Charlotte Helston

Something new is leading students to the classes they take at college: definable results. Okanagan College has seen a large upswing in enrollment for its trades programs, and an educational advisor believes it's the specific skills gained from them that makes them so appealing. "As opposed to when I went to school, when it was...

RCMP are dealing with a new type of accident: mistake 911 calls, and you may not know you're dialing it. "Every month we receive about a dozen false or abandoned 911 calls, often referred to as pocket dialed calls, from cell phones," Cpl. Henry Proce said. Usually nothing is said and there is no answer...

On Jan. 13 Lumby RCMP responded to a rural break and enter at a home in the 300 block of Albers Rd. Electronics, including iPads, laptops and cameras, as well as jewelry, were stolen. Police have been following up on several leads. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or...

For Peter Lepold, chasing hot air balloons never gets old. For almost a decade, he's leapt out of bed on opening day of Vernon's Winter Carnival with camera in hand to watch the gentle giants take to the sky. It's always a mystery as to where they'll launch from, and over the years, Lepold has...

If Vernon's Bollywood Bang Cancer fundraiser is anything like its founder, it will be energetic, colourful and inspiring. Rather than let cancer bring her world to pieces, Dalvir Nahal, 37, is harnessing her experience to help others. A cancer survivor, Nahal received treatment at Vernon Jubilee Hospital just a few years ago, and is now...

Vernon's fire chief says the new unified command structure will work like a football team: members will train, learn and grow together. "I've played on a lot of sports teams, and it's when a team works together that you get the best results,"  Kieth Green says. The formerly independent Okanagan Landing firefighters will join the...

The Chairman of the North Okanagan Regional District says allegations that it didn't respond accordingly to a water contamination in Lavington three years ago are absolutely not deserved. "We believe staff was exemplary," Patrick Nicol says of the post-contamination response. He recalls the hard work of both staff and volunteers to provide clean drinking water...

RCMP suspected something illegal was going on with a driver who was cruising well below the speed limit on Hwy 3 in Princeton. Turns out they were right. Around 8:35 p.m. on Jan. 25, an RCMP traffic services patrol team stopped a brown 2005 Pontiac Sunfire. The mounties had no trouble discovering the 23-year-old female...

Individuals seeking addiction counselling in the North Okanagan may be forced to head to the coast for assistance. Crossroads Treatment Centre in Kelowna is phasing out its detox and addiction counseling programs, which are one-of-a-kind in the North Okanagan. In the next three to six months, the programs will be gone because the centre can...

After a woman compelled city council to ban the sale of animals from puppy mills at local pet stores, a Vernon businesswoman is telling them why they shouldn't. Lisa Badach, who owns AJ's Pets and Things with her husband Andrew, agrees puppy mills are tragic, but says banning the sale of animals from so-called factory...

Residents are getting a chance to voice their opinions on Vernon's financial matters while city council is silenced. KPMG, the company conducting a core services review for the city, is holding a workshop tonight to brainstorm opportunities for tidying up Vernon's financial house. "We're not allowed to speak," Coun. Mary-Jo O'Keefe says. "This isn't for...

Vernon's budget plan is evolving, and it isn't finished yet. Council has voted to raise the proposed tax increase to 4.7%, which equates to $53 for the average homeowner. Coun. Bob Spiers is adamant the city needs to find a way to keep the increase to a minimum. "I'm not too happy with the tax...

A Vernon judge is sending a message about petty violence amongst young males. Twenty-year-old Daine Boring was sentenced to six months jail time for hitting another man in the head outside a night club. Though he initially fought the charge of aggravated assault, he was found guilty over the course of his trial. The fight...

The Regional District of the North Okanagan admits a water supply was contaminated under its watch, but denies charges stating it could have done more to prevent it. After a January, 2010 water contamination prompted a do not drink advisory for thousands of Coldstream residents, the regional district was charged with operating a well in...

Vernon RCMP are investigating the cause of a vehicle fire that erupted early Sunday morning.  A late model Pontiac was reported to be in flames on 32nd Ave. around 6:50 a.m. Jan. 27. Flames didn't spread to a nearby garage.  Deputy Chief Jack Blair says the fire is being investigated by police.  —Charlotte Helston chelston@infotelnews.ca (250)309-5230

Though a formal invitation for John Doyle to resume his place as auditor general has been announced, controversy continues for Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster. Doyle's dismissal by an all-party committee headed by Foster has been the catalyst for ongoing criticism of Foster's choice of office rental for his constituency office.  Critics—including Doyle—have suggested Foster should...

Strolling along 35 Street between 31st and 32nd will become safer this year with the addition of a new stretch of sidewalk, and that's alright with an older couple who take the route to downtown Vernon every day. For Norm and Grace Kramer, the new sidewalk will make part of their daily trek a little...

With the accused killer of an Armstrong teen on his fourth lawyer, the question on many lips is how long can this go on? Taylor Van Diest, 18, was brutally beaten and left for dead on the railway tracks near Armstrong Elementary School on Halloween of 2011. She'd been on her way to meet a...

No seat belts, bad tires, and dangerous driving conditions mean a vehicle collision in Lake Country this afternoon could have been a lot worse. At 12:45 p.m. a 60-year-old man driving a Ford Taurus attempted to pass a transit bus near Crystal Waters Rd. on Hwy 97. It was snowing and roads were getting slippery....

Vernon's Winter Carnival will soon take the city back in time. This year marks the 53rd anniversary of the event, and the theme "Prehistoric" hints at the longevity of this well-loved ten day marathon of February fun. "I'm seeing lots of leopard print," says executive director Brittany Sjoblom, noting the Flinstones are a popular interpretation...

The BC Conservative party continues to make things uncomfortable for Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster. Scott Anderson, the local Conservative candidate, says the party will ask the conflict of interest commissioner, and the auditor general, to reopen a review into Foster's Vernon office. Foster's Vernon constituency office has been the source for two major criticisms in...

Federal Liberal leadership hopeful Martha Hall Findlay wants to legalize marijuana, something she says could be a big economic benefit to Vernon, where she will be speaking tonight. Hall Findlay says she's making time for some smaller cities in her cross country tour, adding her goal is to meet as many people, in as many...

UPDATE:  4:44 p.m. A judge has found a young man guilty of unlawfully confining a 16-year-old girl and assaulting her. He was also charged with sexual assault, a charge the judge was reluctant to acquit him of. The young man and woman, who cannot be named by court order to protect her identity, were the...

There's no news yet on whether or not auditor general John Doyle will get his job back. The decision to dismiss him came from a committee headed by Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster, and has received heated discussion in recent weeks. Critics believe Foster's move was affected by a conflict of interest; Doyle investigated the financial...