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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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The entrepreneur eyes a place under new marijuana regime
“WE’RE IN A POSITION, SAY, JACK DANIELS WAS IN A YEAR OR TWO BEFORE THEY LIFTED PROHIBITION” This is the last of a five-part series on changes in the marijuana industry. Lots of people have been waiting for Health Canada to finally come up with a workable plan for the medical marijuana industry going forward:...
A user’s tale: Marijuana for medicine, lifestyle
ONCE AGAIN UNDER THREAT OF JAIL This is the fourth of a five-part series on changes in the marijuana industry. Today, we look at medicinal marijuana users. There's little doubt that marijuana has its medical benefits and is a preferred treatment by many. But to prefer it, they had to try it and that's where...
Doctors the lynch-pin for marijuana access
DOCTORS FIND THE POSITION UNFAIR CONSIDERING LACK OF RESEARCH ON SUBJECT This is the second of a five-part series on changes in the marijuana industry. Yesterday, we looked at Health Canada's new rules. Now Health Canada lays the keys to a legitimate marijuana industry on the prescription pads of doctors. What's to stop a business...
Canada unveils another new era for medical marijuana
WHERE WE'RE GOING This is the first of a five-part series on changes in the marijuana industry. We begin with the new marching orders from Health Canada. The same government body that made marijuana growers legitimate will once again make them criminals. Today, a brief look at how we got here and where we're going....
Fruit growers trying to cope with hail, rain
OKANAGAN — It's been a bad week for fruit growers. Between hail and heavy rain, cherry and apple crops have suffered significant damage, translating to hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses for farmers. "We've had very bad luck," says Jeet Dukhia, B.C. Fruit Growers Association president. Cherries in the southern Okanagan become prone to...
RCMP arrest Okanagan cocaine dealers in Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops
OKANAGAN — Vernon North-Okanagan RCMP have concluded an investigation into a local drug trafficker associated with dealers in other parts of the Okanagan. Last Friday, members of the Vernon North-Okanagan detachment, working in conjunction with members of the Kelowna detachment drug section and street enforcement units, arrested three men for trafficking cocaine after the more...
Regional District of North Okanagan staff and politician wages revealed
NORTH OKANAGAN — According to financial reporting, 43 per cent of the $5.7 million payroll at the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) went to just 24 top managers and staff last year. Payroll was also up almost eight per cent last year, due in part to an accounting anomaly and a concerted effort by...
Cougar sightings on the rise
LUMBY — While impaired drivers cruise the roads in Lumby, cougars—the wild kind—have also been on the loose. On May 27 a rancher on Sigalet Road, north of Lumby, reported a cougar killing his sheep and subsequently being spotted just meters from his house. RCMP say cougar sightings are on the rise in the...
Lakeview, lush and littered with explosives in Vernon
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE— WHY A VANCOUVER DEVELOPER IS SUING CANADA OVER A PATCH OF WILDERNESS NESTLED IN VERNON, B.C. The developer thought he was buying 1,349 acres of prime real estate overlooking Kalamalka Lake. Instead, he inherited an unknown quantity of unexploded bombs, mortar shells and grenades left over from military training practices...
Westside crowned B.C.’s Worst Road
Another car accident spotlighted Westside Road's already rocky reputation this Sunday, just a day before voting closes on BCAA's Worst Roads survey. Despite upgrades on the notoriously dangerous road, Westside has risen from second worst on the top ten list to number one. For the third year in a row, BCAA is asking the public...
$3,000 outhouse shot to pieces in Bear Creek
Officials are ticked off by the vandalism of a $3,000 outhouse in the Bear Creek area off Westside Road. Local conservation officer Sgt. Josh Lockwood says the facility was discovered this spring, blasted by gun shots and clearly out of commission. "The facility was destroyed by someone shooting 30 rounds into the toilet," Lockwood says....
Polls a “complete failure”
After predicting a comfortable majority win for Adrian Dix and the NDP yesterday afternoon, UBCO political science professor Wolf Depner says his crystal ball has been shattered. "I'll be analyzing what happened and sweeping up the pieces in the coming days," Depner says. He's not alone. Across the province, pollsters had put the NDP well...
Thompson Okanagan ridings: The view from here
InfoTel News got in touch with Wolfgang Depner, a political scientist and doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia Okanagan today for his best guess on the outcome of tonight's provincial election. He says some ridings will stick to their norms, while others could be in for some big changes. Backing up a step,...
Fire conditions more severe than usual
Several zones in the Thompson-Okanagan are already perching on high fire danger ratings, putting the B.C. wildfire management branch on edge. Kayla Pepper, a fire information officer in Kamloops, says it's not a typical year. "We're definitely seeing above average conditions for this time of year," Pepper says, noting Kamloops, Penticton, Lillooet, and Salmon Arm...
Okanagan movie premiering Thursday night
The Okanagan movie industry is active, with one film premiering this week, and another to begin filming this spring. Landmark Cinemas Xtreme 8 is presenting the Kelowna premiere of Sepia Films' “A Mother’s Nightmare” on Thursday May 9, 2013 at 5 p.m. Admission is a non-perishable food item (or cash donation) for the Westside Community...
Daylight Savings a risky time
Turning the clock forward this Saturday night could have some dangerous side-effects. While many will…
Salmon Arm scandal dismissed by judge
A tangled web of love, deceit and retribution has been detailed and unraveled by a judge in Salmon Arm Supreme Court. The man at the centre of the case is Keith Chancellor, a realtor and operator of Century 21 in that city. He was charged with criminal harassment of his ex-wife and her lover and...
Open-season wolf hunt comes to Okanagan
Wolves have returned to the Okanagan and the B.C. government believes populations are resilient enough to sustain open season hunting. Wolves were extirpated from much of B.C. due to extreme efforts in the first half of the 20th century to exterminate them. Recognition of their role in balancing predator-prey systems has since encouraged policies to...