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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.
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Alarm fails when fire catches in Vernon home
VERNON - Fire forced three Vernon women out of their home in the middle of the night. Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the smell of smoke in their 33 Street residence woke them up around 12:30 a.m. this morning, Jan. 9. “They were very lucky they woke up,” Blair says. “It could’ve been a...
Arrest made in Vernon corner store armed robbery
VERNON - Police arrested a man who allegedly pepper sprayed a corner store employee and made off with cigarettes and cash. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said officers identified the suspect as a 19-year-old Vernon man and arrested him the afternoon of Jan. 8. The man is expected to appear in court Jan. 9 to answer...
Senior pedestrian left unconscious; police seek information
VERNON - Police are looking for more information about a hit and run that left a 69-year-old man unconscious on the side of the road. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said the accident happened Thursday, Jan. 8 just before 9 p.m. at the intersection of Husband Road and Kalamalka Lake Road in Coldstream. “The witness who...
Gas price below a dollar in North Okanagan
VERNON - Gas prices are beginning to dip below a buck around the North Okanagan. In Enderby, Shell and Esso are both selling a litre of regular gasoline for 99.9 cents. The Centex gas station in Coldstream has also dipped to 99.9 cents per litre and most Salmon Arm gas stations are advertising the same...
Vernon’s connection to a Lower Mainland gang called the Unknown Soldiers
GANG SETS UP ‘DRUG FRANCHISES’ IN SMALL COMMUNITIES; POLICE BELIEVE VERNON WAS ONE OF THEM VERNON - Mounties believe the alleged drug runner arrested last month in a targeted police investigation is involved with a relatively new gang calling itself the Unknown Soldiers. Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia...
Suspect drives stolen car into snowbank
VERNON COP IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO CATCH THIEF VERNON - A man well known to police didn’t get far in a stolen vehicle in Vernon early Thursday morning. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a Kimberley man was on his way back to his hotel from Denny’s around 1:40 a.m. when...
Equipment break down delays Vernon snow removal
VERNON - Machinery issues have set back snow removal efforts in Vernon. Snow clearing on 27 Street was delayed Wednesday due to mechanical difficulties with the city’s large snow blower, communications coordinator Tanya Laing Gahr said in a media release. The blower was repaired late Wednesday and snow removal in the downtown core picked up...
Lights out for thousands of North Okanagan residents
NORTH OKANAGAN - A number of snow-related power outages are plaguing North Okanagan residents all the way from Cherryville to Spallumcheen. As of 2:52 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 7, B.C. Hydro was responding to 21 individual outages across the North Okanagan, most of them snow related, leaving over 2,000 customers without power. Vernon claimed 14 outages,...
Vernon RCMP disrupt ‘potentially dangerous’ drug trafficking operation
VERNON - Mounties have busted a Vernon drug ring with ties to the Lower Mainland. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said two men, Andres Naranjo, 21, and Daniel Penton, 21, both of the Lower Mainland but residing in Vernon, were arrested Dec. 19. Naranjo is facing charges of trafficking cocaine and possession of cocaine and heroin...
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Snow-dogs of the Thompson-Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You’d think four legs are better for getting around in the snow than two. But that’s not the case when you’re a dog and the snow is higher than you are. Like us humans, some Thompson-Okanagan dogs embraced the snow this week, while others sulked about it. You’ll see some grumpy dog faces...
What Vernon can expect from city plows Wednesday
VERNON - City of Vernon road crews expect to have all residential roads and cul-de-sacs plowed by mid-morning Wednesday. After that, they will begin plowing and sanding all areas of the city, communications coordinator Tanya Laing Gahr said in a release. Snow removal will continue on 27 Street until noon Wednesday. Late Tuesday night, crews...
Excessive speeding has spiked 300 per cent in the North Okanagan
VERNON - As we ring in the New Year, the message from Vernon RCMP is keep the roads safer in 2015. Traffic Services impounded 78 vehicles for excessive speeding in 2014, up 300 per cent from 25 in 2013. “They (Traffic Services) just shake their head,” RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. The need for decreasing...
