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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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Charges pending against erratic Kelowna driver who side-swiped cars on route to Vernon
‘HE TOLD POLICE HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS BEING STOPPED’ VERNON - Charges of dangerous driving and possession of a controlled substance are being recommended against a Kelowna man who went on a wild drive from Lake Country to Vernon last week. The 38-year-old was arrested in downtown Vernon after making his way from...
Suspects uncooperative after Vernon shooting that had ‘potential for great tragedy’
VERNON - Police say two groups of people with ties to criminal activity were involved in an alleged shooting incident last week in Vernon. One group got away, and the other has been less than cooperative with investigators. According to Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy, neighbours called 911 last Wednesday, Sept. 23, to report shots fired at...
Man makes off with more than $50,000 in drive-thru ATM theft in Vernon
VERNON - Police are investigating after a man broke into a drive-thru ATM in Vernon and made off with tens of thousands of dollars. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the Interior Savings Credit Union drive-thru ATM building at 4301 32 St. was broken into just after 10 p.m. Sept. 24. “An unknown male gained entrance...
Experts frustrated in search for man presumed drowned in Kal Lake
VERNON - Another search has failed to turn up answers in the months-long search for Curtis Wilson, a Lethbridge man presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake. Wilson, 24, was last seen June 27 and a series of air, land and water searches have been unable to locate him. The friend he was with, Shane Letkeman, was...
Lumby company’s hemp-base doggie chews to hit shelves by end of month
VERNON - Dog lovers are lapping up a new hemp-based pet product made by a North Okanagan company. True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. launched its nutritional dog-chews, which contain hemp, at a pet industry trade show in Toronto Sept. 20, and CEO Darcy Bomford said pre-orders are already bounding in. “The last two weeks have...
Armstrong sets goal of bringing Syrian family out of crisis
ARMSTRONG - Efforts are underway to bring a Syrian refugee family to the North Okanagan. The initiative is still in the early stages, but organizer Ron Brinnen is hoping the community of Armstrong will get on board. “The goal is to sponsor a family of four children and their parents and have them settle in...
Hundreds of North Okanagan deer heads still needed for disease study
“WE HAVE A THREE YEAR LIMIT ON THE PROJECT AND WE STILL NEED OVER 200 SAMPLES” CHERRYVILLE - They might be off-putting to some, but to a group of government researchers, deer heads from the Cherryville area are the key to stopping a potential disease outbreak in its tracks. Analyzing the lymph nodes found in...
Mounties investigate shots fired in Vernon
VERNON - Vernon RCMP have launched an investigation after a report of shots being fired at a townhouse complex. RCMP Sgt. Dave Evans says in a media release police were called to a townhouse in the 1600-block of 43 Avenue Wednesday, Sept. 23 around 3:40 a.m. A preliminary investigation led police to believe a confrontation...
Vernon man reunited with VW beetle after 35 years
VERNON - A Vernon man’s spunky 1962 Volkswagen Beetle has found its way back home. It’s the car John Deak, a realtor with Century 21 in Vernon, learned to drive on back in 1980 in Williams Lake. His parents bought the bug from a neighbour for $900. At 16, Deak took his driving test in...
Two Vernon dogs escaped car crash, one still missing
VERNON - A Vernon woman is pleading with the public to keep an eye out for her dog after it jumped from a car following a crash and hasn’t been seen since. Tonya Olson says her boyfriend was driving with their two dogs, Rizza and Diego, on Sept. 21 when the vehicle spun out of...
Look back and laugh: A Vernon comedian retells all his humiliating tales
WHEN YOU'RE THE WORST HOCKEY PLAYER ON THE WORST HOCKEY TEAM YOU TURN TO COMEDY VERNON - Sam Mullins is wrapping up his North American comedy tour not only in his hometown, but on the stage where he saw his very first play — the Powerhouse Theatre in Vernon. “I must’ve been like seven or...
Watch flyboarders set a new record on Kalamalka Lake this week
'A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPARE IT TO SUPERHEROES LIKE IRON MAN, AND THAT’S HONESTLY WHAT IT’S LIKE. YOU FEEL ON TOP OF THE WORLD' VERNON - It’s a cutting edge water sport straight out of the Jetsons, and some of Canada’s top athletes are bringing their futuristic stunts to Kalamalka Lake this week. Team CanFly,...
