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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

Local bands seek musical peak in B.C. contest

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two bands from the Thompson-Okanagan are in the running for the musical opportunity of a lifetime. This year’s chosen dozen for the Peak Performance Project include Vernon-based artist Windmills, and Kamloops-based Van Damsel, the only musicians from the B.C. Interior. The rest of the Top 12 are dominated by artists in the Lower Mainland...

Lucky lottery trend in the North Okanagan continues with yet another winner

COLDSTREAM – The North Okanagan appears to be on a lucky streak with three winning lottery tickets bought in the region in the last two months. The area has been on a roll since April 1, when a Vernon couple won $5.8 million. The trend continued when an Enderby woman went home with $1 million,...

Traffic halted on Highway 6 for air ambulance landing

VERNON - Highway 6 was shut down and used as a landing strip for B.C. Air Ambulance over the weekend. The aircraft was picking up a 60-year-old man from Edmonton who hit a deer while riding his BMW bike along Highway 6 near Angel Falls (close to the Needles Ferry) around 3:10 p.m. Saturday, May...

Vernon RCMP seek witnesses in weekend hit and run

VERNON - Police are appealing to the public for information about a hit and run that left a motorcyclist seriously injured. The accident happened around 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, at Okanagan Landing Road and Fulton Road, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. According to a witness, a silver Toyota Celica appeared to stop in...

Okanagan Landing Elementary on lockdown after body found in schoolyard

VERNON - Okanagan Landing Elementary School was in lockdown Monday morning after a body was found in the schoolyard. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a man’s body was found by some children shortly before school started Monday, May 25. The incident has been deemed a suicide and the B.C. Coroners Service is involved. Molendyk says...

Why Vernon won’t have fireworks at this year’s Canada Day celebration

CITY DOESN'T PUT ON THE SHOW, BUT IT MANAGED TO PUT IT OUT VERNON - A time-honoured tradition won’t be on the lineup of events for Canada Day in Vernon this year due to a shift in the event’s organizational structure. Normally, Vernon resident Terry Schmauder would lead preparations for the Canada Day fireworks show,...

Numerous snake scares in the Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Snake encounters have shaken up a number of Okanagan residents in the last few days — including one in an apartment building — and a wildlife control expert says in many cases, it has to do with the weather. Pete Wise runs a wildlife control service based in Vernon and says he’s had...

Proposed regulations could see motorized boats disappear from the Shuswap River

SHUSWAP - Proposed regulations could mean the end for motorized boats on much of the Shuswap River.  The reasoning behind the proposal is environmental degradation and the safety of other river users, such as tubers, swimmers and kayakers, says the North Okanagan Regional District’s sustainability coordinator Anna Page.  The proposed regulations would ban motorized boats...

‘Two full open cans of beer (dropped) at the officer’s feet’

HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING TO DRINK SINCE LAST NIGHT, OFFICER LUMBY - It was more a question of what laws a Lumby man wasn't breaking when he was pulled over on Victoria Day.  A cop parked at the Lumby RCMP detachment noticed him drive by without a seat belt on and using his cell phone on...

Vernon dog team nabs neighbourhood thief

VERNON - A man accused of stealing from peoples’ boats, cars and garages was stopped in his tracks by the Vernon RCMP’s dog unit over the long weekend. Police received a report of a suspicious man going through cars and yards in the Cranberry Lane area of Middleton Mountain Monday, May 18. One caller reported...

Distress call leads police, Vernon Search and Rescue to mountains outside Lumby

LUMBY - A pair of injured men were lucky to have a well-prepared outdoorsman come along after they crashed their ATV in a remote area outside Lumby. The men were riding a two-person, side-by-side ATV on a forest service road near Squaw Valley Road outside Lumby on Sunday, May 17, when they hit a rut...

Armstrong man’s story “did not ring true” in sexual assault trial: Judge

ARMSTRONG - What began as a cordial conversation between two strangers hiding out from the rain at an Armstrong church took a sinister turn when the man pinned the woman against a wall, sexually assaulted her, and threatened to strangle her if she resisted. The woman, in her early 20s, was scared and hesitant at...

Feral cats of the North Okanagan: “Somebody has to help them”

VERNON - There’s Blackie, and Boots, Tigger One and Tigger Two, and of course Mr. White, a Siamese whose ears are wrinkled by frostbite. They, and the other dozen or so cats make up the band of misfits, just some of the tens of thousands of feral cats in the North Okanagan. They have it...

Your low-down on the May long weekend weather

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Environment Canada is calling for some pretty spectacular weather this May long weekend. Across the Thompson-Okanagan there will be sunny skies for much of the weekend, with highs getting up to 26 Celcius. Those in Vernon can expect sunshine and a high of 26 C on Saturday, followed by a reprieve from the...

What you should know about this delicious, and potentially poisonous, local delicacy

VERNON - You might have seen the bright, vibrantly green curlicues in classified ads or at the local grocery store recently and wondered what they are and where they come from. They’re called fiddleheads, and they’re found around the world, including the Thompson-Okanagan, for a few short weeks every spring. Those who have tried the...

Lumby man sanctioned by B.C. Securities Commission

LUMBY - A Lumby man who tried — and ultimately failed — to get away with circumventing B.C. securities laws won’t be working anywhere near them for years. In 2006, Donald Gordon Byrne, a self-employed technician from Lumby, partnered up with friend and former business associate Robert Scott Morrice, according to a B.C. Securities Commission...

UPDATE: Legion president injured in Highway 97 crash

KELOWNA – A car crash on Highway 97 near Old Vernon Road in Kelowna this morning seriously injured three people, including two members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Branch 26 president Syd Pratt and member Frank Truman were on their way to a Flag Day event at the Lakeview Memorial Cemetery, Lynda Wachter the Legion's manager...

Celebrate motherhood with a replica of that bodacious belly

ENDERBY - Being a mom all starts with nine months of carrying a small, growing human being inside of you, so what better way to celebrate the special, transformative time than with a personalized belly cast? The keepsakes are all the rage and Enderby artist Marli Luff has expecting mother’s in the Okanagan area covered...

Move over wine, there’s a new Okanagan drink and it’s more popular than ever

OKANAGAN - There’s more for the thirsty soul in the Okanagan Valley than just wine, and locally-made cider is here to prove it. A number of cideries have blossomed in the Okanagan over the last few years, including the family-run BX Press in Vernon. Owners Dave and Melissa Dobernigg opened their craft cider house last...

Paving work will impact traffic on Highway 97

VERNON - There will be delays on Highway 97 over the next month as repaving work gets underway. The project is for roughly 30 km of highway resurfacing between Old Vernon Road and Bailey Road. A five kilometer section on Highway 33 from Beaverdell Dump Road to Beaverdell will also be included The $3.8 million...