Charlotte Helston

ARMSTRONG - Things didn't go as planned when a woman's car erupted in flames on ladies night. According to the homeowner of an Upper Mcleod Road home, her girlfriend had just arrived for a night of fun—she was, in fact, just fetching her friend a cider—when they looked out the window and saw smoke pouring...

VERNON - Sonja and Peter Laschuk have been to Las Vegas more times than they can count, but never on an expenses paid vacation. After winning InfoTel's Las Vegas contest, they are thrilled to be going back. "You enter, and you don't really think about winning, you don't expect to," Sonja says. On her daily...

VERNON - Police were stunned when a woman on strict conditions not to possess a cell phone came to pick up court documents at the detachment not only with a cell phone in her back pocket, but a quantity of cocaine hidden on her person as well. RCMP had been trying to get in touch...

GREATER VERNON - As the heat wave rolled in last week, the North Okanagan Regional District announced three building projects which will enhance outdoor experiences in the area. The projects include a spray park and outdoor fitness circuit at Lumby’s Oval Park, a new playground at the Greater Vernon Recreation Centre, and an accessible washroom...

COP PEERS THROUGH MAIL SLOT, GETS VISUAL ON OVERHEATING KETTLE, KICKS DOOR DOWN VERNON - A cop's quick thinking and quick action saved a sleeping resident from a potentially life-threatening situation Sunday morning. Around 3:25 a.m. the cop was patrolling Vernon's downtown area when he heard what he believed to be a fire alarm near...

VERNON - Three individuals have been arrested following a cocaine trafficking investigation. On July 4, at about 1:45 p.m., the Vernon North Okanagan Task Force was conducting an investigation on three local residents for cocaine trafficking.  The investigation led to the arrest of two men, one 28-years-old and the second one 19-years-old as well as that of...

LUMBY - In the wake of a flood which caused heavy damage to homes and properties, the community is coming together to buoy up a man who lost his house, and many of his belongings. The same weather system that brought immense flooding to Alberta also took a toll on the Village of Lumby, where...

VERNON - Depending on the sport they partake in, some individuals will notice an increase in recreation fees this fall. Most fees are going up by 2.6 per cent at Greater Vernon recreation facilities to offset rising operational costs, but to stay competitive with neighbouring communities, the city is lowering the price for some services....

LUMBY - A B.C. Supreme Court judge has deemed a young Lumby man entitled to nearly $2 million in damages after suffering brain and other injuries in a 2008 car crash. Leighton McCluskey, 19 at the time, had caught a ride with his friend Brendan Desilets who was leaving a party at Harris Creek in...

VERNON - The McMurtry-Baerg Cancer Centre at Vernon Jubilee Hospital has doubled in size thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation. The Foundation raised $500,000 to complete the expansion and renovations, a media release stated Thursday.   “The redevelopment of the cancer centre is important for the people of the North...

VERNON - It's taken a decade, but by early next week, 30th Avenue will be fully revitalized. Construction work on the final phase between 33rd and 35th Streets is almost done, and the city expects the road will once again be open to motorists on Monday. The project suffered only a minor delay due to...

VERNON -  Failure to secure items in the back of a truck caused a crash involving two vehicles Wednesday afternoon. Cpl. Gerry Kovaks says a 19-year-old Kelowna man was driving down Highway 97 around 4:45 p.m. when some unsecured personal property in the back of his truck flew out. A 52-year-old female driver from Vernon...

ACCUSED ADMITS HE HAD SEX WITH THE BABYSITTER, BUT SAYS SHE WAS OF AGE AND THE ONE TO INITIATE IT VERNON - A sexual assault case involving a minor is largely coming down to the victim's word against the accused's. Final submissions were given Wednesday in the trial of Corey W. Krause, who stands accused...

VERNON - A man has been sentenced to three months in jail for assaulting his girlfriend, and a day in jail for throwing her cat against a wall. Cody Douglas Lawrence, 21, was charged with assault and causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal following a June 6 incident at his home in Vernon....

VERNON - Final submissions were given Tuesday in a criminal matter involving the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO), but a decision won't come until the end of the summer, possibly as late as the fall. The water contamination trial began this past winter, and has been wading through a series of gaps in proceedings...

VERNON - It may have been over 30 C the past few days, but a few puddles leftover from June are still hanging around. It was about twice as wet as normal in the Vernon area this June. Throughout the month, 86.2 mm of precipitation fell on the region, compared to a typical amount of...

 VERNON - For the most part, those attending Funtastic this weekend played by the rules and stayed out of trouble. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the event went quite smoothly, considering the volume of people—and alcohol—involved. "Given the number of people in attendance at the venue, there were a minimal number of incidents that took...

NORTH OKANAGAN - A car accident at Salmon River Road and Highway 97 resulted in one man being transported away by air ambulance. On June 30 around 2:30 p.m., emergency crews were called to a motor vehicle incident involving two vehicles, a Dodge van and a Ford F350 truck. The investigation determined the Dodge van...

VERNON - Following two emergency medical calls, RCMP are alerting drug users of some bad heroin that's made it's way into the city. On July 1, around 10 p.m., the B.C. Ambulance Service asked for police assistance with a female overdose in the 3300 block of 35 Avenue. "Our officers had been there previously that...

VERNON - A family was stranded on Okanagan Lake early this morning after they ran out of gas. Shortly after 2 a.m. emergency crews received a call of a boat in distress. The boaters had been flashing a light to get someone's attention, and their cell phone had reportedly died. "The boat was adrift on...

VERNON - Start the day winning a jar of jam and finish it watching the fireworks. There are Canada Day activities to fill the whole day in Vernon, starting at Davison Orchards. The Davison family will be dressing up in patriotic red and white, and putting on a barbeque until 4 p.m. They'll also be...