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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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Attackers in Quebec, Ottawa might not have been acting alone, Harper suggests
OTTAWA - Stephen Harper says the two men with jihadist sympathies who launched separate attacks in Quebec and on Parliament Hill might not have been acting in isolation. In a year-end interview, the prime minister tells the news network TVA that although Michael Zehaf Bibeau and Martin Couture-Rouleau were each alone at the time of...
The new way to put up Christmas lights in Vernon? Hire someone
VERNON - At age 10, Nicholas Moffat was helping his mom with the magical and much anticipated Christmas display at Art Knapps, something they began planning three months ahead of time. Now, many years later with kids of his own, the businessman has found a way to keep doing what he loves. The only difference?...
How Vernon is making Christmas wishes come true
VERNON - A phone card, a bus ticket, warm footwear: It’s not your usual Christmas wish list, but for those on the receiving end, the gifts may mean a call home, a family visit or keeping warm on the unforgiving winter streets. It’s part of an initiative called Homeless Partners, which collects stories from the...
UPDATE: Matthew Foerster guilty for earlier attacks against women
KELOWNA - Seven years before Matthew Foerster murdered Armstrong teen Taylor Van Diest, he snuck into a young Cherryville woman’s home, knocked her head against a wall and told her to come with him. Details about the 2004 assault, and a subsequent attack involving a sex-trade worker in 2005, were revealed during a sentence hearing...
It’s not Christmas in Vernon until you’ve seen these 8 things
VERNON - It doesn’t truly feel like Christmas in Vernon until you’ve spotted these classic holiday scenes around town. 1. Downtown Vernon transformed into Whoville. Local merchants decorate storefronts fit for Cindy Lou Who and twinkle lights adorn the sidewalk. %%Image1%% 2. A busy Christmas craft fair or Winter Market. It’s not Christmas without a...
Vernon judge comes down hard on missionary’s ‘corrective’ child beatings
“WHEN CONDUCT BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS IS CONTRARY WITH THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA, THE CRIMINAL CODE MUST PREVAIL”: JUDGE VERNON - He said he punished his kids so they would never find themselves tangled up in the criminal justice system, like he is now. The 42-year-old, who met his wife while doing missionary work...
Okanagan Indian Band opposes rail corridor sale
BUYER BEWARE: BAND SAYS NO CLEAR TITLE ON RAIL CORRIDOR VERNON - The Okanagan Indian Band is speaking out against a recent deal between Okanagan municipalities and CN Rail to buy the decomissioned rail line between Vernon and Kelowna. Chief Byron Louis said Tuesday the band is advancing a land claim for the Commonage Reserve,...
The surprising place Vernon cops discovered a high number of traffic violations
VERNON - Police didn’t have to go far to catch and ticket a dozen drivers for not wearing seat belts. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers noticed numerous driving infractions right in front of the police station on 30 Street recently and decided to do something about it. “So they did a little road check...
Vernon Rec Centre gets a fresh new look
VERNON - The outdated Vernon Recreation Centre is going modern in look, feel and accessibility. City council approved $1.3 million for the upgrades and Doug Ross, recreation services director, says the 12-16 month project could begin as early as next spring. “The plan is to keep the facility open the whole time,” Ross says. Construction...
Police seek information in bizarre Kelowna handgun incident
KELOWNA - Police are looking for a man who allegedly pointed a gun at a pair of Okanagan residents and then offered to help them change a tire. The strange incident happened Nov. 4 around 12:30 a.m. at the Willow Park Church parking lot at 439 Highway 33, states a release from the Kelowna RCMP....
Vernon could host unique pop-up art gallery this spring
VERNON - Vernon could be home to a temporary, pop-up art gallery this spring. To accommodate the 2015 Okanagan Print Triennial, a large, international art show, organizers have come up with the idea of using storage containers as exhibition space. The Vernon Public Art Gallery, which hosts the show in partnership with UBC Okanagan and...
Attempted break-and-enter gives Enderby woman a scare
ENDERBY - There were some frightening moments for an Enderby woman last week. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the woman was sleeping in her Larson Avenue home in Enderby around 11 p.m. Dec. 12 when her dog started barking. The motion light went on in the yard, and when she looked out the window, she...
