Serving the Heart of Central Alberta for 105 years
VOLUME ONE HUNDRED SIX
PM40011853 R08546
NUMBER THIRTY-FIVE
STETTLER, ALBERTA
August 29, 2012
PRICE – $1.09 Plus GST
Superstar engagement strikes Stettler chord LES STULBERG Independent reporter The entertainment world has been buzzing with the surprise engagement announcement of Chad Kroeger and Avril Lavigne, two internationally acclaimed superstars whose romance eluded the watchful eyes of the media. The 14-karat engagement ring, valued at $1 million, also made headlines. While it’s well-known that Kroeger, the 37-year-old frontman for the rock band Nickelback, was born and raised in Hanna, few would know that Kroeger’s family lived in Stettler. His grandparents, Henry and Cleona Kroeger, along with their three children — who included Chad’s mother Debbie — lived just down the street from the Stettler United Church. Henry Kroeger operated the Massey Harris farm equipment
dealership in town. In 1959, the elder Kroeger took his first run at politics, running under the Liberal banner in the Stettler electoral division. That attempt resulted in a third-place finish. Years after Henry Kroeger moved to Consort, he was elected as an MLA in Peter Lougheed’s Conservative government in 1975, and served in that capacity until his death in 1987. He was Transportation Minister and his work with water management in the dry prairie region resulted in the Henry Kroeger Regional Water Services Commission being named in his honour. Perhaps Chad can attribute some of his musical talent to his grandparents — Henry played bass guitar and Cleona the drums in the Tory Blue Notes, an all-MLA band. The marriage of Chad’s parents, Wendall and Debbie Turton, broke up when he was about two years old and he later adopted his mother’s maiden
name of Kroeger. Hanna is considered his hometown. Before his success as Nickelback’s lead singer, Chad worked in a coffee house in Vancouver where coffee cost $1.95. As he gave back change, Chad constantly said, “Here’s your nickel back” — hence, the origin of the band’s name. Mike Kroeger, Chad’s older halfbrother, is also an original member of Nickelback. The popular rock band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Lavigne, 27, originally from Ontario, gained superstardom in the music’s pop genre while still a teenager. The multiple-award-winning Lavigne has received 267 nominations and has more than 150 awards to her name. The couple began dating in February when they got together to cowrite a song for Lavigne’s upcoming album. It will be the first marriage for Kroeger, and the second for Lavigne.
LES STULBERG/Independent reporter
The entertainment world has been abuzz with news of the engagement of Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger, whose family has strong Stettler roots.
Summer storms take toll on Stettler region On the bright side, thunderstorms might clear the way for a warm fall RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter Severe summer weather might not be finished for this season, though local residents believe they’ve already had more than their share. Two thunderstorms struck the Stettler region in the midnight hours last Wednesday and Friday, and pounding hail woke up people in the first instance. Power was knocked out briefly in the early morning hours in Stettler, Botha and Gadsby. “We’re looking for a little (more) action later this week,” Bill McMurtry of Environment Canada said Monday. “Typicially, the peak of severe summer weather is June and July. It does happen in August, but not as often in the peak.” Extreme weather has been active all over the province this summer, he said. “Alberta usually gets about 80 events, but we now have recorded about 189,” McMurtry said. Most of the severe weather storms in the Stettler area and central Alberta have unusually occurred later in the evening or in the wee hours of the morning, he said. “Severe weather activity usually occurs in late afternoon or early evening,” Looking to the long-term future, he said the weather is virtually unpredictable — even at the best of times. “Anything beyond seven to 10 days is unpredictable,” McMurtry said. “Computer models have very little accuracy.” Meanwhile, predictions for the fall in Alberta and Saskatchewan were announced Monday by The Weather Network, and the prognosis looks relatively strong. Both provinces can expect a typical fall season, with normal temperatures and precipitation. The exception in western Canada calls for above normal temperatures from the southern and southeastern parts of Alberta through much of southern Saskatchewan.
LES STULBERG/Independent reporter
Strong winds last Thursday played havoc on canola fields, such as those south of Botha. The gusts of wind rolled swaths into large piles that are expected cause farmers some harvest grief in the coming weeks. Hailstones fell in Stettler early last Wednesday morning.
JOHN MacNEIL/Independent editor
Local cowboys Ty Spady (back) and Grady Thomson show their team-roping form Saturday during the season-opening high school rodeo in Stettler. Cowboys and cowgirls in District 2 launched another Alberta High School Rodeo Association season as the junior high students competed Friday and the senior high students took part in Saturday and Sunday events. This weekend, the scene shifts to Bowden for Week 2 action. For more action photos from the Stettler high school rodeo, see Page B3 of this week’s Independent.
Readers can also find the Stettler Independent at stettlerindependent.com