrento fined for exposing workers to asbestos

OKANAGAN - WorkSafe B.C. has slapped two local employers with heavy fines for exposing workers to asbestos. The first, Kelowna’s Kone Inc., was handed a $15,000 penalty for potentially exposing its workers to harmful levels of asbestos. According to WorkSafe B.C., the company, which installs, maintains and repairs elevators and escalators, was first told to...

Rats don’t deserve to suffer horrible deaths: B.C. SPCA

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the topic of rats and how to deal with their rising numbers becomes a more common conversation in the Thompson-Okanagan, the SPCA is reminding the public even pests deserve to be treated humanely. Sara Dubois, the chief scientific officer for the B.C. SPCA, says many rat extermination practices are inhumane and potentially...