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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

Splatsin First Nation launches lawsuit against B.C. government

ENDERBY - A local First Nation has filed a lawsuit against the B.C. government accusing it of ignoring the band's jurisdiction over the welfare of its children.  The Splatsin First Nation in Enderby served the province a notice of claim during a rally outside Premier Christy Clark’s constituency office in Kelowna Tuesday, Oct. 13. The...

Cattle poaching problem continues in the North Okanagan

VERNON - Another cow was found killed and left to rot over the weekend. It was found Saturday, Oct. 10, on the Aberdeen Forest Service Road in Lavington. The cow appeared to have been shot, but no meat was taken. It’s the fourth cow to be found dead on range land leased by the Coldstream...

Vernon man says saving a life opened his eyes

VERNON - Ryan Winkler says he was just the guy who happened to drive by on that particular morning; police call him a life saver. Winkler, 36, was on his way to work around 4 a.m. when he saw a truck parked on the side of North Westside Road. The windows were taped up, the...

Construction sign heist hits North Okanagan highway

LUMBY - Police are scratching their heads after numerous traffic signs went missing from a highway construction project in the North Okanagan. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says Controlling Traffic Limited has reported roughly 30 signs stolen from an area on Highway 6 between Lumby and Lavington where paving work is being done. The signs, which...

HELSTON: The message sent by election sign vandals

You could call them a sign of the times: Every election, campaign placards shoot up in droves, and every election, some end up torn, stolen or used as a canvas for budding artists who specialize in moustaches and male genitalia. Even though it’s an expected hallmark of election season, it still gets to me. It’s...

Salmon Arm mom pulls son from school after learning he was placed in locked room

SALMON ARM - A Salmon Arm mother is still in shock after finding out her seven-year-old son was being locked in a room at school as part of a behaviour management plan she knew nothing about. Jackie Graham found out about the practice when the principal of South Broadview Elementary School in Salmon Arm called...

Ranch offers reward for information about cow poaching in the North Okanagan

VERNON - Poachers are shooting cattle in the North Okanagan and either taking the meat, or leaving the animals for dead. Pete Wise, a wildlife control specialist in Vernon, says at least three cows have been shot since September on range land leased by the Coldstream Ranch. “Somebody is intentionally targeting them,” Wise says. In...

Convicted Vernon drug smuggler still trying to smuggle drugs in prison: Warden

VERNON - A Vernon man currently serving time for running a massive drug trafficking operation has been denied a request to be moved into minimum security. Brock Palfrey was sentenced to almost 17 years in prison for trafficking cocaine and ecstasy. He and two co-conspirators, also from the Vernon area, were arrested with $200 million...

The 14-year-old Vernon boy charged with murder has been released

VERNON - A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy charged with murder is out of jail — at least for the time being. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Act, was released on bail Sept. 22. Details such as what the bail is set at, and the conditions of his release, were not made...

Vernon arsonist sent to jail for lighting townhouse on fire while roommate slept

VERNON - A Vernon man who flicked a cigarette onto a bedroom mattress while his roommate was asleep in another room admitted the act was ‘effing stupid.’ Brandon Joshua Milligan Boyce, 20, turned himself in the same day of the townhouse fire on July 17, 2014. The blaze resulted in over $137,000 in damages to...

Guilty verdict for dangerous driver who hit Vernon firefighter with truck

VERNON - A man has been found guilty of hitting a North Okanagan firefighter with his truck. Ian Douglas Burns, 28, was convicted of dangerous driving causing bodily harm in connection with the June 26, 2013 incident this week in Vernon Provincial Court. The victim, Stephan Hidasi, a firefighter with the BX/Swan Lake Fire Department,...

When one of the best places to eat in town is the hospital

VERNON - Like airline fare, hospital food has a certain stereotype associated with it, but in Vernon and across the Interior, those perceptions are changing one home-cooked meal at a time. The meatloaf, for example, is just like mom used to make it, says Interior Health Authority food production manager Ron Eichberger of his favourite...

Police in Vernon investigate another incident involving gunshots

COLDSTREAM - Mounties are investigating a confrontation in Coldstream which allegedly led to gunshots being fired in a front yard. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says police were called out to a barn in the 6400-block of Highway 6 in Coldstream about 1:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 3 for a report of multiple shots fired in a...

Vernon RCMP looking for individual who was in Polson Park night of alleged murder

VERNON - Investigators believe there was someone else in Polson Park the night of an alleged murder, and they’re hoping that person will come forward. Police issued a statement earlier this week asking for additional witnesses in the Jason Hardy murder investigation, but RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says it appears investigators are looking for one person in...

Vernon CrossFit rallies around Kelowna athlete injured in accident

VERNON - Those who CrossFit together, stick together — that much is clear from the heartfelt efforts of a Vernon gym to support one of their own who was seriously injured in a recent workplace accident. Cole Bernier, 23, was crushed under some roof trusses while working at a construction site in West Kelowna on...

Things to do in the Okanagan before they close for the season

VERNON - So much to do, so little time. Mere weeks remain before a number of Okanagan attractions close down for the season — and that means you’ve got to get moving, or wait until next year. The Kalavida Surf Shop in Vernon closes its doors for the season on Oct. 4, although special arrangements...

Woman reunited with Diego the dog more than a week after Vernon car accident

VERNON - He’s hungry, dehydrated, and a bit scratched up, but Diego is home. The five-year-old Chihuahua went missing Sept. 21 after jumping out a window during a car accident in Vernon. His owner, Tonya Olson, spent the last nine days desperately searching for him, holding out hope that he was alive. On Wednesday, Sept....

Vernon business frustrated as robbers walk free

VERNON - A Vernon business owner is fed up after two robberies at their store in the last year, and no arrests. Aman Sudan and her husband bought the local Mac’s Convenience Store franchise on 27 Street about a year ago. Since that time they’ve been robbed twice; the first time in January 2015 when...