Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
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
Vernon recreation fees going up
VERNON - Residents will notice new prices when they pay for recreation services, but a Vernon councillor insists the fee increase is a reasonable one. The cost for rentals, programs and recreation services is going up 2.6 per cent this year. Coun. Catherine Lord says the increase is needed to cover rising operational costs. “It’s...
Vernon debuts new city brand: ‘Activate Life’
VERNON - McDonald’s has ‘I’m lovin’ it’, NIKE has ‘Just do it’ and now the City of Vernon is embracing the power of the slogan with the new tagline, ‘Activate Life.’ It’s part of a branding initiative to market and promote Vernon among locals and tourists alike. The new tagline replaces the former ‘Vernon Make...
Family with prohibited pet pig appeals to Vernon council
VERNON - This little piggy wants to stay home, but a little known Vernon bylaw stands in the way. In the hope of keeping their pet pig Felix, a local family is asking Vernon council for a variance to the Animal Regulation and Animal Pound Bylaw, which states swine cannot be kept within the city,...
Vernon mayor tight-lipped about Green Valley Motel evictions
VERNON - As tenants of the Green Valley Motel search for new homes after being served eviction notices last week, discussions about the property are going on behind closed doors at Vernon city hall. People living at the motel need to be gone in two months, and local agencies like the John Howard Society and...
Man and kids escape fire in Vernon garage
VERNON - A blaze that lit up the night sky over Swan Lake in Vernon Sunday night destroyed a garage and threatened a home on Old Kamloops Road. Firefighters were called out about 9 p.m. Sunday, June 22, BX-Swan Lake Fire Chief Bill Wacey says. A garage was destroyed in the fire, and an adjacent...
Six-year-old Shuswap student’s letter about friendship will melt your heart
SHUSWAP - Here is your dose of adorable for the day. Hillcrest Elementary School student Brody S. wants to create Friendship Day, and he’s looking for support from Salmon Arm City Hall, specifically the mayor herself. In what must have been the best letter the mayor received that day, six-year-old Brody S. outlines his vision...
Rentals in Vernon more expensive and harder to find, report suggests
VERNON - It’s a harsher market in Vernon for those looking to rent and a community outreach worker says it’s even worse than the statistics suggest. The vacancy rate of available rental units dropped to 3.4 per cent in April 2015, down from 4.1 per cent the same time last year, according to the Canada...
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....
Two fires in two days at Vernon’s Becker Park
VERNON - Vernon firefighters took swift action dealing with two separate fires in Becker Park over the last couple of days. Crews dispatched to a grass fire about 6 a.m., Thursday, June 11 in the park, located behind the Vernon Rec Centre. Deputy Fire Chief Jack Blair says firefighters quickly doused a 40 ft by...
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...
Friends determined to finish house for Vernon dad sidelined by cancer
VERNON - Efforts are underway to ensure that when a Vernon man returns from cancer treatment in Vancouver he’ll be coming home to a finished house. Homer Alexis started feeling ill about a month ago, but chalked the symptoms up to the flu. When he didn’t get better, his wife Denise drove him to Vernon...
Vehicle rolls over Vernon tow truck driver
VERNON - A Vernon tow truck driver was rushed to hospital Monday after his truck rolled over top of him. The Protow Towing employee was picking up a broken down car on Apex Drive in the Foothills around 12:30 p.m., June 8, when the accident happened, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. “He’d hooked it (car)...
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....
Gymnastics society stretching for more room in Vernon
VERNON - A local gymnastics society is hoping a partnership with the city will lead to a bigger, better centre for Vernon youth in the next few years. The North Valley Gymnastics Society was founded in 1993 and for a long time ran its programs out of the Beairsto Elementary School gym. In 2004, issues...
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...
Investigation into Vernon hit and run continues
VERNON - Police continue to investigate a hit and run which left a motorcyclist with serious injuries. The May 23 accident happened in the area of Okanagan Landing Road and Fulton Road when, according to a witness, a Silver Toyota Celica stopped in the middle of the street, causing a motorcyclist to crash into the...
Paving project set for Highway 6, Mabel Lake Road
LUMBY – Millions of provincial tax dollars will be spent on paving projects in parts of Lumby this summer. The province announced today close to 75 kilometres of roadway in the area will get repaved. Work is to start sometime in June on Highway 6 and Mabel Lake Road with the $8.9 million project expected...