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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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HELSTON: Bed bugs aren’t such a cute nursery rhyme anymore
I travelled across South East Asia for six months, bunking in cheap backpacker’s hostels and bungalows with dirt floors, and not once did I encounter the globetrotter’s worst nightmare: the dreaded bed bug. I was warned repeatedly before my departure to watch out for the nasty insects, to check linens for the telltale brownish stains...
Homeless camps still a reality in Vernon parks
VERNON - With nowhere else to turn, members of the homeless community continue to sleep in public parks in Vernon. A census done in October found six active homeless camps in the city, executive director for the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan Annette Sharkey says. “That is up from previous counts, but not...
Attempted murder charge laid in connection with Enderby shooting
ENDERBY - An attempted murder charge has been laid in connection with a shooting near Enderby. Norman Dybdal, 58, faces charges of attempted murder with a firearm and aggravated assault in relation to the Oct. 19 incident in Enderby. Dybdal allegedly shot a 55-year-old man multiple times that evening, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries. The Vernon...
Kokanee salmon population explodes in Okanagan Lake with biggest spawn in quarter century
OKANAGAN - It’s a record year for Kokanee salmon spawning on Okanagan Lake. Jason Webster, a Vernon-based fisheries biologist, says more than 300,000 shore spawners were counted during this year’s annual survey — the most in more than 25 years. “It’s turning into a cyclical thing where every four years there’s a great big run,...
Curious bobcat pokes head into Okanagan home
VERNON - A curious animal believed to be a bobcat stuck its head inside a Vernon home recently. Conservation officer Tanner Beck says a homeowner in the Silver Star Road area left her door open around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 and a bobcat 'poked its head in to see what was going on.’ “It...
Okanagan ranch offers $10,000 reward after finding poached cows
**CONTENT ADVISORY: GRAPHIC IMAGES** VERNON – A $10,000 reward is on the table for information…
Vernon cops locking people up for fun, and for a good cause
VERNON - Mounties are asking the public to turn in friends, family and coworkers this Thursday as part of their annual jail and bail fundraiser. People can either turn themselves in at a mock jail set up at Boston Pizza, or snitch on someone and have the cops come and arrest them. Offenders will be...
UPDATE: Vernon woman missing for weeks finally located
UPDATE: 6:22 A.M. OCT. 27, 2015 A 26-year-old woman missing for weeks has been located. Police say Celina White was found safe and sound Oct. 26. 8 P.M., OCT. 20, 2015 VERNON - Police in Vernon say a young woman who went missing weeks ago has still not been located. Celina White, 26, was reported...
Thievery at scrap metal yard in Lumby
LUMBY - Thieves made off with a large haul of scrap metal in Lumby last week, and while not exactly gold, the material was quite valuable. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says the large quantity of scrap copper pipe stolen from a scrap metal yard on Trinity Valley Road the night of Oct. 13 was worth...
ELECTION 2015: Conservative Mel Arnold ready to work
VERNON - Mel Arnold plans to spend his first day as a member of Parliament saying thank you. “So many people kicked in to make this campaign successful,” Arnold says. “I want to thank the volunteers that came out and supported me and the people that voted for me. That means so much moving forward.”...
Research vessel stolen from remote North Okanagan lake
VERNON - Police in Vernon are on the lookout for a university’s stolen research vessel. The boat, a 12-foot aluminum Crestliner with no motor, was moored in Kaiser Bill Lake, just south of Lavington, but was stolen sometime between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says. The boat belongs to the University...
Man in critical condition after North Okanagan shooting
ENDERBY - Police are investigating a shooting in the North Okanagan that left a man in critical condition. RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says police were called to a rural property in the Enderby area about 5:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Officers located a 55-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds, Noseworthy says. He was transported to...
Firefighters tackle burning truck in Vernon
VERNON - Firefighters were called out to battle a vigorous vehicle fire Monday evening. The fire, which happened around 9:30 p.m., Oct. 19, in the 8800 block of Rising View Way in Vernon, left a pickup truck fully engulfed in flames. The Vernon Fire Department hit the fire hard, and were able to extinguish it....
