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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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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...
Mud bogging, hill climbs jeopardize North Okanagan water security
VERNON - Efforts are being stepped up to educate and enforce when it comes to the rules of the road in and around Vernon’s drinking water reservoirs. An increasing number of off-road vehicles in areas like the Aberdeen plateau are causing concerns for water quality, and security, says regional district Water Quality Manager Renee Clark....
Precautions taken after confirmed Norovirus case at Vernon school
VERNON - The Vernon School District is taking precautions after a child was diagnosed with Norovirus earleir this week. Superintendent of School District 22 Joe Rogers says a single case of the virus was confirmed Wednesday, May 13, at Ellison Elementary School, prompting a precautionary response. “When we have a potential outbreak, once we have...
Police ticket driver after electric wheelchair accident
VERNON - A person driving a motorized wheelchair was sent to hospital Thursday after being hit by a car. Const. Daniel Gow says an investigation revealed the car was reversing out of an alleyway onto 30 Street, near A&W, and struck the electric wheelchair, May 14. The person on the wheelchair suffered minor injuries and...
Emergency personnel respond to traffic accident on Highway 97 in Vernon
VERNON - Emergency crews responded to a collision involving a truck and a motorcycle on a busy Vernon road Friday morning. Witnesses say the accident happened at the bottom of Hospital Hill on Highway 97 in Vernon and a person was seen lying in the roadway. Vernon RCMP confirm there had been an accident between...
HELSTON: Improving Stickle Road needs to be a two-way street
Anyone who’s waited five minutes to make a risky, left-hand break for it off Stickle Road onto Highway 97 towards Vernon knows something needs to change before someone gets killed. Agreeing there’s a problem is the easy part. Finding a solution is where the road rage sets in. Right now, we’ve got the Ministry of...
Coldstream woman killed in tragic boating accident was an avid water skier: Coroner
CHERRYVILLE - A woman who died in a water skiing accident last summer was killed by a cervical spine fracture sustained when she struck the water face down, says a B.C. Coroner who has ruled her death accidental. Brenda Lee Anne Roine, 46, was boating on Sugar Lake near Cherryville on the Canada Day long...
North Okanagan-Shuswap budget cuts ‘gut-wrenching’
NORTH OKANAGAN - Literacy programs, grief counselling and class sizes are all taking a hit next year in what the North Okanagan-Shuswap school board chair calls some ‘gut-wrenching’ decisions to balance next year’s budget. The school board approved two pages of reductions totalling $1.7 million at its board meeting Tuesday, May 12. "We have tried...
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...
Vernon vet clinic goes beyond the call of duty to help animals in need
VERNON - The Creekside Animal Clinic in Vernon has been giving back to the community almost as long as it’s been operating — which is getting close to 30 years now. Founding partner Dr. Murray Flock says it’s just the clinic’s culture to have a charitable side, and at Creekside, that means emergency surgeries for...
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...
Shuswap school closure decision difficult for school district
SALMON ARM - The closure of a rural Salmon Arm elementary school has been avoided, at least for one more year. Faced with the decision of whether or not to close Silver Creek Elementary a majority of trustees voted to keep the school open for another year while exploring the feasibility of introducing a Montessori...
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...
Why Vernon has issued far fewer boil water advisories recently
VERNON - Vernon residents have likely been noticing fewer boil water notices, but what they might not be aware of is that their water was switched to a different source many times over the last five years. Greater Vernon Water has changed how it responds to poor water quality events, and that means customers see...
UPDATE: Medical patient located thanks to public tip
UPDATE 10 A.M., MAY 13, 2015 In a media release issued May 13, Vernon RCMP say Robert Parker has been located safe and sound following a tip from the public. 5:05 P.M., MAY 12, 2015 VERNON - Police are asking for the public’s aid in locating a missing man. Robert Parker, 58, left a medical...
Driver ticketed after setting off three vehicle accident at Vernon intersection
VERNON - A driver has been ticketed for setting off a chain of events involving three vehicles the afternoon of Tuesday, May 12. The crash happened around 3 p.m. at Highway 6 and 15 Street and sent two children to hospital. Police spoke with the drivers involved, and witnesses to figure out what happened, RCMP...
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...
Pop-up art gallery, food cart to add vibrancy to downtown Vernon this summer
VERNON - People stepping off Greyhound or public transit buses in downtown Vernon will have a unique shipping container art gallery and at least one food truck waiting for them this summer. Vernon city council approved a request from the Vernon Public Art Gallery to keep a network of steel shipping containers where they are,...
Decision on proposed Shuswap school closure expected tonight
NORTH OKANAGAN - Some tough decisions are expected to be made by the North Okanagan-Shuswap School Board tonight, May 12. It’s the meeting at which board members must decide whether or not to shut down Silver Creek Elementary School in Salmon Arm. The school was placed on the chopping block when the findings of a...
Vernon council not happy with provincial government over Stickle Road plan
VERNON - Elected representatives refuse to keep quiet about their concerns around a Ministry of Transportation initiative to modify the Stickle Road intersection at Highway 97 in Vernon. Not only does local government disagree with the plan, which would see the intersection changed to right in, right out only (municipalities want a traffic light instead)...
Change in command at Lumby RCMP detachment
LUMBY - Lumby will soon be losing a familiar face — that of Cpl. Henry Proce, the village’s detachment commander. Proce announced Monday, May 11 he will be retiring as of May 22. He has served at the Lumby detachment for eight years, and 37 in total with the RCMP. Taking his place will be...
Foul play was not involved in sudden death of Lumby man
LUMBY - RCMP and the B.C. Coroners Service have determined there was no foul play involved in the death of a Lumby man last month. Police were called to the 1000-block of Trinity Valley Road, April 24, after a 79-year-old man died in an accident on his rural property. Lumby RCMP Cpl. Henry Proce said...
Vernon RCMP investigate two home invasions
VERNON - Police are investigating two recent home invasions that may be connected. Around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 8, Vernon RCMP responded to two separate home invasions. In both incidents people entered the residences, one in the 3900 block of 32 Street and one in the 3900 block of 27 Avenue, while the homeowners...
Vernon’s Priest Valley Arena de-ices early due to electrical fire
VERNON - An electrical fire is responsible for early ice removal at Priest Valley Arena and disruptions at the Vernon Aquatic Centre over the weekend. A major breaker blew Sunday morning and caught fire, resulting in the evacuation of a minor hockey team from Kamloops. The fire was contained to the electrical panel, and firefighters...