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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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Why Silver Star Mountain won’t have Canadian Ski Patrollers this winter
VERNON - The volunteer agency that has been providing ski patrol service at Silver Star Mountain for the past 16 years will no longer be looking out for people on the hill. The resort is transitioning to a new service model that will replace volunteers from the Canadian Ski Patrol by adding four full-time, paid ski...
SNELSON TRIAL: Lawyers present final arguments in manslaughter trial
KAMLOOPS - Motive, opportunity and his own lies all point to Neil George Snelson as the person who strangled and beat 19-year-old Jennifer Cusworth to death over 20 years ago in Kelowna, court heard from the Crown during final arguments today, June 15. Cusworth, an Okanagan Community College student was found in a ditch on...
Vernon woman feels unsafe and fed up after repeated thefts from her car
“MY SENSE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY, THAT’S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING THEY’VE TAKEN” VERNON - Pocket change, sunglasses, and credit cards are among the items stolen from Rhian Harrison’s car, but the Vernon resident says the biggest thing she’s lost over a series of thefts is her sense of safety and security. Since February, shortly...
Here’s what a Vernon man said to Christy Clark about invasive mussels
“IS B.C. NOT WORTH IT TO YOU?” THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A frustrated Vernon man has sent an open letter to Premier Christy Clark about invasive mussels, and he didn’t hold back. Brynne Morrice, a filmmaker who recently debuted a short documentary about the imminent threat of zebra and quagga mussels, is calling on the province to...
Vernon city council prepares decades ahead for future highway bypass
VERNON - It wouldn’t be built, or required, for another 25 to 65 years, but Vernon council is starting to plan for a potential bypass around the city. It’s been talked about for years, but today’s council is taking a firm stance on the need to start planning, and protecting a corridor for it, now....
HELSTON: Not everyone is motivated by money, and we’re all better for it
You’ve probably heard your grandpa say it in a nostalgic tone: ‘Land: They’re not making much of it anymore.’ You only have to look at this Google image time lapse from 1984 to 2012 to see how much green space in Vernon has been lost in the last 30 years alone. Sure, people need houses...
One homeless man’s long road to finding affordable housing in Vernon
“I HAD TO ASK FOR HELP. IT WAS EITHER THAT, OR I’D STILL BE HOMELESS” VERNON - For the last 10 years, Roy You has lived on and off the streets. He travelled far from the Splatsin First Nation reserve where he grew up, searching for work in different places, never staying long. Many nights...
Vernon man leaves legacy atop his beloved Middleton Mountain
VERNON - Many associate Middleton Mountain with the large housing subdivision that encircles it, but if you climb to the very top, you’ll find 90 acres of protected reserve land and one of the most spectacular panoramic views of Vernon. While developers were picking up land around Middleton Mountain around the 1980s, Roy Farnsworth, who...
Attack leaves Vernon woman fearful of returning to dog park
VERNON - A Vernon woman will think twice before visiting a dog park after her four-pound Yorkshire terrier died after being attacked at the DND grounds last month. Cassandra Malinosky took her five-year-old dog Jemma almost everywhere with her, including work, and always kept a watchful eye over her, particularly because she was so tiny....
Emergency crews respond to incident at Kelowna airport
KELOWNA - Emergency crews responded to an incident involving a small plane Monday afternoon at the Kelowna airport. The pilot of a private, two-seater aircraft experienced issues while on takeoff and veered off the runway, airport spokesperson Jenelle Hynes says in a release. The runway was closed for approximately 40 minutes causing delays for two...
Record-setting heat sweeps the Okanagan
OKANAGAN - Hot weather records were broken across the Okanagan Monday. Vernon shattered a 67-year record (32.2 Celsius in 1948) when the mercury blasted up to 32.6 C by 4 p.m. on Monday, June 8. Penticton obliterated a 2003 record of 32.5 C as temperatures hit a whopping 36 C. Meanwhile, Kelowna appears to be...
Okanagan men accused of trafficking marijuana hidden inside logs ordered extradited to the U.S.
