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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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Fashion label, non-profit organization all part of Vernon woman’s 15-year plan
VERNON - Most fashion designers take six months to create their clothing collections, but Raji Aujla made hers in four days, laying patterns out on the dining table and couches of her parents’ home in Vernon. Aujla, 30, loves a good challenge. Born and raised in Vernon, she has spent time working as an international...
Okanagan Indian Band embraces Lake Country mayor’s support for land claim
VERNON - Lake Country Mayor James Baker appears to have thrown his support behind the Okanagan Indian Band’s land claim to the Commonage Reserve including the portion which includes the CP Rail line intended for the Okanagan Rail Trail, and the band intends to hold him to his words. Chief Byron Louis says he welcomes...
Province revealing proposed upgrade for dangerous Vernon intersection
VERNON - Members of the public can get more information about proposed changes to a well-used road off Highway 97 on the Swan Lake auto mile tonight. Full details about the Ministry of Transportation’s plan for Stickle Road where it meets Highway 97 have so far been scarce, but government officials intend to unveil the...
Vernon dirt biker reported missing wanted to avoid arrest: Lawyer
VERNON - The Vernon man police and three Search and Rescue organizations scoured the Commonage for last week was afraid to go home because he didn’t want to get arrested, court heard today, April 29. Kyle Macinnes, 25, was reported missing by his worried family after he went for a dirt bike ride in the...
Vernon School District sees best aboriginal completion rate in years
VERNON - The Vernon School District is celebrating a six year high in the number of aboriginal students completing high school. The completion rate for aboriginal students in School District 22 has reached 71 per cent, the best in six years and higher than the provincial rate of 61 per cent. The good news came...
Restaurant growth brings new flavours to Vernon
VERNON - Kristina Sidorczuk’s is just one of many new faces you’ll see around town if you’re sampling the city’s new restaurants. The 22-year-old is the proud owner of one of the newest establishments in Vernon’s growing restaurant scene, EATology. The restaurant, located at the Greyhound Station in downtown Vernon across from Cenotaph Park, opened...
Vernon woman chopped from MasterChef Canada
VERNON - Vernon’s MasterChef contender Jennifer Innis is toast. The local dental hygienist and mother of three was eliminated from the competition after falling short in a tea treat challenge. She and partner David Jorge struggled to produce profiteroles for the tricky task, and bickered throughout the challenge. But Innis still has a smile on...
Shuswap Pro-Life Society’s request to show anti-abortion display on school property refused
SALMON ARM - The North Okanagan-Shuswap school board has turned down an anti-abortion group’s request to use school property for a pro-life display. The Shuswap Pro-Life Society asked to use school district property near Centenoka Park Mall for a one-day display of 10,000 little pink and blue flags, each representing 10 babies lost to abortion...
Next steps for an Okanagan Rail Trail; public consultation, planning, and waiting
OKANAGAN - Money is no longer an issue for a group of Okanagan municipalities preparing to purchase an abandoned rail corridor, but it could still be some time — years even — before residents set foot on a community pathway. With Saturday’s referendum resulting in a resounding yes vote to borrow $2.6-million for the District of...
Lumby gets prepared for flooding
LUMBY - Efforts are underway to protect the Village of Lumby from possible flooding. Next week, 20 wildland firefighters will help assemble an emergency stockpile of sandbags for rapid deployment in the event of a flood threat, according to a release from the Village. The measure is a cooperative effort between Emergency Management B.C., the...
Vernon Jubilee Hospital unveils new mammography machine
VERNON - North Okanagan residents are benefiting from recent enhancements to Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s imaging department, including a new digital mammography machine. Local individuals and organizations donated to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation’s Take a Picture campaign, which raised more than $500,000 towards the purchase of the new mammography machine, the foundation said in...
Logger hit by a tree near Lumby not properly trained: WorkSafe B.C.
VERNON - A logger injured when a tree rolled into him near Lumby was insufficiently trained, according to an inspection report released by WorkSafe B.C. The report looked into an accident involving three Peto Contracting Ltd. employees who were working a cutblock east of Lumby April 15. WorkSafe says the workers received multiple injuries after...