ELECTION 2015: Conservative win in North Okanagan-Shuswap
VERNON - Conservative candidate Mel Arnold is the North Okanagan-Shuswap’s new Member of Parliament. Arnold had a healthy lead right off the bat Monday evening, and while Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz was on his tail, he was declared elected as of 8:30 p.m. with about 40 per cent of the vote. Derkaz stood about 10...
ELECTION 2015: Conservative Mel Arnold leads in North Okanagan-Shuswap race
VERNON - When North Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes announced he wasn’t seeking reelection, the riding was guaranteed a brand new representative out of the 2015 federal election. That new representative was chosen tonight. The riding has been a Conservative stronghold for many years, and tonight's results show that tradition will continue for another term. Conservative...
Accident south of Vernon sends four to hospital
VERNON - Police say a car crash just south of Vernon today was caused when a driver failed to yield while merging onto the highway. RCMP Cpl. Spencer Hornoi says a truck was making a left hand turn off Birnie Road onto Highway 97 and collided with a southbound car shortly before noon, Oct. 19....
Lock down at Vernon high school precautionary
VERNON - A Vernon high school wasn’t taking any chances when it learned of an altercation in the schoolyard this afternoon. Vernon School District Superintendent Joe Rogers says W.L. Seaton Secondary School was placed on lock down around 1:30 p.m., Oct. 19 after administration became aware of an incident involving two adult men on the...
UPDATE: Vernon men identified as victims of northeastern B.C. plane crash
VERNON - A Vernon construction company has been linked to a fatal plane crash in northeastern B.C. last week. A privately owned Cessna 207 was taking off from the Chapman gravel site in Baldonnel, about 15 kilometres south of Fort St. John of Friday, Oct.16, when it crashed and caught fire, leaving two people on...
The smell in Polson Park might not be what you think it is
VERNON - The smelly situation around Vernon’s Polson Park might be coming from deep underground. People have been complaining about a foul odour in and around the park, a problem Vernon city councillor Juliette Cunningham brought up at a meeting earlier this week. Cunningham speculated the smell might be coming from the regional district’s sani-dump...
Crown drops charges against North Okanagan man accused of dangerous driving causing death of three people
VERNON - Charges have been dropped against a North Okanagan driver involved in a tragic accident over two years ago. Crown spokesperson Neil MacKenzie says evidence in the dangerous driving causing death case of Brandon McGregor did not support a conviction. McGregor, 23, from Spallumcheen, was previously scheduled to go on trial Oct. 19 on...
Help these local musicians win the chance of a lifetime
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Your vote could help a local artist win over $100,000 and some serious musical cred. The B.C. Peak Performance Project opens up the public voting portion of its contest today, Oct. 16. Online voting runs until Oct. 23. Two artists from around the Thompson-Okanagan are in the running this year: Vernon’s Corey Myraas...
HELSTON: Learning to vote is like learning to drive, we all need a little practice
In Canada, you might be born with the democratic right to vote, but you’re not born with a magical gene that makes you a natural voter. That’s a skill that takes time and patience to cultivate. And, no, I’m not talking about the basic hand-eye coordination required to draw an ‘X’ on a piece of...
Questions arise over new Vernon arena cost, location
VERNON - Building a new arena in Vernon hasn’t even gone to referendum yet and is already generating concerns. Local officials are currently waiting for the province to sign off on a borrowing referendum to decommission the Civic Arena and add a second ice sheet at Kal Tire Place — a process that has been...
Destructive Vernon fire deemed suspicious
VERNON - Police are appealing to the public for tips as they investigate a recent fire. The Oct. 14 blaze destroyed three vehicles at a property on Davidson Road. Police and the Vernon Fire Department were called to extinguish the fire just after 4 a.m. Among the wreckage was a commercial truck and two personal...