NORTH OKANAGAN - A group of eight men accused in a cross-border drug smuggling operation in which marijuana was trucked to California in hollowed out logs have been ordered extradited to the U.S. A Supreme Court Judge has ordered Shane Donald Fraser, Todd Ian Ferguson, Daniel James Joinson, Darrell Romano, Robert Romano, Ivan Djuracic, Aaron...
NHL players to attend event at Vernon’s Kal Beach this summer
VERNON - Hockey fans have an exciting event to look forward to this summer in Vernon. The city announced today the National Hockey League Players’ Association will be participating in a community event and hospital fundraiser at Kalamalka Beach Friday, July 10. The family-friendly celebration will feature a significant donation of hockey equipment made by...
Creative Chaos craft fair underway
VERNON - A giant Vernon craft show is celebrating 40 years of bringing creative chaos to the North Okanagan. Creative Chaos, a three day craft show and sale held at the Vernon Recreation Centre, will present its 40th annual exhibit starting Friday, June 5. Every year, the craft fair takes over the Vernon Rec Centre,...
New Okanagan disc golf course lands in Vernon
VERNON - You’ve got your putting and your driving Frisbees, your heavy ones and your sleek, thin ones, and now fans of the popular sport of disc golf — and curious newcomers — will have a scenic, and best of all, free, course in Vernon to fling them on. It’s all happening on a city-owned...
The beetle is gone, now the hard work begins
WILDFIRES, JOB LOSSES, JEOPARDIZED WATERSHEDS THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - For the most part the small, yet devastating, mountain pine beetle has disappeared from the landscape of the Southern Interior, but the aftermath of its work will be felt for many years to come. The mountain pine beetle epidemic that crawled into B.C. in 2000 is recognized as...
Vernon woman shows what Lyme disease really looks like
VERNON - A young Vernon woman battling Lyme disease hopes you’ll share her story. It couldn’t have been easy to tell, and it’s not always easy to watch, but 21-year-old Amy Soranno’s two-year story of pain and unanswered questions is now laid out in a documentary called Amy’s Complex Case. The video, which can be...
Aggressive cow killed Cherryville farmhand with deadly head butt
CHERRYVILLE - The death of a Yellowknife man who was attacked by an aggressive cow last summer was an accident, says the B.C. Coroners Service. Allen Donald Powder, 49, was moving cows from one corral to another at a farm in Cherryville on July 1. He’d worked for the farm owner’s company about 17 years...
Vernon RCMP use creative tactic to send message about distracted driving
VERNON - Police in Vernon tested drivers with an unusual distracted driving campaign Monday afternoon involving a cardboard sign that read: ‘I am not homeless.’ If you kept reading, you’d see the sign went on to say, ‘RCMPolice looking for seatbelt/cell phones.’ RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says in a media release the sign was part...
Vernon man falls off boat after losing balance and hits propeller
VERNON - Police are looking into what role alcohol may have played in a weekend boating accident which left a Vernon man badly injured — and they’re not investigating the driver of the boat. Police believe a 21-year-old Vernon man who fell off the bow of a boat and struck the propeller might have been...
Vernon boat blaze one of many suspicious fires
VERNON – As police continue to investigate a rash of unsolved arsons from last summer,…
Armstrong couple’s Instagram photos will make your jaw drop
ARMSTRONG - We guarantee you’ll be reaching for your hiking boots — and maybe your passport — after scrolling through this Armstrong couple’s Instagram photos. Kam Phung and Nanae Hoshi, from the small North Okanagan town of Armstrong, have been documenting their travels and outdoor adventures with a series of stunning Instagram photos from around...
Vernon teen and dad share words of warning after ‘creepy’ Facebook friend request
VERNON - The name on the Facebook friend request was an unfamiliar one, and this particular Vernon teen might have ignored it, except for the mutual friend they had in common. A tap on her cell phone and just like that, they became friends. It wasn’t until she got home and checked her messages that...
Blood found outside Vernon school connected to stabbing incident
SUSPECT ARRESTED VERNON - Police have determined the blood found outside Ellison Elementary School in Vernon is connected to a stabbing incident. Officers had a portion of Fulton Road and Okanagan Landing Road outside the school cordoned off on Wednesday, May 28 while they investigated the scene and collected evidence. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said a man...