Watch this North Okanagan apple grow; incredible one minute time lapse
VERNON - A Vernon orchard has captured the magic of an apple’s growth from blossom to fruit in a one minute video. Davison Orchards put a camera on a single Honeycrisp apple in March and watched it grow. You can see the incredible transformation in the time-lapse below. The video has already been shared 1,878...
While others walked away, you won’t believe who saved a Vernon pet shop from disaster
"THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULDN'T HAVE DONE WHAT HE DID" VERNON - If not for the heroic act of a homeless man, the owners of a Vernon pet store believe their business — and animals — would have been destroyed by fire. AJ’s Pets & Things owners Andrew Willmott and Lisa Badach caught the suspected arsonist...
Vernon’s Village Green Centre celebrates 40 years in the community
VERNON - After four decades the Vernon mall still offers something you can’t get with online shopping: a social, community atmosphere. Much has changed at the Village Green Centre since its grand opening Aug. 6, 1975. Now, friends can meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee before strolling through the automatic doors. You can...
Mystery continues for Vernon’s rash of arson cases, despite recent arrest
VERNON – A series of suspicious fires in Vernon is not being pinned on a…
Why drivers will want to be on their best behaviour this week on North Okanagan highways
NORTH OKANAGAN - Consider this your first warning to follow the rules of the road. Ignore it, and you might get into some trouble with the police over the next week in the North Okanagan. The RCMP is deploying officers from Vernon, West Kelowna, Sicamous, Revelstoke, Golden and the South Okanagan to patrol areas in...
HELSTON: Personal ads and the lengths people must go to find housing
SINGLE DAD LOOKING TO SETTLE DOWN: Seeking warmth. Security. Positive atmosphere. Must be okay with dogs, kid friendly. Preferably easy on the wallet — and the eyes. Clean and tidy a definite plus. No, it’s not a personal ad. It’s a wanted ad for housing — creatively embellished, though not unreasonable, as personals are —...
UPDATE: Vernon mayor responds to income tax charges
'EVERYTHING WILL BE CLEARED UP" VERNON - Vernon’s mayor is in trouble with the tax man. Mayor Akbal Singh Mund is charged with two counts of failure to comply with the Income Tax Act but he doesn't expect the action to go anywhere. “They’re looking for further paperwork. It’s not like I haven’t paid my...
Arrest made in Vernon pet store arson
VERNON - Police have charged a local man with arson in connection to a small fire outside AJ’s Pets & Things earlier this month. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says surveillance footage released by the store showed a man appearing to start the Sept. 6 fire. Police appealed to the public for help locating and identifying...
High bacteria levels prompt swimming advisory at Vernon’s Kal Beach
VERNON - That last swim of the summer might not feel so refreshing after you read this. An advisory is in effect recommending people not go swimming at Kal Beach due to high counts of E. coli in the water. Jennifer Jacobsen, a team leader for environmental health with the Interior Health Authority, says the...
Vernon men charged with murder return to court
VERNON - A pair of local men accused in the murder of 42-year-old Jason Hardy were in Vernon Provincial Court again this week. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, and Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, both face second degree murder charges in relation to Hardy’s death. A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy, whose name is protected under...
What the Vernon airport is today and what it could be 20 years from now
VERNON - Seated on a flat landing below orchard-brushed hillsides on the west side of town, the Vernon airport is a little known nook of activity where corporate jets offload business people, ambulances airlift patients to hospital and adrenaline-hunters enjoy the rush of a freefall. It’s small enough that curious onlookers might be treated to...
Vernon judge ruffles feathers by refusing to sentence alleged fraudster
"I CAN’T BE THROWING PEOPLE IN JAIL WHO SAY ‘I DIDN’T DO IT’" VERNON - A bit of courthouse drama unfolded at the Vernon Law Courts Monday when a judge refused to sentence an accused fraudster on charges she wouldn’t admit to committing. Desiree Dorothy Pelletier is charged with forgery, theft of $5,000 or under...