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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.
Charlotte Helston's Stories
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Dream Auction one for the record books
VERNON - It will go down as one of the most successful dream auctions in the last three decades. This year’s Kalamalka Rotary Dream Auction, the 31st annual event, raised more than $204,000, an all-time record according to organizers. “The success is due to the enthusiastic donors who support the effort every year and of...
Woman pursues driver suspected of vehicle theft in Vernon
VERNON - A member of the public went above and beyond by tailing a driver who allegedly stole a truck earlier this week. Vernon RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says police got a heads up around 7:20 p.m. Nov. 22 that a community member was following a 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck she’d just witnessed stolen...
Mounties calling for more manpower to police Vernon streets
VERNON - More RCMP boots on the ground seems to be the answer to a recent wave of safety concerns in the downtown core, but mounties say more boots requires more bodies. Sgt. Kara Triance spoke of the need for an increase of two police officers during a presentation to Vernon City Council Monday, Nov....
Advocate likens cost of a new Vernon arena to a monthly cup of coffee
VERNON - A number of businesses, sports groups and community members came out to show their support for a new arena in Vernon. Representatives from the Vernon Vipers, Greater Vernon Minor Hockey, the Vernon Figure Skating Club, the Prestige Hotel, Super 8 and Village Green, among others, came together at a news conference Monday, Nov....
Community group created to welcome refugees to the North Okanagan
VERNON - A group of community organizations, local residents and faith groups are coming together with a common vision — welcoming refugees and settling them in the North Okanagan. The recently created North Okanagan Refugee Committee is already mobilizing to bring international refugee families to the area. “It is important that refugees are welcomed, supported...
Vernon resort makes case for contentious marina on Okanagan Lake
VERNON - Those pushing for a new marina on Okanagan Lake say safety is at stake if the project is blocked. The proposal for a 72-slip marina for the Outback Resort has been a controversial one. A neighbourhood group called the Friends of South Bay are fiercely opposed, citing environmental impacts, water quality concerns and...
Jann Arden tour includes stops in Kamloops and the Okanagan
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - An award-winning Canadian singer will be making stops in two local cities this coming spring. Jann Arden is bringing her Almost Everything tour to the Vernon Performing Arts Centre on March 19 and the Sagebrush Theatre in Kamloops on March 21. Arden is a Canadian born singer, songwriter, broadcaster and author with eight...
Vernon loses one of three walk-in medical clinics
VERNON - Access to medical care in Vernon is shrinking as a walk-in clinic closes its doors. The Vernon Family Doctors Walk-In Clinic at the Fruit Union Plaza on Highway 6 has announced it’s closing permanently on March 19, 2016. The clinic is encouraging patients to attend their regular family physicians, and for those without...
Buying local, without leaving home, a popular choice for Okanagan holiday shoppers
OKANAGAN - It’s already well known that online shopping has taken over a large piece of the Christmas retail pie, but that doesn’t mean people are giving up on buying local to fill the stockings this Christmas. You don’t have to go out to a farmer’s market or holiday craft fair to buy local, you...
Man breaks into Vernon home, helps himself to a snack
VERNON - A local man accused of breaking into a woman’s home not only helped himself to her personal belongings — he also made himself something to eat. A local woman phoned 911 around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 16 after she found a strange man in her house, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. “He had...
Advance arena voting gets underway in Vernon
VERNON – Greater Vernon residents can start casting ballots for or against a new arena…
Watch for whimsical pop up parks in Vernon
VERNON - A special surprise will be popping up in a Vernon park sometime this fall. It’s part of new city initiative to bring interest and excitement to underused spaces and will see a variety of temporary equipment — such as brightly painted Adirondack chairs, a piano, drums and a massive xylophone — installed in...
Something smelled off: Vernon RCMP make arrest on Highway 6
VERNON - Police only had to follow their noses to make a drug-related arrest earlier this month in Vernon. On Nov. 7 officers were driving east on Highway 6 when they smelled a strong odour of marijuana, Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says in a release. “They quickly determined that it was coming from the vehicle in...
RCMP upping presence on downtown Vernon streets
VERNON - Vernon residents will notice more police officers patrolling the downtown core. Police will be stepping up their presence downtown with daily and nightly foot patrols, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. The response comes on the heels of an attack on a Vernon food truck vendor, and concerns about street safety in the downtown...
A book about a booger by two Vernon women
VERNON - The Doubt Booger is going to make you forget all about those nagging little worries. Written by Beth McCarthy Marks and illustrated by Nadine Wilson, both of Vernon, the newly released children’s book is about the pesky effect of self-doubts. “Remember when you were small; those little worries that gnawed on you? You...
Police armed with carbines the new norm at Remembrance Day services
VERNON - It’s a special sight to see Mounties dressed in their ceremonial red serge, but officers turned heads at last week’s Remembrance Day service in Vernon for a different reason — the carbines they were carrying. We might not be used to seeing police officers patrolling Remembrance Day services with semi-automatic rifles, but Const....
Vernon’s role housing Syrian refugees remains unknown
VERNON - Despite speculation the Vernon Army Camp could be used to house Syrian refugees, the official word is nothing has been decided yet. Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund says the provincial government has been in touch, but any discussion about the city taking in refugees has been very preliminary so far. “It was more of...
Stolen iPod, thousands of photos returned to rightful owners
VERNON - It must have been quite a surprise for a pair of B.C. residents to see their picture posted on the news last week. A pleasant surprise, given the circumstances. Police released the photo after seizing what they believed to be a stolen iPod during a recent arrest. They found thousands of photos of the...
Thousands of dollars worth of copper wire stolen in Vernon
VERNON - Police in Vernon are investigating after a copper wire theft last week. Roughly 166 feet of copper wire was stolen from Mormak Equipment on Beckettes Frontage Road in Vernon sometime during the night of Tuesday, Nov. 10. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the lock was cut and the fence damaged where the suspect,...
Vernon woman trying to cross street hit by car
VERNON - It could have been worse. Police say a pedestrian hit trying to cross the road last week only had minor injuries. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says a GMC pickup truck headed west on 31 Avenue struck a woman while turning left onto 34 Street around 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 10. The 56-year-old woman had stepped...
Vernon bear spray attack leads to charges
VERNON - A man is facing charges after bear spraying a gas station employee last week. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says a employee at Blue Moon Esso asked the man to leave the business around 5:25 p.m., Nov. 11, because he was banned from the location due to a previous incident. The man then allegedly...
Vernon Food Bank looks to community for helping hand this holiday season
VERNON - The local food bank is calling on the community to help make the holidays bright for the less fortunate. The Salvation Army is launching its annual Christmas Kettle Campaign on Saturday, Nov. 21 and is looking for volunteers. “Christmas should be about celebrating, good memories, and family coming together,” Captain Jean-Curtis Plante says...
Province to fund new complex care facility for youth in Vernon
VERNON - The province has picked Vernon as one of the early implementation sites for a new residential service for youth with complex care needs. The Ministry of Children recently signed off on a five-bed complex care facility for youth aged seven to 18 in Vernon. The province isn’t saying much about the facility because...
Hot weather, wildfires and changes in agriculture mean less Okanagan honey in the pot
OKANAGAN - An abnormally hot and dry summer appears to have had an unwelcome impact on Okanagan honey production. Helen Kennedy, who runs Arlo’s Honey Farm in Kelowna with her husband Rick Appel, says the season started off with an unusually early honey flow in May, likely due to above average spring temperatures. A productive...