Vernon, North Okanagan-Shuswap School Districts call students back to class
UPDATE: POWER BACK ON IN MOST SHUSWAP SCHOOLS, CLASSES A GO NORTH OKANAGAN - The North Okanagan-Shuswap and Vernon School Districts are welcoming students back to class Wednesday, Jan. 7. The green light from the ditricts comes after two snow days due to severe weather. School District 83 hadn’t called a snow day in decades....
Upswing in North Okanagan property values
VERNON – There’s an upward trend in the value of North Okanagan properties. B.C. Assessment has released its 2015 assessment roll, which grew to $27,173,940,965, up 3.6 per cent from $26,221,360,408 in 2014. A notable $393,000,000 was added to the roll through subdivisions, rezoning and new construction. In the North Okanagan, the District of Coldstream...
Vernon maintenance crews move onto side streets
VERNON - City of Vernon crews are finally moving onto residential streets after more than 24 hours of continuous snowfall. According to city communications coordinator Tanya Laing Gahr crews have plowed and sanded all main roads and are now shifting to side streets. The snowstorm dumped over 35 cm of snow on roadways. Starting late...
Second snow day in a row for North Okanagan-Shuswap students
SCHOOL DISTRICTS 22 AND 83 CANCEL CLASS VERNON - Students in the Vernon and North Okanagan-Shuswap School Districts are getting a second snow day Tuesday, Jan. 6. School District 83 announced Monday evening it will be shutting down all schools due to the continued winter storm warning and Environment Canada’s prediction of freezing rain. District...
First snow day for North Okanagan-Shuswap students in decades
VERNON - It takes a lot for the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District to shut down schools and call for a snow day. Even on Monday with 35- 50 cm of snow accumulating around the region, the district remained hopeful school would carry on. It wasn’t until the eleventh hour — after other districts around the...
Vernon search team locates missing snowmobilers in ‘horrendous’ weather
VERNON - Members of Vernon Search and Rescue spent a long night in severe weather conditions searching for a group of missing snowmobilers. A team of 16 rescuers headed out at 5 p.m. Sunday after a report of three missing snowmobilers in the Park Nelson area, east of Lumby. “Once base camp was set up,...
‘Very potent’ batch of drugs circulate in Vernon with fatal results
VERNON – Six overdoses in the last week—two of them fatal—have Vernon RCMP sounding the…
Be patient; Vernon road crews will eventually get to your street
UPDATE: PUBLIC TRANSIT RESUMES SERVICE WITH SOME DETOURS IN EFFECT VERNON - City of Vernon crews are working as fast as they can to clear roads, but it will still be some time before all streets are plowed and sanded. With over 35 centimetres of snow in the last 24 hours, public works manager James...
UPDATE: It’s officially a snow day for all North Okanagan students
UPDATE 8 A.M. JAN. 5: NORTH OKANAGAN SCHOOLS SHUT DOWN, VERNON RECREATION PROGRAMS CANCELLED VERNON - It’s officially a snow day in the North Okanagan. Despite plans to open schools as usual this morning, School Districts 22 and 83 have announced school is cancelled today, Jan. 5. “Due to the fact many staff are reporting...
Vernon’s Light a Bulb campaign needs a boost
VERNON - The Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation is extending its annual Light a Bulb campaign in the hopes of reaching its $250,000 goal. Despite raising $235,721, the campaign is $14,279 short. Money raised will go toward equipment and furnishings for the Tower of Care’s top two floors. “We hoped to have the campaign wrapped up...
2014 NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR: Matthew Foerster, convicted murderer
THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP FIVE NEWSMAKERS OF THE YEAR. ARMSTRONG - A murder trial into the death of an Armstrong teen concluded in 2014, putting the Cherryville man at its center behind bars for at least 25 years. The gruesome details of 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest’s murder at the hands of...
Why this Okanagan woman took not one, but 12 polar bear dips
OKANAGAN - If you thought this week’s Polar Bear Swim participants were nuts, you won’t believe what this Okanagan mom has been doing for the past three months. Along with her sister and 14-year-old daughter, Kelowna resident Mix Hart has been taking a dip in Okanagan Lake once a week for the past 12 weeks....