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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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North Okanagan residents warned of scammers
VERNON - Asked for money by phone, email, or in person, it doesn’t matter to the police — they’re reminding you to be cautious when handing over your cash. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the detachment receives around a dozen calls from people scammed out of their money every week. “We are reminding people again...
Punched, kicked in the head and left unconscious at a bar
VERNON - A Vernon man was allegedly punched, kicked in the head and left unconscious at a local bar Sunday night and police need help with the investigation. Police are still trying to put the pieces together after the aggravated assault at Monashee’s Bar and Grill. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says officers were dispatched to...
Curtain closes on Vernon arts collective
VERNON - The curtains have closed at a venue where many local artists played their debut concerts and presented their first art shows. The Hub Arts Collective, operated by actor and director Matthew Brown, welcomed soap makers, clothing designers, culinary artists, performance artists, comedians, dancers, painters and local bands, among other talents, over its three...
Matthew Foerster to appeal first degree murder conviction
ARMSTRONG - The man convicted of brutally killing an Armstrong teen is appealing his first degree murder verdict. A jury found Matthew Foerster, 28, guilty of murdering Taylor Van Diest, 18, in April of this year. The verdict carries an automatic life sentence, with no eligibility for parole for 25 years. But a notice of...
HELSTON: What’s happening to summer music fests?
It starts around July—posts about dust-caked feet, late nights and dazzling concerts hurl into my Facebook news feed and I know it’s festival season again.
Armstrong singers strike a pose as calendar girls
ARMSTRONG - A group of fearless ladies are baring it all as calendar girls to raise money for a desperately needed piece of hospital equipment. The women are all members of Armstrong’s Tapestry Ladies Choir, made up of around 40 singers in their 30s to their 70s and the fundraiser is aptly called Girls Just...
Summer still afloat in Armstrong
ARMSTRONG - It may be fall, but there’s still time to enjoy a popular summer activity in Armstrong. The outdoor pool in Memorial Park is open for another week. Historically shut down the week of the Interior Provincial Exhibition at the end of August, Armstrong Spallumcheen Parks and Recreation is now offering an extended pool...
UPDATE: Body of missing Coldstream man found
VERNON - Vernon Search and Rescue located the body of a Coldstream man in the water by the wharf at Kal beach. RCMP divers were called and they recovered the body shortly after 1 p.m. today. The case is now in the hands of the B.C. Coroners Service. An RCMP appeal to the public to...
Ministry of Environment won’t research proposed Lavington pellet plant
VERNON - The only public consultation and technical information the Ministry of Environment will review as part of its approval process for a pellet plant in Lavington will come from the proponent of the project itself. According to the Ministry, it conducts no further research or discussion with stakeholders in cases such as this, but...
Safety measures sought for dangerous stretch of Highway 97
LAKE COUNTRY - In the aftermath of two fatal accidents, officials in Lake Country are calling for the addition of a concrete median between Beaver Lake Road and the Kelowna Airport. In July, an elderly couple and a 14-year-old passenger believed to be their grandson were fatally injured after crossing the centre line and colliding...
Vernon school trip to Ghana dependent on Ebola situation
NORTH OKANAGAN - An Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa has cast some doubt over a planned school trip to Ghana next spring. The North Okanagan-Shuswap school board has approved the excursion in principle, pending a December update from one of the organizers. The trip is scheduled for March 15-25, 2015. Director of Instruction Wendy...
Not much competition in Vernon election race, yet
VERNON - So far, there’s relatively little competition in the Vernon municipal election race compared to previous years. The City of Vernon reports ten nomination packages have been picked up since Sept. 2. We know three of those can be attributed to Mary-Jo O’Keefe, Victor Cummings and Klaus Tribes, all of whom are competing for...
New home for valued youth program thanks to community support
VERNON - A former Lutheran Church destined for demolition is instead being reinvented as a residential facility for youth. Dean Francks, with the North Okanagan Youth and Family Services Society, says the youth program is currently housed in the old pastor's house next to the church. Both buildings were beginning to show their age and...
Kindersley RCMP launch investigation into Vernon teen’s death
VERNON - Police in Saskatchewan are investigating the suspicious death of a Vernon teen. Dylan Cordell Hanna was found lying on the ground, unresponsive, outside his temporary work residence in Kindersley, Sask. around 6 a.m. Sept. 14. The 19-year-old was rushed to Kindersley Hospital where attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Hanna was living at...
Vernon school board won’t support Lavington pellet plant
VERNON - A proposed pellet plant in Lavington doesn’t have the support of the Vernon school district. In a letter to the Ministry of Environment, board chair Bill Turanski said the board received conflicting information about the project. “The board’s primary concern must, in every case, be the health and welfare of the students and...
Vernon business hurting during teacher strike
VERNON - Uzair Shahid is supposed to be in school. Instead, he’s working shifts at his parents’ corner store on 27 Street. “It’s really annoying—you can’t go to school and it affects the business as well,” Shahid says. While he doesn’t mind making a little extra cash, he says the teacher strike is hurting business...
Investigation into abandoned house fire underway
VERNON - An investigation is underway following an overnight fire in Vernon. Fire officials and police are looking into a small fire at an abandoned house in the 2800 block of 30 Avenue. The fire broke out around 12:30 a.m. Friday and while considered minor, has the attention of investigators. Over the summer, Vernon saw...
HELSTON: Tag, you’re it Vernon
Vernon has a pretty distinct flavour when it comes to street wall art, but a new trend is adding some diversity—wanted or unwanted—to the scene. If you didn’t know, the vast majority of the city’s downtown murals were designed and painted by one extremely talented, motivated and prolific artist. You have her to thank when...
Bad news for Roots and Blues Music Fest
SALMON ARM - A summer music festival that has become synonymous with the City of Salmon Arm is in financial peril, and next year’s event hangs in the balance. The popular Roots and Blues Festival has been a staple of summer music in the Shuswap for 22 years, but currently doesn’t have enough money to...
Vernon man robs ice cream shop, turns himself in
VERNON - It wasn’t your usual ice cream run. Around 7:25 p.m. Wednesday police were alerted to a robbery at Marble Slab Creamery in the Fruit Union Plaza. The caller, an employee at the ice cream shop, said a man entered the store and asked for change for his loonie. When the clerk popped open...
Action required to remove mark left by tagging and graffiti in Vernon
VERNON - The amount of unwanted graffiti and tags is multiplying around Vernon, and it’s going to have some unpleasant consequences unless the community takes action. Rachael Zubick, the coordinator at the community policing office in Vernon says it’s not a new problem, though it’s the worst it’s been in recent years. Safety Ambassadors recorded...
Ministry of Transportation can expect a letter of opposition from Coldstream council
VERNON - The Ministry of Transportation is getting no support from the District of Coldstream regarding proposed changes to Cosens Bay Road. Coldstream council voted unanimously to send a letter to the Ministry stating its opposition to land being removed from Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park so improvements can be made to Cosens Bay Road. Coldstream...
Community gives Kingfisher Interpretive Centre a leg up
KINGFISHER - Good things are hatching at the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre. The salmon hatchery and educational centre located 25 kilometers east of Enderby was hit hard by a massive flood and debris flow in May. The deluge brought logs, mud and silt surging into the centre’s buildings and trails, damaging the hatchery and causing the loss...
Attention drivers: Highway 97 construction set for this month
VERNON - Construction begins Tuesday night on a notoriously dangerous stretch of Highway 97, and that means drivers could see some delays. The Ministry of Transportation is adding $5 million worth of concrete median barriers to separate four lanes of traffic on 11 kilometres of highway between Vernon and Kelowna. The work begins Tuesday night...