Westside car accident leaves three horses dead
VERNON - Three horses died in a collision with a truck on Westside Road over the weekend. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says a pick-up truck hit the horses around 12:10 a.m. on Dec. 13 on Westside Road near Pinecrest Road. The front end of the truck was badly damaged. Two horses died right away, and...
North Okanagan movie magic to last a lifetime
ENDERBY - Having Sir Anthony Hopkins rave about your muffins. Watching a concert with Julia Stiles. Having a production wrap-up party blessed by the local First Nation. These are just some of the special experiences people on both sides of the film Go With Me experienced over the last month-and-a-half. “Every crew member felt the...
Gluten-free baker from Kelowna catches chef Jamie Oliver’s attention
KELOWNA - A large cardboard cutout of a slice of bread caught food guru Jamie Oliver’s attention. Matthew and Nicole Knegt of the Kelowna-based Four Spoons Bakery, which specializes in gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and nut-free goods, sent the lazer-cut two-by-one-and-a-half-foot cardboard toast with a bite mark in it to world-renowned chef Jamie Oliver’s production company...
SPCA seizes emaciated horses from Armstrong farm, recommends charges
ARMSTRONG - The B.C. SPCA has seized 16 horses from a farm in Armstrong and is now recommending animal cruelty charges against the owner. Senior animal protection officer Kathy Woodward says the SPCA, along with the RCMP, executed a warrant at the farm Dec. 11 after receiving tips from the public. Of approximately 117 horses...
HELSTON: What a young Vernon artist showed us all this week
Marie-Anna Michaud didn’t start rinsing paint off a vandalized mural because she was disturbed by the obscenities scrawled there. She didn’t do it to right a wrong, and she didn’t do it out of anger for the perpetrators. No one asked or paid her to do it. Her act of kindness came as a surprise...
Developers sue after Salmon Arm property buy turns sour
SALMON ARM - A multi-million dollar lawsuit is underway after a trio of developers found out the property they bought in Salmon Arm wouldn’t be as profitable as they’d expected. Smart Centres Inc., Salmon Arm Shopping Centres Limited and Calloway REIT (Salmon Arm) Inc. are suing EBA Engineering Consultants, and three of its employees, over...
A famous Vernon mural was vandalized, then this happened
"IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE ACT OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TO DISCOVER HER CLEANING THE MURAL" VERNON - Without being asked or paid, a young artist took it upon herself to undo the damage a vandal did to one of Vernon’s heritage murals. Marie-Anna Michaud, 19, saw a post by muralist Michelle Loughery on Facebook Monday morning....
Vernon RCMP on the lookout for armed robber
VERNON - Police are turning to the public for help locating the suspect in an armed robbery. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the Interior Savings Credit Union on 32 Street was robbed by a man with a gun around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday. He made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. The police dog team...
Vernon city councillor suggests softening up parking rules
VERNON - A Vernon city councillor hopes to make the downtown core a more inviting place by giving shoppers a grace period at the parking meter. Coun. Brian Quiring led a motion to have city staff investigate the possibility of establishing a five minute grace period at expired meters. “I think you should be able...
Salmon Arm arsonist sentenced to jail time
SALMON ARM - Justice has been served in a devastating arson case out of Salmon Arm. Adam Michael Schultz, 39, torched Pedro’s Fruit Stand in September 2013, burning the popular family business to the ground. He was sentenced in Salmon Arm Provincial Court Monday. At the time he was arrested, police said he was also...
Police watchdog finds no connection between Vernon RCMP officer and injured man
VERNON – The province’s police watchdog says a Vernon RCMP officer had nothing to do with a cyclist getting hurt over the summer. The Independent Investigations Office released its findings into the incident this week, saying there was no relationship between the injury and the actions of the officer. A Vernon RCMP officer attempted to...
Iconic Vernon mural hit by vandals
VERNON - It’s an iconic mural many have stopped to gaze at over the past 15 years, but Monday, something else was turning heads. The mural, which depicts a locomotive traveling over a trestle bridge, was vandalized with a series of obscene words, printed at the bottom of this article with viewer discretion advised. Michelle...