Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
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
Twitter
Facebook
Cow found shot to death in North Okanagan leads to police investigation
VERNON - A police investigation is underway after the discovery of a cow found shot on a North Okanagan forest service road. Vernon RCMP received a report Saturday, July 11, of a cow found shot to death on King Edward Lake Road, near Coldstream, spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. The cow was part of a rancher’s...
Kelowna women killed in Vernon car crash identified
VERNON - The B.C. Coroners Service has released the identities of two women who died in a head-on car accident in Vernon over the weekend. They were Chantal Diane Bazin, 22, and Kayla Elizabeth Cartwright, 26, both from Kelowna. According to a press release from the coroner Larry Marzinzik, Bazin was the driver, and Cartwright the...
UPDATE: Coroner identifies victim in Shuswap house boat accident
SICAMOUS - A young Alberta woman died in a house boat accident last Friday. The accident happened on Shuswap Lake near the Cinnemousun Narrows about 15 km north of Sicamous Friday, July 10. Andrea Mary Jacura, 22, of Edmonton, Alberta died Friday while swimming in Shuswap Lake in B.C.'s Southern Interior. The woman was behind...
Community celebration at Kal Beach in Vernon a hit
VERNON - It was a beach party to remember. Hundreds attended an event at Kal Beach Friday featuring activities, live music and plenty of community spirit, as well as a few National Hockey League players. The highlight for many was meeting past and present hockey idols. Jesse Vandenbrand, 7, could barely contain his excitement as...
Coffee, creativity and a cause come together at Vernon coffee shop
VERNON - Maybe you come for the coffee. Maybe the atmosphere. Maybe the constantly changing art. And this month, you might come to Vernon’s Bean Scene Coffee House to show your community spirit. Every month, the Bean Scene strips the art on its walls and puts up a new show. It’s a fun change of...
Police watchdog looking for witnesses to Shuswap shooting
SALMON ARM - B.C.’s police watchdog is asking for anyone who witnessed a shooting involving an officer in the Salmon Arm area to come forward. The Independent Investigations Office is looking into a July 3 incident that left an individual, and an officer, injured. The extent of their injuries has not been disclosed. All that...
HELSTON: The power of one woman’s voice
No one came to hear her speak, but everyone will remember what she said. Angie Todd-Dennis of the Carrier First Nation wasn’t on the schedule of a Chamber of Commerce luncheon with Justice Minister Peter MacKay this week in Vernon. She wasn’t invited, didn’t register, and in fact slipped in on the heels of a...
Family of man presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake desperate for answers
VERNON - The family of a missing man presumed drowned in Kalamalka Lake is raising funds to continue the search for their loved one by hiring a specialized team. Police dive teams spent multiple days unsuccessfully scouring the lake and surrounding area for Curtis Wilson, who has been missing for nearly two weeks now. RCMP spokesperson...
Officials suspect Molotov cocktail used in Lumby fire
LUMBY - Police believe a Molotov cocktail is to blame for a small, yet potentially serious, fire in Lumby. Firefighters were called to a residential road in Lumby around 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, for a report of a grass fire. While the fire was small and did no real damage to the property, officials...
Three Vernon cyclists hit by vehicles cause for concern
VERNON - All road users are being reminded to be careful after three separate incidents over the past week left two cyclists injured and a third dead over. Jennifer Wadsworth, a mother of two, was biking on 25 Avenue on July 2 when she rode in front of a pickup truck. She was rushed to hospital,...
Chance, community spirit, and the power of social media reunite lost cockatiel with Vernon family
VERNON - It would have been a different story if Allison Griffiths hadn’t taken the afternoon off. But she did, and when she got home, it was as if a lost little bird was just waiting for her. She noticed the exotic, grey and yellow cockatiel on a neighbour’s roof and thought, “That’s not a...
UPDATE: First Nations woman confronts Justice Minister at Vernon luncheon
VERNON – An angry and upset First Nations woman used a Chamber of Commerce luncheon…
New North Okanagan child and youth advocacy centre gets federal backing
VERNON - A cutting-edge pilot project in Vernon will help make things a little easier for young victims of crime. The much needed North Okanagan child and youth advocacy centre will streamline the process for young victims who have been sexually abused or assaulted, or who have witnessed crime, and will be made up of...