Taste of spring comes two weeks early in the North Okanagan
VERNON - North Okanagan residents are biting into fresh, local produce about two weeks early this year thanks to the warm weather. At the Vernon Farmer’s Market Thursday, there was no shortage of Okanagan-grown food and shoppers were eating it up. A steady stream of customers kept Corinne Jeppesen with the Armstrong Asparagus Farm busy selling bundles...
Rude awakening for North Okanagan town; winter is back
VERNON - After temperatures soared into the mid 20s this week in the North Okanagan, Cherryville woke up to a cruel surprise this morning: a dump of snow. Residents say about two inches of the white stuff fell overnight, blanketing patio furniture, previously green fields, and porches. Lindsay Myers sent us several pictures of her...
Motorcyclist dies after hitting rock face near Sicamous
SICAMOUS - Police are investigating after a Malawka man died in a motorcycle crash Thursday night. So far, the RCMP have learned two motorcycles were travelling together northbound on Highway 97A towards Sicamous around 7 p.m., April 23. “One of the motorcycles went off road striking a rock face, coming to rest in the southbound...
HELSTON: Creativity, timing could breathe life into Downtown Vernon
We have two different stories taking place at opposite sides of the city: On the north end, we’re seeing upheaval in the commercial, big box store world with the departure of Target, Future Shop, and retail outlets in the Village Green Centre. But for every store that closes in the mall, a local ‘mom and...
Vernon School District will use reserves to bridge budget shortfall
VERNON - The Vernon School District will dip into its reserves to cover next year's budget shortfall, but it's already worried about what to do the year after that. Once again, School District 22 is facing a budget deficit, this time in the amount of $950,000 due to cost pressures and a $400,000 cut in...
Okanagan Indian Band Launches Campaign to Provide “Just The Facts”
The Chief and Council of the Okanagan Indian Band have taken out a two-page advertisement in the Lake Country Calendar to clear any misconceptions Lake Country Voters may have. The action is part of a campaign to provide all parties “Just the Facts.” “Two OKIB staff attended the proponents of the ‘yes’ vote last Monday...
UPDATE: Vernon RCMP appeal to public for help finding overdue biker
VERNON - Search and Rescue has joined the effort to locate an overdue, and inexperienced, motorbike rider last seen Tuesday afternoon. Kyle Macinnes, 25, went out on his dirt bike at 4 p.m. April 21, and has not returned. “His family is very concerned as he is not a very experienced rider,” Molendyk says in...
VIDEO: Car on fire halts highway traffic near Armstrong
ARMSTRONG - A vehicle on fire in the middle of Highway 97 A near Armstrong tied up traffic for about an hour Wednesday afternoon. The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department was dispatched to the scene, just north of Eagle Rock Road, about 1:30 p.m. April 22. Fire chief Ian Cummings says a Volkswagen was completely engulfed...
Enraged Sicamous father’s video of public urination brawl leads to police investigation
SICAMOUS - A video making the rounds on Facebook has people downright pissed. It all started when a group of men were reportedly relieving themselves on Main Street in Sicamous, across the road from a high school. Brent Graf, the man who shot the video, says he was picking up his daughters at the time....
Man stuck with fine for illegal dock work on Okanagan Lake
VERNON - If you’re a waterfront property owner who’s ever built a dock on the lake, a B.C. Supreme Court Judge says you need a permit for that. It’s a rule cottage owner Laurent Desautels didn’t know about in March 2013, when he hired Okanagan Pile Driving Inc. to install piles into Okanagan Lake as...
Watch out for rattlesnakes; they’re out early in the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Sunny weather has gotten many of us out from beneath our rocks looking for some rays, and we’re not the only ones in the animal world. Warm temperatures have brought rattlesnakes out earlier than normal in the Thompson-Okanagan, according to WildSafe B.C. spokesperson Frank Ritcey. “With the warm weather, the snakes will be...
Construction just around the corner for Vernon’s new Tim Hortons
VERNON - Construction on Vernon’s latest Tim Hortons is expected to start soon across from Beairtso Elementary School. Southborough Vernon Investments Ltd. director David Longpré says the company plans to break ground within the next month and complete the drive-through Tim Hortons and CO-OP Gas Bar by the end of the year. “There’s anticipations it...