Charlotte Helston

UPDATE: 5 p.m. June 28 VERNON - Is there proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Deborah Ashton, a former teacher and vice-principal, knowingly made false statements with the intention of misleading the court while standing accused of having sex with her pupil? This is what a Supreme Court Judge must decide now that final arguments...

VERNON - A woman waited over five years to tell her parents, and the police, that she was sexually assaulted by the man she babysat for. Learning he had his sights set on her younger sister finally tipped the scale, she told a Vernon Supreme Court jury. Corey W. Krause pleaded not guilty Monday to...

VERNON - WorkSafe B.C. has released some initial findings into the industrial accident that killed a Lumby teen earlier this month. Bradley Haslam, 18, was caught in a conveyor belt at the Tolko mill in Lavington and killed June 15. His community is devastated by the loss. An inspection report filed a week later and...

VERNON - A firefighter was struck by a fleeing vehicle last night. BX-Swan Lake Fire Chief Bill Wacey says reports of a fire above Hartnell Road came in around 9:55 p.m. Wednesday night. The flames were high and easily visible from the fire hall. "It stuck out like a sore thumb," Wacey says. When firefighters...

VERNON - With the advent of online gambling, city hall is concerned it's not getting as much money from casino revenues as it should be. Council is asking the Union of B.C. Municipalities to lobby the provincial government for an increase in the percentage of gaming revenues given to the city. Right now, Vernon gets...

LUMBY - The village is looking forward to warm, sunny weather this weekend after flooding forced closure of roads and stores last week. Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton says things are "kind of back to normal" after a hectic few days. "The creek is still very swollen, but the streets are starting to dry up," Acton...

'THE SYSTEM IS OUT OF CONTROL' This is the third of a five-part series on changes in the marijuana industry. Today, we get a growers perspective on the changes and how his view has changed as he went from hunted criminal to legitimate supplier of medicine and soon—criminal again. On Monday, we explained the new...

VERNON - A jump in wages has heated things up between city hall and the fire department. The City of Vernon is scrambling to come up with $192,000 after settlements in the Lower Mainland resulted in an increase of six per cent in retroactive pay raises for 2010 and 2011. Because of a collective agreement...

VERNON - Fire broke out in a 26 Avenue home Tuesday morning after the occupant left some herb cooking on a hot plate in the basement. Deputy fire chief of operations Jack Blair says the man had a license from Health Canada to grow and possess marijuana for medical purposes and a small, personal grow-op...

VERNON - A young drug dealer has gotten herself out of a jail cell and into a recovery home for the time being because she's pregnant. Lauren Pollon, 24, was in court Monday for sentencing on multiple drug trafficking charges, but Provincial court judge Mayland McKimm stalled his decision, hoping to give an influential court...

VERNON - It was a wet week, but things are looking brighter. Between Monday and Friday of last week, 56.6 mm of rain drenched the region. So far, June has seen 63.7 mm fall in total, somewhat higher than normal. The Vernon Coldstream Ranch weather station reports the average monthly precipitation for June to be...

VERNON - A man has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually assaulting a young girl. Corey W. Krause appeared in Vernon Supreme Court today facing charges of sexual interference of a person under 14, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation and sexual assault. The complainant cannot be named because of a ban protecting her...

ARMSTRONG — A year and a half ago, a section of train tracks was cordoned off with police tape as investigators examined the scene of a murder that took the life of an 18-year-old Armstrong girl. On Sunday, the community gathered beneath a hot June sun to replace the evil done there with hope. The...

VERNON — A new report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says apartment vacancies have opened up, but rental costs haven't gone down. Vernon's apartment vacancy rate grew to 7.7 per cent this year from 6.3 per cent in April 2012, while the average monthly rent rose to $714 from $709. That might not...

UPDATE: 8 a.m. June 22 Waters in Lumby continued to rise Friday, with flooding travelling from the village's rural regions to its downtown core. Around 2 p.m. Friday, water was lapping at the doors of the Lumby fire hall, and trucks were plowing through wet roads. %%image2%% %%image6%% UPDATE: 8 p.m. June 20 LUMBY -...

SICAMOUS — "THEY'RE THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, AND LIVING OUTSIDE IT TOO" As Canadian kids spend more and more time in sedentary activities—sitting at desks, watching television, facing the computer—a North Okanagan highschool is taking a stand against the trend. Born out of a need to offer more course selection to its students, Eagle River...

ARMSTRONG — The site of a gruesome murder is being transformed into a place of beauty, serenity and remembrance this Sunday. Taylor Van Diest, 18, was killed Halloween night 2011 while taking a shortcut along a set of train tracks in Armstrong. She was on her way to meet friends, but was instead found harshly...

NORTH OKANAGAN — Water levels are up following a period of steady rainfall, but it doesn't look like the region will see a repeat of last year's major flooding. Emergency management coordinator Brent Watson says he's monitoring the weather closely and keeping in contact with Environment Canada. "Right now, there are no indications of life-threatening...