If you missed the deadline on your favourite Okanagan produce this year, you weren’t alone
SO EARLY, IT'S UNHEARD OF OKANAGAN - Many crops in the Okanagan have come and gone much earlier than normal, and that’s leaving consumers with mixed emotions. Cheryl Rohrer with Good ’N’ Plenty Produce in Armstrong says some customers are thrilled to see their favourite foods out earlier than usual, while others are left disappointed...
Cause of fire that destroyed Vernon ministry office will likely remain unknown
VERNON - Investigators do not know for sure what started a massive fire in downtown Vernon and after a week-long investigation, have classified the cause as undetermined. The violent blaze burned down a 48 Avenue building that housed the Ministry of Social Development office and a podiatry clinic June 30. Deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood...
Elevated watering restrictions in effect for Greater Vernon Water customers
VERNON - Heavier water restrictions are being imposed on Greater Vernon residents. The North Okanagan Regional District announced stage one restrictions for Greater Vernon Water customers Tuesday, July 7. Water reservoirs filled early this year and stopped spilling on June 10, water sustainability coordinator Jennifer Miles says in a media release. “This means we are...
Vernon cyclist dies of crash injuries
VERNON - A Vernon cyclist has died after suffering serious injuries in a car accident last week. The 38-year-old woman, whose name is not yet being released, was hit by a truck the morning of Thursday, July 2, on 25 Avenue. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says it appears the woman rode in front of the...
People ignoring campfire ban in Okanagan
‘THERE’S THE ODD FEW THAT DON’T THINK THE BAN APPLIES TO THEM’ VERNON - Fire officials in Vernon are surprised some people are still not getting the message about the importance of campfire bans. Twice Monday night, the Vernon Fire Department was called to illegal campfires in peoples’ backyards, deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood says....
Childhood friends killed in Vernon motorbike crash leave behind fiancées, families
LUMBY - Childhood friends James Folden and Trinity Bright were both living life to its fullest when a tragic motorbike crash cut their time short. Both were engaged to be married; Folden, 23, to Chelsea, his high school sweetheart and mother of his seven-week-old daughter, and Bright, 24, to the love of his life. Folden,...
Deer found hanging by leg rescued by Vernon men
'IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIFIC DEATH’ VERNON - A deer left hanging from a chain link fence was rescued by two Vernon men over the weekend. Pete Wise, who operates a wildlife control company, was making his rounds at the Vernon airport early Saturday morning when he noticed the deer hanging by its leg....
Police dive teams return to Kal Lake in search of missing man
VERNON - Police teams are focussing efforts on Kalamalka Lake as they search for a man missing since June 27. Curtis Wilson, 24, was last seen with his friend Shane Letkeman, 32, who was found dead in the lake June 28. Wilson’s family reported him missing last week, and police launched a full scale search...
More evictions expected, more affordable housing likely lost in Vernon
NOWHERE TO GO VERNON - Not long after eviction notices were served to tenants of the Green Valley Motel, residents of another low-cost apartment building in Vernon are counting what they believe could be their final days. The Belair Apartments on 32 Street, just down the road from Boston Pizza, recently sold, and that’s left...
City puts brakes on community group wanting to build new Vernon bus shelters
WHAT GOES ON CITY PROPERTY MUST MEET CITY POLICY VERNON - The intentions behind a grassroots movement to spruce up Vernon’s run-down bus stops are good ones, but the City of Vernon is still putting brakes on the project, at least for now. Vernon-based organization Noteworthy Neighbourhoods hoped to get started building a new, covered...
Vernon soup kitchen sees record-breaking use of services
VERNON - A Vernon soup kitchen says it has a record number of mouths to feed, in part due to a dramatic increase in the number of families with children in need of a meal. Last year at this time, the Upper Room Mission was serving roughly 250 meals a day. That number has now...