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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

Man discovered under bridge was known to police

VERNON - Police say they are familiar with a man found dead beneath a Vernon bridge. "We know who he is, we have bumped into him numerous times in the last little while," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says, adding the man is 55-years-old. "I would label him as one of our marginal individuals, street type...

What can be learned from Vernon’s tragic care home homicide

VERNON - It's been nearly two weeks since a 95-year-old man with advanced dementia killed his roommate at a Vernon care home, and what have we learned? The incident has led to more questions than answers. How can a 95-year-old be carted off from a dementia ward to a jail cell? How can he be...

More drownings in Okanagan Lake than anywhere else in B.C.

OKANAGAN -  So far this year, Okanagan Lake has claimed more lives than any other body of water in the province, including the ocean. There have been four deaths in Okanagan Lake this summer, all of them men. One died while snorkeling, one after jumping off a houseboat, one after hitting a log boom, and...

RCMP warn to watch your stuff at IPE

ARMSTRONG - Following three thefts from vehicles Monday night in Armstrong, police are advising the public to take precautions with their belongings. The Interior Provincial Exhibition launches today, and will draw thousands through its gates. "With the IPE comes an influx of people, and (some) individuals prey on people who are having a good time,"...

Record breaking summer for B.C. Parks

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It was a record breaking summer for B.C. Parks with the highest ever amount of reservations made at provincial campsites. So far this year, 115,000 camping reservations have been made through Discover Camping, a 12 per cent increase over 2012. Campers had more destinations to choose from this year, including new campgrounds at...

Kal Lake nominated for greatest place in Canada

"YOU CAN BE IN IT, ON IT, OR AROUND IT, AND IT BRINGS YOU SUCH JOY" VERNON - With its azure blue waters cradled on either side by long mountain ranges, there's no question Kalamalka Lake is one of the most stunning places in the country. But is it the greatest? The online, vote-driven Great...

95-year-old dementia patient “presumed fit” to stand trial

VERNON - A 95-year-old Vernon man could spend his remaining days in a psychiatric ward awaiting a murder trial instead of in his room at a dementia care ward at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. John Furman made another appearance in court today and was sent to a psychiatric ward at Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre to determine...

95-year-old man charged with murder of roommate

VERNON - A 95-year-old man has been remanded in custody on a murder charge after allegedly assaulting his roommate in an extended care unit at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. John Furman made his first court appearance Monday. Furman and his 85-year-old roommate were both residents of a ward providing care to people whose dementia is complicated...

Mid-August opening targetted for Lake Country highway

LAKE COUNTRY - A touch of fresh paint, some new road signs and concrete barriers are the finishing touches standing between motorists and the new strip of highway running through Lake Country. Rampaul Dulay with the Ministry of Transportation says they're looking at a mid-August opening for the $78-million section of highway. "It's looking really...

Okanagan swimmers make a splash overseas

VERNON - Five Okanagan swimmers are overseas in Europe braving the English Channel. They call themselves the Okanagan Lake Monsters, and will be swimming the 35-kilometre route (45 kilometres in strong ocean currents) as a relay team. The team is made up of Mike Stamhuis (Canadian Masters record holder and chief administrative officer for District...

New practices taking root in the Okanagan

VERNON - Whether it's embracing a yellowed lawn, or landscaping with drought resistant plants, residents in the Okanagan Valley are finding ways to conserve water, time and money in their backyards this summer. For a passionate Vernon teen, it's about having pride in a yard not green but gold. Anna Anderson, 17, is encouraging residents...

Assessors gear up to photograph Thompson-Okanagan homes

VERNON - If you see a white van with a camera poking out the side of it driving around your neighbourhood in the next few weeks, chances are it's just B.C. Assessment making its rounds across the Thompson-Okanagan. As a way to speed up their visits to over two million homes across the province, B.C....

Dry July breaks hundred year record in Thompson-Okanagan

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - It was a dry July across the Thompson-Okanagan, but only two cities broke records. In Vernon, it was the driest July it's been in 114 years, with just 1.1 mm of rain. Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist says it beat the former record of 1.6 mm, which was in July of 2003.  The...

Thompson-Okanagan drownings contribute to province-wide spike

B.C. SEEING 47 PER CENT INCREASE OVER THIS TIME LAST YEAR THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Drownings across the province are up significantly this year over last year and the Thompson-Okanagan has been no different. At least ten people have drowned in the Thompson-Okanagan this year, contributing to the 44 drownings province-wide. By this date last year, that...

New Kalamalka Lake trail to connect Vernon with Lake Country

VERNON - The pieces are coming together for a multi-purpose path that would trace the shoreline of Kalamalka Lake all the way from Vernon to Lake Country. The Board of Directors for the Regional District of North Okanagan voted Wednesday to pay for the $250,000 to $350,000 trail through the Community Works Fund. The route...

Vernon woman arrested in Edmonton Krispy Kreme scam

EDMONTON - A 24-year-old Vernon woman has been arrested for running a fake charity operation in which she swiped credit card information from customers who thought they were donating money to relief efforts in southern Alberta. Shalayne Whitney Lewis made her first court appearance Monday, charged with four counts of fraud and possession of instruments...

Activist gears up for provincial marijuana petition

VERNON - It's not the referendum a B.C. marijuana activist is worried about, it's getting on the ballot. If they can do that, Dana Larsen says it will be smooth sailing towards the decriminalization of cannabis. "British Columbians are ready for this," he said today from Vernon's Bean Scene coffee house. "I think we've planned...

Will Christy stick around if she wins the byelection?

WHAT WILL THINGS LOOK LIKE IF THE PREMIER WINS TONIGHT, AND IF SHE LOSES? KELOWNA - Even when you're sure you're right, you could be wrong. That's what a UBCO political science professor learned from the last B.C. election. "Eight weeks ago I predicted a comfortable majority NDP win. Well, I was quite wrong," Wolf...

Rail closure affects Okanagan businesses

OKANAGAN - The shipment routines of several Okanagan businesses have been derailed following the bankruptcy of the Kelowna Pacific Railway, which went into receivership Friday. The KPR employed about 40 people in Vernon and transported about 16,000 rail cars of product annually. As trustee, John McEown, of Boale, Wood & Company Ltd. in Vancouver, will...

Fruit growers to demand action from premier tonight

VERNON - Fruit growers are putting the pressure on for a meeting with B.C.'s new agriculture minister. The president of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association, Jeet Dukhia, will be going straight to the premier herself tonight at an all-candidates forum in West Kelowna, asking her to make the meeting happen. Dukhia says the association has...